MyStarCollectorCar spotted a classic 1958 Triumph TR3A at a late season car show held near the end of October last year in Innisfail, Alberta Canada.
The little British sports car even had its top down because the day was mild enough for open air motoring.
For the record, late October weather in Central Alberta is typically more winter-like than summer-like, but the weather gods were smiling on the show that day.
Jim Sutherland
A Triumph TR3A is an excellent example of a British sports car from a bygone era and is a welcome guest at any show, let alone one held in late autumn in Alberta.
The Triumph TR3A name indicated a few upgrades from a basic TR3, including a wider front grille, bigger bumpers, exterior door handles, along with a locking trunk handle not found on the lesser TR3 models. The TR3A’s engine was rated at roughly 100 horsepower, and the car could hit 60 mph (about 100 km/h) in under 12 seconds. It may not be neck-snapping performance in 2026 but it’s a solid number for a 68-year-old British sports car.
The Triumph TR3A’s subtle cosmetic and performance enhancements were a big hit with buyers, particularly in North America where it set a TR3 sales record during its six-year production run. Over 58,000 TR3A models were sold during that timeframe but over 60 years have passed since the last one left the factory and most of them have not survived the many decades.
Mike O’Dwyer was the owner of the 1958 Triumph TR3A mentioned earlier and he enjoys every minute of his time with his classic sports car. Mike told MyStarCollectorCar that he bought the car about 16 years ago and added it to his collection of unusual vintage vehicles.
Mike also noted his ’58 Triumph drop top attracts plenty of attention from the public and added the little British sports car “gets more smiles than anything I own”, in his words.
He likes the fact his stylish TR3A has a retro vibe with flashes of prewar design, including headlights that sit on top of the fenders in the timeless tradition of cars built during the 1920s and 1930s.
Mike’s car has factory twin SU carbs to squeeze as much juice out of the 1991 cc inline four-banger as possible and has also undergone a few engine upgrades to maximize its performance. The car has a four-speed manual transmission with overdrive in third and fourth gear to drop the RPMs at higher speeds.
The TR3A models were early pioneers in the front disc brake concept so Mike can slow his Triumph down in a hurry from higher speeds if the situation warrants it. He can keep an eye on his TR3A’s full set of factory gauges to monitor the engine’s status under load and may even avoid any potential mechanical issues before failure because of his car’s gauges.
However, the most important element of Mike’s ownership is he gets to own a part of timeless British sports car history, particularly on a warm late October afternoon in Alberta Canada.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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