Martin,
RE"I thought the "TR5" was just a cute way of saying "TR250."
There's a difference?"
All TR250's were LHD cars sold only in the U.S. The rest of the
world got TR5's, LHD or RHD as appropriate. Both models were made from
Fall '67 to Fall '68, when TR6/TR6PI production took over. Approximately
8500 TR250's were produced, and approximately 2500 TR5's.
The main difference was the engine. TR5's are like early TR6PI's:
150 BHP, Lucas Petrol Injection, and a monster of a camshaft with 70
degrees of valve overlap. The cam would never make U.S. emissions, and the
U.S. dealer network wanted no part of the Lucas PI system, since it was
expensive, very difficult to adjust, and no U.S. mechanic had ever seen one
before. (Brits had the same system on the 2500PI sedan, I believe.) The
U.S. got a detuned engine rated at 111 BHP, albeit at lower RPM, and
equipped with dual Zenith-Stromberg CD-2SE carbs ("E" for
emission-controlled). The cam has a very mild 20 degrees of overlap, so the
engine pulls like a tractor at low RPM but starts to get wheezy at 4000 or
so, when the PI engine should be just getting warmed up. Very good idle
emissions, however. TR250's had single-pipe exhaust systems, TR5's had
duals like the '73 and later US TR6's. The TR250 also got some God-awful
transverse racing stripe graphics, not present on my car. The solid-axle
rear suspension option from the TR4A was dropped.
Best regards,
Tom Marincic
CD3574L
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