Every Ashby Folville meet I always see this GT6, I’ve always thought it looked pretty cool so this month I went over and spoke to the owner and Haris got a few shots to do a feature. Turns out the owner, Chris Edmonds, has owned it since 1971!
I liked Chris’s approach, with myself shipping the Karmann back I’d like to think that I’ll have the same dedication to my car that he has had all these years. He was more than happy to go over the car in detail with Haris and I and we were both pretty impressed that he’s owned it all these years. He has put only 64,000 miles on the car since new and his level of attention shows through out. The wheels are the original GT6 rims, polished to a mirror finish.
The straight 6 2.0 litre engine is all original and probably cleaner than when it left the factory. Chris says he wanted to keep the car as original as possible so the only thing he’s added is a Girling brake servo which was fitted to later models. Chris says that with the improved brake performance of modern cars he wanted to be able to stop a bit quicker so he improved the braking. He’s more than happy with the performance of the engine as it probably performs just as well as it did in ’69!
The interior is all original and has held up well to the test of time. You can tell this is an early model as it has the black roof lining which was changed to become white on later models. Perhaps not one of Triumphs greatest decisions as it looks much better with the black lining.
Chris owns the Mk2 model which has much improved handling over the first GT6. Power was also increased to 104bhp giving a top speed of 107mph and a 0-60 time of 10 seconds. The Mk2 model was generally renowned as being an MGB Beater, in my opinion its looks alone do enough to make it better than the MGB.
The dash adds a level of luxury to the sporty feel of the car. I love the combination of the wood and leather, it certainly harks back to the the handmade era where craftsman still had a job in the british automotive industry.
I love the effort that Chris has put in to keep the car at this level and still drive it out and about on a regular basis. There are some great cars to see at the Ashby Folville meet and I love seeing this one every time it rolls in. A true british classic, I hope it gives Chris just as much pleasure for many years to come.