As
I run through lust-worthy cars, I would be remiss if I ignored the
Triumph TR6--one of the defining and most popular English roadsters of
the 1970s.
The TR6 was an interesting case. It wasn't
really as huge a competition success as its Triumph forebears, it
wasn't as agile as its competition from Fiat or Alfa Romeo, and despite
its brawny six-cylinder engine, it wasn't all that quick. In fact,
despite its trim size, the TR6 handled like a truck and just barely
managed to break the 10-second mark in the 0-60 sprint--roughly about
what one would expect from a mid-1980s Honda Accord.
But,
really, none of that mattered. The TR6, with its handsome, squared-off
looks and jaunty British flag sticker mounted on the rear
quarter-panels, sold a dream.
You might be stranded from time to time with random electrical gremlins, or have to deal with a leaky convertible top, but
when
the sky turned blue and the road turned windy, the TR6 delivered
enjoyment in copious doses. Not a sort of crude sprinting-around type
of fun, mind you--rather the more genteel motoring sort of fun best
enjoyed with a loved one in the other seat and some cool wind through
the hair.
You won't win many drag races in a TR6, but
then again, perhaps that aggressive young chap who just smoked you in a
Kia Spectra needs to relax a bit.
I'm well aware of the TR6's shortcomings, but in a car like this, the shortcomings are part of the appeal. Sign me up.
--Chris H.
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