Though it may seem like a relatively short time ago, in terms of motorsport, 1958 was a lifetime ago. During this golden era, rallies across Europe took place on real roads, with factory sponsorship and production-based automobile entries. The Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo (or simply Monte Carlo Rally) is still an active race with the general format remaining the same: Across several stages, entrants decide to depart from a different European locale, all concluding their trip in Monaco. While the victories of each individual driver on this grand stage are certainly celebrated, following World War II, group entries funded by factory sponsorship gained more importance. These special “Team” prizes celebrated the collective success of a manufacturer across several entries, demonstrating the capability of the specific company’s newest automobiles on real roads.
Far from any ordinary example, this 1958 Triumph TR3A Works Rally Car was one of only four cars prepared for that legendary international road race. With the updated and facelifted TR3A variant debuting only the previous year, and the 1957 running of the rally postponed for a year due to fuel shortages across Europe, this was the year, make, and model that Triumph chose for the ultimate test. Available now for immediate acquisition from RM Sotheby’s Private Sale division, this factory-sponsored Triumph is race-proven.
1958 Triumph TR3A Works Rally Car
£140,000 GBP | Asking
Looking back at archived versions of MotorSport Magazine’s coverage of the 1958 event puts into perspective how difficult the task at hand was for entrants. To start, a severe winter storm, which started late in the season and dealt out a significant amount of ice and snow, hampered all the entrants that chose to depart from Paris. A staggering total of 243 cars were forced to withdraw before the first leg of the rally was finished. A mere 59 cars reached their goal of Monte Carlo within the time limit. The other insight from reading the in-period assessment by MotorSport was just how much this grueling rally was taken as a durability test for potential automobile shoppers at the time. Observing that two Triumph examples finished the race (ahead of single finishers from well-regarded OEMs such as BMW, MG, Opel, Saab, and even Porsche), the front-page article from March of 1958 concluded exuberantly: “… buyers of the world, take note!”
Never sold distinctly as a separate model, the TR3A model is known among Triumph enthusiasts for its wider revised front grille and exterior door handles as well as a lockable boot lid (a necessary feature to secure its standard-issue tool roll and spare tire). Perhaps the most significant sporting feature of the TR3 model was included from its debut: A set of disc brakes on all four wheels. Superior stopping power, aided by the lightweight construction that made Triumph such a quintessential British roadster brand, won the TR3 the favour of sports car enthusiasts everywhere, from mountainous Europe roads to Southern California racetracks.
A well-prepared TR3 was a nimble, competitive machine, which, in the hands of a skilled driver, could credibly stand up to the world’s best. TR3 sports cars were still winning production-class SCCA races into the early 1990s. Being a works-prepared TR3A, naturally, this example was even more capable than most, with a highly desirable overdrive gear installed by the factory; still a much-sought-after upgrade among Triumph owners.
Atop this TR3A was fitted possibly with its crowning feature. A factory hardtop in a matching shade of Apple Green increased the structural stability of this racer, with a very special works-added accessory on top: A searchlight, controllable from inside the cabin by the co-driver. As one of the stages of the Monte Carlo Rally was reliably held at night on twisting, mountainous roads, the swiveling external lighting was critical. This video shows some of the treacherous, snow-covered road conditions faced by the drivers of the 1958 Monte Carlo Rally.
As far as this Triumph goes, though the extreme winter weather delayed one of its factory co-drivers to the first stage of the rally, this example (registered as VRW 221) was allowed to compete against the field in Monte Carlo and turned in a respectable third place overall. Later that year, the Triumph works team then campaigned VRW 221 at the Circuit of Ireland Rally and finished a superb second place overall. Perhaps the greatest result turned in by this Triumph was a first-in-class and tenth overall at the Tulip Rally in 1958, above entries from Aston Martin and SAAB. Further factory efforts continued that year at the Rallye des Alpes and the Tour de France. After racking up an impressive racing resume, VRW 221 was sold by the factory in 1959.
VRW 221’s first private owner was essentially a member of the Triumph family: Ron Goldbourn, a skilled driver who came in second at the RAC rally in 1958. After a succession of owners, this fine example came into long-term custodianship at the hands of Martyn King, who lovingly restored it to the condition at the height of its motorsport endeavors, right down to the Apple Green-over-brown leather colour combination. The fact that this example retains its matching-numbers engine and gearbox only adds to the overall presentation.
Watching period footage of VRW 221 takeoff during the Rallye des Alpes in 1958, one gets the sense of the capability of this plucky Triumph, and yet its competitive history did not stop there, with modern owners campaigning this example at the Three Castle Rally and Rally of the Tests in the UK, as well as a return to the mountain passes of Europe in the Kitzbüheler Alpenrallye in 2019. With more than £10,000 in recent receipts between 2018 and 2020 from period rally experts Just Historic Cars in East Sussex, this Triumph has been thoughtfully prepared for touring. Believed to be the final surviving works-prepared TR3A, this example clearly deserves the attention that has been paid to it. Those interested in vintage rallying with an example that has stood the test of time can acquire this prime selection immediately from RM Sotheby’s Private Sales division.
