Triumph GT6 mk3 buyers guide - why its the bargain of the decade!

[@roddymac1370]

If I had sent a list of the questions I've been mulling for my Mk3 then you just answered them. Thank you for the common sense and for your appreciation of a great engine. I've had my 1973 car since 1988 and owe it a refresh without breaking the bank. This video is so valuable, thank you. Subscribed!

[@Roy-gi5ul]

This guy knows what he's talking about!

[@Helm-w1q]

I bought my first Mark three at Fulton motors in Sacramento California in 1970. It was a brand new 70, brown. I had just turned twenty-one and bought it for myself. I always wanted the six cylinder that the GT6 had but that little four banger still had some get up to it

[@timdavies3162]

She looks gorgeous. Being in my 50s I appreciate these lovely cars

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

Beauty isn't she? It's had a huge amount of money invested, just doing the rear brakes, literally everything is brand new, just needs finessing to work correctly!

[@marknelson5929]

When I lived in the UK between 1988 - 2010 I owned a variety of Brit classics, my first being a Mk.3 GT6. I bought it from a private seller and we've remained firm friends ever since. He went onto buy a Mk.2 GT6 so it was good to compare. I'd come from a few MGBs, my last back in the 80s was a B GT. If I'm honest, the cabin of the B GT has more room and is more airy etc. The view out over the GT6 bonnet though is lovely and they sound gorgeous! My mates Mk.2 GT6 was like getting into a letter box (the roof height was increased in the Mk.3? His looked stunning on its wire wheels and webasto. The webasto was a saving grace in summer for him, as the heat soak in these cars is bad in my experience. I recall coming home after a Sunday drive in my Mk.3 feeling like you'd been in a sauna - yes these days you can insulate the interior to reduce this. My lasting memory is hitting the Heathrow Tunnel late at night in my Mk.3 with my mate in his Mk.2, we'd be side by side blasting through with the sound echoing off the walls - great stuff. I went onto buy another Mk.3 GT6 which had been re-engined with a 2.5 litre 6 from a Triumph saloon - this transformed the car into a real relaxed tourer. I went back to MGs later on (after a lovely Mk.1 2000 Triumph saloon with overdrive) to an MGC GT Downton Stage 3 Tune and later a B GT with a Rover SD1 V8 and LT77 box - that was a great car. Still I think of my GT6 days and my early morning blasts through a sleepy London to the M11 - great days indeed. GT6s are pretty rare where I am now, but amazingly there is or I should say, was a lovely Mk.1 in red around the corner, until a large tree branch fell on it. I saw it being trucked away very bent, a difficult repair I'd say. Hopefully she was fixed, but I've not seen it since. As to the looks of the GT6s, I think the Mk.3 is more refined, the rear end for example on the Mk.1 & 2 is very fussy, looking like an afterthought. Great vid.

[@UberLummox]

FULLY agree. Mk III is far more refined in looks. Way more Michelotti-y looking!

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

It's horses for courses, my friend hates the stag style (spitfire) rear lamps, but I love them I really do think the mk3 is way under valued, which in a way is a good thing as it gives people a chance to enjoy one!

[@steverushforth7009]

Brilliant video, my first "nice car" was a BRG Mark 3 I bought it from an American pilot who hardly ever used it and it was immaculate, I think I spent as much time just looking at it as driving it.

[@bernardwarr4187]

Great video, think I have watched it 3 times and now brought a MK3 with a 2.5 motor running SU, which I love. Fabulous car, very small and light, great fun and very usable

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

I think so, but I'm biased!

[@gul4578]

Great video. I am currently interested in one on auction In NL. Learned some important stuff! Thanks a lot.

[@davidstaines5440]

I agree with you that the mk3 is the best looking of the gt6 I would go as far as it's the best looking triumph.

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

I think they are a great looking car, but have a friend who hates them lol. I think it depends on the person really, I like tr7s but a lot of people see them ad the ugliest car ever built!

[@keithadams1538]

My very first car was a triumph GT6 Mk2 Always a smile while driving it.

[@danboyd3635]

Brilliant and informative video, thank you. I have been doing up my '72 Mk3 GT6 gradually over the last 6 years and everything you say I can relate with. In particular the aluminium rocker cover, that used to catch and caused a small dent in my bonnet, I have now replaced with an original steel one which fits perfectly. The other issue I have is the bubbling of rust at the bottom of the tailgate as you mentioned. If you know where I can buy a replacement tailgate I would be very interested. Apart from that, I love the GT6.. the looks.. the noise. Over the years it has actually been very reliable. The straight 6 engine is a delight. If you are thinking of buying one... just do it!

[@ianhendra4836]

Thanks for the trip down memory lane! You didn't mention that the early M3s had a lower wishbone rear suspension with Rotax couplings in the driveshafts, like the Mk2 and different to the Spitfire, Mk1s and later Mk3s. It made the handling superb...unlike the others! In effect, the rear suspension was double wishbone, like the Herald set up on the front. I did 60,000 miles in mine and heaps of UJs in the driveline...then upgraded to a Dolly Sprint, with which I ended up on first-name terms with every nut and bolt after about 18 months..but it was worth it! Oh that they'd put that engine in a GT6 body.. One track day, I did a 1min 6-second lap of the Brands Hatch short circuit when the Formula Ford lap record was about 60 seconds. You're dead right about electronic ignition and electric fan, even back in the early 1980s...I built my own from a thermistor and a relay and used two Lucas heater fans side by side. The GT6 sure was a much better car than the MGB GT....and still is, of course. 100% agree they're an unsung classic...

[@jcleare3571]

Marvellously entertaining channel! Had a red GT6 in the eighties which held its own against the Fiesta XR2. Unfortunately, (or fortunately) the bonnet lifted up above 90 mph and restricted visibility - never worked out why. Otherwise a cracking motor which did 80 mph plus in 2nd gear which was immense.

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

Thank you that's nice to hear, not easy to randomly get the bonnet up on a gt6, front hinged and weigh a ton 😂

[@JeepLongstrider]

Great video, just purchased a 1971 mk3 GT6. Looking forward to driving it.

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

Lovely, they drive great in my opinion, and feel really quick even by modern standards.

[@kenrobertson4140]

Great video, I really enjoyed it and I am a big fan too. One minor thing..........the bonnet stiffener on the blue car (the angle bracket under the bonnet between the wheel arches) )

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

Confused me this one 😂

[@alexvincent795]

Hey fella, love the vid. Just got a rot free Cali Gt6, mk2 11. Original paint, faded, scruffy like my life! Might tap you up for advice. I earn my pennies restoring old cars but I haven't played Triumph before and knowledge is power. Bless you, hope you and yours are well.

[@malcolmshaw2609]

I loved mine and was sad to let it go. It stared my life long obsession with British Classics

[@ernesttravers829]

Excellent video Mate Will watch any more you do Keep on Triumphing

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

Thank you, they really were and are great cars, sadly often underrated

[@jimc8609]

I had a mimosa GT6 MkIII M Reg. Was a great car, totally reliable. Unfortunately, even though it was only a few years old, the dreaded rust hit just about everything in this video. Almost bought a fully restored one, same even to the color last year. I should have pulled the trigger

[@stumac869]

You can fit the quarter window to a spitfire door but the original GT6 has a metal bridge that it sits on whereas the Spit doesn't. It doesn't make a huge difference but you do have to align the quarter window manually without the bridge. I would always check the end float on the engine which seems to be a problem with both the 4 and 6 cylinder engines with high miles and/or poor servicing and it can be an expensive fix.

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

I knew you could fit them, j7st couldn't remember the details, thank you

[@RobertSmith-di5ll]

I loved the high gearing

[@paulbennett9097]

You need to mention the crankshaft end float/thrust washers issues I had a GT6 mk2 and it had loads of end-float, me and my dad did an engine re-build and had to get a replacement crankshaft as it had damaged the crank that was back in the 1980's and still miss it.

[@stezo15]

Thanks for the vid. Great breakdown on the GT6 and using your experience and not using a one-sided, unqualified opinion. Quick question though, what's the experience of having a weber carb on GT6s? is it better to stick with an SU?

[@justinellis8864]

What a stunner. I used to have Inca yellow S reg/1977 1500 Spitfire when i was a 20. Absolutely loved it. Some of the happiest days of my life. But I always wanted a MKIII GT6! I've been looking at prices of them for 6 months and looked at Hagerty RRPs. You mentioned £6 or £7K on this vid, Would that get me one that's able to be driven but will need £3-5K spending on it, to get it looking good and running well? Thanks a lot for your video. It's been interesting, fascinating, informative and above all very helpful. When I find one a decent one at the right price I'll join your FB group! Many thanks. Great video!!

[@dumbcat]

what do you think of putting a healthy bead of clear silicon along roof top of the GT6 to prevent water penetration and rust?

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

It's not something Ive ever done, but it has to be worth a try

[@davejohnston5158]

Back in the 1980's I had my Scimitar rear ended by an uninsured Fiesta driver which pushed it onto the bonnet of a GT6 it was parked next to. Fiesta was written off but Scimitar was fixed with a bit of fiberglass work and a new petrol tank!😂

[@UberLummox]

Not even half way through, and this is BY FAAAAR the best GT-6 video or even Spitfire video I've seen! Thinking of getting one. I'm 6' 2", will I fit good enough in one? I do like a cozy cabin. Thankfully there seems to be a few good ones here in the US of A. I'm shocked to hear people think the earlier ones are better looking. Mk IIIs are far better imo. They way more Michelotti-y 😁 The color of your is fan-freakin-tastic!

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

Lovely feedback, thank you so much! I think you will be pretty cramped in all honesty, I'm only 5'8", so I fit Lovely I think leg/knee room might be tight!

[@bunkie2100]

I had. 1970 GT6+ (here is the US) back in the 1970s. As I am 6'2", I was very comfortable sitting in the car. I am long-legged and found foot and leg room to be very good. Headroom was, for me good.

[@garrett3948]

I bought my spitfire from a guy who was 6’3” and he claimed he was too tall, you’d have to see for yourself might be a tight fit though

[@UberLummox]

@@bunkie2100 Thanks!

[@UberLummox]

@@garrett3948 Thank you!

[@robbey300]

Sold mine in 1979 - OVH 321M…. Daily driver ! Looked after by A19 Test & Tune. 😎

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

I often wish I'd kept some cars I've sold (most) but I'd have needed a barn by now to keep them in and about half a million pounds 😂

[@seoigh]

Serial Triumph owner here. To my taste, the earliest Mk 3's are the best GT6's -- and my personal favorite Triumph

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

I do love Triumphs, but the mk3 gt6 is probably my favourite too. I drove this one once I'd sorted the cards and it really is a nimble little sports car and it flies! Obviously I don't know what has been done to the engine, but it's either a 2500 or its had some headwork and a cam because it spun the tyres on the up shift between 2nd and third and I wasn't pushing it that hard!

[@seoigh]

@@YorkshireClassicCarsltdVery nice. I just had mine rebuilt. I kept the stock displacement, but I had them shave the head down to bring her to UK compression specs. It's not fast by today's standards, but it's pretty zippy. Guys with Spitfires and Midgets at the shows always tell me they are jealous of being able to drive on US highways, ha

[@prawnstar9213]

Nice garage.. I’d like to snoop in there!

[@ackerson20]

I considered my mk3 one of the best with Laycock de Normanville O/D, Gaz coil overs, Bridge of Weir (Aston Martin) leather interior, upgraded lighting & custom exhaust, but it was uncomfortably warm unless the weather was cool.

[@andyday3571]

It is a lovely colour on the GT6 you could put a a 2.5 with manifolds with injection so 2.5 pi with the power steering pump hydraul some of the Stags did have a straight 6 engine in them with a 2.5 the engines for the Triumph saloon and try Estate with the Mark 1 and Mark II with the saloons all they have was a a door for your petrol petrol but all of the estate 2000 or 2500 TC

[@stephenbell6366]

Thank you for a very informative video. I have recently acquired a mk3 that was restored many years ago but not used much since. It's white so I'm surprised how well the restoration has survived, obviously done well. Guess I should have watched your video first but it seems I looked at all the right things anyway 😂. I do have one question though that you probably know the answer to. The rear wing behind the wheel seems to have no drainage ! Should there be a drain in the seam that has been deleted during it's restoration ? It seems odd not to have one but I know this was a notorious rust spot so I wonder if it was just 1970's lack of thought. I would be very grateful if you could find time to answer this puzzle. Best wishes Stephen

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

No they don't have a drain weirdly, probably why that area corrodes so frequently

[@SuperKAgility]

Is there a 5 speed transmission available for the MK3 ?

[@parttimetourist]

2L instead of 3.5lL Back flow instead of cross flow. 2 Su carbs instead of 3 Webbers. SOHC instead of DOHC 2 VPC instead of 4 VPC The engine should be swapped for either a larger and better 6-pot or a Cosworth V8. In addition, it needs to be lowered and stiffened and it needs wide mags with low profile thick wall tyres Plus it needs larger brake discs and callipers.

[@allencar5212]

Thank you for an informative video. My first car was a '67 GT6 that I owned from '73 to '82. Taught me how to repair cars because it was always breaking something in the drive train or just a tune-up of the dual carbs. I truly hated the swing axles and their poor handling. I have had a question for over 45 years about the engine and never had a knowledgeable person to ask. Were the combustion chambers cast or did they have mill marks in the actual chambers? (Mine had mill marks.) I believe the engine was seriously modified before I bought it. At a stoplight it would keep up with a standard 289 (4.7L) '67 Mustang until we reached 50-60 mph and it would redline (6000 rpm) 4th at less than half throttle (3.89:1 rear). Idle had to be set at 1000 rpm because it started "loping" below 800-900 and would not run at normal idle speed. In many ways the GT6 looks like the baby brother to my current toy; baby brothers are slower and don't handle well. I have owned a 2000 Viper GTS since it was new and my son will probably inherit it. I like my current brute; because all it needs are new brake pads and an oil change before a 2 day track driving school.

[@racketman2u]

I love the cars, but you weren;t wrong about the weak drivetrain and swing axle, although the MkIII version's mods made a huge difference.

[@oceania2385]

Love the GT6's thanks for the tutorial. Hey what's that chrome frame BMX bike ?

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

Very welcome. The bmx is one I built a few years ago, as a child I had an amaco team champion, my mum sold it when I moved out, and I couldn't find another so I bought a frame that was similar in design and put all the parts on, cw handlebars, mongoose seat, mx brakes, tuff 2 wheels etc. Only rode it once, felt a bit of a lemon riding a bmx at 45vyears old lol

[@oceania2385]

@@YorkshireClassicCarsltd I thought I recognized the bars. I had the same CW powerbars on my mongoose. So many moms let a lot of childhood bikes go. When we get them back, they don't fit like we remember, sigh.

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

@@oceania2385 she sold it for £30 whickh is probably 35-40 dollars, I was gutted!

[@oceania2385]

@@YorkshireClassicCarsltd My friend had a scratch built P.K. Ripper he scraped to buy components for. When he came back from college one year, he asked his mom, where's my bike ? She Said "Oh I gave it to the nieghbor boys" 🙄

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

@oceania2385 I'd have cried, think the last team champion I saw for sale was around ten years ago and was £3k. I loved that bike!

[@ernesttravers829]

I have fixed plenty of cockups and they take forever Watched a Fella fill some holes that were out of line then start the job again so it was easy to time the fixing and the actual job It took 19 times as long to fix the cockpit as to do the original job I knew a Fella who calculated how long to fix a job if someone forgot to put harder in the resin 25 times as long So there you have the actual facts

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

That's really interesting, I found I can work faster if I work slower which sounds ridiculous, but getting it right first time saves hours.

[@SimonHoning]

Can't understand why all of these cars have so little internal space.It can't be that people have grown so much since the sixties.MGB is the only one I can fit into as a 6foot two incher.And that's not an awful lot by today's standards.

[@garrett3948]

I got the Spitfire MK3 (same same but different, smaller engine Inline 4 and its a convertible version but same car otherwise) and yeah beautiful underrated cars!

[@astrolightsadventures4677]

Always loves the lines on those things always been a sucker for a hatchback

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

Me too, really pretty car.

[@AntonHu]

I had an L-Reg Mk3; I'd saved up till I was 22 to get it secondhand as my first car. Personally, I preferred its looks to the Mk 1 & 3, just as I prefer the square-tailed Ferrari 250 GTO to the round-tailed 250 GT. I drove it hard and (mostly) enjoyed using its lift-off oversteer for turning-in purposes. But the TR7 that succeeded it in 1977 was better car in most respects - ride, handling and lack of squeaks and rattles. All I really missed were the pretty looks and the practical rear hatch.

[@othellolagkage]

Great video!

[@bernardwarr4187]

I very always been procrastinating over a TR6 or a GT6. Personally, I think the GT6 is a better looking car, same as you not a big fan of convertibles, but the TR is probably a better chassis? Great video. Greetings from the south coast

[@MrDodgedollar]

Taking me back to 1985 when I fully restored a dog mk111 I took my time and cut my teeth (3 years) I believe the car is still on the road but exported

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

They are really nice to restore in my opinion, not over complicated In the chassis or tub structure 👍

[@MrDodgedollar]

@@YorkshireClassicCarsltdYes they are a nice car to learn a craft; What I would say is a the cheapest route to owning a classic car would probably to pay in the upper asking price range for one; So many people are seduced by a cheap deal and totally under estimate the time and expense of actually bringing the vehicle up to scratch.. I can guarantee the cheapest option is to pay for a finished car ( by someone else).. I was the right age for doing what I did back in the 1980’s but I took the lesson forward to owning a herald £500 bought and sold two years later ( no expense)to when I bought only my third classic at 55yo and payed top money for a genuine two owner 29000 mile Stag.. I still had to spend £5000 and put in around 80 hours ( the second hand soft top bought in the 1980’s) on really stupid things ( bad workmanship mainly) but the car is probably in the top 10 by originality in existence.

[@kenrobertson4140]

(sorry, posted too early)...........the bonnet stiffener is pointing the wrong way. It should be "tucked under" the bonnet tube, and there should be an adhesive rubber pad at each side, stuck under the bonnet which prevent direct metal to metal contact with the bonnet top but at the same time minimise bonnet top vibration.

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

Yes I know, It's missing the rubber strips too on the inner arches, I think the stiffener has been changed to clear the rocker cover. It's also had gas rams on the bonnet at some time, so it may be because of that also

[@davejohnston5158]

GT6's are a lovely looking car but you can't fit a motorbike on the back seat like you can with a Vitesse convertible!

[@Schlipperschlopper]

According to the federal HESCHLAVVO law, it is already forbidden in Switzerland to drive combustion engines on mountain passes from 2025. In France, the SCHLABOUBVE regulates that fossil vehicles that produce fine dust are prohibited in all cities from 2025. The BABVVO in Germany will exhaust gas pollution from 2027 and that is what will happen in entire EU also bann of all tires and brakes because of fine dust!!!

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

Thats a huge weight off my mind, thank you

[@bernardwarr4187]

Why do you keep copy and pasting this rubbish? There is no law banning petrol cars in Europe!

[@DrivingwithGloves]

II live in Switzerland and have not heard of such a law.

[@Schlipperschlopper]

@@DrivingwithGloves from 2027 there is planned a swiss HESCHLAVVO in Germany a BABVVO and France a SCHLABOUBVE, please google.

[@brandneu6439]

​@@SchlipperschlopperNo, this is nonsense.

[@barenekid9695]

I claim Bullshit ! Bought one new in a fit of naive foolishness . Sold it on within 2 months as It was Frankly; a CRAP car. Mediocre power and abysmal handling.

[@Sagiterrian77]

I have a 17 year old Accord that’s better in every way.

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

Congratulations

[@ian-t7t]

Please stop strolling around when talking. Its most distracting

[@schizy]

Triumph "sport cars" up until Mazda Miata hit the market. Then an instant switch to a vehicle 50 years ahead of the sad Brit EU floppy junk.

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

In what way are mx5s ahead?

[@schizy]

@@YorkshireClassicCarsltd Firm body structure, bullet proof crank, rods and mains, totally advanced wiring, fuel, ignition and all electrical components, greater resistance to rust and corrosion damage, modern suspension & electrical [no "trunnions" or Lucas prince of darkness nonsense] , absolutely significantly improved body fits and panel alignment; this is just a start. I could go on and on. The US and world market has pretty well rejected British sourced vehicles.

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

@schizy but the first mx5 came out nearly twenty years after the gt6, they rust terribly, and the engines are usually rattling like a bag of nails 😂

[@YorkshireClassicCarsltd]

Anyhow, you are welcome to your opinion, I think having a lot of experience of both cars, it's probably best to agree to disagree lol. Thanks for watching though 👍

[@schizy]

@@YorkshireClassicCarsltd 👍

[@marcob4630]

NO way: one of the worst and utterly unstable sportster

[@bernardwarr4187]

No you again! I think you are referring to what’s commonly known as Pilot error?

[@marcob4630]

@@bernardwarr4187 no, I had a very bad experience in the 70 -ties with damned car!