The Most Beautiful Triumph Of All Time Will Cost You

"puppyknuckles" (puppyknuckles) 01/03/2015 at 09:23 • Filed to: triumph, italian, amazeballs

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The moment you lay eyes on a Triumph 2000 Italia you'll cinch up your tie and smugly declare that you've figured out how to become the practical James Bond. The jaw-dropping styling will make both classic Aston Martin and Ferrari owners alike turn their heads, and at the end of the day it's a Triumph so it's gotta be cheap, right? WRONG.

The 2000 Italia was designed by Giovanni Michelotti and its sleek body was built in Italy by Carrozzeria Vignale. It's exceedingly rare: only 329 of the Triumph 2000 Italia were built between 1958 and 1962 (1,000 cars were planned, but Triumph's support of the project fizzled out). While it's still a damn sight cheaper than a period DB-4 or virtually any vintage Ferrari ever, this particular car is currently !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in Belgium for $115,000, which will buy you at least four of the TR-3s that you'll find beneath the skin.

It boggles my mind that this car is from 1959, but it probably shouldn't. Scaglietti did a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! that same year with thrilling results. Here's further proof that Italian designers did it best. photos: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

(originally published on !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > puppyknuckles 01/03/2015 at 09:31

0

Only $115,000? What a bargain! At least compared to a low mileage, all-original example I saw advertised a few months ago for $180,000...

pip bip - choose Corrour > puppyknuckles 01/03/2015 at 09:34

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nice!

jkm7680 > puppyknuckles 01/03/2015 at 09:37

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The short wheelbase and cabin area sorta bothers me a bit, Extended a little bit I'd be sold.

Ash78, voting early and often > puppyknuckles 01/03/2015 at 09:40

10

What an amazing car...

FOR ME TO WRENCH ON!

derhoggz > puppyknuckles 01/03/2015 at 09:51

1

Sports coupes look best with lots of glass.

With-a-G is back to not having anything written after his username > jkm7680 01/03/2015 at 10:17

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Yeah, that's what's holding me back, too.

jkm7680 > With-a-G is back to not having anything written after his username 01/03/2015 at 10:18

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*Insert dirty joke I was about to say here*

PeteRR > puppyknuckles 01/03/2015 at 10:18

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That Scaglietti Corvette is a knockout.

Tohru > puppyknuckles 01/03/2015 at 10:23

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That would look gorgeous... on 4 jack stands in the driveway, because the engine's getting rebuilt, the brakes shoes are getting relined, and the wiring harness smoke is being replaced.

gffhg > puppyknuckles 01/03/2015 at 10:24

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Start working at home with Google! It's by-far the best job I've had. Last Wednesday I got a brand new BMW since getting a check for $6474 this - 4 weeks past. I began this 8-months ago and immediately was bringing home at least $77 per hour. I work through this link, go to tech tab for work detail

———————————> http://www.jobs700.com

Maxxuman > Tohru 01/03/2015 at 10:40

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Yeah, "practical James Bond"? He's good with tools...

Slave2anMG > puppyknuckles 01/03/2015 at 10:49

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This one went on Ebay for $56,100....I know this car personally (even sat it in the thing)...it's not as rough as it looks. At least it's been indoors since 1980. Car was sold and went to the UK. http://bringatrailer.com/2014/08/31/one…

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Triumph-It…

jimz > puppyknuckles 01/03/2015 at 10:55

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and behind here lives feet upon feet of point-to-point rat's nest wiring.

Bob LeDrew > puppyknuckles 01/03/2015 at 11:14

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Love that little offcenter teardrop bubble in the hood. What would performance have been like for this? At least when it ran.

detailer4u > puppyknuckles 01/03/2015 at 11:14

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Absolutely beautiful car! Love the lines. If you took a quick glance you would swear it was a classic Ferrari or Aston. Would love to have one in my garage.

635BMW270 > puppyknuckles 01/03/2015 at 11:54

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Goodnight sweet prince.

reverberocket is nipping the apex..and gently blowing in it's ear. > puppyknuckles 01/03/2015 at 12:04

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I still prefer this:

Ralph Wiley burner > Bob LeDrew 01/03/2015 at 12:11

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Mechanically, it's a TR3, which is a tough package and easy to fix. The practical problem with owning an Italia is that it's scarce and the bodies were hand built, so any body part must be fabbed from scratch; original buyers outside of Italy were required to sign a notice that Italia-specific repair parts were unavailable.

They're heavier than a TR3, so they're correspondingly slower from a standstill and around corners. A TR3 has barn door aero, so the Italia's top end is better.

TallerThanHansStuck > Slave2anMG 01/03/2015 at 12:23

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That Italia did not go to the UK. It went to my garage here in California. It runs and drives and the electrics work!!

puppyknuckles > TallerThanHansStuck 01/03/2015 at 12:27

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Tell us more!

TallerThanHansStuck > Bob LeDrew 01/03/2015 at 12:28

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Look up the numbers for a Triumph TR3. Performance would be the same. Acceptable for the day, not spectacular.

TallerThanHansStuck > jimz 01/03/2015 at 12:30

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No, it's not bad. It mostly uses the stock Triumph wiring harness which was very simple. As long as the grounds and connections are clean, very few problems.

Rob Emslie > TallerThanHansStuck 01/03/2015 at 12:39

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I can attest to this fact.

BicycleBob30 > puppyknuckles 01/03/2015 at 12:46

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Apart from the glasshouse and the front end, this body shell pretty much became the TR4. Michelotti went on to design just about everything Triumph built from 1959 up to the Dolomite in 1972. A line up of the early 1970s Triumph range still looks fantastic today. It's a pity the Leyland group bought Triumph and bled it dry......

stripertyper2002 > puppyknuckles 01/03/2015 at 12:47

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Handsome as all hell. Nothing beats Italian coach builders/designers of the last century. Never will.

stripertyper2002 > jkm7680 01/03/2015 at 12:48

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I'm with ya on the wheelbase, but the cabin ticks all the right boxes for me.

TallerThanHansStuck > puppyknuckles 01/03/2015 at 12:58

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The yellow car above is Vignale body number 312 out of the 329 cars built. It 329 number is still in question but it's in the ballpark. I've loved these cars ever since I saw my first one in person in the mid-80s. It has always been at the top of my list of cars I would aggressively go for. Over the years some have popped up but they were always to rough or too expensive at the time. The stars aligned for this one.

The majority of what you see is surface rust but the floors and rockers will need to be replaced. I won't know until the car is completely stripped. There is a shop in San Luis Obispo that has done ground ups on three Italias and refreshed a fourth. I have talked to them and they say all the cars they have worked on needed repair to the floors and rockers. The low carbon steel and fabrication techniques used by Vignale made them very rust prone. Alfas and Lancias of the same era are no different.

The car is completely original except for paint. It was originally red. It has the original engine and overdrive gearbox. All of the unique little parts are there. Those are the things that sealed the deal for me. All the little trim parts are unique to the car and are just unobtainium. It is missing only two badges, one interior light and a jack hole cover. All either available or easily made.

The car started right up and was driven off the truck when it was delivered. It needs brake work (doing that now) and I'll rebuild the carbs and fix the choke. I plan to just get it mobile enough to move it on and off a trailer and maybe to a local C&C. The car will probably go in for a full ground up the middle of the year. It will be returned to the original red.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > TallerThanHansStuck 01/03/2015 at 13:23

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Since you are in SoCal, are you going to use Symbolic's shop for the resto? They specialize in exotics and unicorn repairs. http://www.symbolicmotors.com/body-shop.aspx The last time I was there they were restoring a Pegaso sort of like this one.

TallerThanHansStuck > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. 01/03/2015 at 13:35

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I haven't completely decided. Tillack is very close to me. I am leaning towards British Sports Cars in San Luis Obispo. They have worked on 4 Italias recently including 3 ground-ups.

http://britishsportscars.com/blog/2014/11/r…

http://britishsportscars.com/blog/2013/07/r…

puppyknuckles > TallerThanHansStuck 01/03/2015 at 14:00

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Awesome. Congrats. Sounds like a great car.

VAXcat > TallerThanHansStuck 01/03/2015 at 14:53

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Bravo!

Cé hé sin > jimz 01/03/2015 at 15:02

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...just as it does in any car of the era...

ranwhenparked > puppyknuckles 01/03/2015 at 16:11

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At least there's some consolation in the fact that Michelotti designed basically all Triumphs in this era, so there are plenty of attainable versions of his handiwork that are almost as attractive.

Jamie > TallerThanHansStuck 01/03/2015 at 16:19

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As a long time Italia owner (since 1987) who lives in the same city the yellow one came from, I'm glad it went to an enthusiastic owner. I've put mor than 50,000 miles on mine, and can attest it's a great car to drive. The additional leaf in the rear springs offset the increased body weight nicely, and the Italians somehow made an interior with a LOT more room than my TR 6 has.

Slave2anMG > TallerThanHansStuck 01/03/2015 at 17:15

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Wow. I misunderstood...and I am delighted to see it landed in sympathetic hands. I lusted after that car for years as I found the lines just seductives...it was always sad tucked in the corner of Bill's garage but I was always glad that, at least, it was inside. I knew Bill had gotten it running before it left Raleigh...good luck with it and for cryin' out loud please keep the Opponauts posted on your progress.

Bill's garage/shop was truly the land of unicorns and wonderful, glorious weird stuff. A Berkeley. An SM. Bugeyes. TR2s and TR3s and TR4s. Peugeots, lots of Peugeots. A Lotus Esprit. P5 Rovers. The equipment to properly service/recharge Citroen suspension. A 1098 engined Mini. And other automotive esoterica that I simply can't recall right now. But if was weird and in central North Carolina, it eventually made its way to Bill's shop.

I had a Peugeot 504 Diesel Wagon I bought from him for $800 and drove it as a second car for 8 years...

hp7015ca > puppyknuckles 01/03/2015 at 17:59

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The side lines look very similar to the TR4. I'm assuming a lot of their inspiration was from this car.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > puppyknuckles 01/03/2015 at 18:03

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Pssh, that's chump change!

[adjusts bifocals]

No wait, I was looking at my paystub.

4thwall > TallerThanHansStuck 01/03/2015 at 18:36

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fantastic!

Evan, Pope Of Jalopnik by Self-Appointment > puppyknuckles 01/03/2015 at 18:58

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Aston-Martin Lite? This is gorgeous.

TallerThanHansStuck > Slave2anMG 01/03/2015 at 19:48

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I talked to Bill a couple of times on the phone. Wonderful guy. I immediately had a good feeling dealing with him. He told me the story that when he was a young mechanic working in a local shop, the original owner of the Italia brought it in to have the gearbox rebuilt. Bill loved the car at first sight and told the owner if he ever decided to sell, to give him a call. Well, several years down the road he got the call and bought the car. He said he would drive it on occasion but one day he parked it to go into a store and when he came out someone had stolen the badge off the nose. That irked him so much he took the car back to his shop and parked it. That was around 1980. He only took it out once after that for a Triumph convention that featured the Italia. I think they had 7 Italias at that show. He did a great job of preserving it all of these years.

Echo-niner > puppyknuckles 01/03/2015 at 19:50

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http://bringatrailer.com/2015/01/01/tur…

Kinja'd Again > puppyknuckles 01/03/2015 at 19:51

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I saw this yesterday and I nearly dropped dead because it's so gorgeous.

TallerThanHansStuck > Jamie 01/03/2015 at 19:52

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Hi Jamie, I have your email address here someplace and have been meaning to send you a note. I wanted to thank you and Paul Harvey for all of the great comments on the BaT thread. Those comments gave me the confidence to go after the car.

GoGoGadgetBurner > puppyknuckles 01/03/2015 at 20:46

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Yes but does it (large) puppy?

A.DrewWilliams > puppyknuckles 01/03/2015 at 20:47

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Most beautiful Triumph of all time? Umm, very debatable.

puppyknuckles > GoGoGadgetBurner 01/04/2015 at 03:07

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I would be more than happy to test that out.

I want a puppy, too.

mosambro > reverberocket is nipping the apex..and gently blowing in it's ear. 01/04/2015 at 06:30

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Amen, but I'd go with the mk2 every day of the week.

RRBamer > puppyknuckles 01/04/2015 at 23:32

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Great car TallerThanHansStuck! This feature car looks shockingly similar to this one being restored in California that's almost complete:

http://www.carbuildindex.com/39143/1960-tri…

Svend > TallerThanHansStuck 01/05/2015 at 03:27

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I hope you put it back to red again.

This has just gone onto my list of all time dream cars along with a white 1955 Lancia Aurelie B24 Spider and a few others of the same period.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > BicycleBob30 01/05/2015 at 07:11

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Leyland was fine (that was the group that owned Standard-Triumph and Rover). It was when they were forced into a merger with the near-bankrupt behemoth BMC to create British Leyland that it all started going downhill.

I still reckon that if BMC was allowed to go bankrupt, and then Leyland sifted through the mess and pulled out the good bits of BMC (Jaguar, MG, Mini + Issigonis) then we could have had a genuinely competitive British car manufacturing organisation.

Shame it wasn't allowed to happen that way.

Paul Harvey > puppyknuckles 01/05/2015 at 17:25

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http://www.petrolicious.com/life-in-a-triu…

If you work hard enough, sometimes you get lucky

Paul Harvey > TallerThanHansStuck 01/05/2015 at 17:26

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328 Italias made - confirmed as of yesterday. There is no #329

Paul Harvey > jkm7680 01/05/2015 at 17:27

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It's long enough and tall enough for anyone, but very narrow for 'larger' drivers

Paul Harvey > hp7015ca 01/05/2015 at 17:29

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Same designer, different boss

TallerThanHansStuck > Svend 01/05/2015 at 22:17

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It will go back to the original red. There are several places on the car where the original color is present. It will be easy to match. The red on my car looks a tad darker than that photo.

puppyknuckles > Paul Harvey 01/05/2015 at 22:29

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Truly incredible

Svend > TallerThanHansStuck 01/06/2015 at 00:09

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That's brilliant. I've always wanted a white Lancia B24 with red leather interior but only really see silver and baby blue and wouldn't want to change the colour from it's birth colour (like that's the only thing holding me back from buying one, lol, nothing to do with not having £200,000 to buy one).

I've seen two different reds, one quite radiant red the other a deep blood red. I like the radiant more but would take and accept the darker tone if was it's birth colour.