Triumph sedans were never a really big success in the United States. It’s too bad, because they could have easily had the jump on BMW. Just look at the offerings and think of what BMW offered 5-10 years later: the Herald/Vitesse, 1300/1500/Dolomite, and 2000/2500. All were sporting cars, ranging from spartan to entry-level luxury, much like the BMW E3 (aka Bavaria) and E10 (2002/Neue Klasse) cars, and Triumph also had a full line of sports cars where BMW offered their E9 coupes (and earlier, the little 700 cars). While a few Mark I cars made it over the Atlantic, the Mark II sedans were never offered in North America. Someone decided to bring over this 1975 Triumph 2000TC, and it is now for sale with bidding at $1500 and 6 1/2 days left to go in Norwalk, CT.
What a smart looking sedan – replace those homely hubcaps, and all of a sudden this car is no less attractive than, say, a contemporary Mercedes or BMW. Michelotti did a number on the Mark II just as he did on other Triumphs, and it’s quite successful. The car is said to have been brought from Scotland or Switzerland (what? put your money on Scotland for this RHD car), and is said to be in great running, driving condition. However, as you can see, it also has a fair amount of rocker/fender rust, so will need some investment.
From the interior, you can see this car enjoyed good care. It comes with a full service history from 1975, should you have a spare evening to spend reading through it. It comes with the more desirable manual transmission, and looks quite comfortable. Interestingly, the horn is on that column stalk, and the light switch is the odd knob just beyond the stalk. Inconsistent ergonomics may have been the bane of 1970s auto journalists, but they’re interesting to look back at today.
While the car has twin carburetors, the TC designation was simply a trim level. The engine looks remarkably clean, given the condition of the car’s exterior, and interestingly enough, the suspension towers and all visible underhood metal looks very solid. Hopefully this lends credence to the car’s potential as a project instead of a parts car. A Practical Classics reader would repair this over the course of a winter in his freezing one-car shed, using only a pot of hot tea, a butane torch and some spray paint to achieve a show-ready finish.
In spite of being right hand drive and a car never sold in the US, 1975 is the magic year at which even the California emissions and safety police won’t blink an eye. Listed once before, the bidding only went up to $1500. With any luck, the reserve has been lowered to a reasonable amount, and while the rust looks a little scary, if it’s truly just the sills, your exposure may be limited to rust repairs and localized respraying. It’s worth checking out, since where are you going to find another?
Rusty But Trusty 
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