1968 Triumph TR5 Hardtop Coupe

The Triumph TR5 retained the clean Giovanni Michelotti styling as its predecessor, the TR4, while seeing several changes under the hood. Power was from a 2.5-liter inline six-cylinder engine that, on U.S.-market cars, was equipped with carburetors and produced around 111 brake horsepower. The rest of the world received what Triumph proudly advertised as the 'first British production sports car with petrol injection.' Triumph referred to the TR5 as the TR5 PI (Petrol Injection). The fuel-injected engine made European-market TR5s capable of 150 brake horsepower versus the 111 brake horsepower of the carbureted TR 250 U.S./North American model.


This example was originally delivered to Portugal through Auto Puma LDA of Lisbon. It is a left-hand-drive car, documented by its British Motor Industry Heritage Trust Certificate. It was originally finished in Signal Red over Black with a Black top and equipped with an overdrive transmission, metric speedometer, Dulpo headlamps, and wire wheels.

This TR5 remained in Portugal for many years, gaining its present engine, a fuel-injected 1973 factory 2500 PI short-block, virtually identical to the original. It is believed that the engine was installed in the early 1970s.

The car was treated to a restoration where the body was taken off the chassis. The list of special original details includes a factory-woven cloth-type wiring harness, properly trued and balanced silver wire wheels, and correct (unobtainium) OEM red-line Michelin tires.

By Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2015