I found the 1969 TR-6 the Fall of 2019. I was seeking a TR-6 that was safe to drive and restorable.

A friend took me to the dealer in IL to drive it home. It was a rainy Fall day. The drivers door latch did not work, I held the door shut with a bungee cord.

My goal for the TR-6 is to build a "Group 44 Tribute Car" please see the image. No, it will will not be built to SCCA racing standards. Rather, it will have performance upgrades for fun/comfortable drives on sunny days. The TR-6 tracks perfectly. On hard curves, it's flat and secure. It accelerates fast enough to be fun, no, it's not a Cobra. Driving a car with racing screens instead of a windshield is a whole different driving experience! The Brookland's Racing screens (about the size of a loaf of bread) directs the majority of the wind (and the bugs) over the passenger's face's.

I purchased several repair manuals for the TR-6. I built a very comprehensive tool kit.

A previous owner had installed Weber downdraft carburetors and a roll bar.

My initial focus was the electrical system. Many hours in uncomfortable positions (i.e under the dash board, legs hanging out the door) wearing a headlight to get everything squared away.

I found and replaced the door latch.

I removed the radio and speaker system.

I found it gratifying to learn that most parts were available new. Some had to be bought used, not many.

The factory dashboard was a walnut veneer on plywood. It showed it's half century of use. I engaged a man in CA to build a hand-made a solid Walnut dashboard. It is a work of art!

I removed and shipped the speedometer and tachometer to be rebuilt. They came back factory new!

I bought new magnesium wheels that are slightly wider that stock. The front wheels required 1/4" spacers to fit properly.

The new Michelin tires perform flawlessly!

I removed the windshield and installed two Brookland's Racing windscreens. I had a custom magnetic bumper sticker printed that states "Windshields are for Sissy's".

I removed cleaned and painted the roll bar, then reinstalled same.

I removed the two external rear view mirrors and installed new rear view mirrors.

I installed new door panels.

I installed a new Nardi steering wheel. It's beautiful!

A Triumph specialist installed a new clutch slave cylinder.

I retained the services of a young mechanic friend who took every course offered at his tech school on motor vehicles, every course. The grandson of a good friend, he really knows his stuff!

At my direction he:

1. Replaced all bushings with polyurethane bushings.
2. Installed an air dam.
3. Installed a front sway-bar.
4. Installed 4 new high-performance shock absorbers.
5. Inspected the braking system, installed new front disk brakes.
6. Changed the spark plugs.
7. Installed 4 point competition seat belts.
8. Installed a new free-flow exhaust. The TR-6 now sounds like a sports car, not Buick!

The Fall of 2020 I hit a deer. It was early evening, I was fooling with the rheostat (which controls the gauge light brightness), not paying proper attention to the road. The first deer got past me. I hit the second one. The left headlight hit the deer. It flipped over the me, hit the right rear fender (where it left some blood). The only damage was the chrome trim around the right headlight and the headlight itself.

The Summer of 2022, I hit another deer. It was high noon on a beautiful Summer day. My wife said "DEER! A second later BOOM! This was about a 180# deer. It was hit be the middle of the car, doing 8K in damage. From the door posts forward, it's a new car!

What's next?

1. Remove the (brand new) front bumper.
2. Have a body shop detail out all the little imperfections.
3. Spray the car in the Group 44 livery.

Other upgrades as time, and budget, allow.