Posts Tagged ‘british’

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All Faux, No Go – 1977 Triumph TR7 Coupe

March 8, 2016

Triumph’s TR7 makes a great alternative to more common sports cars of its time. It’s got a divisive notchback wedge design, flip-up headlights, gawky big bumpers, decent power which is sometimes hampered by smog equipment, as well as plaid seating, a useful trunk and the most modern amenities you’ll find on any affordable British sports car of its time. All those things make it a good alternative to cars like the Mazda RX-7 with its rotary engine, plaid seating, useful rear hatch and… wait, what? The Japanese car is weirder? Anyhow, TR7s seem to have suffered greater attrition, so let’s pretend it’s weird just for being rare and take a look at this 1977 Triumph TR7 coupe for sale for $3500 in Carver, MA.

1977 Triumph TR7 coupe right front

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Located in a Barn – 1971 Spartan Roadster

February 18, 2016

Here’s something you don’t see every day. Most replica classics have several drawbacks – being based on a pedestrian platform, awkward styling to fit modern underpinnings, high cost of entry, and more. It’s nice to find a car that scores well on at least two of those elements, and if you buy into some snobbery about country of origin and longevity of its maker, it has that going for it as well. Spartan Cars were made from 1973 to 1995, and in addition to the Roadster there were a Mini-Moke-like vehicle, and what must have been truly odd-looking estate car and motorhome conversions for the Ford Cortina. The Roadster first used the Triumph Herald/Vitesse/Spitfire as its basis, moving to the Mark III-V Cortinas as the Triumphs became unsuitable donors through age or collectibility. At any rate, there can’t be that many of these in the US, although the Spartan owners’ club does count some Americans among its members. If you want to be one of the few, you can start by looking at this 1971 Spartan Roadster for sale for $4500 somewhere in Clark County, WA, just north of Portland, OR.

1971 Spartan Roadster left front

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No Chevy – 1973 Jaguar XJ6

February 6, 2016

In the 1970s and 1980s, many Jaguars succumbed to the Chevrolet 350 “upgrade”. And while the 350 and its small block brethren are excellent engines for some purposes, the XK inline six cylinder engine was far from fragile itself. It was most often the components around it that failed, leading to it cooking itself. Or, once the engine was worn out, cared for or not, slipping an easily available V8 was a cost-effective way of getting back on the road without sacrificing power or durability. So it’s not so easy to find an early chrome-bumper Jaguar XJ6 sporting its original engine, and in drivable condition to boot – a quick recent survey of west coast listings shows that, among the few available XJ6s, around a third to half retain their inline sixes, and of these, a fair proportion are non-running project cars. So let’s take a look at this 1973 Jaguar XJ6 for sale for $3800 in Port Townsend, WA.

1973 Jaguar XJ6 front

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