John,
I think it is difficult to say with absolute certainty what the
exact original specification of any TR2/3 is. There have been
a few "anomaly" cars that have shown up that counter the factory
documentation. Having said this, Bill Piggott is probably the most
knowledgeable person in this area having done years of research,
examining hundreds of cars and having access to a hardcopy of the
factory records (BMIHT has a microfilm copy).
Blackberry was not a body color I have ever seen listed as available
for TRs. I have read that a TR2/3 could be had in virtually any color
on special request from the factory. This was usually done on home
market cars but I would assume it would be reflected on the factory
build record.
There could be many reasons for this color on your car. The car may
have received a bare metal repaint at some point. The color you see
may be a red oxide primer. The car may not be what it seems at all.
Years ago I looked at a short door TR2 for sale that was advertised
as your basic original, complete, ready for restoration car. The
biggest problem with the car was that the body had the raised bosses
under the hood and trunk hinges found on post TS60000 TR3s! This is
a problem with many cars that were built over a long period of time
with few basic body changes, TR2/3, Mini, Porsche 911.
How far back does your log book go? You could attempt to contact past
owners to find out some history.
Well, this does not clear up the matter at all but hopefully it gives
you further avenues of investigation.
Cheers,
Kurt Oblinger
Redondo Beach, Ca.
'54 TR2 TS1436L (pearl white/blackberry)
'57 TR3 TS19514L (pearl white/black)
'54 Swallow Doretti 2 Litre #1030 (pale yellow/dark red)
'62 Sports Six Conv. HB7893LCV (wedgewood blue/black)
'80 TR7 Spider DHC FI TPZDJ8AA401608 (black/black & grey)
c394829@is6.mdc.com
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