Britain’s Big Iron

The TR6 and the Big Healeys

By Wiley Davis

Certain groups of people look upon the string-back driving glove with disdain. They equate boots and bonnets with baby dolls, not automobiles. These people tend to worship the V8. They measure manhood in cubic inches and performance as a function of acceleration alone. Their position, though narrow-minded, is supported by the relative obscurity of high-horsepower British machinery.

Britain has never produced an automobile that categorically compares to the Ford Mustang or the Chevrolet Camara—in many ways, this has been a blessing. The muscle car phenomenon failed to materialize in the U.K. British sports cars tend to be small, nimble machines powered by four-cylinder engines of modest output. They emphasized sporting capacity over power, jauntiness over brutality. Legendary automobiles like the Jaguar E-Type had power, but they clearly fell into a more refined niche. Comparing the E-Type with a Mustang is like comparing a boxer with a martial artist; both of them hit, but the martial artist does so with less brutality and more style and finesse.

British sports car enthusiasts of modest means did not have to settle for little or underpowered. Two companies, Austin-Healey and Triumph, provided the closest things to a British muscle car, the Big Healey and TR6, respectively. Both of these cars came in proportions slightly larger than the average British roadster (though they are unable to match the gargantuan nature of the E-Type’s snout). They have inline six-cylinder engines and prices that made them affordable to the masses. And like the American muscle car, the Big Healey and the TR6 combined large portions of simplicity and performance.

Big Healey

Introduced in 1953, the classic shape of the Austin-Healey was designed by Donald Healey. The car would go through several changes under the hood but would remain relatively unchanged cosmetically. The original production schedule envisioned by Mr. Healey called for the manufacture of five cars per week. After its introduction in London, however, it became clear that five cars per week would not satisfy demand. A deal was struck with Austin, a member of BMC, and the car was re-badged the Austin-Healey.

The Austin-Healey was originally fitted with a four-cylinder engine, but an inline six-cylinder engine was specified for the 1957 model year. This engine, displacing 2639cc and producing 102hp, gave the car a smoothness the four-cylinder lacked.

Austin-Healey introduced the 2912cc engine in 1959 to take advantage of the three-liter international competition class. It produced 124hp and was designated BN7 and BT7 for the four-seat version. This car was popularly known as the Mk I in order to distinguish it from the later cars.

For 1961, the Mk II came equipped with three SU carburetors and an output of 130hp. The triple carburetor setup proved difficult to tune, and was eventually replaced with dual carburetors. This eased maintenance issues but slightly decreased power.

In 1964, the most luxurious and quickest of the non-racing Healeys was introduced. The new Mark III or BJ8 looked identical to its predecessor from the outside, but the inside was different. The power was increased to 150hp, while the noise level was reduced. The interior was completely redesigned with a console sweeping down from the center of the polished wooden veneer dash. Roll-up windows were standard.

Austin-Healey ceased production after 1967. Unable to meet U.S. federal regulations, the venerable design was put to rest with slightly more than 70,000 cars having rolled out the doors over a 15-year period.

Triumph TR6

The TR6 (1969-76) was the best-selling TR in history when production ended in 1976. Of the nearly quarter million TRs built, more than 94,000 were TR6s, 90 percent of them to U.S. specifications.

The chassis and running gear of the TR6 were essentially the same as those of the TR5/250. The big difference was the body, which for once wasn’t left to Giovanni Michelotti. The Italian was tied up on other work for Leyland when the new TR was needed, so Triumph turned to Karmann of Osnabruk, West Germany, well known for its work for VW, Porsche, and BMW.

Given only 14 months, Karmann completely altered and modernized the TR sports car, without changing the TR5’s cowl, doors, or inner panels. Karmann shaved off the hood bump and the bright metal trim from the fenders. He then went to a single bar grill set against a flat black meshwork instead of the tubular grill. Finally, he reshaped the tail into a sort of Kamm-back, painting the upright section flat black and wrapping the taillights horizontally.

The TR6 was a refined sports car. The floors and trunks featured pile carpeting, plush-looking bucket seats, a wood dash, and the usual full complement of instruments. It featured the six-cylinder engine that was carried over from the TR250. Mechanical changes included a front antiroll bar and wider tires and wheels. While it was a remarkable facelift, achieved in record time, it was still an evolution of the old TR4 from 1961 and this put off potential buyers, who went elsewhere.

Between 1969 and 1976, most of the changes occurred to meet U.S. safety and emissions regulations. Other changes were requests from the Triumph North American office, such as the U.K. flag decal and the wheels. The U.S. cars used carburetors, while the U.K. market cars were fuel-injected.

In 1971, the compression was dropped from the original 8.5:1 to 7.75:1, and performance suffered accordingly. Changes in 1973 included a new camshaft, a front spoiler, and a redesigned hardtop. Bumper guards were later added, which some people felt destroyed Karmann’s clean, nimble lines.

Common Identity

Both the Austin-Healey and the Triumph TR6 were brutish sports cars by the English standard, built for the masses. The Big Healey was the classic monster; the TR6 was the modernized holdout, clinging to the tradition of British sports cars. They were the closest things England had to the muscle car, providing big engines, a crude chassis, and, most importantly, a welcome home for a pair of string-back driving gloves.