Most are favourable!!
CAR Magazine – Motor Show Preview (October, 1966)
“Triumph’s new GT6 has a character all its own”
Jeremy Clarkson (Broadcaster, Journalist & Writer)
“Then there’s the Triumph TR7. That was a fairly speedy two-seater convertible. But not a sports car. And yet the tin-top GT6 most definitely was. Curiouser and curiouser”.
“What a fantastic little sports car!”
Fred Nicklin (Triumph Test Driver)
Fred drove the prototype GT4 from Turin to Coventry in 1962: “When I stopped overnight in France, a crowd gathered round to admire the car – it was beautiful and they had never seen anything like it”.
Roger Bell (Motoring Journalist & Racing Driver)
“But it’s certainly a car to keep”.
“A brave man’s car”.
Ian Frazer (Journalist) in CAR June 1980
“The most horrendous coupé in history”.
Patrick Faleur (Author of this website) in CAR August 1980
“My present car, the aformentioned GT6 referred to by Mr Frazer as ‘the most horrendous coupé in history’ is admired by all who all who see it. The roadholding is the best of any Triumph thanks to the almost Grand Prix type of rear suspension and it eats MGBs for breakfast!”
David Tuck (Engineer & Racing Driver)
“An easy to work on car with a good spares network. The specification is also good, it has a 6cyl. Engine, independent suspension all round, it is small and light and it is a good looking GT car!
Richard Lentinello (Editor-in-Chief of Hemmings Motor News until January 2013)
“Sleek, swift, stylish and very affordable. If ever there was a sports car that was all those things-and more-Triumph’s GT6 is it”.
Balbas (on Visordown.com)
“The GT6 is a great little car, very under-rated and surprisingly quick. The handling isn’t ‘interesting’ or ‘shite’ and you won’t spend your time ‘travelling through the scenery backwards’ You just need to drive it like a 30 year old RWD sportscar and set up corners properly. If you do that, you will be fine and have a lot of fun. The rotoflex ones are better than the transverse leaf spring ones mind. If they were so bad, how come they kicked MGB’s arse at Le Mans every year… (Now, MGB’s truly are shite cars!) Mechanically, they’re very simple, the things to watch out for are rot in the chassis, ungreased trunnions and rot in the sills and bulkhead. Pretty much anything else can be sorted reasonably cheaply. It should be obvious if there is anything else majorly wrong with it, as it will manifest itself in smoke, whining or clunking noises, or a generally not pleasant driving experience. Bear in mind though that they are noisy compared to a modern car, and you can expect a bit of mechanical noise. They’re very easy to work on thanks to the clamshell bonnet, but you will need to get used to balancing the carbs – it makes a hell of a difference to them, and a lot of people don’t seem to bother for some reason. Also look out for a non mechanical distributor conversion, they make a big difference to the general reliability. All in all, cheap to run if you know your way around a set of spanners, good fun to drive and great to own.”
Nigel Clarke (Freelance journalist, former editor of several magazines and wasted talent)
“The GT6 is tiny and gorgeous. Triumph’s coupé, penned by Giovanni Michelotti, has a beauty of curve and proportion even Jaguar E-type owners admire”
“The best GT6 of all, for looks and handling, (is) the Mkll”
Craig Denny of DC Motor Trading, Bradford
“There is something very special and exciting about the GT6”
Martin Fay of Motor Works, Illinois
“Giovanni Michelotti went back to work (on the Spitfire) and replaced the convertible top with a swept back hardtop complete with a large rear hatch. The hood gained an aggressive power bulge to clear the new engine. The newly born GT6 had exquisite lines and was nicknamed the “Poor man’s E-Type” after its resemblance to the famed Jaguar XKE.”
Danny Hopkins, Editor, Practical Classics
“I have to admit the 240Z has won my heart… The MG(C) and Triumphs (GT6s) are slower, more agricultural, more exposed and certainly more prone to on-road eccentricities. And that’s why they are such intoxicating fun. Original GT6 wins…it’s properly scary.”
“A car of this sort should challenge the driver to a battle of high-speed wits. I get out exhilarated, intoxicated and happy to be alive.”
Honest John
“But it was an achingly stylish car, with the added appeal of an E-type-style bonnet bulge, and it looked worth every penny”.
Richard Dredge, Motoring Specialist & Author (referring to the Mk1)
“the GT6’s proportions were well and truly perfect”
“Decades after it went out of production, the GT6 still looks right from every angle”
Craig (www.gt6mk3.com)
” I walked past a local exotic dealers yard, and saw a tiny red coupe. It looked like someone had forgotten an E-type Jag in a tumble dryer. Small, but with gorgeous feminine curves, a looooong bonnet, a lift up front end, and a 2 litre motor. The salesman explained it was a Triumph GT6 MK2″.
Diane Falleur aged 12 (my second cousin once removed)
“C’est tres belle”, on seeing my car after it’s respray.
Martin Buckley and Chris Rees (in The World Encyclopedia of Cars)
“Triumph’s abysmal GT6”
Drivetribe : The Classic Life (Triumph’s straight six fastback still has it)
” A suspension setup with a sharp and responsive turn in and stiffness to go around the fast narrow corners… pokey enough to push you out of the corners.
Classic & Performance Car (Triumph GT6: buying guide and review)
” There’s a certain honesty and simplicity to the Triumph GT6 that has made it a desirable choice for classic motorists on a relatively modest budget. After all, a six-cylinder engine and handsome looks didn’t have to cost the Earth, even if they usually did..”
“For many, the Mk2 cars are actually the best compromise, as a new Rotoflex suspension system improved handling while the styling remained more classic”
Car & Classic Co Uk
Advert placed 1st November 2017 “There are only 28 MK2s surviving in the Uk and it is undoubtably far prettier than the high volume MK3 and becoming very difficult to locate”.
Car SOS, April 2018 (National Geographic)
“The Queen of all those little Triumphs” Fuzz Townshend.
“It’s not just the shape, they are personalities” Andrew Ready (owner) who was car SOS’d, and sadly died later that year.
Classic & Sportscar, June 2018 (50 Great Classics to Buy Now)
“Timeless Michelotti lines and smooth six-cylinder power”
“Early GT6s are the most desirable thanks to their more appealing styling and delicate rear lamps”
Dale Barker/Roy Lacey (Triumph World, June/July 2018)
“A very quick, very pretty car that earned the nickname of a poor man’s E Type”
“This rare curio of a small 1960s or 1970s GT sportscar is a joy to drive and own”
Andrew Frankel (Autocar, 8 August 2018)
“Character comes in many forms, but all that have it share one thing in common: an ability to stimulate the senses. Character can be derived from providing a feast for the eyes or, in an engine’s timbre, the ears.”
Hagerty BUYER’S GUIDE – Undervalued British classics (April 2018)
1966-73 Triumph GT6 (Hagerty Price Guide value: $4400–$19,500).
“The Triumph GT6 is more than just a Spitfire with a roof. Meant to take on theMGB GT, the GT6 is both quicker and better looking. Its engine is smoother, has two more cylinders, and makes a better sound, and because the GT6 didn’t sell all that well in period (about 41,000 total) it’s also considerably more rare. Despite all that, the two little coupes carry similar price tags in today’s market. Until the past year or two, the GT6 was actually cheaper than the MG!”
Kristen Lee/ Mike Ballaban (Jalopnik, December 2018)
“The 1970 Triumph GT6+ Is A Bloody Brilliant Sports Car!”
Lance Cole (The Classic Car Adventure: Driving Through History on the Road to Nostalgia, 2017 book)
“Was the Triumph GT6 that company’s version of the Jaguar E-Type? To some it was, and remains a delight to drive and own, a fastbacked, straight-six engined, quintessentially British sportster with Italian style and that character that makes people yearn for 1960s Britain”.
“These lovely six-cylinder cars drove with verve, had style and were so damned characterful. Buy one now before prices go berserk”
Kathy Vance (Stories From Behind The Wheel, 2005 book by Bill Sherk)
“It’s a head-turning kind of car”
Jay Leno (Jay Leno’s Garage, March 18th 2019)
“The GT6, I like those…”
Andrew Newton (Hagerty – February 2019)
“The Triumph GT6 has a lot going for it, and for now it’s temptingly affordable”
Brian Sewell (The Independent – September 2006)
“A thoroughly nasty little car” (writing about the Triumph Herald)
“the GT6, the underrated baby E-Type, the only Herald derivative with a decent top gear ratio, a petrol tank a dribble short of 10 gallons, and a top speed of 110mph at 5,500rpm”
Haydos (on Pistonheads.com)
“Lovely lines and a tuneful exhaust note”
Ian Seabrook (Hubnut – Event Report: Festival of 1000 Classic Cars 2019)
Commenting on the car below, as it passed “Lovely GT6 – Baby E-Type – I love those – (I’m) very fond of them”
When I offered him the chance to road test mine, when it’s finished, he said “GT6 test would certainly be fun – keep me posted”
Adam Wright on Pistonheads (15/09/2015)
“On an aside though, they are a fantastic car, nothing brings a smile to my face like the noise it makes when I’ve not driven it for a while”.
Iain Ayre, in his book “Triumph Spitfire and GT6: The Essential Buyer’s Guide” (Dec 2019)
“The GT6, in particular, is a very attractive car, and, even if you’re set on a Spitfire, I would recommend checking out a GT6: the smooth power and the absolutely delicious exhaust soundtrack really are something special, and, to my mind, are worth the extra buying price and lower fuel economy – although the GT6 still achieves 25mpg+”
Ed Hollingsworth of Bullfire.net
“A nice little ’69 Triumph GT6 came along, and I jumped at it. Though not a roadster, I liked the style, and the heater worked”.
Tim Bancroft (Club Triumph Forum)
“GT6 are fantastic little cars that are very under-rated, mainly by people who have not driven one, its slow in and fast out!”
Steven Parissien – Director of the Compton Verney Museum (in ‘The Life of the Automobile’)
“Perhaps the greatest stylist of them all, Giovanni Michelotti, worked with Standard-Triumph after 1958 and designed some of the classic cars of the fifties and sixties, including Triumph’s Herald, Spitfire, TR4 and the marvellous Triumph 2000”
Edgardo Michelotti & Giancarlo Cavallini (in ‘Giovanni Michelotti – a free stylist’)
“It is difficult to define whether the GT6 is a wonderful car with a beautiful engine or a wonderful engine in a beautiful car”
Lance Cole (in his latest book ‘British Leyland – From Triumph to Tragedy’)
“A brilliant straight-six of a car in a fast-backed body; only the British could have created this 1960s icon.”
