Triumph TR5 and TR250 (1967 – 1968) Review

Following in the footsteps of the Vitesse, the TR line was the next Triumph to be the recipient of the silky smooth six-cylinder overhead-valve power unit used in the 2000/2500 range. As befitting the range-topping status of this car, it went straight to the long-stroke 2.5-litre version, thus creating a usefully quicker TR in the process.

Most of the world received the 2.5-litre engine with the same 150bhp Lucas fuel-injection state of tune as the 2.5PI saloon, but the US market also received a lower power carburetted version called the TR250. The alternative engine choice was in order to pass new emissions regulations that demanded a cleaner exhaust. 

The TR250 had just 104bhp and wasn't exactly quick, but it proved surprisingly successful, outselling the TR5 by a factor of three-to-one. It’s not unusual to find examples repatriated to the UK and fitted with the injection engine from the much-less-valuable TR6. Of course, the lack of fuel injection was probably seen as a boon, given the unreliability of the early fuel-injected cars.