This particular TR4 is was built as a US-market example, and was re-imported into Britain in 2019 and converted to right hand drive, having undergone a painstaking ground-up restoration in its previous ownership.
Codenamed 'Zest', the TR4 was introduced in 1961, and although based on the chassis and drive train of its much-loved TR3A predecessor, the newcomer cut a far more modern dash, thanks to its all-new Michelotti-styled body.
Power was provided by Triumph's proven 2,138cc OHV four-cylinder engine while elsewhere mechanical updates included a wider track front and rear, rack-and-pinion steering and an all-synchromesh gearbox. The optional overdrive - present on this particular car - now operated on second and third gears as well as top.
The final iteration of the TR4 was this TR4A, introduced in 1965. The update brought a number of small stylistic changes and upgrades to the specification but, more pertinently, some 75 per cent of TR4As - as this one - were equipped with independent rear suspension.
Resplendent in vivid Signal Red, this desirably-equipped 1968 TR4A recently benefited from an extremely thorough restoration. Built as a LHD North American export model, it was originally Triumph Racing Green with Black leather trim and a black hood, and was dispatched on 8th March 1968.
From the factory, its specification included independent rear suspension, a miles-per-hour speedometer, a heater and a tonneau cover. Leaving Swansea's King's Dock aboard the Halifax City, it crossed the Atlantic to retail through the Leyland Motor Corporation of North America's Central Zone Office in Baltimore, Maryland.
In 1993, it was acquired by David R. Loranger of North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and he appears to have kept it until it was sold in 2019 through Massachusetts classic car dealership Blackstone Motorcars and subsequently imported back into Britain.
By this point, it was in need of extensive restoration, and in March 2020, the previous owner entrusted the car to Target Engineering for the necessary work to be completed.
In the following twelve months a tremendous amount of bodywork restoration was undertaken, with many areas of bodywork being newly fabricated.
New metalwork extended to the sills, floor pan, inner arches, A- and B-posts and beyond, and once completed the bodyshell was protected with a liberal application of stone chip to the underside and interior.
The Triumph returned to Target in December, 2021, for its twin SU HS6 carburettors to be refurbished, and in 2022 Target overhauled the differential with new seals and bearings, and replaced the rear wheel bearings and drive shafts. They also undertook a right-hand drive conversion and fitted new wire-wheel hub adaptors.
By 2022, over £13,000 had been spent with Target alone, and many thousands more was spent on parts from nuts and bolts to suspension and brake components and new panel sections, many of which sourced from the well-known and highly-regarded specialists Rimmer Bros. and the TR Shop.
The work was finally completed in 2023, although a further £1,323 was spent on the car with IK Classics in May, 2025. Still in excellent order throughout, the car comes with a valid MOT certificate for buyer's peace of mind, although of course offically cars over forty years old no longer require MOT tests.
Not surprisingly for such a cherished car, it comes with a BMIHT Certificate, numerous invoices, a copy of the 2003 Massachusetts title, extensive correspondence with Blackstone Motorcars, even the Triumph TR4 TR4A 1961-67 Auto-book by Auto-press Ltd and a facsimile of the original Standard-Triumph Triumph TR4 & TR4A Workshop Manual.
Having now ben fully restored to pristine condition, this glorious TR4A is now ready to be passed on to its next owner, who we are sure will not be disappointed.
