Makes › Triumph › TR3 (original, before TR3A) · Rare production · 1955
Triumph
TR3 (original, before TR3A)
The original TR3 before the TR3A facelift, 3,331 built per secondary lead.
Still being researched: full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- Not yet verified
- Years
- 1955
- Engine
- Four-cylinder, wet-liner · 1,991 cc / 2.0 LFactory: 1,991 cc
- Power
- 74.6 kW / 101 PSFactory: 100 hp · converted
- Top speed
- 177 km/hFactory: 110 mph · converted
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Not yet verified
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The original TR3 was the 1955 to 1957 version of the TR sports car. It had a 2-litre four-cylinder engine, Girling front disc brakes from 1956 and optional overdrive. Motor Sport's 1957 road test praised its brakes and value for money.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
No production figures recorded yet.
History
The TR3 replaced the TR2 in October 1955. It was the same car with a radiator grille, and its engine output rose from 95 to 100 bhp when larger twin SU carburettors were fitted.
Front disc brakes became standard in September 1956, making the TR3 the first sports car in its class with them.
Motor Sport tested a TR3 hard-top in July 1957. Its estimated top speed was about 110 mph, and it covered a standing-start quarter mile in 18.6 seconds.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard TR3 (original, before TR3A).
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | Four-cylinder, wet-liner1 Independently researched |
| Cylinders | 41 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 1,991 cc / 2.0 LFactory: 1,991 cc2 Independently researchedFrom an enthusiast source (level D) – not yet confirmed by the maker or a registry. The page gives this figure for the TR2 engine and describes the TR3 as the same car. Motor Sport calls the TR3 a 2-litre. |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Induction | Twin SU carburettors with A.C. air cleaners1 Independently researched |
| Power | 74.6 kW / 101 PSFactory: 100 hp · converted2 Independently researchedFrom an enthusiast source (level D) – not yet confirmed by the maker or a registry. The same page gives 95 bhp for the first TR3 form. |
| Power at | Not yet verified |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Manual gearbox with optional Laycock de Normanville electric overdrive1 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Wishbones and coil springs1 Independently researched |
| Rear suspension | Rigid live rear axle with stiff springs1 Independently researched |
| Brakes | Girling disc brakes on the front wheels1 Independently researched |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | Not yet verified |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | 177 km/hFactory: 110 mph · converted1 Independently researchedRoad-test estimate ('a maximum of about 110 m.p.h.'), not a timed top speed. |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Standing ¼ mile | 18.6 s1 Independently researchedStanding-start quarter mile, two up, per the road test. |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
The TR3 is identified from the TR2 by its radiator grille. Its headlamps were moved back slightly from the front of the car. Front disc brakes came in September 1956 and overdrive was an optional extra.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
Triumph TR3 Road-Test Level C Motor Sport · 1957-07
- the well-tried wet-liner four-cylinder engine of the TR3
- the twin S.U. carburetters with their A.C. air cleaners
- the Laycock de Normanville electrically-selected overdrive (an optional extra)
- Front suspension is by wishbones and coil-springs
- the rigid back axle calls for stiff springs to locate and damp it
- Girling disc brakes on the front wheels
- will attain a maximum of about 110 m.p.h.
- two-up, in 18.6 sec.
-
2
Classic Triumph Roadster (Ride Drive) Level D Ride Drive · 2015-07-04
- The 1991cc Triumph Mayflower engine
- increased initially by a small amount to 95bhp, and then later to 100bhp
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