Triumph GT6 Review - Baby E-Type?!

[@therapyaudit6157]

Bought a MkII from a guy in Austria a few years ago. Flew to Zurich, collected the car from an airport car park. Drove it back to Shropshire over 2 days. Faultless. Wow! seats were so comfortable, a bit noisy and a bit hot (August) but what a fabulous little car. Punches way above its weight. I'm now on a series of triumphant adventures in it.

[@FrankRicchio]

A Giovanni Michelotti Masterpiece and one of the best looking little British cars ever built. They rattle, they squeak, you'll feel every bump, they're hot, they're loud, and they smell glorious. The GT6 is one of the most underrated, under appreciated, under recognized, and until recently, they were way under valued. That has changed as in the U.S., the best will fetch $35K to $40K and up.

[@petebyrne5190]

That’s why the Spitfire is the better choice, the are designed for top down driving not less noise just more of the good stuff.l have a hardtop but don’t use it ,because it alters the characteristics /experience of the fantastic little car

[@marcob4630]

only a sporster for "minus habens"

[@bernardwarr4187]

@@petebyrne5190the only convertible worth driving is a single seater, otherwise to much scuttle shake

[@timbancroft6485]

I have owned a mk2 GT6 for over 40 years, to be frank, I could not imagine life without one..great little cars. Absolute hoot on a fast A road! Nice to see a balanced report about them, thank you.

[@roddymac1370]

They're unique, the driving position is just so perfect and you know you have a straight six right in front of you. I bought mine 36 years ago. A few times I've idly thought of selling. Then I drive it again and say WHAT WAS I THINKING?!. Thanks for an appreciative vid.

[@richardcarter1000]

Great car the GT6. I've got an E-type and a TR6, but I think the GT6 is a lovely thing in its own right

[@marcob4630]

"great?" no way: the Austin Healey was great in comparison

[@andybroer651]

I own a TR6 with lots of modifications, a neighbor has let me drive his 1965 E-Type 4.2 (which I really don't fit in due to being 6'1" and 250#) but I'd love to drive a GT6! I do think they emulate the Jaguar nicely, no where near the power, but they look great!

[@AndrewMarritt]

My first car was a Spitfire 1500 and I always lusted after one of these. As you said, they are really easy to work on.

[@rjdavies1982]

I had a highly original Valencia blue Mk 1 GT6 in my late 20s in 2010 - loved it, beautiful car and enjoyed every minute of it

[@nickyalousakis3851]

yup you sort of feel like a rock star when driving one.

[@phillipevans9414]

Very topical car for me (...you sure you blokes haven't been snooping on my internet searches?), having recently taken an interest in them, following my mission to learn more about Triumph cars, after having realised, that as a "card carying" car nut, my knowledge of them was emabarrasingly shallow. Lovely cars, and if you think they are "on par" for driving enjoyment with an E-Type...well, that's good enough for me. I now only need to work out how I can acquire one for my meagre budget. Love all your videos. Cheers!

[@brianmacadam4793]

My 70 GT6 has a high compression upgrade and a 5 speed, eye opening

[@MartinBaldock]

I have very fond memories of the GT6 Mk3 from when I worked for the Kent distributor of Triumphs back in the 60's. I collected the first one for stock from South London, and drove it down to Maidstone, a delightful car...

[@jo_clarke1960]

Always liked them and a guy near me has a TR6 and you can tell when the weather is getting better from the sound of the straight six

[@nickyalousakis3851]

in a way the E type is a bit of a cliche car and taller drivers like myself can only use the mk3 version. believe it or not the spitfire gt6 cars can accommodate taller drivers - but not girthier drivers. lastly in comparison to an e type.... the gt6 is rarer as fewer were produced and fewer survived the crusher. in the market i am in jaguar e types are well represented at shows.... perhaps one or no gt6's are present. love the webaso roofs too. this may sound like i hate e types - i don't i love them too.... but i find they are over hyped.

[@elmonte5lim]

I did like the way mine used to 'burble' when it was idling - a 'K' reg mark III with the rotoflex couplings. What with all the bumps, squeaks and rattles, it 'felt' fast although a little old lady could have driven it - had she have been able to get in and out of it! I gave my dad a lift in it - just the once - what a palaver THAT was. He was the one who turned us on to Triumphs - first, a Herald estate, then one of the early 1600 Vitesses - which he passed on to my little brother, who ultimately replaced it with a 2-litre. Then he got married and they bought a wee Peugeot. Phooey! Now, I regret parting company with the GT6. All good motors in their own ways - that Peugeot, though - but I reckon mine was the best of the bunch. Thirsty, though - about 22-odd mpg. And actually, you can fit a doberman in the back without much bother - a biggish medium-sized dog, I'd opine. The squeaks, bumps and rattles didn't stop him from curling up and crashing out on a longer trip.

[@3ducs]

A girlfriend had a Spitfire from this era, it was a fun car to drive, very responsive. There is a very good YT channel out of Canada, Fanatik Builds, a father/son series showing the rest-mod conversion of a GT6 using a LS V8. It's being done in a small one car garage, very good engineering going into it.

[@garybrown4854]

Yes I follow that guy , its amazing what he does with basic tools , I like his sense of humour too😄

[@-triumphgt667]

It is a superb series though any resemblance to a Triumph at the end of the day will be completely incidental. He is very amusing though and the work he is doing is unbelievable.

[@ryanbird5419]

My dream car. Had the fortune to drive one.

[@fasthracing]

Always quite liked these.

[@simonhodgetts6530]

I adore these! Beautiful cars!

[@jimmyquinn9639]

Another good video 🚗🚙🚘👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍

[@phils2180]

A gorgeous little British sports car with a great engine. I love a straight six. Six in a row will go!😂👍 Is the Triumph 2.5 IL6 the same block and would it fit? Calling it a Baby E type is a touch ambitious though IMO. The only E I've driven is a S3 V12, a completely different animal and a much bigger car of course, in a completely different league in both performance and especially price!!😃

[@racketman2u]

The 2.5 is basically just a stroked version of the 2L, and so the TR6 engine is a drop in conversion.

[@kristian5515]

Very very nice car - and Sinn!!

[@bernardwarr4187]

Took me 20 years to decide TR6 or GT6! In the end, went for a GT6! It’s a fantastic car, one of the best looking classic cars? I have sent a lot of time giving it a once over, in with a few subtle modifications it’s actually a potent weapon. Worth remembering that TVR and lotus chose the suspension system and TVR the engine too. They only weighs 900kg, so it not difficult to make good progress, particularly on B roads

[@-triumphgt667]

The front suspension! The rear was not used!

[@michaelarchangel1163]

A couple of years ago, there was one of these cars for sale on eBay with a 2.5 litre engine, which I think I'm correct in saying is a stroked version of the 2 litre, with the same size engine block, as from the Triumph 2000 to the later 2.5. I don't recall as to whether the rear differential was that of the original 2 litre fitment though, or if chopped down drive shafts were used from the wider saloons. Either way, I bet it went extremely well.

[@carlfishe7860]

The 70 GT6 was one fun car and fast

[@philipgallagher3234]

I had one once...same year. The 30-50 time (the most important performance in a car) is brilliant.

[@JamesLawson-uz9si]

Fantastic car, i seen one recently at the Raby castle car show, stunning in Magenta !!

[@marknelson5929]

Lovely cars. When I moved to UK in 1988 I thought I'd try a GT6 after growing up with MGBs in Oz including a GT. I bought a low mileage Mk.III in white and loved it. Compared to the MGB GT though its quite cramped and the heat soak even in an English summer was horrendous (a mobile sauna). But the view over the bonnet whilst accelerating out of my car space in central London early on a Sunday morning was lovely - the straight six sound echoing of the CBD walls was priceless. Not long after I bought a Mimosa Yellow Mk.III with the 2.5 litre 6 from a Triumph saloon, that transformed the GT6 ! Later I went to an MGC GT with Downton Stage-3 tuning, an amazing car and after that an MGB GT V8.

[@-triumphgt667]

A decent fitting replacement transmission tunnel cover makes a huge difference - the original is fibreboard and is usually poorly fitting by now and the heat does soak in. I have the fibre glass replacement and good quality carpets and it is fine..

[@-triumphgt667]

A decent fitting replacement transmission tunnel cover makes a huge difference - the original is fibreboard and is usually poorly fitting by now and the heat does soak in. I have the fibre glass replacement and good quality carpets and it is fine..

[@alanwayte432]

The MK2 is the one to have

[@GForceVRX]

Such a great car

[@SamLopezI]

I had a 1960 healy 3000 with overdrive, great car.

[@terryc8164]

I had a MK2 back in the mid 90s for a few years. It was GREAT, one of only a couple of cars long gone that I wish I still had. Would I have one now? Definitely but I doubt the wife could get in and out of it 🤣🤣

[@DrivingSander1970]

I love the sound of a British inline 6!🥰

[@mikerichards9196]

I had a mk1 vitesse 2 litre with the rear camber "problems", and it was extremely predictable as to when the back end would step out; to the point that I could drive it sideways long before drifting became a thing. The mk2 vitesse I had was IMHO more sketchy to drive because it didn't give any warning when it was gonna break away 😊

[@racketman2u]

All the Triumphs suffer from a relatively weak drivetrain, the Vitesse and GT6 diff stub axles being only slightly larger than the Spitfire, which were tiny, and smaller than the TR6, which despite that were also not all that strong. I've seen a couple of GT6 with Nissan 240Z diffs and the TR6 engine, and that would be close to the perfect Triumph.

[@Jo3man96]

I saw one of these at a car show, and the owner kindly offered to let me sit in it. I was surprised that I could get my head in and sit upright without my head wedged up agains the roof, being over 6 foot tall, but it had its original steering wheel, and I couldn’t get my big thighs underneath, so my suggestion is if you want a GT6, you need to skip leg day 😂 There may have been a way of getting my left leg the other side of the wheel if I tried different ways of getting in, and if there was a convertible version, I could have taken the roof down and get in while standing up. I do feel like on any longer journey though, I would feel very hemmed in, so I’ll stick to my saloons. Lovely little things, though.

[@-triumphgt667]

You need a smaller wheel - I have had a 13" wheel in the past but now have a 14" (the original is I think 15") and I am 6'2" and 100kg and have no issues. Mine is however the convertible - built for me in 1999. I did have a mk 2 coupe but like wind in my hair!

[@Jo3man96]

@@-triumphgt667 i could probably get in the convertible by putting my legs either side of the wheel with the roof down, but I’m about the same height as you, but even my healthy weight would be around 120kg, and I’ve got big thighs (never skip leg day). I’m quite broad as well, so I do have problems with space width ways when other people similar height to me don’t, so as cool as I think GT6s are, I’m unlikely to get one unless I had the funds for a half decent collection.

[@tombankwel4822]

I drove a brand new gt 6 back in 1972, wow what a car favorite of mine always ps it was royal blue, gourgeus car, fast 😊😊

[@simonedwards5070]

I go to TRGB for my TR6 parts, you’re right the roads around Huntingdon are the worst Ive ever known

[@garethhanna9173]

Plenty of creaking noises, sounds a bit like my wheelbarrow. Apart from that, sweet little motor.

[@fasthracing]

I HATE cars that squeak and creak. Could be the poly bushes though.

[@susanhenderson2322]

Hmm, never would have considered it competition to E type, but good old solid triumph engineering, ie 20 years behind its time.

[@3ducs]

That last clip with you talking while the car is idling, steering wheel and shift lever rattling away, is that normal? Shouldn't a straight 6 idle smoothly?

[@PeterPanoramics]

Had 5 spitfires, always wanted a GT6, wonder if a subaru engine will fit

[@Steve-in-the-uk]

Is there a reason that the spitfire did not have the 6 cylinder option?

[@-triumphgt667]

It would compete with the TR6. Quite easy to make one though. I have a GT6 chassis and engine with a Spitfire body on it. And despite what he says, no comparison with a Webasto sun roof! I has a Mk 2 coupe and the convertible is just more fun. Had this one since 1999 and play with it but nothing like enough. The advantage of it over an E-Type is that it looks like a Spitfire and I can park it anywhere and less likely to get pinched or vandalised. No heat soak as the transmission tunnel is glass fibre and fits properly unlike the usual fibreboard original. The 6 cylinder does make a great sound - though I do have the wheelbarrow S/S exhaust and possibly a bit too exuberant. The inside of mine is non standard as it has a burr elm dash and magnolia instruments and a red leather interior. Was built for me and shown at the Classic Car show at the NEC. It will not turn heads like an E-Type obviously but it drives well and is cheap to run and insure.

[@Steve-in-the-uk]

@@-triumphgt667 thanks for your detailed reply 😀

[@Jon-bx1ij]

It definitely looks like a smaller e type.

[@Mike_Ockiner]

I'd love one but I don't fit

[@johnjoseph911]

Light, practical and small - as they said in the Italian Job “de English are not as stupido as they look”

[@The_Foulmouthed_Cypriot]

A sexier version of an MG C.

[@stevensarson482]

Drove one of these, having tried the regular Spitfire and the Vitesse. To my shame, back in the early 70s I couldn’t handle it, especially in the very. A little later I got my hands on a red E Type. I eventually bought a Mini Cooper and did my best to kill myself in it - happy days!

[@lascm5237]

Why?

[@stevenleek1254]

"Forgotten?" What in Hell are you talking about.? "The driving experience is similiar?"(T0 an E-Type) Have you ever driven an E-Type? "The option of two little rear seats."? I've NEVER heard that one before.

[@-triumphgt667]

@@docdelete The brackets for the seats are the tricky bit to find apparently and I think you need very fore-bearing children to put up with them! Not convinced about the similarity to driving an E-Type but they do have a great sounding engine and are a lot more usable - would you leave your E-Type unattended somewhere strange?

[@terryjones9987]

It's nothing like a e-type, the GT6 is beautiful and fun to rag/drive plus e-type are owned by tossers

[@tonyhirst9319]

I had one and it’s the worst car I’ve ever owned. Overheated all the time, interior fell apart, solex carburetors impossible to fettle( Triumph dealer tried and failed several times) and above all totally unreliable. The most positive thing about it? the girls loved it and break downs resulted in several unplanned motel stays.

[@steveburke7675]

Mine was quite reliable...I did have a dash fire at one point...thanks Lucas. "the girls loved it"...can verify.

[@-triumphgt667]

Mine has never overheated and changed the Strombergs to SUs initially and latterly to fuel injection using the SUs as throttle bodies.

[@jeffhildreth9244]

In no way is a Spitfire GT a Jag E Type. Laughable.

[@TheSgtsMess]

Hahaha no where near an e type