This highly-desirable 1947 Triumph 1800 Roadster has been in “dry-storage” since 1972! These are rare cars and this one has quite a history. It’s listed on eBay in Skipton, United Kingdom on the southern edge of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales National Park. It’s not inexpensive, with the current bid price of £6,000 ($8,638) and six-and-a-half days left on the auction. But, you’re not likely to find another one, maybe ever.

The seller says that this “is a very early model – Chassis number 35 – and features fold-down window frames which were only fitted on the first 200 cars.” The 18TR was designed to try to take on Jaguar in the waning days of WWII. The car for sale here is in great condition from being stored since 1972, but there is some surface rust on the front wings (fenders, to us Yanks) which are the only part of the body that isn’t made of aluminum. The design is known for being a little bulbous as compared to some other attempts by other car makers of the time. It almost looks like a cartoon car if you’ve ever seen one in person. But, I think that’s what gives it such an endearing persona.

The car has “2 hubcaps with globe centres and one without”, so you’ll be searching for at least one of those, which may be a daunting task. I’m not sure what color/colour this car would have been originally, maybe some sort of gray? The seller says that this car “was first registered in 1947 by a member of the Anglo-Irish aristocracy living at Belle Isle Castle in County Fermanagh and was chauffeur driven. It was then bought by a farmer in the early ‘70s who rarely, if ever, used it but kept it in a dry haybarn – he is responsible for removing the paint but little else! He sold the car to my brother-in-law in 1972 since when it has resided unused in his garage.”

The “original Jaeger instruments” are all there but “it is missing the hood and ash braces although the metal frame is included with the car.” You should be able to have a new hood (or, convertible top, to us Yanks) made and the tired but otherwise-complete interior looks decent for being a 69-year old car.

The right-half of the bonnet (hood, to us Yanks) shows a dusty engine. Did you expect any less? Here is what it will look like. This is, somewhat ironically, a 1,776cc 4-cylinder with about 65 hp. The car also has a 4-speed column shifter. You’ll be joining the Triumph Roadster Club so you can find parts and for the camaraderie of the fellow club members; and to pick their brains during the restoration. This is a rare car and if a person had enough time, and money, they could do a bang-up restoration and you would almost be sure to have the only one at the next car gathering. They only made about 2,500 of these Triumph 1800 Roadsters. Is this a car that you could see yourself restoring and driving, or do you prefer the newer Triumph offerings?