We were so pleased to discover an Italia in such solid, straight condition, with no visible signs of serious rust. We had our fingers crossed that once this car was stripped down to bare metal, we wouldn’t find any hidden problems. We sent the car off to the steam cleaners to remove all the mud and oil and get it ready for media blasting. Things were progressing very nicely. The car was completely sand blasted down to bare metal, and we were more than pleased we found none of the hidden problems we were worried about. We rested easy now knowing for sure the car was nearly rust-free, and had never suffered any body damage or accidents in its entire life. We were going to need to replace one rocker panel and repair the other due to rust, but that was just about it. The two other Triumph Italias we restored both needed extensive rust and accident repair, so it was great to have our hands on such a solid car right out of the gate.

The car was now in epoxy primer and waiting on Hank’s Welding & Fabrication to get to work on the rust and panel repair. Hank worked his magic and the car was ready for paint and body. As usual, Kens Body Shop here in San Luis Obispo did a great job, and the paint looked fantastic. We now had the suspension fully rebuilt—both front and rear–and chose to go with 60-spoke, 4.5-inch wide chrome wire wheels with Verdestein 185/70 15 tires. They’re a little wider than stock, but would help fill in the wheel arches as well as improve handling.

The next phase was rebuilding the engine. Once the engine was done and installed, we got started on finishing up this fantastic specimen. We were finally done, and our hard work paid off in spades. We brought this one up to show-quality standards, and now this little beauty looks great and drives fantastic. We even got a little extra validation for our efforts when the car placed third in the Special Coach class at this year’s Concorso Italiano in Monterey Bay, California.

These Italias drive much nicer than their TR3 cousins due in large part to the added support the roof provides. This particular example was optioned from the factory with the rare and desirable overdrive transmission option, which really makes this a great cruiser at freeway speeds.

To have restored just one of these incredible cars is a rare treat; to have now completed three restorations is beyond belief. These are unbelievably gorgeous cars that were woefully underappreciated for many years, but are now finally getting the attention, praise, and yes, even the glory they deserve. These cars turn heads. And their eye-appeal is matched on by their rarity. This is one of about 100 cars known to exist, of which approximately fifty are roadworthy. And we’ve been lucky enough to have had four of them in our possession. We couldn’t be more proud or honored to work on these rare and beautiful jewels in the British car crown.

We’ve taken care to document the entire restoration process from the day it rolled into the shop to the fantastic finish, so please take a moment to check out the photos.