Restoration of ultra-rare Triumph Italy cost a fortune, but it was worth it

“Just like a model”

Every classic car enthusiast with a little common sense knows it: you don't restore for the sake of trade, you restore for yourself. For the thrill, for saving something that already seemed lost. Driven by pure admiration, Gert-Paul van 't Hoff, together with his friend Willem-Jan de Geus, commissioned a Triumph Transforming Italy in England from a hopeless project into a concours-worthy beauty. It cost a fortune, but as Van 't Hoff says matter-of-factly: "You still can't buy a Maserati Sebring for that price."

Text & photography: Aart van der Haagen

De Triumph The Italia 2000 is not an everyday occurrence. Between 1959 and 1962, coachbuilder Vignale in Turin built a total of 329 examples, based on the Triumph TR3. The design came from Giovanni Michelotti. The technology remained British, and the bodywork was entirely Italian. This makes the Triumph Italy today is extremely rare.

Chassis number 27 rolled onto American roads in the early 1960s. In 1966, the car was retired with 28.000 miles on the odometer. It then sat dormant for almost fifty years, until Van 't Hoff and De Geus acquired it in 2015. The consequences were predictable. "There was barely any floor left, and one of the doors had a bee's nest half a meter thick," says Van 't Hoff.

Triumph Italian restoration in England

De Triumph The Italia remained in England for the restoration and ended up at Watermill Carriage, the company of Stuart Edwards. A specialist who knows exactly where the differences lie between a standard TR3 and an Italia. "He knew which specific details were correct and where to find parts that were originally used on other Italian cars of that period."

For example, bumpers from a Lancia Appia had to be located and an ashtray was installed that was also used in a Ferrari at the time; price tag almost a thousand euros. A lot of time was spent on the detailing of the Triumph Italy. Aluminum trim strips for the door panels were recreated, missing parts were reproduced, and everything had to fit as Vignale originally intended.

Triumph Italian bodywork: on the verge of collapse

De Triumph Italia has a steel body on the separate TR3 chassis. That chassis proved to be sound, but the bodywork was in disastrous condition. "Stuart had to reinforce the front section before he could lift the body off the chassis; otherwise, he would have literally collapsed."

Floor sections were completely replaced, as were parts of the sills and the connection to the rear section around the fuel tank. The doors received new skin panels, the hood and trunk lid frames were repaired, and inserts were added to the lower fenders. Many trim pieces were chromed. New wire wheels were chosen for the wheels, identical to those of the Triumph TR3, technically the basis of the Triumph Italy. "We kept as much original material as possible."

TR3 heart with Italian flair

The interior of the Triumph The Italian car was completely decomposed. The upholstery was reupholstered in leatherette, according to factory specifications, with the decayed horsehair and spring assemblies replaced, so the seats are now in perfect condition.

Technically the work was relatively straightforward. The 1991 cc four-cylinder from the Triumph The TR3A was honed and fitted with oversized pistons and new rings. The bearings were still within tolerance. The SU carburetors were overhauled, as were the shock absorbers, brakes, and instruments. The transmission required little more than new universal joints, a clutch plate, and a pressure plate. The Laycock de Normanville overdrive was still functional. Furthermore, the Triumph Italia a new wiring harness, exhaust and ignition components.

The restoration of this Triumph The Italia took nearly four years to complete and cost well over a hundred thousand euros. That's serious money for a car technically similar to a TR3. But look at Michelotti's lines, Vignale's craftsmanship, and the limited production run of only 329 units. Van 't Hoff smiles: "It's just like a model."

(More photos below.)