Journal: Choose Your Classic British Roadster Experience

Choose Your Classic British Roadster Experience

By Petrolicious Productions
April 9, 2013
16 comments

As summer approaches, a Petrolista’s head turns towards thoughts of top-down motoring. What better way to enjoy the season’s warmth, the scent of air perfumed with blooming flowers wafting through an open cockpit, sweetly-singing birds and burbling exhaust that much more audible through a headliner made of clear blue sky. It’s a much more stimulating and dignified way of getting tan than lying greased-up and full of sand on some crowded beach.

Here we highlight two classic British roadsters that fit the summer fun motoring bill perfectly. Though similar in broad concept, they differ in both era and engine format—the MGA offering perhaps a touch more elegance and sophistication than the more modern, more powerful six-cylinder Triumph.

Hailing from the golden dawn of the popular open-top British sports car, the “A” was MG’s first attempt at what could then be considered a “modern” car, replacing the charming if incredibly antiquated TF. With flowing, graceful lines highlighted in a classic English cream white with contrasting red hides, it’s an undeniably beautiful machine. We’d love to get behind that delicate banjo wheel and flick through the gears on that stubby little wood-topped lever.

From an all-together less refined era comes the suitably brash TR6. With significantly more power on offer from a lovely, rorty, rasping straight-six, the performance it offers is in an entirely different league than the little MGA. This particular 6’s color scheme of deep blue over butterscotch is one of the all-time great combinations, and compliments the car’s strong, masculine lines superbly. Any drive spent behind that burled dashboard with its myriad instruments is our idea of quality time.

Which one floats your boat?

1971 Triumph TR6

Click here for details on this Triumph.

1961 MG MGA 1600 Roadster

Click here for details on this MG.

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Ulf
Ulf
6 years ago

I’ve had both and while the MGA certainly wins on beauty, the TR6 – especially in Euro-spec, fuel injected form is seriously fun to drive. But one has to remember that they are more than a decade apart in terms of development

cardyjones
cardyjones
11 years ago

TR6 exhaust note wins, that’s a spine tingler. driven an mga, basically a tractor with leather seats.

Brompty
Brompty
11 years ago

I am assuming that one of the reason the cars were chosen as people will generally be a Triumph or MG man/woman. I have always preferred MG over Triumph: MG’S tend to have beautiful curves while I always find Triumph more than a little ugly – as is the case with the two cars above.

jkwade
jkwade
11 years ago

Usually it’s Triumph for me, all day long. But the MGA is by far my favorite of the marque…I don’t think I can choose between them.

Kevin Kisling
11 years ago

MG all day.

Andreas Lavesson
Andreas Lavesson
11 years ago

While I wouldn’t turn any of them down and the MGA has a more elegant feel to it, I have to go with the TR6. At first I didn’t like the TR6 at all, but now it’s grown on me. That color combination is amazing and these days I like the chunky styling. Besides.. althoug top-down motoring isn’t all about speed (to me), the power-advantage of the TR6 is just to big to ignore.

Harrison Voorhees
Harrison Voorhees
11 years ago

TR6 because horsepower, and I think it has a more aggressive, blunt style that’s more appealing to me.

Clayton Merchant
Clayton Merchant
11 years ago

I have to add that there are a lot of things about this specific example that are not correct for the MGA, but this is probably not the place. Suffice to say that it is either a 1600 trying to be a MkII or a MkII with schizophrenia.

Clayton Merchant
Clayton Merchant
11 years ago

I’m biased, being the owner of a fantastic MGA. It can’t be beat for it’s classic looks and ability to transport you to a different time when driving a sports car was about the driving. It certainly does not have the power to match the TR6, but it’s guaranteed to get more looks and be prepared to talk to people EVERY time you stop.

Brett Evans
11 years ago

When buying a toy, it’s all about emotion. Even though the TR6 is probably a “better” car, it’d be the MGA for the way it’d make me turn around for one more look.

Jeff Knoespel
Jeff Knoespel
11 years ago

MGA is too deliciously curvy to say no to. Easy choice for me. Although the TR6 is awesome.

Ryan Hoyle
Ryan Hoyle
11 years ago

TR6
engine + sorta of small but brutish looks is a win for me.

Matthew Lange
Matthew Lange
11 years ago

Triumph for me too, if it had been a twin cam MGA that would be a different story.

Afshin Behnia
11 years ago

I’ll take the MG on looks alone.

Josh Clason
11 years ago

My vote goes to the TR6 even though the MG is much more classic. I really dig the color combination on the TR6.

Niklaus Gingro
Niklaus Gingro
11 years ago

TR6 all day, gotta love the classic straight 6. My high school girlfriend’s dad had a BRG TR6 that he babied – sadly I never got to drive it but ever since then I’ve always loved them and that butterscotch interior is just phenomenal.

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