TR5 Surrey Top

[TonyBrown]

I am looking to acquire an original Surrey top for my TR5. I have located one for sale that was on a TR4. My question is would this fit a TR5. 

[stuart]

On 1/17/2026 at 5:34 PM, TonyBrown said:

I am looking to acquire an original Surrey top for my TR5. I have located one for sale that was on a TR4. My question is would this fit a TR5. 

Yes though you may have to remove the fore most stud on each side to clear the deck edge. Sometimes they will clear in which case you``ll need to fabricate a little bracket to clamp it at that point. When you remove the little ali finishers at the froward ends of the rear deck check to see if there is the hole for the front stud and if there is a captive fitted if not you`ll need to drill one and fit a rivnut.

Stuart.

Edited January 19 by stuart

[multipletriumphsinner]

I have driven customers TR5's with Surrey tops fitted, but none of our own cars have them.

I have always found the turbulence in the cockpit uncomfortable when the centre section is removed, especially at speed. 

 

[RogerH]

5 minutes ago, multipletriumphsinner said:

I have driven customers TR5's with Surrey tops fitted, but none of our own cars have them.

I have always found the turbulence in the cockpit uncomfortable when the centre section is removed, especially at speed. 

 

Isn't it odd how folk see things differently.  I am exactly the opposite to MTS above.

I find that there is very little turbulance in the Surrey cockpit. 
So much so that in rain (both light and heavy) and traveling at 30+ the water passes over and you stay reasonably dry inside

Some people swear by the Surrey top others swear at them.

 

Roger

[BRENDA1]

I’m with Roger we love our Surrey Top, most of our travel is with the top off rain or shine.

Mike Redrose Group

[stuart]

 Back in the late eighties and on through the nineties you struggled to sell a Surrey setup. I remember one international back then where there was a stall with three complete sets of rear screen and roof, one of which had an ally roof section, they were priced at £250 for the steel and £350 for the ally and they were all in reasonable condition. The stall holder took them all home with him at the end of the weekend as there had been no takers! Now the minute they come up they are snapped up in short order.

Stuart.

[harrytr5]

Yes Stuart. I waited three years for the late Kenny Mumford to find a backlite for my total rebuild of my TR5 way back in 1998 such was the price of Surry  top complete.

The backlite from Kenny was very reasonable and allowed funds to find the rest. Years later I was lucky in finding a Alloy lid in etch primer already prepped up for £750.

I love my Surry and am with Roger. (good to see you last night Roger) it enhances the drive.

Regards Harry

[TRTOM2498PI]

I have a TR4 with a Surrey top. I think they enhance the looks, & suit the shape beautifully.  I recall buying our Surrey top in 1992, out of the back of TR Action, for around £450.  

However, I think if you are using the car, and have the H-section frame and canvas, they are a little primitive, and would much sooner have a soft top, for ease of use.

 

Cheers.

Edited January 26 by TRTOM2498PI

[Dave McDonald]

6 hours ago, multipletriumphsinner said:

I have driven customers TR5's with Surrey tops fitted, but none of our own cars have them.

I have always found the turbulence in the cockpit uncomfortable when the centre section is removed, especially at speed. 

 

My experience is similar. In my first TR6 with a soft top I I found I got a draught around the right side of my neck. When I bought the TR5 with a Surrey top I thought that would disappear. It did, but instead I felt a draught over the top between the 2 seats on the left side of my neck. 
I stuck with it until I took the car off the road for a rebuild, during which I’ve fitted a soft top. Car back on the road now and I’ll see how it goes this coming summer. 
I did find the H frame and soft cover a bind to both fit and take off. The folding soft top is much more convenient. 
No, the Surrey isn’t for sale, at least not until I’m 100% satisfied that I’ve gone the right way for me. 
Dave McD

[trchris]

Having had the back light and roof on the previous 4a and now running the 250 as a soft top l do prefer the soft top with wind deflector, would l put one on the 250 ? possibly, possibly not 

Chris

Edited January 23 by trchris

[harrytr5]

I fitted the Revington soft top conversion at the very start which uses the TR6 soft top header rail which clamps securely and never had a leak. Nice bit of kit but aint cheap.

Alloy lid on for the winter.

My mate fitted one to his TR6 (Surry complete kit ) and it does suit it I must say.

Regards Harry

[Dave McDonald]

13 hours ago, harrytr5 said:

I fitted the Revington soft top conversion at the very start which uses the TR6 soft top header rail which clamps securely and never had a leak. Nice bit of kit but aint cheap.

Alloy lid on for the winter.

My mate fitted one to his TR6 (Surry complete kit ) and it does suit it I must say.

Regards Harry

We have a member in the TR Lincs group who has fitted one to his TR6 c/w the TR6 front header rail modification and it looks fine. Another TR Lincs group TR6 owner has just acquired one to fit also. 
Dave McD

[Rob Salisbury]

23 hours ago, TRTOM2498PI said:

I have a TR4 with a Surrey top. I think they make enhance the looks, & suit the shape beautifully.  I recall buying our Surrey top in 1992, out of the back of TR Action, for around £450.  

However, I think if you are using the car, and have the H-section frame and canvas, they are a little primitive, and would much sooner have a soft top, for ease of use.

 

Cheers.

OK, it was 1976 but I bought a complete Surrey (backlight frame and glass, tin top, H frame and canvas) all for £75!!, came from the basement of a private house just along the road from TR Improvements in Woodford. There were 3 complet Surrey Tops to choose from and the rest of the basement was full of Michelotti bonnets, those were the days when sometimes you would find a TR in a mixed scrap yard!!

Cheeers Rob  

[Tom Fremont]

On 1/23/2026 at 4:35 AM, multipletriumphsinner said:

I have driven customers TR5's with Surrey tops fitted, but none of our own cars have them.

I have always found the turbulence in the cockpit uncomfortable when the centre section is removed, especially at speed. 

 

Try with the side windows rolled up 😏. I would say it eliminates 70% of the wind buffeting / noise and conversation is possible at 70 mph+.

Otherwise the backlight doesn't do anything to protect the occupants from wind. They say it does offer some rollover protection...

I've had them for the last 32 years ( junior to many of you here! ) and will never go back nor will I likely ever buy a non-Michelotti TR for that reason. Were I not such an aficionado I might not have endured all the trials and tribulations ( let alone expense ) to land the ones in my collection, (2) steel painted body colour and (2) aluminium polished ( one checkerboard and one engine turned ) and clear coated. Alloy lids tended to be dented to Hell and gone ( 35 puller holes under the Bondo in one of mine ) and their moorings ripped out due to inadequate execution/engineering in the details ( remediable by a metalsmith ). Steel ones tended to rust through from the inside due to condensation settling in the seams, absolutely zero coating provided by TRIUMPH. This is much worse to remedy properly, i.e repaired invisibly with steel. As for the Surrey top, these are unwieldy in a pop-up shower ( hope for a bridge you can duck under while you wrestle with the kit ) and was clearly not intended for high speed use in the rain, reliably peeling out of the capping lip at 80+ MPH ( unless you open a side window a little, letting some of the rain in ). In over 150,000 miles with them I've probably done less than 5000 with the Surrey top including 4000 in one X-country trip. The '250s never leave the garage in the rain or forecast of same so they go out with hardtop or no top 99% of the time.

The Michelotti hardtop / Surrey top kit is one of (4) transformative options on these cars; (3) from the factory are the 7-speed Laycock de Normanville overdrive, leather seats and the hardtop kit . These are hardly controversial, but to introduce that factor I submit the 4th is triple Weber DCOEs 😚. With these options in place it's remarkable that Porsche 911 Ts and Es of the day fetch far more at auction despite having less HP and torque than a TR5 and the latter wins the eye candy prize hands down to boot ( ever ogle a Porsche engine bay? ). That besides TRs running with original engines while replacements are the order of the day with most of these aluminum engined contemporaries - iron rocks!