Canadian International Auto Show Supplement

Transcription

Canadian International Auto Show Supplement
T h e M a g a z i n e O f T h e T o r o n to T r i u m p h C l u b Spring 2012
On
Vacation
with
TS2
Inside:
Canadian International
Auto Show Supplement
Works Team TR4s • My TR8 • Fear of Driving?
The Parts You Need To
"Keep’em on the Road "
contents
®
Spring 2012
26
18
30
®
24
Member Pages
36
From the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
From the President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Club Hub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13
Event Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14/15
Owner’s Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Activities
TRavels:
2088 in TS2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-22
The Magazine Of The TOrOnTO TriuMph Club
Spring 2012
On
Ce
le
TS2
with
g 50 Years of
Sp
Fast Service, Simple Ordering and Quick Delivery.
www.VictoriaBritish.com
1-800-255-0088
FREE Parts & Accessories Catalogs
Also Available For:
©2012 Long Motor Corporation, PO Box 14991, Lenexa, Kansas 66285-4991
2012 Ca
nadian
Internati
onal Au
to Show
History! The
Glory!
Inside:
Canadian International
Auto Show Supplement
FREE Parts & Accessories Catalogs for:
TR2, TR3, TR4, TR4A, TR250,
TR6, TR7, TR8, GT6, Spitfire
of the TT
C displa
y at the
re!
itf
n
a ti
br
S1
TTheRIUMPH
Vacation
A review
A supplem
RAGT
OP
ent to
Works Team TR4s • My TR8 • Fear of Driving?
On the Cover
A review of the TTC display at
the 2012 Canadian International
Auto Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S1-S16
Photo by Helen Critchley
IS
pring
I 2012
Special Feature:
Nothing to Fear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24/25
Historically Speaking:
Where are the Works TR4s . . . . . . 26-28
Marque my Words:
My TR8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30-34
Restoration:
Six and Two Threes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36-37
Speke Easy
Bits and Pieces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Special Supplement
Don Elliott fording a 6” deep
stream near the Welsh border on
a sunny Sunday afternoon outing
with the Stoke-on-Trent and the
Shropshire TR Groups.
Ragtop
Features
www.TorontoTriumph.com 3
from the editor
SUBMISSIONS
ADVERTISING
Contact the Club’s advertising representative for
details of dates and submissions. Submit ads as
high resolution (min 300 ppi) PDF files, saved for
print in CMYK format, fonts embedded, by E-mail
to [email protected]
The advertising year is from Jan.1 to Dec. 31. A
copy of Ragtop is sent to all paid advertisers.
2012 ADVERTISING RATES
Rear Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $500 per year
Inside Front Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $475
Inside Back Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $450
Full Page Inside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $305
Half Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $185
Quarter Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $115
Business Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $70
Full colour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $115 extra
Second colour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $75 extra
Flyer Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . $190/issue (max 4 pgs)
(All rates are for 4 issues, except flyers)
[email protected]
2012 SCHEDULE
Issue
Deadline Mailed
Spring . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 1 . . . . . . . . . End of April
Summer . . . . . . . . . . . June 10 . . . . . . . . . End of July
Fall/BCD Program . . .August 12 . . . Mid September
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nov. 18 . . . . . . Mid December
General Enquiries
[email protected]
Ragtop is published quarterly by the Toronto Triumph Club Inc. (“TTC”) and is distributed to its
members as part of their annual dues. The TTC or
the Editors cannot accept responsibility for the
safe return of any submitted material. We will do
our best, but accidents do occur.
We accept no responsibility for errors or omissions.
Opinions expressed are those of the authors and
do not necessarily reflect those of the TTC Executive or Membership.
Copyright © 2012 by the TTC.
Non-profit groups may reprint articles from this
publication, where the author has not reserved
rights, provided we get credited and both the author and TTC receive a copy of the publication in
its entirety.
Distribution by Pillar Direct Marketing Services.
Printed by Printwell Offset for the Toronto Triumph
Club.
Canada Post Publications # 40022175
Ragtop
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“The Spring has sprung
The grass is ris
I wonder where my Ragtop is?”
Yep, this really is the Spring issue, arriving just under the wire as we head
into summer. It’s a bumper 56 pager, so I know you’ll forgive me the
slight delay.
Was it really 4 months ago that we were all at the Auto Show? It’s just
been a blur for me since then and frankly, I was still on a high for most
of that time (still am in fact). Our display continues to be talked about,
putting our club firmly on the classic car club map. There is a 16 page
souvenir review supplement in the centre of this issue for your enjoyment. It can be pulled out if you wish, but we couldn’t afford an extra
staple to hold the pages together - so do so at your own risk!
As you know, last year I missed every major event in the calendar, mainly due to work
and my son’s wedding (Guess what? My youngest got engaged on Christmas Day, his
wedding is February 2013... here we go again!). Anyway, this year I vowed to try and
make it to as many events as possible, so I was at Ancaster in April, went on the brunch
drive to Queenston Heights in May and Spring Fling in June (see summer issue for a full
report) and, as I write this, I’m about to head out to the annual BBQ and then we’re off to
the Finger Lakes for the 27th Canadian Classic. I hope to make it to Brits in the Park and
Brits on the Lake too.
Rosie got new chrome on her front bumper over the winter, just in time for the Auto
Show, plus one or two of her other parts got the ‘bling’ treatment. Not gratuitous bling you
understand - strictly in accordance with original factory specs of course. I must say I’m glad
these outstanding items on my to-do list are now completed. The front bumper made me
cringe every time I looked at it, which is why I used to have the bonnet open so often, to
cover it up (honest Scott!). Unfortunately, my spot and fog lamp are gone now, but I might
replace them with some Lucas ones down the road.
I’ll shut up now, you’ve waited long enough to enjoy this issue, so ‘have at it’... I’m going
to have a Guinness later to celebrate finally getting it finished!
— David Fidler
Photo: Dion Widrich
Format: MS Word files are preferred. Send via
email or on CD, 10Mb limit on email files. Send
photos separately, do NOT embed in the text file.
Hard copy submissions are acceptable, but not
preferred. Graphics must be in major graphics formats, jpeg, tiff or Photoshop files. In Person: To the
editor at the monthly meetings.
Mail: 2421 Poplar Crescent,
Mississauga, Ontario L5J 4H2
E-mail: [email protected]
Shiny new chrome on
Rosie’s bumper at CIAS
www.TorontoTriumph.com 5
Obsolete Auto_MG&TRIUMPH AD2.pdf
19/02/2009
8:22:06 PM
from the president
Toll Free Order Line: ............................................. 1-800-265-7437
Customer Service / Technical Advice: ............ 1-519-337-3232
24 Hour Fax Line: ................................................... 1-519-336-5936
Website: ............................................................www.obsoleteauto.com
Business Hours: ........................... Monday to Friday - 8 AM to 5 PM
Executives
President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David Tushingham 905.830.9124
Vice President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ian Parkhill 905.637.2034
Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew Grace 416.763.3824
Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chris Lindsay 416.233.7360
Director of Communications . . . . . David Fidler 905.829.9340
142 Kendall Street, Point Edward, Ontario CANADA N7V 4G5
Director at Large . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wayne McGill 905.847.5532
Director at Large . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scott Douglas 905.334.4020
Past President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Johan Aaltink 705.456.4276
MG & TRIUMPH Specialists
Ragtop Magazine
Editor & Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David Fidler 905.829.9340
Assistant Editor . . . . . . . . . . . Terrence McKillen 647.202.8243
Distribution . . . . . . . . . Rod Jones - Pillar Direct 416.755.9494
Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Cleland 905.873.7704
Advertising Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ian Parkhill 905.637.2034
David Fidler 905.829.9340
Club Photographer . . . . . . . . . . Larry Llewellyn 416.245.9217
Website
Web Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David Copping 905.827.6970
Website Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . David Copping 905.827.6970
Club Coordinators
M
Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scott Douglas 905.334.4020
Meeting Coordinators . . . . . . . . . Patrick Caria 416.562.1642
Y
CM
Clive Huizinga 905.884.2091
Interclub Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tony Fox 905.632.0479
Ambassador at Large . . . . . . . . . . Wayne McGill 905.847.5532
MY
Regalia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dion Widrich 416.464.6057
CY
Historians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wayne McGill 905.847.5532
CMY
Frank Manning 905.643.2359
Volunteer Coordinator . . . . . . . . Chris Lindsay 416.233.7360
K
BCD Sponsors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Frank Manning 905.643.2359
Motorsports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Simon Rasmussen 905.853.2514
Where does the time go? It seems like it was
only yesterday that we were at the Canadian
International Auto Show proudly displaying the
“History and the Glory” of the Triumph marque.
For those of you that were not able to attend
and those who want to reminisce, we have a
special supplement in Ragtop to give you a
first-hand account of this tremendously successful event.
We are well into the driving season with
the Ancaster Flea Market and Spring Fling
events already behind us. If you haven’t had
a chance to check out the events calendar
lately at www.TorontoTriumph.com, you will see that we have many events scheduled
throughout the summer and fall. I am really looking forward to the Canadian Classic
this year, which is being held in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Dubbed the “Canadian Invasion Classic”, it combines our traditional “Around the Lake” summer drive
and is once again being planned and organized by Clive and Jacquelynne Huizinga.
Alex and Sharon McLeod will also be lending a helping hand this year.
Remember, we organize these events for YOU, so please take full advantage of them.
Get out with your Triumph and spend some time with your friends in the TTC.
Hope to see you on the open road. Have a great summer everyone!
Cheers,
— David “Tush” Tushingham
Marque Coordinators
TR2, 3, 3A & 3B . . . . . . . . . . . . . Malcolm Taylor 905.880.0079
Alistair Wallace 905.627.2941
TR4, 4A, 5 & 250 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Lille 416.231.3092
TR6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fred McEachern 905.727.2987
Wayne McGill 905.847.5532
Request a FREE copy of the
Sports Car Chronicle.
Call: 1-800-265-7437 or 519-337-3232
Email: [email protected]
GARAGE SALES!
That’s right. Check out our annual
Spring or Fall Garage Sales and browse
endless deals.
Spitfire-GT6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Don Johnson 705.721.1231
Each issue is packed with super deals
on parts and accessories along with
technical articles to help you do the job.
A great resource for YOUR sports car!
Payment Options:
Visa, Mastercard and American Express
British Car Day Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . David Sims 905-331-1496
Shipping: Canada Post and most
courier services
Ron Pincoe 519.941.0976
Stag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tony Fox 905.632.0479
TR7 & 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Larry Llewellyn 416.245.9217
Ron Etty 905.547.2419
Event Coordinators
27th Canadian Classic . . . . . . . Clive Huizinga & Alex McLeod
Spring Fling 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MG Car Club of Toronto
Peter Mittler [email protected]
Summer Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Clive Huizinga 905.884.2091
Annual BBQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brian Clark 905.484.9091
Jack Willekes 905.820.0269
Fall Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David Fidler 905.829.9340
General Mail/Membership
Mail P.O. Box 39, Don Mills Ontario M3C 2R6
ALL TO PRESERVE AND DRIVE THE TRIUMPH
Ragtop Mail & E-mail:
2421 Poplar Crescent, Mississauga, ON, L5J 4H2
[email protected]
Ragtop
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I 2012
Photo: Andrew Grace
C
Browse the website
www.obsoleteauto.com for
updates on stocked parts and secure
access to online ordering. The parts
you need, any time or day.
Get Out and Drive
The Presidential Limo centre stage at CIAS
www.TorontoTriumph.com 7
club hub
TRF Is the World’s Greatest British Sports Car Company
The Roadster Factory is large enough to be a major parts
manufacturer and distributor but small enough to know our
models very well, also small enough to offer very personal
service to all of our customers. TRF is British Motor
Heritage Approved, we are famous for high quality and
reasonable prices, and we offer expert engine, gearbox, and
rear axle rebuilds from our own shop, known as C.A.R.
Components. Whether you show your car in concours
events, enter it in competitive driving events, or drive it to
work every day, you can do so with confidence, knowing that
The Roadster Factory will always be here for you—on-line
or just a phone call away.
Subscribe to TRF’s E-Mail Newsletter
Every week, twelve-thousand Triumph and MG
enthusiasts in countries around the world receive an
E-Mail Newsletter from Charles Runyan. The
newsletter always includes wonderful offers on parts,
shipping deals, and other TRF news. The newsletter
includes links to current Web Site Specials and Weekend
Features which change every week. To subscribe to the
newsletter, please follow the simple instructions found
on the TRF home page. Note that unsubscribing is also
easy if you change your mind later.
Join TRF Car Club
Hundreds of customers of The Roadster Factory
belong to TRF Car Club. The club exists to promote
TRF Customer loyalty, and it includes $300.00 in gift
certificates each year that you can use as cash to
purchase parts. Dues are $100.00 per year, but you also
get a parts credit in the amount of $100.00 every year
after the first. You will receive a membership card and
sticker. Beautiful club logo. Great T-shirts available.
Please join on-line, or just phone the sales line, and ask
to join TRF Car Club…
Club Meetings
by Terence McKillen
March
The March club event was held on March 27 at the GrandPrix Kartways at Downsview Park.
There was a good turn out of members including a number attending for the first time.
Following general club business, where David Fidler received a plaque for his work on the
CIAS display, members were free to socialise or to partake in a few laps of the indoor circuit.
April
The April meeting was
held on April 22 in conjunction with the Ancaster British Flea Market,
the traditional beginning
of the motoring year.
The TTC table was a busy
place for most of the day
when many memberships
were renewed and some
new members were welcomed to the club.
This year the weather
was somewhat more accommodating which brought
out more classic British cars and
vendors than of late, although it
was still breezy and cool for those
outside. Inside, people kept warm
and vendors seemed to be doing
a brisk trade. Our thanks go to our
booth volunteers - Chris Lindsay,
Scott Douglas, David Fidler, David
Tushingham, Alistair Wallace, Clive
Huizinga, Ian Parkhill & Patrick
Caria who kept customers serviced
and happy. Special thanks to Tony
Koski who donated 8 Hotwheels TR6s, which all sold and raised $16 for the club.
• Diesel Engines
• Gasoline Engines
• Marine Engines
• Race Engines
• Vehicle Services
The Roadster Factory
Meeting up at Timmies in Mississauga
May
The May meeting held on May 6th, centred around a leisurely drive along the
foot of the Niagara Escarpment from
Clarkson/Oakville to the restaurant at
Queenston Heights, just north of Niagara
Falls, for an excellent brunch. The convoy
comprised 9 TR6s, a TR8, a Spitfire and
Robin Searle’s nicely appointed Triumph
Stag making its debut after more than 12
months of sorting out.
Enjoying brunch in the Queenston Heights restaurant
• Parts Store
• Complete Engine Machine Shop
• Gasoline Injector Service
• Engine Balancing & Blue Printing
• Cylinder Head Porting & Flow Testing
Winslow Delaney | Creative Solutions
416.871.2358
9 Forster Park Drive
Oakville, Ontario Canada L6K 1Y5
[email protected]
www.winslowdelaney.com
2338 Wyecroft Rd., Unit K5-7, Oakville, Ontario L6L 6L4
Tel: 905-825-2045 Fax: 905-825-0208
P.O. Box 332, Armagh, Pennsylvania, 15920, U.S.A.
Telephone: (800) 234-1104 • Fax: (814) 446-6729
Internet: www.the-roadster-factory.com
Your source for all your repairs
Ragtop
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www.TorontoTriumph.com 9
club hub
Volunteers Needed
for British Car Day
British Car Enthusiasts Have Lost A Friend
British car enthusiasts of south
central Ontario lost a dear friend,
a colleague, an acquaintance and
a fellow British car owner with the
passing of Warren Grant on February 9th 2012. Warren and his
wife Pat, of 53 years, were equally
involved in the many aspects of
British Motoring.
Warren and Pat have been
members of the Toronto Triumph
Club since 1992 when they joined
the club shortly after arriving
back in Canada. Warren and Pat
had been in New Zealand for a period of
time and just before returning to Canada
in 1991, Warren purchased a beautiful blue
1971 Stag. The Stag (a right had drive version) was shipped back to Canada and
has been a source of enjoyment for them
ever since. Warren and Pat were also very
Passing of
David Pegg
Pat & Warren Grant
active members of the Victoria British Car
Club out of Lindsay, where Warren had just
concluded a two year stint as President of
the Club in November 2011. Warren will
be greatly missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him with his warm and
thoughtful demeanor.
We belatedly acknowledge the
passing last October 31st of long
time TTC member David Pegg, after a long illness, he was 74. Dave
held a number of posts over the
years, including TR4 marque coordinator. He had been restoring a TR4A for the last 15 years,
but sadly was never able to drive
the finished car. His wife Marilyn
continues to be a member and
plans to keep the TR4A in the
family. Dave will be fondly remembered for his kindness and
good humour by all who loved
and knew him.
British Car Day is hosted annually by the Toronto Triumph Club, on the third Sunday of September. This year
the date is September 16. The venue as always is Bronte
Creek Provincial Park. 2012 will be the 29th Annual British Car Day and will celebrate the 50th Anniversaries of
the Triumph Spitfire, MGB and Lotus Elan. Volunteers are
needed - please contact Chris Lindsay, Volunteer Coordinator at [email protected] to volunteer your
services.
Regalia Store
Now OPEN!
Lots of fine TTC merchandize is now available at our new Club Store, just
click on the link on the right of our homepage. We’re adding to the selection on a regular basis, please let us know if there’s something in particular you’d like to see? Many thanks to our Regalia Officer, Dion Widrich, for
working so hard to set this up and doing a lot of the original car art.
AUTO/MARINE
SOFT TOP DETAILING KITS
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Revive original deep, dark, rich factory color of cloth or canvas tops.
Brighten and Re-condition dull Vinyl tops, dashes and upholstery.
All products Water-based and Safe for your “baby” !
Cloth tops, Vinyl tops, dashboards, motorcycle visors and screens, RV awnings,
deck furniture, sail covers, radar covers, lifeboat covers, snowmobile seats,
umbrellas, upholstery, ATV covers and anything else cloth, vinyl or plastic!
Same day shipping!
North American Distributor – Convertible Top Renew – Kelowna, BC, Canada
Website: www.convertibletoprenew.com – Toll Free 1-888-697-0089
10
www.TorontoTriumph.com
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Ragtop
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www.TorontoTriumph.com 11
Welcome New Members!
club hub
Name
March Madness
by
David Fidler
It was a Friday afternoon in early March and the weather forecast
for Sunday 11th was sun and an unseasonably high 17C. A great
day for an early season drive! So I fired off a quick e-mail to see
if anyone was interested and Sunday morning at 9am, Andrew
Grace, Dave Sims, Terence McKillen, David Tushingham and I were
sitting in the Sunset Grill at Appleby Line/Dundas St. in Burlington, enjoying a delicious pre-drive breakfast.
The bacon was nice and salty, but unfortunately so were some
of the side roads, so I planned our route north to Belfountain in
the Forks of the Credit Provincial Park, to stay on the main roads.
Big difference in the temperature there and they’d had a large
amount of snow a couple of days previous, so there was some
melt water and salt on the roads. This didn’t deter us from blasting around the twisties in the park and ending up at the coffee
shop for a well earned hot drink.
It was a great morning and we all had fun, the salt washed off
and our cars were put away dry, happy to have stretched their
legs so early in the season.
You don’t have to wait for an “official” TTC event, I strongly
urge all of you to call your local TTC friends (you can find them by
searching your city in the database on our website) when a nice
day comes along and get out there and drive!
K
TOYOTA TO TRIUMPH
p it
ee
LocationVehicle
Name
LocationVehicle
Year
Clara Miehm . . . . . . . . . . Toronto
Jay Moszynksi . . . . . . . . Cambridge
Christopher Nelson . . . . Toronto
Henryk Oosterbaan . . . . Etobicoke
Nick Panakos . . . . . . . . . Maple
Roger Parry . . . . . . . . . . . Newcastle
Lance Pedrick . . . . . . . . . Pickering
Lino Pessot . . . . . . . . . . . Sudbury
Bill Peter . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oshawa
Paul Podesta . . . . . . . . . . Brooklin
Pino Policelli . . . . . . . . . . Oakville
Carmine Preziuso . . . . . . Orangeville
Rajesh Ramlakhan . . . . . Markham . . . . . . TR6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1974
Sean Ratcliffe . . . . . . . . . Mississauga . . . . Spitfire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1979
Vince Reale . . . . . . . . . . . Woodbridge . . . . GT6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1968
Tricia Reitzel . . . . . . . . . . Kitchener
Mike Roberts . . . . . . . . . Oakville . . . . . . . TR250 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1968
Len Sellwood . . . . . . . . . Port Stanley
Barry Smith . . . . . . . . . . Scarborough
Malcolm Stagg . . . . . . . . Oakville
Keith Stewart . . . . . . . . . London . . . . . . . . TR3, TR4, TR6, Spitfire Mk3 . . . . 1957,62,75,70
Richard Summerfeldt . . Toronto
Chris Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . Waterloo
Mauro Tersigni . . . . . . . . Bolton . . . . . . . . . Spitfire 1500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1973
Roger Tipple . . . . . . . . . . Burlington
Ben Tse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Etobicoke . . . . . . TR6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1975
Thomas Whalley . . . . . . Keswick
James & Janice
Whitehead . . . . . . . . . . . Kitchener
Peter Whitehead . . . . . . Mississauga . . . . TR7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1975
Duncan Whitelaw . . . . . Ingersoll . . . . . . . Spitfire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1980
Dean Willers . . . . . . . . . . Toronto
Martin Wood . . . . . . . . . Hilsburgh
Ron Wood . . . . . . . . . . . . Oakville . . . . . . . TR6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1972
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Year
Matthew Archer . . . . . . . Barrie
Steven Bakker . . . . . . . . Brampton . . . . . . Spitfire Mk IV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1972
Chris Boychuk . . . . . . . . . St Catherines
Rob Burchell . . . . . . . . . . Markham
Bob Burgar . . . . . . . . . . . Richmond Hill
Andrew Burpee . . . . . . . Ottawa
Peter Butler . . . . . . . . . . Whitby . . . . . . . . TR250 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1968
Alan Campbell . . . . . . . . Belleville . . . . . . TR6, TR7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1976/1980
Jentry Chin . . . . . . . . . . . Toronto
Robert Cirone . . . . . . . . . Etobicoke
Roger Clarke . . . . . . . . . . Parkhill . . . . . . . . TR6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1976
Gord Cumming . . . . . . . . Hamilton . . . . . . TR6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1972
André de Goeij . . . . . . . . Waterloo . . . . . . TR6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1975
Ted DeGoey . . . . . . . . . . . Brantford
Sean Doherty . . . . . . . . . Mississauga
William Dronyk . . . . . . . Kitchener
Peter John Dunlop . . . . . Caledon East
Paul Dunnett . . . . . . . . . Utterson
Kerry Dupuis . . . . . . . . . . Innisfil . . . . . . . . Spitfire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1974
Dave&jan Ertel . . . . . . . . Oshawa . . . . . . . . Spitfire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1972
David Freeman . . . . . . . . High Point
John Gabel . . . . . . . . . . . Brampton
Richard (Vince) Garrett . . . . Tiny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Triumph GT6+ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1970
Angelo Graham . . . . . . . Waterloo . . . . . . TR2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1955
Tony Graham . . . . . . . . . Beachville
Kim Harris . . . . . . . . . . . . West Seneca . . . TR6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1973
Binny Jind . . . . . . . . . . . . North York
Derek Johnson . . . . . . . . Mississauga
Christopher Jones . . . . . Ajax . . . . . . . . . . . TR6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1974
Peter Jupp . . . . . . . . . . . . Burlington
Zenon Koltalo . . . . . . . . . Mississauga
Arthur Lee . . . . . . . . . . . . Aurora . . . . . . . . . Triumph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1972
Greg McCoy . . . . . . . . . . . Toronto
Glen Mersel . . . . . . . . . . Milton
Glenn Meyers . . . . . . . . . Fonthill
www.TorontoTriumph.com
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Classic Car Insurance
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877-922-3391
| www.hagerty.Ca
13
Membership Renewal Reminder
events
Events Calendar
ad 2012
rizontal or vertical layout.
For Full Event List & More Details Go To
www.TorontoTriumph.com
since 2005 at a beautiful riverside location
at Britannia Beach Park - Lakeside Gardens.
August 2012
6-PACK
UK Car Day Greater Rochester Triumph
Touring Club
Sunday, August 26, 10:00 a.m.
UK Car Day IV will be held at Riverbend
Pavillion in Genesee Valley Park, Rochester, NY. No admission fee for spectators, reasonable entry for show vehicles.
Classes for all British cars and motorbikes. Free concert with Paulsen, Baker
and Garvey. Food by Webster Lions Club.
See www.UKCarDay.com for more details.
Brits on the Lake, Port Perry
19.06cm x 6.27cm
Sunday, August 5, (TBC) 9:00 a.m.
JULY 2012
Brits on the Lake takes place in the charmBrits in the Park, Lindsay
ing downtown core of Port Perry. The
Sunday, July 15 9:00 a.m.
fourth annual show’s featured marque this
Victoria Park is the setting for this terrific
year is the MGB which is celebrating its
show. If you have never been before, pre50th anniversary.
pare to spend the day wandering through
16 Elrose Avenue
Come out and show your Club spirit and
the park and looking at a great display of
Toronto, Ontario
compete for the Nigel Shiftright Award
SEPTEMBER 2012
British Cars. Brits in the Park is part of LindM9M
2H6 Canada
rs, bikes,
boats
and
planes…
for
the
Club
having
the
greatest
number
6-PACK TRials, Niagara Falls Ontario
say’s “Classics on Kent” car show. Stroll the
(416)744-7675
ucks, tractors,
trains.
of entrants in attendance. (Possibly to be a
Thursday, September 6 – Sunday, September 9
main street of tanks
Lindsay toand
see hundreds
of
(800)665-2665
two
day
event.
Check
website
to
confirm
-Ed.)
6-PACK is a North AmericanClassic Cars, Hot Rods, Customs and Anbased organization dedicated
rgesttiques
selection
of
motoring
books
&
motorsport
videos
on display.
ar books a specialty: historical, pictorial & technical. to the enjoyment, preservation
and restoration of the Triumph
Ottawa All British - free parking – free mailing list
-Sat 10am-5pm
TR250 and TR6 automobile. The 401-PACK
Sunday, July 21, 9:00 a.m.
Chapter (Ontario and Quebec) of 6-PACK is
This event is dedicated to showcasing and
pleased to host the 2012 TRials in Niagara
celebrating the complete spectrum of BritFalls, Ontario. David Fidler and David Tushish vehicles. It has been held every year
3 ¾ x 4 15/16
9.53cm x 12.55cm
TRials 2012
Niagara Falls CaNada sept 6-9
Go
flow
Transport Books
ingham are Co-Chairmen for this event.
We would love to have a record number
of TR250s and TR6s come out for this
event. We hope that you can make plans
to join us. Although this is primarily a Triumph TR250/TR6 event, we encourage
all Triumph models and other marques
to participate and come out and have
some fun over the weekend. There is an
established “Other British” category for
non TR250/TR6 owners for any of those
Transport Books
ULTIMATE
TRANSPORTATION
PRODUCTS
Cars, bikes, boats & planes...
trucks, tractors, tanks & trains
Canada's largest selection of
motoring books & popular
motorsports videos.
British Car books a specialty:
historical, pictorial & technical
SY LANGER
Phone: 416-822-0096 or 905-616-0421
Toll Free: 1-866-532-3630
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://www.a-professional-appraisal.ca
Mon-Sat 10am-5pm
23 Markwood Lane
Thornhill, Ontario L4J 7A6
Phone: 416-580-7327
Web: www.wheelwax.ca
Email: [email protected]
Date
Steven and Anita Craib . . . . . . 2757 . . . . . . . . .
Doug and Maureen Crane . . . . 2267 . . . . . . . . .
Stefan Ekborn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4953 . . . . . . . . .
Don & Louise Elliott . . . . . . . . . 1165 . . . . . . . . .
Mark Gillies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2664 . . . . . . . . .
Andrew Grace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2842 . . . . . . . . .
Ken & Susan Grace . . . . . . . . . . 1121 . . . . . . . . .
Warren & Patricia Grant . . . . . 1737 . . . . . . . . .
George Harris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4958 . . . . . . . . .
David Hughes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2919 . . . . . . . . .
John & Joanna Lille . . . . . . . . . 1527 . . . . . . . . .
Douglas G Long . . . . . . . . . . . . 2915 . . . . . . . . .
John Luxon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4964 . . . . . . . . .
Thomas McNaughton . . . . . . . 2905 . . . . . . . . .
Fredrick Meyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2830 . . . . . . . . .
Lyal Moffatt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2835 . . . . . . . . .
Bill Perkins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3212 . . . . . . . . .
Helmuth & Brigitte
www.autophile.ca
Vorkoetter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2265 . . . . . . . . .
Doug Webb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1418 . . . . . . . . .
07/14/12
08/01/12
07/02/12
07/01/12
08/01/12
07/28/12
07/21/12
08/01/12
07/26/12
08/05/12
08/01/12
08/09/12
08/09/12
06/21/12
07/02/12
07/24/12
08/16/12
08/01/12
07/09/12
Joerg Hess
Car Care
Langka - Professional
Paint Chip Repair
Manufacturer Approved
Convertible Care
business card
ads
DIY Power Bleeder for
Brakes/Clutches
P.O Box 633
Mount Forest, Ontario
Canada N0G 2L0
British
Classics
Global Parts & Car Logistics
TRADING
Tel:
Cell:
Fax:
Email:
519-323-4028
519-589-7901
519-323-2820
[email protected]
www.bmciltd.com
LOGISTICS
Classic and Antique
transportbooks.com
www.
16 Elrose Avenue
Retail Sales Tax Appraiser
Licenced Mechanic
Vehicle Restorer
Toronto, ON M9M2H6 Canada
(416)744-7675 (800)665-2665
[email protected]
www.TorontoTriumph.com
Renewal
Member #
Name
Please go to www.TorontoTriumph.com and
renew today! Valid as of June 19th 2012
DRB Motors
Vehicle Appraisal
Maurice
Phil Law
Bramhall
647-393-4856
free parking – free mailing list
14
29th Annual British Car Day
Sunday, September 16, 8:00 a.m.
Join us for the Toronto Triumph Club’s 29th
Annual British Car Day at Bronte Creek Provincial Park, Oakville. More information can
be found at www.BritishCarDay.com.
with the
transportbooks.com
(Thank you if you have renewed since press time)
who would like to participate in the annual car show, “Go With The Flow” - please
see the 2012 6-PACK TRials website for all
the details at, www.401-PACK.com.
Ragtop
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91 Rylander Blvd. Unit 7-142
Scarborough, Ontario
M1B 5M5
[email protected]
www.tlcappraisal.ca
Hub 94 Automotive Consulting
45 years Classic Brit Specialist
Wilf Eden
Home 905-884-2001
Services include:
Cell 647-226-9494
Mechanical consulting, minor mobile repairs, assistance with winter lay up,
spring commissioning and pre-purchase inspection-all makes and models.
www.TorontoTriumph.com 15
Pssst!
Want Some Great Advice?
owner’s manual
Getting to know our members
Tony grosso
You could search big catalogues for the best price
You could buy parts from various suppliers
You could pay huge shipping and crazy broker fees
You could be returning the parts
You could...
...but why would you?
1565 Hwy 5 West, RR#1
Troy, Ontario, L0R 2B0
Toll Free 1-888-485-2277
Local: 905-627-9995
24hr Fax: 416-410-6479
E-mail: [email protected]
Name/Owner: Tony Grosso
Born: 1956
Location: Montevideo, Uruguay, South America
Member Since: 1998
Triumph: 72 GT6 MK3 BRG (My legalized Go-Kart)
Favorite place: My garage and the highway
Favorite Movies: Bullitt and Le Mans
Favorite Food: BBQ anything
Hobbies: Antique car and motorcycle restoration, unless the
soccer games are on TV
Favorite people: My wife and kids, Steve McQueen and Terry Fox
Favorite music: Beatles, Led Zeppelin and U2
Other vehicles currently owned: ‘77 Porsche 911S and ‘79
Yamaha XS650 vertical twin
Past restorations: ‘54 Mercury Monarch, ‘65 Galaxy 500XL, ‘74
TR6, ‘72 TR6
Background:
Tony grew up in
Uruguay and learned to drive at the age
of ten in a 1953 Bedford truck. His father
owned a body and mechanical shop, so
there were always lots of cars to play with.
After moving to Toronto, he trained as a
mechanic at Centennial College and served
his apprenticeship at VW Canada. Unfortunately, in the early ‘70s there wasn’t much
work in the dealerships, so he went back to
school and retrained as a millwright. That
took him to a mailing business where he
spent 37 years. In 2009 he sold his business
(Pillar Direct, they still mail out Ragtop - Ed)
and retired at the age of 52.
Little did he know then, that he would go
4 years to College just to end up fixing his
kids and friends cars for free!
We are your local source for quality parts and only stock
the best. When you consider the benefits of friendly local
service, no quibble exchanges, next day delivery or same
day pick-up, plus great advice and customer service,
British Auto Sport is hard to beat.
Try us for your next project!
British Auto Sport
Toll Free 1-888-485-2277
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www.TorontoTriumph.com 17
TRavels
The author and TS2. Driving on the left
side of the road was no problem.
2088
Miles in
Photo by Mark Farrington
TS2
By Don Elliott, Montreal
It all started with a dream
I bought my TR3A brand new in 1958
from one of the four Standard-Triumph
dealers here in Montreal. I had saved my
money while I was working in the shop
and later on the drafting board at Pratt
& Whitney, manufacturers of aircraft engines. At that time, they were building
piston engines. I drove “TRusty”, my new
TR for the next 14 years during which I
rallied it extensively from 1959 to 1965.
In 1972 with 83,000 miles on the clock, it
was a very sad basket case.
In 1987, I decided to restore it. That was
when I joined the TR Register in England as
well as the Toronto Triumph Club. It took
three years to finish the body-off restoration. Between 1990 and this summer, I
have driven TRusty a further 109,000 miles.
I’m very proud of my TR and for years,
I have dreamt of shipping it to England to
drive it there and to visit some of my friends
who are members of the TR Register, but it
was not to be. The companies who insure
18
There were about 35 TRs
including a beautiful dark
blue Swallow Doretti, 40
Stags and almost 1000 other
antique cars of all types
dating back to 1902 at the
Newby Hall Car Show held
near Ripon in Yorkshire on a
rainy Sunday in July.
www.TorontoTriumph.com
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www.TorontoTriumph.com cars in North America would not insure my
TR for a tour of UK and/or Europe and all of
the insurance companies in UK would not
insure my TR to tour UK, because I don’t
own my prime residence in the UK, also the
car would need to be registered in the UK.
It was an unbelievable dilemma.
In the spring of 2011, Mark Treadwell,
Alec Pringle and Diane Pringle, also known
as “the V8 lady” came up with the idea
of offering me TS2 to tour the UK and to
partake in the TR International Weekend.
“What is TS2?”, you ask. It was (and still is)
the 2nd TR2 ever built and the Commission Number (VIN) is TS2. The first two TR2s
were hand built because the production
line was not yet fully operational. TS 1 LO
was finished in June 1953 (the L is for lefthand drive and the O means that it left the
factory with the optional overdrive). It was
shipped to Montreal where it was driven to
Toronto for the Automobile Show held at
the Canadian National Exhibition. The day
after, TS2 was completed and was shipped
to the Dublin Auto Show in Ireland where
it was driven for 46 years. Then it was returned to England and restored to its former glory in 2001.
This unbelievable offer of TS2 to me was
confirmed by the executive of the TR Register and it took me less than 5 seconds to
accept. My dream of touring England in a
TR was about to come true.
The dream in reality
In July 2011, my daughter Catherine, who
had been living and working in London for
11 years had just accepted a new position
in Edinburgh, so I flew there to see her and
to get rid of any jet-lag. During the next
four days, I toured Edinburgh and then I
took the train south to Didcot to pick up
TS2. I had first seen it in about 1998, sitting
in the garage at Didcot, before its restoration had started. What a thrill to drive this
famous historic TR.
That first day with TS2, I filled it up with
regular petrol and drove to Market Deeping where I stayed the night with Phil and
Andrea Jane. Phil had invited me to comment on his progress with his powder blue
TR3A. The next two days were spent with
19
Photo by passer-by.
The author standing next to the Triumph Monument
on Herald Avenue in Canley on the site of the former
Triumph factory. In 1996, Don suggested that a
monument be built on the former site so visitors would
know where the factory used to be. He attended the
unveiling in 2000. Notice TS2 in the rear.
my niece Liane and her family in Suffolk.
Liane Elliott was raised in Mississauga and
has lived in England for the past 22 years.
Then it was off in pouring rain to Yorkshire
for the Newby Hall Car Show near Ripon,
where about 30 TRs from the local clubs
braved the rainy weather. The TRs and the
thousand or so other antique cars on display from all over the world were superb.
Early the next morning, after three
days and nights of camping in the rain, I
packed the soaked camping gear into the
TR2. It was still raining as I headed from
the campground in Broborough Bridge to-
The Heritage Center Museum in Gaydon has an extensive
exhibit of almost every car ever built in the UK. Here
we see TS2 neatly parked near the front entrance for
all visitors to admire. After this photo, the top and
sidecurtains were stowed in the boot for the next 17
days. The weather during the rest of the trip was sunny,
but very cool.
20
Portmerion, a Mediterranian setting created by a British architect along the coast of Wales was the location where they shot
the TV series “The Prisoner” starring Patrick McGoohan who used to drive a BRG Lotus 7 at the start of each show. It was here
that the author met Andy and his 13-year old daughter Margaret - both fans of the series. Here we see Margaret dressed
as one of the actresses from 1976 holding a huge balloon which played prominently in some of the films. She also kindly
washed the bugs off TS2 with her father watching. She also checked the tyre pressures on Andy’s Morgan.
wards Coventry and it rained on and off all
day. Near Coventry, I stayed at a B&B where
the lady in charge took all my wet things
and put them up to dry. Then she went on
line and found a store in Canley called “All
Outdoors” and she told me to go buy a new
tent! The next day I packed up and did just
that. The store is located on Dolomite Road
just off Gloria Circle and Herald Avenue
where the Triumph Monument was erected and unveiled in 2000. Many of you may
remember that I was there on that memorable day. I asked a chap walking by if he
would snap a photo of me beside the Monument and to try to make sure we could
see TS2 in the background. I also toured
the Coventry Transportation Museum and
www.TorontoTriumph.com
toured The Heritage Center in Gaydon. This
was my third time visiting Gaydon and I
parked TS2 in full prominence at the front
entrance, for all the other visitors to see.
Afterwards, it was off to Chipping Norton in the Cotswolds for three days of
camping. By now the sun was out and I
stowed the hood and the side curtains in
the boot. In fact, they stayed there for the
next 17 days, the weather was so agreeable.
That evening I attended the local Chiltern
TR Group and met more new TR friends
and renewed my acquaintance with Neil
Hawtin. It was back in 1988 that I had attended a Guy Fawkes Night fireworks party
in Neil’s garden in Kidlington just north of
Oxford. (Guy Fawkes is famous for plotting
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to blow up the Houses of Parliament on the
5th November 1605, in a failed attempt to assassinate King James I and restore a Catholic
monarchy, he committed suicide before he
could be hung, drawn & quartered! - Ed)
The day after, I drove to Cheltenham to
ride the Gloustershire and Warwickshire
steam train. Then in the evening, I dropped
into the Glavon Group meeting near Dursley to renew acquaintances with members I
had met in 1996 at the Glavon TR Weekend.
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The following day, I
visited Ashley James to
see his red TR3A before
heading up to Shropshire
where Simon Beresford
took me in his TR6 (V8) into Wales to see the
bridge-like aqueduct canal in Llangollen, used
for narrowboats to cross
a valley. We also visited
the ruins of the castle in
Whittington. That same
evening David Somerville
came by in his TR4 and
we dined together at the
pub named after Mad Jack
Mytton.
Both had invited me
to come with TS2 the
next day on a drive in
the countryside with the Shropshire and
the Stoke-on-Trent local groups of the TR
Register. We drove about 100 miles in and
out of Wales and forded a creek where
the paved road at the bottom of the hill
traverses a stream. The water must have
been about six inches deep.
The day after, I drove across Wales to
Criccieth on the coast where my Grandfather was born on Castle Square just next to
Criccieth Castle. I also took the time to find
the tombstone of my Great Grandfather. The
day following, I drove to Portmerion where
they filmed “The Prisoner” starring Patrick
McGoohan for the 1967 cult TV series.
Then I drove north to Broborough Bridge
for three more nights of camping. On the
Friday, I drove to Harewood in Yorkshire
where the RAC (Royal Automobile Club)
supervises the Harewood Hillclimb. The TR
Register had me listed for three runs with
TS2 in the morning and three more in the
www.TorontoTriumph.com afternoon. Early on Saturday July 30th, I arrived at the Yorkshire Showgrounds in Harrogate to enjoy the two-day TR Register International Weekend. It was estimated that
as many as 750 TRs attended. It was the 50th
anniversary of the TR4 and there must have
been a hundred or more all parked together
for a group picture. What a sight.
After setting up my tent and touring
the huge site, I met more TR friends, some
whom I had not seen since I attended the
unveiling of the Triumph Monument in
Canley in 2000. There were driving competitions, a driving display where a new Mini
slid all over the parking lot and drove up on
a 45 degree angle with two wheel about
four feet up in the air. There were many
stands where you could buy new TR parts
and also many stalls where they were selling used parts. Finally, there were Technical
Seminars covering a vast array of topics.
One of the huge halls held all the TRs,
which were being shown for the concours
competition. The TR Register has separate
classes for each model of TR and any member can choose to enter his TR in the main
“Concours” event or at the “Pride of Ownership” level. There seem to be more TR2s in Europe compared to shows in North America
and there were very few TR3As seen at the
Harrogate event. Everywhere you looked, it
appeared like there were more TR2s and TR3s
compared to the few TR3As which attended.
Every TR owner who enters his TR in either of the indoor show competitions wins
a trophy, a plaque or both. Even if their TR
did not finish as a winner, each owner takes
home a prize for having competed. One of
the conditions that I accepted when I was
offered the use of TS2 by the TR Register was
to help with handing out all the trophies
and prizes following the concours event. I
was delighted to do this – just as I had done
in 1992 at the TR International Weekend
held at the Staffordshire Fairgrounds.
After the IWE (as it is also called), I packed
up my camping gear and drove southwest
through the Peak District for one final night
of camping. Then I spent the next four days
about eight miles south of Worcester with
another niece, Suzy Elliott who was raised
21
TRIUMPH
The History! The Glory!
Photo by David Somerville
in Richmond Hill. It was
while I was here that
the starter in TS2 would
whizzz and whirr, but it
wouldn’t start. I called
the TR Register who arranged the local
towing service to
take TS2 to The
Worcester Classic
Car Co. about six miles away where they installed a new starter and sent the bill to the
TR Register office. The small pinion on the
front end of the starter shaft had become
Don at speed driving up the Harewood Hillclimb in TS2 the day before the TR Register’s Annual International
Weekend. Harewood is in Yorkshire about 30 miles south of Harrogate.
The original carbs and intake manifold are
still installed. TS2 has better acceleration
than my own TR3A and I would even say
it was very noticeable. I feel it must be the
cam that made the difference.
The displacement is still at the
original 1991 cc – like mine. I got
28.8 miles per Imperial gallon,
using the lowest UK grade of unleaded petrol and I managed to
easily reach 80 MPH on the motorways a few times.
After these four days in and
around Worcester, I drove TS2
back to the TR Register office in
Didcot, a few miles south of Ox-
ford and handed in the keys. Then Allen
Forster, the manager drove me and my
luggage plus camping gear to the station
to catch the train heading back to Edinburgh. I spent these final days with my
daughter Catherine and we took in several of the stand-up comedy shows at the
Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Then it was back to Montreal via Heathrow on British Airways. All in all, it was a
wonderful trip. It was a dream come true.
Next year, the 2012 International Weekend will be back at the Malvern Showgrounds where it was held from 1999 to
2009. Malvern is famous for Morgan Cars
being built there. ragtop
Photo by Antony de Csernatony
A review of the TTC display at the 2012 Canadian International Auto Show
TS2 leading the International contingent with Chris
Cunnington the Chairman of the TR Register holding the
Canadian flag. There were over 50 TRs from overseas,
mostly European and Irish.
disconnected and it had fallen into the bottom of the bell housing.
This was the only time that TS2 caused
a technical problem in 2088 miles over 23
days. I feel that TS2 is a solid and very reliable TR, much as my own TR3A is. There
are no squeaks in TS2, nothing was loose
or rattling, the steering was direct without
being heavy and it had no sloppiness at all.
During the first few days of driving in the
rain, quite a bit of water came in over the
top of the windscreen and up the sides,
because the sidescreens could not to be
tucked in behind the chrome plate on the
stanchions, as they should be to keep the
rain out. But once the rain stopped, I drove
the final 17 days with the top down and for
me, the problem was no longer there.
They told me that the engine had been
tweaked. A mild cam has been installed.
22
All the TRs that were shown at Harrogate were in one of the huge buildings for the Fairgrounds. In the Masters Class is
the TR2 Francourchamp belonging to Patrick Van Houtven from Belgium where these unique cars were built. Notice in
the side view that due to the rigid roof, that the door is lengthened for easier entry and the rear dogleg (quarterpanel)
has been trimmed. The windows crank up and down with a simple crank and bicycle chain guides on sprockets. Since
all the TRs assembled from kits in Europe were sprayed there, the colour, in many cases was not the same as the cars
assembled in Coventry.
www.TorontoTriumph.com
Ragtop
IS
pring
I 2012
A supplement to
RAGTOP
I
Triumph Heaven
t was late January 2011, a typical
winter day in southern Ontario, 2 feet
of snow piled up and minus 20C outside. Enough to freeze the spheroids
off a non-ferrous anthropoid. Sitting
at my desk in my nice warm home office, I must admit, the last thing on my
mind was Triumphs or car shows. But
this soon changed when I opened an
E-mail from Jon Rosenthall, Classic Vehicle Event Organizer, for the Canadian
International Auto Show (CIAS).
Jon was asking if the Toronto Triumph
Club would be interested in providing
vehicles and volunteers for their 2012
“Classic Concourse” display area? Situated in the South Building of the Metro
Toronto Convention Centre and covering 70,000 square feet of Level 700,
this area has previously played host to
displays of classic Lamborghini, MG,
Just one year (and about 3”) separate
and Mustang cars etc., as tributes to
the 69 TR6 and 68 TR250 as they nestle
past classics, contrasting with the other
onboard the trailer
halls full of all that’s new and innovative. I was definitely intrigued
and eager to know more.
Ian Parkhill, Scott Douglas
and I attended the 2011 CIAS in
February to view what the Ontario Camaro and Firebird clubs
had provided for last year’s display and to meet with CIAS executives, including the show’s General Manager Tom Tonks, himself
a Triumph TR8 owner. We were
stunned by the sheer size of the
display area and the standard
of the presentation. We chatted
with the Camaro guys at their
club booth and were pleased to
Fasten your safety belt, and off we go!
hear that their expectations for
DF
the event had been met and relationships with the CIAS executive had
We reported all of this back to our
been both productive and cordial. Our
own executive and conveyed our comonsite meeting with CIAS, bore this out
mitment to the CIAS folks shortly afterand we left the show confident that this
wards. I was eager to volunteer to act as
could work out very well for our club.
liaison with CIAS, so I took the bull by
S2
by
“Just a quarter inch to the left and it will be perfect“ - Bill Flemming (rear left) and the CIAS ‘Heavy Gang’ in action
DF
the horns and decided to come up with
a comprehensive plan to put together a
show that was worthy of our marque.
Little did I realize how much work I
would have to do to make it happen!
I have a few years experience of staging and exhibiting at trade shows, but
nothing prepared me for the amount of
work this project eventually entailed
or some of the hoops I had to jump
through in order to get what the club
needed and to ensure that the display
was top notch. Between reaching out
for cars, keeping owners happy, sourcing covered transport (that was a whole
story in and of itself!), rostering volunteers and dealing with PR & media, I
occasionally felt like the proverbial rag
doll. But let me say at the outset, I don’t
begrudge a minute of it and the end result made it all worthwhile.
Canadian International Auto Show Supplement
David Fidler
What went on behind the scenes
Our display was to be split into three
areas; 1. Restored and modified, 2.
Rare and unusual, and 3. “The History
Room” (in a separate large hall). Understandably, areas 2 & 3 were the biggest challenge.
I had an ambitious plan to procure
at least one example of every Triumph
produced, pre and post WWII. As it
turned out, the pre-war cars were nigh
on impossible to get, because most
are either in museums or private collections (mostly overseas) and many
of them are “one-offs”. With a strict
budget provided to the club by CIAS,
shipping cars in from Europe wasn’t an
option. The late model cars also proved
very difficult to acquire (at least ones
in show condition). I wanted an Acclaim, 2000, 2500PI, Dolomite, Toledo
Canadian International Auto Show Supplement
etc., but again they were too far away.
A Mayflower and/or Renown proved
equally elusive so, my original plan had
to be modified a little.
I eventually settled on going for a
display in The History Room consisting
of examples of every post-war Triumph
sports car ever built and variants thereof. This was pretty much achieved, with
the exception of a small mouth TR3 (I
thought I had one, but when it arrived
on site, it was actually a big mouth
TR3A!) and I didn’t get a first year 1966
GT6. However, we had everything
else, 17 cars in total, plus 3 examples
of racing TRs, provided by members
of VARAC, taking pride of place in the
middle of the room. To help visitors understand the history of Triumph sports
cars, I wrote a script which the folks
at CIAS had professionally narrated
by radio personality, Bill Hewitt. Visitors could listen and follow the story
chronologically around the room and
we saw numerous people doing this
and received a few “thumbs up” signs
as they left the room.
For the rare and unusual display, I
needed the assistance (and additional resources) of the CIAS executives.
Through an E-mail blast to our club
membership (past & present), I attracted the attention of David Freeman
in North Carolina. He’s a Standard/
Triumph Ten enthusiast that just happened to know someone in the TTC
who had kindly passed on my E-mail
to him. Enthusiast is an understatement,
David totally embraced the show and
with very little persuasion from Jon and
I, he agreed to bring not one, but FOUR
Standard/Triumph Tens to Toronto (see
followup story in Summer 2012 issue
of Ragtop). Jon Rosenthall also came to
the rescue and helped procure two Italia 2000s, a GTR4 Dové and, the star
of the show for many people, a 1935
Gloria Southern Cross. Apart from
our own Dave Roeder’s 1948 1800
Roadster, all of these cars came from
the USA - as far afield as High Point
NC, Perkasie PA, Long Island NY and
Caldwell NJ. The rare model section
was a big hit with visitors.
The restored and modified cars
were all provided by TTC members
and ranged from a TR250 to a Herald
Convertible, TR8s (4), TR6s (5), TR4 (1),
TR3s (4) and a fuel injected Spitfire.
Across all three sections, we had a total of 46 Triumphs on show. The largest ever indoor display of Triumph cars
in North America, which included not
one, but three, original unrestored “survivor” TR6s.
Over 60 Triumphs were offered for
display. The final selections were made
in November 2011, based on our reS3
LL
The 905 Band entertain in
the Triumph display area
LL
Scott and Dawn Douglas pose by
their 1976 TR6 at the Gala
Head honcho Jon Rosenthall
supervises the latest arrivals
quirements for the three sections and
also to try to get as many colour variations as possible. We wanted to get the
look and feel of a 1950/60s Earls Court
Motor Show in London, with the various
models displayed in groups. Jon again
came up trumps with some rather splendid Doric columns and arches, left over
from a previous show, which were used
in conjunction with raised platforms
and plants to convey the exact feel I was
hoping for... The Ritz meets British iron.
All that was missing was a revolving
turntable or two (and I did try!)
Logistics
Probably the two most time consuming
parts of bringing this display together
was rostering the volunteers to help
man the display and planning the car
transport to and from the show.
Including press day, the show was
open 10 hours a day for 11 days, I wanted a minimum of 2 people on the club
booth and 4 people scattered around
the various displays to assist visitors at
any given time. In total 30 members volunteered their time, many were owners
of the cars selected for display, but there
were also several people who just wanted to be a part of the event and I can’t
thank everyone enough for their tireless
devotion to duty. Resplendent in our
specially embroidered TTC/CIAS shirts,
everyone made quite an impression on
the visitors and show executives alike.
Each day was split into three shifts of
3 or 4 hours duration, with some working all three shifts on multiple days. In
the end, we averaged 8 people per day,
so that’s 880 man (and woman) hours
in total, quite a commitment!
We had just three days prior and
S4
Awaiting inspection, three of
four Standard 10s arrive from
North Carolina
DF
two days after the show to get the cars
in and out. Bearing in mind they were
coming in from as far as St. Thomas
in the west, Peterborough in the east
and Collingwood in the north and all
points in between, it was a logistical
nightmare. None of the big transport
companies were really interested in
our business and quoted some exorbitant rates to move our cars, I guess they
had enough business already, moving
in the flashy new cars for the major
manufacturers. At the last minute, with
a tip from Robin Searle (Google is your
friend! Thanks Robin), I approached a
small company called “Bull Pull Corporation” in Toronto, who have covered 5th wheel trailers and an experienced team of handlers. They proved
to be a very efficient, cost effective and
timely solution to the problem and I
want to take this opportunity to thank
Alex Hadi and his team for coming
through for us. Often working from
4am past midnight and at one point
they had four trailers zooming around
the province. The fact that they got it
all done, within budget and without
any damage or major problems, is a
real credit to them.
Some cars were transported by other
carriers from the USA or by their owners, so these had to slotted into the arrival pattern too and, with only street
access to the MTCC, at certain times
four or five trucks were parked on the
road. This got the attention of the police, who were very helpful and directed traffic for us while we got the cars
safely unloaded. Some traffic violations
occurred (like driving down the wrong
side of the road), but they turned a
blind eye and were good natured about
DF
DF
Scott McCoy spiffs up his low mileage ‘survivor’
1976 TR6 while in the background Tush ponders
adding a Spit to his collection
it. Even some passers-by got in on the
act, a real indication of the enthusiasm
and interest Triumphs create.
The cars were greeted with a huge
grey door - loading bay #6. This was
the entrance to a massive elevator, capable of holding a large truck and its
load (up to 40 feet long). Unfortunately,
we had to share this elevator with other
exhibitors and a lot of time was spent
waiting for it to come. Thankfully 2012
was a mild winter, so we didn’t get too
cold, but it did prove to be a challenge
time wise. We could get up to three Triumphs on at a time (or four of the Standard 10s!) so, once it did arrive things
moved fairly quickly.
Inside, Jon’s team of car handlers
were there to push or drive the cars
across acres of plastic sheeting (the entire MTCC is carpeted) to the staging
area. Here, each car was thoroughly inspected before being taken to (approximately) its assigned display location.
Those destined for The History Room,
were held back until part of the stud
wall was removed to allow access, because the doors weren’t wide enough
for most of our cars (although a Spitfire
will fit through, as we discovered with
one last minute arrival!).
When all of the cars were in position,
the plastic sheeting was removed, the
rope barriers and plantings were installed
and the overhead lighting was adjusted.
Things were really starting to take shape
and the lighting made the cars “pop”.
The final item before press day and
the Gala opening night, was to set up
our club booth in The History Room.
I called on an old work colleague of
mine for the loan of a portable disCanadian International Auto Show Supplement
LL
Tush and Fid suited up
at the gala opening
LL
Don and Judy Johnson (foreground), Dawn Douglas and
Lisa Vromman pose at the TTC booth during gala night
play panel. He actually came through
with TWO, complete with shelves and
lighting (thanks Steve!). My purpose
was to not only make our booth look
professional, but to display posters
and other Triumph memorabilia, kindly loaned by club members. I want to
thank Tony Koski, Wayne McGill, John
Lille and Frank Manning for the excellent materials and scale models, which
the visitors thoroughly enjoyed seeing
and talking about.
The Gala opening was a splendid
black tie event, complete with live
music and excellent food and refreshments. In our display area we were entertained by “The 905 Band” a 16 piece
band from Mississauga, who played everything from rock ‘n’ roll to soul and
blues music, very appropriate and in
keeping with our time period.
As you will read further on, the show
was very busy and our display had lots
of traffic. So much so that on the Sunday we had traffic jams in some areas!
It amazed all of the volunteers just how
Canadian International Auto Show Supplement
George and Fran Christie beside their
1962 TR4 one of two Triumphs George
had on display
many people had owned or still own
Triumphs, how many young people
came forward to tell us they were restoring TRs (mostly stalled projects their
dad’s started) and the level of knowledge some had of our marque. One 11
year old boy, took me to school when
he corrected me on a statistic I gave
him, he was right! All of which augers
well for their being future caretakers of
our beloved cars.
To round off my account, we come
to the sad part when the show closed
its doors to the public and the dismantling began. It was unbelievable how
fast everything came apart, one minute we were working the booth, which
had become a “home from home” for
many of us, the next, the show staff descended like vultures to rip out the barriers, plants and lighting. In the blink of
an eye, the glitz was gone and the cars
DT
were left standing; like actors after the
final curtain. It was quite sad.
A couple of hours later and the first
transporters had arrived, the plastic
sheeting was back down on the floor
and cars began working their way to
the elevator and out into the cool evening air. By midnight almost a third
of them were gone and on their way
home. Over the next two days, the remainder followed suit and I’m happy to
say, that they all made it home without
a scratch, back into the arms of their relieved owners.
What follows is a photo essay of our
display and accounts of members’ experiences at the show. But before you head
off to enjoy those, here are some mind
boggling statistics and results from our
appearance at the 2012 Canadian International Auto Show... CIAS
Canadian International Auto Show Statistics
317,268Number of visitors to the show over 10 days
51,000 Largest one day visitor total (Sunday 18th Feb)
880 Approximate man hours put in by our volunteers
183Total hours I spent at the show (and I enjoyed every one of them)
6Number of press, radio or TV interviews
43New memberships signed up from the show
3584 Kilometers driven by Bull Pull Corp
30 Show volunteers (see list on page S16)
36 Cars loaned by TTC members (see list on page S16)
40 Cumulative pints of Guinness consumed by yours truly after each show day!
2,000+Times we were asked where the exit was?
S5
DT
I
A DREAM COME TRUE
have to admit that the 2012 Canadian International Auto Show (CIAS) was
as surreal as it gets for me. I’ve never
used that word before, but in recent
years I’ve heard it used a lot. I have another admission that should go on the
record - the Toronto Triumph Club and
its members have been my life saver.
They have been major players in keeping my feet firmly planted, in the here
and now. My thanks to all!
Miss Penny Lane, for those who do
not know, is my pride and joy. A 1977
TR7 Coupé in Corvette Yellow (makes
her go faster), Penny has attended TTC
events and made a great showing at
many a cruise night; although less frequently of late (through no fault of hers;
purely financial reasons). She has been,
for the past six years, a source of pain,
joy and expense. Only recently, an information-loaded member (Wayne McGill), explained to me the probable reason for the pain and expense. It seems,
Penny’s build date was December 31,
1976 – a New Year’s Eve model!
Slowly, over the years Penny has
had her issues put to rest or at least
hidden long enough not to catch the
eyes of those involved with this year’s
amazing collection of Triumphs at the
Auto Show. I don’t question how Penny was selected, other than I’ve probably opened my mouth loud and long
enough too many times. But I am over
the moon to have been involved with
this event.
It is 10:30 at night on February 2nd
and I know Penny needs to be at her
glowing best as a representative of the
club. I heard through the grapevine
some folks are getting their machines
decked out in all sorts of chromed
parts. I even overheard someone say,
“I’ve varnished my wooden gearshift
S6
LL
Wot, no red Carpet?
Miss penny arrives
Larry and partner Jane all dressed up for the show
most of her life.
I will retrieve her from the exorcist (mechanic) on Monday (February
6th). That gives me until the following
Saturday to get her cleaned up and
sparkling for the big event. The mechanic was able to ward off the spell
- with the lights working and Penny
starting on cue, (twenty times the mechanic turned the key and she started)
- least ways when the key was turned.
Now, she was ready to get gussied up
for the show.
Detailing they call it, - Q-Tips,
polish and sweat. No spot left untouched. Only hours left to go. In the
four years that I have owned her, Penny has never been so pampered. The
tires are sprayed, rubber bumpers spit
Canadian International Auto Show Supplement
Larry Llewellyn
LL
Miss Penny Lane taking her place among the greats
knob and steering wheel”... I’m out of
that league!
Miss Penny has been running well,
with one exception. The Prince of
Darkness has waved his knarly hand
over her and she hasn’t been able to
shake his dark clutches. The headlights
have for the past six months been possessed. At one point, they didn’t work
at all. Then they worked simultaneously, winking at will, getting stuck in the
up position, but only the passenger side
one. Now they come on, but only one
retracts properly, the other is stuck half
way. However, it goes down in a few
days, as long as it’s warm outside!
Starting is another example of the
dreaded Prince’s devilish trickery.
When I went to turn it off, even with
the key extracted from the ignition, the
engine wouldn’t shut off. I removed the
battery terminals to stop the engine.
When the terminals were reattached,
Penny would try and start again! Truly
she is in need of an exorcism!
Getting Penny ready for the big event
has required her to spend time with the
mechanic having a few minor adjustments made such as: the head light
malfunction, and replacing the battery.
Penny is leaking from somewhere on
the passenger side. The wipers aren’t
up to speed. Oh, she starts only when
she feels like it - just a few minor things.
Not to mention I’ve moved house and
she is now dealing with an outdoor
parking situation after being used to an
underground/indoor environment for
by
polished, paint glistening and carpets
vacuumed. All is ready for the run to
the hallowed site - the Metro Toronto
Convention Centre.
However, Mother Nature decided to
show us what February winter weather
should really be like. On the Sunday,
2-3 cm of the white stuff fell. My hard
work was going to go down the toilet, as
I had decided to drive her to the show.
Penny had to make her way, under her
own steam down the 400 to the Allen
Expressway, then south on Bathurst
street and east along Front Street, all
the while avoiding the spray thrown
up by taxis, buses and street cars. I did
my best to keep her as clean as possible. I had the radio turned to AM740
listening to the oldies - it was like beCanadian International Auto Show Supplement
ing a kid again! Just me and Penny,
with the excitement building, in
anticipation of what was in store.
I had visions of having to redo the
makeover and thinking of the extra
hours to get her back to her shiny
presentable self.
Getting close now, I called
ahead to advise that I was nearing arrival. I was directed to Gate 6
and told there was a washing station
on level 800. I was relieved to know
I could clean her up before anyone
would question why I was chosen to be
in the display of show cars. There was
the gate; a great grey wall loomed in
front. The door opened and an elevator attendant beckoned me to drive in! I
have never driven my car, or any car for
that matter, into an elevator. Nervously,
I moved forward, concerned about the
clutch, the gas pedal, making sure all
functioned properly. My feet didn’t exactly feel up to par. My insides were
shaking. We made it in and then down
we went - to the 800 level! Something
is wrong! I questioned the elevator
guide - down to go up! Then the door
LL
opened I was directed to the washing
station. Phew, So far so good! Here I
spent the next hour and a half cleaning Penny all over again. I must thank
Peter Gilbert (an old high school friend)
for showing up almost immediately. He
came all the way from Whitby to my
rescue. That’s how Triumph enthusiasts
are, anytime, anywhere to support a fellow car buff. Together, we gave Penny
the last once over, the exterior, wheels
and body needing major attention. She
had to drip dry before she was allowed
back into the building!
Now she was ready. Into the elevator again and up to the 700 level. Driving inside the building, on carpeting,
covered in plastic into the staging area
was weird to say the least. Penny was
following part of the crew, who would
soon take over for the final placement.
One more inspection, like one sees at
a rental car establishment; an inspector with a clip board walks around
marking on a car silhouette to account
for every nick, chip, scratch, and dent
that was there on arrival. My sheet
looked like a shot gun target! Riddled
with circles (yet from afar none were
really visible). “It’s a driver, what do
you expect!” At that point someone
chirped up “I just saw that car driving
down Bathurst!” I rest my case.
Then the crew driver took over.
However, Penny wasn’t finished with
her antics. She wouldn’t start. Dead!
Not a sound! I said “Keep it up, I drove
her here!” Then on the fifth try, the wonderful throaty sound of Penny’s purring
was heard, like the proverbial kitten she
is, was driven to her final resting place
for the next ten days. THE HISTORY
ROOM. What an honour! Miss Penny
Lane taking her place among the greats:
a Stag and a TR8, surrounded by TR3s,
TR250, TR6 and GT6. Oh, proudly she
sat waiting for the Gala and the world
to see - my dream come true! CIAS
S7
Rare Beauties
Rare and unusual models
Classic dash of ‘Roeder’s Roadster’
KS
1960 Italia - Corey Sherrman,
New York
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1963 GTR4 Dové Corey Sherrman,
New York
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1948 1800 Roadster David Roeder
KS
MC
1935 Gloria Southern Cross Dennis Mamchur, New Jersey
KS
1961 Italia
- Dave Hutchison,
Pennsylvania
AG
MC
AG
KS
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From wreck to show vehicle in less than 3 months this standard Ten
van was part of the four car display by David Freeman, North Carolina
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1968 TR250 Hugh Munro
S8
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Canadian International Auto Show Supplement
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Canadian International Auto Show Supplement
S9
T
You, Me And Everybody’s Grandmother
by
Patrick Caria
his year the Canadian International Auto Show came with much anticipation. The time spent on the exhibit
floor surrounded by our gems just flew.
It now seems like a distant memory. Although my Trixie was not a part of it, I
was more than happy to be steward to
some of her better-looking sisters. If the
truth be told, I felt a certain pride in being a part of something so momentous
as well as so important to the TTC.
Given that I own a TR6 I thought my
services would best be applied with the
“sixes”. I did a little research prior to the
show to prepare myself for the questions
that would inevitably come: and many
did. Several people offered anecdotes of
their own, and I listened with great interest. There were stories of restorations
from the ground up, questions on how
to differentiate what were stock options
and incredulity over the hard tops. Were
they really six cylinders? How fast do
these things go? Where do you get parts?
Can you still get parts? (Fred McEachern is by now about as legendary as the
marque itself!)
I could go on and on. One elevenyear-old boy attending the show with
his dad almost reduced me to tears. I
Jolly Good Show Fid!
By all accounts, the Canadian International Auto Show was a huge success story
for the Toronto Triumph Club. We were able to put on a brilliant display of 46
cars that truly showcased “The History and The Glory” of the Triumph marque.
We should all be very proud.
If you were able to attend the show in person, or had a chance to see or read
the various multimedia presentations offered, you will understand the size and
scope of this undertaking.
It was over a year ago that the TTC was approached by the CIAS Executive to
see if we would be interested in participating in the 2012 show as the featured
marque. After some discussion within the Club Executive it was decided to go
ahead with the offer in the full understanding that this would become a mammoth undertaking. It was at this point that David Fidler offered his services and
volunteered to be our CIAS Liaison and Planner.
Much of the show’s success can be attributed to Fid’s leadership, ambition and
dedication. With the number of cars involved, one can only imagine the daunting
logistics and complicated arrangements involved. From selecting and sourcing
the cars, arranging transportation, organizing and scheduling volunteers, liaising
with the CIAS representatives, setting up the display and dealing with the media,
among many others tasks, Fid did it all. Not only was Fid on the show floor for
every hour of every day that the show was open, but he was there a week earlier,
before the show officially opened, and for a few days after the show closed, to
supervise the safe loading and unloading of the cars. Now that is dedication!
On behalf of all the Toronto Triumph Club Members, thank you Fid for putting
on a “Jolly Good Show”!
David Tushingham
President, Toronto Triumph Club
S10
DT
l-r Steven Craib,
Larry Llewellyn and David
Tushingham manning the TTC booth
Voila! Our booth is ready in
time for Press Day
had started with them, as I did with all
the others; “Hello, are you folks enjoying the show?“ Some would nod and
keep on walking, others just needed an
excuse to start up a good chat about
old British cars. At first, both dad and
son just nodded until I said, “Thanks
for visiting our exhibit.“ Dad looked at
me and replied, “Are you kidding? Wild
horses couldn’t have kept him away”
Dad went on to explain that although
he had other commitments for the day,
they were put on hold, because once
his son got wind of the show he just
had to come see his beloved TR6s.
The boy finally dragged himself
away from a thorough visual examination and I opened up with “So, what do
you think?” The barrage of information
that started to spew out of him went on
for what may very well have been fifteen minutes. I would require several
pages of this magazine to relate it all, if
only I were not so thunderstruck by the
amount of knowledge that he was bombarding me with. Some of it I knew, and
some was… well, I would have to take
his word for it. Did I mention that he
was all of eleven years old? I extended
an invitation and hoped to see them
both at British Car Day on September
16th, as I hope to see all those people
I spoke with at the show. If only half of
Canadian International Auto Show Supplement
DT
DF
er, flew off the car. Apparently,
the knock-off centre-caps came
undone! Of course there was
extensive damage done, which
dropped the price dramatically.
(Warning: never tow a car backwards that has wire wheels, the
knock offs will unthread themselves! - Ed.)
But I digress! I thought the
entire premise of this article had
something to do with its title?
The one thing that struck me
most was the sheer number of
previous TR6 owners out there
that I, only one of many club
volunteers, had the pleasure of
speaking to. Was your experience similar to mine? Did every
other punter out there own a
Triumph or knew someone who
did? If I recall correctly, there
‘Beige Shirts’ answering visitors was a gentleman who claimed
questions - Patrick Caria right his grandmother bought one
and Bob Craske left
brand new in the seventies.
People seemed quite genuine
them show up, it will be one of our bigin their accounts, and I certainly have
gest events yet!
no reason to discredit their claims. On
To share another memorable mothe contrary, I thought it quite heartment, there was one middle-aged couwarming that they all seemed to remiple that was easy to engage. The lady
nisce with a sense of nostalgia, pleased
was the gear-head and owned Amerito see so many wonderful working excan muscle cars. Her interest in British
amples at the show.
cars was there, but not enough to own
I can only hope that the show had an
one. She went on to tell me about her
influence on present and future Triumph
neighbour’s adventures with a Stag none
aficionados to carry on with the legacy
of them favourable, which led to him
of a marque gone from the market place
eventually getting rid of the car. This is
for so many years, a legacy etched in the
where the story took a sad turn. The day
memories of so many. Let us hope that we
he was to bring the car to an auction
have inspired a new generation of classic
“She“ would not start! In comes the towcar lovers to join in the quest to preserve
truck that lifted the car from the rear. On
and drive our beloved Triumphs. Perhaps
the Motorway (British car, remember)
in ten years time we will once again have
some twenty miles down the road the
Triumphs on the international stage for
two front wheels, first one, then the oththe world to see. CIAS
Canadian International Auto Show Supplement
QUESTIONABLE
QUESTIONS…
By David Tushingham
T
he Toronto Triumph Club had
great representation from its members at the Canadian International
Auto Show. During the show, we had
many volunteers on the show floor to
answer any questions that the public
had about the History and the Glory
of the Triumph automobile. We had
some great questions thrown at us
that were Triumph related, but also
had some that ranged from the mundane to the bizarre. Here are the top
five questions by category compiled
by some of the TTC volunteers who
were front and center at the show on
a daily basis.
The Top Five Triumph Related Questions.
1.Do they still make Triumphs/What was the last year
they were made?
2.Can you still buy parts for them/Where can I buy
parts for them?
3.Are Triumph cars and motorcycles made by the
same company?
4.How much does one cost/Are these cars for sale?
5.How much horsepower/How fast do they go?
The Top Five General/Mundane Questions.
1.How do I get to the North Building/Where are the
Exotic Cars?
2.How do I get to Front Street/How do I get outside?
3.Where are the washrooms?
4.Where are all the muscle cars/Where are the Cruise
Nationals?
5.Do you drive these things?
The Top Five Bizarre Questions.
1.How come you don’t have any Sunbeam Tigers on
display?
2.Will you remember me in your Will?
(Looking at the Herald)
3.Are you guys part of a club?
4.What year is that black Rolls Royce?
(Looking at the Gloria)
... and My Two Personal Favorites
5a How do you fit in that little car?
(A guy looking at me and then my car)
5b What’s with that scruffy white car out there?
(My TR6 was the only all white car in the show…)
S11
1980 TR8 - Peter Bulkouski (VARAC)
1970 GT6 - Vince Garrett (VARAC)
1962 TR4 - Mike DeWeerd (VARAC)
Photo: Joe Szilvagyi
Triumph
Timeline
Post war sports cars from start to finish
1953 TR2 - Tim Body
MC
1959 TR3 (submitted as a 3, but is actually a 3A) - Nick Palozzi
1960 TR3A - Alistair Wallace
MC
MC
1963 Spitfire 4 (MKI) - Neil Lovell
1975 Spitfire MKIV - George Christie
1968 TR250 - Brad Nelson
1962 TR4 - George Christie
MC
1969 GT6 - Shawn Vromman
1967 TR4A IRS - John Lille
AG
1973 GT6 - Tony Grosso
KS
1969 TR6 - David Fidler
MC
1973 TR6 - Wayne McGill
MC
MC
1976 TR6 - Scott McCoy
AG
KS
MC
MC
1977 TR7 - Larry Llewellyn
1980 TR8 - Tom Tonks
1973 Stag - Robin & Ria Searle
1974.5 TR6 - JC Millar Antiques Ltd.
Previously owned by TTC
member Gord Linkletter,
a very low mileage unrestored car
S12
... another unrestored example
MC
KS
MC
Canadian International Auto Show Supplement
Canadian International Auto Show Supplement
S13
KS
Hot&Stock
Factory & modified Triumphs
1973 TR6 David Tushingham
KS
1976 TR6 ‘survivor’
(rubber bumpers removed when new) Scott Douglas
AG
KS
1959 TR3A Chris Barnett
1960 TR3A - David Belluz
KS
AG
1976 TR6 with
hardtop Mario Ervhalo
1973 TR6 Howard Rothblott
1974.5 TR6 (rubber
bumpers removed)
with hardtop Bob Craske
1958 TR3A - Alex McLeod
AG
AG
1960 TR3A - David MacKay
1977 Spitfire with
TBI system Don Johnson
1963 Race prepared
TR4 - Frank Manning
S14
KS
AG
AG
Canadian International Auto Show Supplement
Canadian International Auto Show Supplement
AG
1967 Herald Wayne McGill
S15
AG
1980 TR8 - Ron Etty
A BRITISH COMPANY SUPPORTING BRITISH CARS
1982 TR8 - Dennis Alsop
KS
1981 TR8 - Brad Reynolds
1980 TR8 - Scott McCoy
Our thanks to these amazing people and their beautiful vehicles...
VOLUNTEERS
Alsop, Dennis
Barnett, Chris
Boyd, Riley
Caria, Patrick
Craib, Steven
Craske, Bob
Ervalho, Mario
Etty, Ron
Fidler, David
Fox Sr., Tony
Garrett, Vince (VARAC)
Johnson, Don
Johnson, Judy
Koski, Tony
Lille, John
Lillico, Craig
Lindsay, Chris
Llewellyn, Larry
MacKay, Dave
Manning, Frank
McGill, Wayne
Munro, Hugh
Nelson, Brad
Parkhill, Ian
Roeder, Dave
Sims, Dave
Sims, Maggie
Tushingham, David
Vromman, Shawn
Wallace, Alistair
Warren, Peter
Widrich, Dion
OwnerCity
The History Room
Rare & Unusual
Hot & Stock
VARAC Cars
PHOTOGRAPHERS
KS - Keith Stewart (TTC)
AG - Andrew Grace (TTC)
DF - David Fidler (TTC)
MC - Michael Cleland (Ragtop)
LL - Larry Llewellyn (TTC)
DT - David Tushingham (TTC)
Cover Photo: Pavel Voronenko
S16
Prov/StateModel
FULL RANGE OF PARTS & ACCESSORIES
PARTS PICKED FROM 1000’S OF LOCATIONS
YearColour
Tim Body
St Thomas
ON
TR2
1955
Primrose Yellow
Nick Palozzi
Woodbridge
ON
TR3(A)
1959
Signal Red
Alistair Wallace
Dundas
ON
TR3A
1960
Ice Blue
Collingwood
ON
TR4
1962
Signal Red
George Christie
John Lille
Toronto
ON
TR4A IRS
1967
Maroon
Brad Nelson
Mississauga
ON
TR250
1968
Signal Red
Neil Lovell
Port Credit
ON
Spitfire 4 (Mk1)
1963
Black
George Christie
Collingwood
ON
Spitfire Mk VI
1975
Yellow
Bolton
ON
GT6
1969
Maroon
Shawn Vromman
Tony Grosso
Scarborough
ON
GT6
1972
Green
David Fidler
Mississauga
ON
TR6
1969
Signal Red
Wayne McGill
Oakville
ON
TR6
1973
Laurel Green
Gord Linkletter
Waterloo
ON
TR6
1974.5
Carmine Red
Scott McCoy
Peterborough
ON
TR6
1976
Inca Yellow
Robin & Ria Searle Brechin
ON
Stag
1977
Signal Red
Larry Llewellyn
North York
ON
TR7
1977
Yellow
Tom Tonks
Toronto
ON
TR8
1980
Beige
Vince Garrett
Penetang
ON
GT6
1970
Race Car
Mike DeWeerd
Woodstock
ON
TR4
1962
Race Car
Peter Bulkowski
Hanover
ON
TR8
1980
Race Car
Corey Sherman
Long Island
NY
Italia 2000
1960
Black
Corey Sherman
Long Island
NY
GTR4 Dové
1963
Ice Blue
Dave Roeder
Toronto
ON
1800 Roadster
1948
Maroon
Wayne McGill
Oakville
ON
Herald Conv.
1967
Yellow
Dave Hutchison
Perkasie
PA
Italia 2000
1961
Red
David Freeman
High Point
NC
Triumph 10 Saloon
1959
Burgundy/Cream
David Freeman
High Point
NC
Standard 10 Pickup
1957
Red
David Freeman
High Point
NC
Triumph 10 Estate
1959
Blue/White
David Freeman
High Point
NC
Standard 10 Van
1964
Blue
Dennis Mamchur
Caldwell
NJ
Gloria
1935
Black
Hugh Munro
Toronto
ON
TR250
1968
Blue
Dave Tushingham
Newmarket
ON
TR6
1973
New White
Mario Ervalho
Toronto
ON
TR6
1976
Carmen Red
Scott Douglas
Burlington
ON
TR6
1976
Tahiti Blue
Bob Craske
Dundas
ON
TR6
1974.5
Royal Blue
Howard Rothblott
Toronto
ON
TR6
1973
Pimento Red
Alex McLeod
Peterborough
ON
TR3A
1958
Green
Chris Barnett
Toronto
ON
TR3A
1959
Signal Red
David Belluz
Mississauga
ON
TR3A
1960
Maroon
David MacKay
Port Credit
ON
TR3A 1960
Signal Red
Scott McCoy
Peterborough
ON
TR8
1980
Beige
Brad Reynolds
Burlington
ON
TR8
1981
Green
Ron Etty
Hamilton
ON
TR8
1980
Silver
Dennis Alsop
London
ON
TR8
1982
Silver
Don Johnson
Barrie
ON
Spitfire
1977
Red
Frank Manning
Grimsby
ON
TR4
1963
BRG
TOTAL 46 CARS
Canadian International Auto Show Supplement
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KS
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volunteers, Cars & Owners
FREE
SALES OFFICE
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Original Parts & Accessories
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WANT A PROFESSIONAL
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AT THE RIGHT PRICE?
COME TO THE EXPERTS
We stock MG Rover and Land Rover parts too.
Rimmer Bros tick all the boxes:
Competitive prices
Great customer service
Efficient mail order anywhere
World’s largest Triumph stock
Free catalogues
Trade enquiries welcome
Easy to use website
PARTS SALES & ENQUIRIES
Tel: 01144 1522 568000
Trade Enquiries: 01144 1522 567111
Fax: 01144 1522 567600
E-mail: [email protected]
www.rimmerbros.co.uk
Rimmer Bros. Triumph House, Sleaford Rd (A15),
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Small charge is made to cover burning & postage.
special feature
THERE’S
NOTHING
TO
FEAR
BUT
FEAR
ITSELF
T
by Terence
hose of us who drive a classic British sports car or indeed any
car that is 30 or more years old,
live in some degree of fear or apprehension that something could
go wrong. If you are like most classic car aficionados you may well be
closely attuned to your car’s mood,
characterised by the unique noises
it makes under various circumstances. We know and become accustomed to the combination of
sounds that represent normality
and, in their absence or in the presence of something unusual, we start
to panic, as might a herd of zebra as
they sense the ominous presence of
a hungry lioness.
In my 2011 Volvo, there are a whole
host of sensors, gauges, lights and computer generated messages that continually monitor and adjust the performance
of the car or tell me, for example, that the
centre rear seat belt has been engaged,
that the tail gate is unlatched or that the
left side reversing light bulb isn’t working.
I read recently that the central computer in
the new BMW 6-Series Coupé (650i) is fed
tens of thousands of data inputs per millisecond as it continually monitors the ABS,
DST, DTC, CBC, DBC, or some other threelettered acronym, and all is displayed
through heads-up (HUD) technology on
to the windscreen. Clearly, car engineering
has advanced amazingly in 50 years, but
has at least some of the fun of driving been
lost as a result? There is no longer anything
left to fear – heck, the BMW will even apply
the brakes if it senses it is getting too close
to the car in front.
Getting back to fear itself, I was often
asked if I was scared when making my
first solo flight as a pilot. The answer was
unequivocally no, because of the progres24
PHOTO: Chuck Goolsbee Courtesey 6-PACK 2012 Calendar
sive training and instruction in the theory
and practise of flight prior to the Chief Flying Instructor signing off my log book for
solo flight. Now, if there happened to be
a strong, gusty crosswind on that particular day, then it might have been different!
Even in the midst of a catastrophic event
there often is no time for fear. Fear occurs
when one has too much time to contemplate. This was fully brought home to me as
a result of an experience in the mid-1980s
when I was visiting a gold mine in Nevada.
The open cast mine was being developed
as two separate pits and together with a
colleague, I was being given a tour of the
“west pit” as, according to our engineer
guide, a blast was being planned for the
“east pit.” Well, our guide got his compass
points mixed up and without warning the
entire bench on which we were standing
was blasted onto a lower level where we
had been standing only minutes before.
Fortunately, we were examining gold mineralization on the back wall of the bench
at the time of the explosion and so were
spared being blown into oblivion, however, a significant part of any explosion goes
www.TorontoTriumph.com
upwards and backwards and I can clearly
recall standing there watching rocks and
boulders, some the size of a small car, coming my way, all as if in slow motion. My feet
never moved but my body seemed to sway
from side to side in an attempt to avoid the
approaching missiles. Thankfully, we all
survived without injury but a few hours later on the way to Reno, my colleague pulled
our rented Land Cruiser over at the side of
the road and we were violently sick – the
fear and shock had finally hit home after
too much thought and discussion!
The point is that if one understands
the risks and the processes involved then
the chance of something “happening” out
of the blue is minimised and fear can be
relegated to a backseat role and actually
become a component part of the adventure. The same reasoning also applies to
running a classic sports car. Some of this
fear may be primordial, gained, as in my
own particular circumstances, by an experience the very day I collected my TR6 from
its previous owner. As previously related
in the Spring 2011 issue of Ragtop, my experience was a cooling system failure and
Ragtop
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I 2012
McKillen
the blowing of the
cylinder head gasket
after only 30 miles of
motoring, leaving me
stranded quite a few
miles from home. I
know others have recounted similar experiences and we have
probably allowed this
fear to affect our ability to comfortably take
our classic cars on longer trips. We are psychologically tethered
by this experience
even though we may
have, as in my own case, virtually rebuilt
our cars and know them quite intimately
by this stage.
As I drive along in my Six, it is not usually the Sixties on Six on Sirius XM to which
I am listening, rather I am keeping an ear
(or two) tuned to catch the first abnormal
sound, my hands and feet are all computing vibration or other sensory inputs for
something unusual, for any indication of
pending trouble. I am also regularly scanning the instrument panel, a habit derived
from my flying days, to ensure that the
temperature, oil pressure and alternator
are in positive territory and that no warning lights are glowing. By staying attuned
to our cars we can hear and interpret what
they are saying to us – who therefore needs
a central computer as in the BMW 650i?
Is there anything comparable to hearing and sensing that everything is running
properly; the music of a well tuned exhaust
note as the engine reaches its sweet spot on
the power curve or the precision of a snappy gear shift or the exhaust burble as one
executes a perfect down shift? As I drive, I
will also be monitoring the normal groans,
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thumps, sighs, clicks, rattles and bangs
made by the car – these are the sounds of
old age mainly experienced when crossing
over the likes of recessed manhole covers, or even tar filled expansion cracks and
what passes for normal road surfaces these
days! All of these sounds collectively add
to the enjoyment of driving, even if a mental note is being made that it really is time
to replace at least some of the rubber body
mounts that have probably hardened or
even completely disintegrated over time
leading to some unwanted sloppiness between body and frame.
As my friend and fellow Six owner,
Colin Pillar, has stated on more than one
occasion, the unreliability factor is part
of the charm and the adventure of classic
British motoring. Who needs the clinical
reliability of a BMW?
During the heyday of the British car
industry, the typical English car owner,
if not the entire British Isles contingent,
were known as automotive tinkerers and
tweakers (was that where the TT in the
Isle of Man TT came from?) and I think
that the car manufacturers presumed that
to be the case and designed their cars to
require constant adjustment and tuning.
It was a Saturday or Sunday morning ritual, depending on one’s religious upbringing, to at least hand wash and wax polish
one’s car. The more daring, but not necessarily more mechanically experienced,
could be seen lying in their driveways or
on the street under their cars while using
the pavement (aka side walk) as a sort of
½-ramp to gain some ground clearance
to facilitate oil changes and drive shaft/
transmission lubrication. Sometimes
these aficionados, depending on their
Monday to Friday status, would be seen
dressed in boiler suits or coveralls while
the white collared folk would be out in an
www.TorontoTriumph.com old pair of cavalry twill pants and maybe
a tweed jacket, perhaps even with a buttoned collar and tie plus or minus a cloth
cap. Oh, the memories!
This need to tweak is a constant presence with all classic car fans no matter what
our ethnic background or the marque we
favour. It seems to foster a closer relationship between driver and machine. The car
somehow assumes a personality and is
no longer just an inanimate object. Some
of us even go so far as to attribute names
to our cars – Rosie (gasp)! And some of us
may even speak to our cars, beyond the
expletives used when a repair job isn’t going exactly to plan! I can’t see doing that to
a Volvo or a BMW which are, after all, just a
means of comfortable reliable transportation whereas our classic British sports cars
are a means unto themselves, created for
the pure enjoyment and sheer fun of top
down driving and that sense of oneness
with nature and the open road.
Franklin D. Roosevelt is credited with the
quotation which prompted the title to this
piece. In his inaugural presidential address
of 1933 he states, “So, first of all, let me assert
my firm belief that the only thing we have
to fear is fear itself - nameless, unreasoning,
unjustified terror which paralyzes needed
efforts to convert retreat into advance.” In
the spirit of Roosevelt, I plan to make 2012
the year in which I strike out on longer trips
in my Six, cutting that psychological umbilical cord that has been restraining us to
a 100 mile radius of home base, but like
Linus van Pelt from Charles Schulz’s comic
strip Peanuts, I’m not planning, just yet, to
dispose of my security blanket. I’ll insist that
Colin motors along side in his Six.
Oh, and let’s not be too unkind to
BMW – they do after all own the Triumph
brand and one day may very well bring
us a TR9. ragtop
25
historically speaking
T
his would seem to be a simple question to answer: England has a licensing system in which the plate stays with the car,
and not with the owner, so as long as the
car has not been scrapped and the plate
withdrawn and reissued to a different vehicle, the identity of the car should be easy
to trace. Indeed there are three powder
blue TR4s in England registered 3VC, 4VC
and 6VC- these must surely be three of the
four team cars?
In practice it is not that simple...
First of all, these were competition cars in
a sport which is extremely hard on equipment. One can readily imagine the three
cars coming back from France after an
event and being prepared for the next
rally. One may need a new back axle, another needs a new bonnet, front wing and
one door, the third has a bent chassis, and
all need new clutches and brakes. (JeanJacques Thuner is reported as having said
that the chassis of his TR4 was replaced five
times in a period of two and a half years!
This kind of damage is clearly visible in
photographs of the cars after some of the
events.) The quickest solution is to replace
the car that needs the most work with a
spare car that has already been repaired,
and simply move the license plate over.
Perhaps someone makes a handwritten
note of the change in the shop log, perhaps not, perhaps the note is clearly legible, perhaps a cup of tea gets spilt on the
log... the priority is to get the cars ready,
not to keep perfect paperwork.
The concept of “originality” is a difficult
one to square with the history of most
cars used in competition. A more useful
concept might be “authenticity”- in other
words a car which is presented in historically accurate form or to the correct period
specifications. If a race or rally car has had
the chassis and many of the body panels
replaced because of accidents, and all the
26
What happened to
the works TR4
rally team cars?
major mechanical components rebuilt
or replaced because of wear, then it is no
longer original, though it may still have
the same serial number and license plate.
It may be fair to say the car has a continuous history or good provenance, and that it
is rebuilt rather than restored, but it is not
“original” in the sense of retaining most of
the original components.
Moving on 30 years or so we find that
historic races and rallies have become popular and cars from the 1960s are now being
used competitively again, prepared to the
rules that were in effect when they were
www.TorontoTriumph.com
originally homologated. This creates a
market for reproductions of original works
parts and for TR4s, for example, brand new
alloy body panels, 18 gallon gas tanks, and
other items can now be purchased brand
new. Many enthusiasts purchase these
items for their own cars, and even paint
them the same powder blue as the works
cars to make replicas.
The identities and histories of the actual
four TR4s that competed as the Triumph
rally team from 1962-1965 are quite difficult to trace and have been the topic of
lively discussion.
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by
Simon Rasmussen
4VC
One of them, 4VC, stayed in England and
has a continuous ownership history. It was
sold to Gordon Birtwistle, a Triumph employee initially. Ian Cornish then purchased
the car from Birtwistle in 1969, unaware
at the time of its history. He used 4VC as
a daily driver for some years, having the
engine, gearbox and back axle as well as
some body panels replaced. In the 1990s
the car was rebuilt by Revington TR - an
article in Classic Car magazine stated “Neil
carried out a lengthy rebuild on what was
little more than a pile of rust”. It is perhaps
a “recreation” more than a restoration, and
has had its commission number plate replaced, but this car likely has the best claim
to being of historical significance. It is well
known to members of the TR Register and
is used on historic rallies in England.
The other three cars that made up the
team, 3VC, 5VC and 6VC had all been converted to left hand drive and exported to
the United States in 1964 prior to being
entered in the Canadian Shell 4000 Rally.
(The conversion to left hand drive alone
makes it difficult to determine the “correct” version of the cars.) These cars were
registered in the US with Oregon plates; it
seems likely the port of entry was in Oregon. Kas Kastner says he does not recall the
circumstances, but speculated that American registration was required to establish
legal ownership.
After the rally they were apparently sold
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to a US Triumph dealer in New York State.
Mike Rose wrote on the Friends of Triumph
forum in 2002, “When I was in high school
my father was a Triumph dealer. Since we
were so close to Detroit (in NW Ohio) we
had to drive to Detroit to Standard Triumph the importer and bring the cars back
to Ohio, The building where Standard Triumph was located was several stories high
and an elevator was used to bring new cars
from the upper floors to street level where
we took delivery after the paperwork was
completed. Once, when I was wandering
about the building I came across all three
of the Shell 4000 rally cars backed against
the wall in the rear of the building. They
looked, quite honestly, like hell.” Two of the
three cars may have been sold on and one
kept for a while, parts of it possibly being
sold to individuals wanting performance
parts for their own cars.
Russ Moore, a well-known Spitfire racer,
added the following: “About 10 years ago
there was what seemed to be a Shell TR-4
in a body/restoration shop in Syracuse NY.
It had alloy panels and the fancy venting
that gave it the identifying character.” Pat
Onions, who entered his TR4 in the 1965
Shell 4000, mentions in his book that the
roll bar of his car was purchased from a Triumph dealer in Rochester. “He had bought
one of the “works” prepared TR-4s that ran
in the previous Shell 4000 and invited us to
use anything off the car we would need.”
With these confirmations from primary
sources we can be pretty sure of this part
of the story. But there are gaps of several
years when the cars were not licensed for
the road and may have changed hands
without documentation, so the history is
untraceable.
Here is what we can piece together of
the history of 3VC, 5VC and 6VC:
3VC
3VC was apparently sold to a Rochester
area Triumph dealer and then to a dealer in
Ohio, (probably Mike Rose’s dad) who sold
it to one of his customers. This customer
apparently parted out the car, and many
of the original components were sold. The
www.TorontoTriumph.com remnants were found when the dealership
closed in 1980, and were purchased by the
owner of a race preparation shop in New
York, a Mr. Julien. He supplied the necessary parts and rebuilt them into a complete
car, which he sold in 1992, apparently taking a Mini in part payment.
This car was later sold and returned
to England. It has been rebuilt to original
works specification by Neil Revington of
Revington TR, but the fact that its commission number plate is not original casts
some doubt on its authenticity. The car
now belongs to a group, or trust of five individuals who share in its use, one of the
five being Tony Sheach, who has competed in historic rallies with the car.
6VC
In an article titled “Three of a kind” in Issue
#27 of Triumph World, Graham Robson,
who was the manager of the Standard
Triumph competition department from
1962-1965, stated that “there were only
ever four cars, and no fiddles with registration numbers”. But he also wrote “after the 1963 Alpine Rally, 6VC got a new
bodyshell and a new chassis identity”. This
car was also heavily damaged in the 1964
Shell rally in Canada, and was rebuilt again
with another new chassis. The car was restored by Revington after being purchased
in Wisconsin, but lacked the alloy body
panels and longer, Vanguard boot hinges
it should have had. Though this car may
have the “heritage” of 6VC it is difficult to
say in the normal sense of the word that it
has the “identity” of 6VC! This car is owned
by Neil Revington. Given the number of
chassis that have carried this registration it
is possible one of these will be found and
built up into a car, possibly with some period works components, and its owner may
claim it to be 6VC.
5VC
5VC was apparently retained by the Rochester dealer for his own use until about 1970
when it was sold to a friend of his named
Dick Zwitzer, who continued to drive it until about 1976. It was then sold to a German
27
TRIUMPH AUSTIN-HEALEY
JAGUAR ASTON
MARTIN
MERCEDES
AUSTIN ALVIS
BMW
BENTLEY ROLLS-ROYCE
SUNBEAM LOTUSVAUXHALL
CORD TVR
DAIMLER
MG RALEIGH
BRISTOL
PORSCHE
ANGUS-SANDERSON
ALLARD
MORGA
L NER
LANDROVER
WOLSELEY
RELIANT
AUDI ARMSTRONG-SIDDELEY
TROJAN
INVICTA LANCHESTER
MORRIS STRAKER-SQUIRE
ARGYLL
JENSEN
Rally cars received rough treatment throughout their lives.
Photo shows BMC 1100s being muscled though a muddy field
buyer in 1994 and exported to Germany. In
1998 it was purchased by the current owner
Carsten Conrads, who claims that about 6065 percent of the car is original, including
the engine and Salisbury type rear axle with
a 4.33 ratio differential. No less an expert
than Anders Ditlev Clausager, the archivist
of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust,
is on record in an article he wrote (refuting
some of the points made by Graham Robson), that based on the percentage of original parts in each car, he felt that 5VC had as
strong a claim to being “the real thing” as
4VC. (The Trust is the organisation which
can research the original production data
for cars built in Britain, and issue a certificate
showing the date of manufacture and original specifications.)
Marcel Chichak from Edmonton has
done a huge amount of research into the
Shell 4000 rally and has built a fascinating website detailing the history of the
event. Several years ago he received an
email from Germany asking him if he had
the registration documents on 5VC, “You
905-953-0052
know, the ones with the commission number?” Alertly, he invited the sender of the
email to provide the commission number
of his car so Marcel could check it for him.
Though there was further communication
this information was not provided.
It seems that having rebuilt three of the
cars, Neil Revington is now acknowledged
as the foremost expert on these cars. This
enhances the credibility of the cars restored by him, and now based in the UK.
www.lnerautomotive.ca
We can only hope that Triumphs will not
reach the value levels that have caused so
much attempted fraud in the Shelby Cobra
and Ferrari markets! ragtop
Sources:
Forum of the TR Register, U.K.
Friends of Triumph Forum.
Revington TR website.
Shell 4000 Rally website- Marcel Chichak
Photo collection of Jason Chinn.
OAKVILLE’S CRUZE NIGHT
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Hosted by Oakville Lions Club and Boston Pizza
Dorval Crossing II, Dorval Drive & North Service Road in Oakville
• Rock’n Roll DJ,
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• Door Prizes for drivers
Dealer Cell: (905) 510-9437
[email protected]
www.lubedealer.com/oils
All proceeds go to local causes.
European Classic Car Specialists
Maintenance and Service
Complete Mechanical Repairs
Complete Electrical Repairs
Parts New and Used
Parts Fabrication
Restoration of Body and Interior
London Trading Post
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www.londontradingpost.ca
Spencefield House
189 County Rd 49
Bobcaygeon, ON K0M 1A0
Tel/Fax: (705) 738-1956
Open most weekends
Sat. 10am-3pm Sun. 11am-3pm or by appointment
28
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www.TorontoTriumph.com Bring Us Y
• 50/50 Draw,
Dream
r
ou
29
TR8
marque my words
My
U
by
Ron Etty - TR7/TR8 Marque Coordinator
p front I have a confession to
make - I have a mistress and like all good
mistresses, she is much younger than I am
- just turned thirty in fact. Heck, I’m over
twice her age, but she sure makes me feel
young at heart. And she is so pretty - my
heart does a little flutter every time I see
her. I get all tingly when she gives me that
“look” when her big eyes pop up out of her
bonnet. The funny thing about all of this
is my wife doesn’t even seem to mind the
“other woman.”
This imaginary mistress is, of course,
my Triumph TR8 and her equally pretty
older cousin the TR7. When I first noticed
the TR7 in the seventies, I was not immediately struck by its good looks. Despite being advertised as “the shape of
things to come” or simply “the Wedge,”
I preferred the classic looks of the older
Triumphs better. But, over the years, this
body style has grown on me so that I can
now honestly say that I like it - a lot. The
1976 styling has finally become acceptable and was indeed the shape of things
to come. Sometimes though, I wish the
taillights didn’t look so clunky, but that is
my only complaint with the styling.
Harris Mann, chief designer for the TR7
project, had to focus his efforts with an
eye to the American market. Because it
was thought the Americans were getting
ready to ban convertibles, Mann designed
the TR7 with a T-top, similar to the Triumph
Stag, and with a futuristic sloping front
hood. Sadly, the T-top died on the drawing board in favour of the hardtop. Colourcoded bumpers were originally planned
for the TR7, but the “ fits everything” black
30
bumper was the final choice
of the engineering department. The “swoop” along the
length of the TR7 was a later
addition at the request of
Triumph management. Likewise, the boys in the executive suite decided to make the
TR7 feel bigger by moving the
windshield forward. This little
change from Mann’s design
makes it impossible for the
driver to see North American
style stoplights without bending forward in the seat. Although I like the final design,
I’m willing to bet a TR7 as originally planned with a T-top
would have been a nicer car.
A couple of rare TR7 models come to mind. A TR7 Sprint
was used as a factory rally car.
Only 60 of these cars were
built with about 20 surviving.
The Sprint used the 16 valve
engine from the Triumph
Dolomite, producing 127 horsepower
(standard TR7s were equipped with the
8 valve Dolomite engine rated at around
100 horsepower). Another model was the
TR7 Spider, distinctive with black paint,
red striping and red decals. This car came
only as a fully loaded convertible with air,
stereo, alloy wheels, and the five speed
transmission, selling in Canada for about
$10,700 in 1979.
The TR7 was always planned to have a
V8 engine shoehorned under that sloping hood and in 1980 that is exactly what
www.TorontoTriumph.com
happened with the introduction of the
TR8, advertised as the “English Corvette.”
Sister company Rover purchased the
rights to a General Motors all-aluminum
3.5 liter motor that GM had used in Buick
Specials and Oldsmobile F-85s. This same
engine block was used in Formula One
race cars, with only a few modifications,
by the Brabham team that won the 1966
F1 World Championship.
The TR8 with original dual Stromberg
carburetors developed about 130 horse
power compared to about 100 for the TR7.
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Some TR8 models, mainly destined for
California, had fuel injection and these cars
were even faster, rated at about 145 horse
power. The only other improvement to the
TR8, over the TR7, was slightly larger brakes
to handle the extra power.
Many owners carry out engine upgrades, “souping them up” with the likes of
modified camshafts, replacing the original
dual carburetors with four-barrel Holleys,
and modified pistons giving higher compression. My TR8 came with all of these
upgrades and this car is easily the fastest
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I have owned! I know there are plenty of
faster cars, but when you are sitting low to
the ground with the wind blowing through
your hair, you’re king of the road.
Wheels and tires are another popular upgrade for the TR7 and TR8 models. The original 13 inch tires are getting difficult to find
so some TR owners are choosing new larger
“mag” wheels and coupling them to modern low profile tires. This keeps the circumference of the tire similar to original with a
modern look. Wheel sizes up to sixteen inch
are available. With all the new space behind
www.TorontoTriumph.com those bigger wheels, an opportunity exists
to install larger calipers and rotors.
My TR8 has a tendency to overheat if
sitting too long in traffic. Back in the early
eighties, the only solution was to rev the
motor while in traffic in order to cool the
engine. Today, many TR7 and TR8 owners are opting to replace the old belt and
clutch driven fan with a modern electric
fan with adjustable temperature controls.
This results in much better control of the
overheating problem, and the two hundred dollar investment seems good insur31
ance against catastrophic engine overheating. I have purchased
an electric fan and plan to install it in my car soon.
Many TR7 and TR8 owners are opting for stiffer springs, adjustable shocks, and a new set of harder polyurethane bushings
to improve handling. This is a six hundred dollar investment if
you are able to do it yourself. I am in the process of making that
decision, as my car seems to “float” at higher speeds. Many owners I have spoken to love the improved handling and the stiffer
ride, but one enthusiast who did this suspension work hated it so
much that he put the original equipment back on. This particular
upgrade must therefore be one of personal choice. An excellent
resource for these upgrades is a book by Roger Williams, entitled
“How to Improve TR7, TR7V8 & TR8” (ISBN 978-1-845840-45-7 - Veloce Publishing - Ed.).
Most TR8s had the 5-speed manual transmission, but Triumph offered an automatic transmission, supplied by Borg Warner, mainly to the U.S. market. In 1979, about 150 demonstrator
models of the new 1980 TR8’s were shipped to dealerships across
North America, most having automatic transmissions and all being coupes - no convertibles and few five speeds! Today, it is hard
to understand this reasoning - trying to sell a sports car with an
automatic transmission. My TR8 is a five speed and except for city
driving when gear changing is frequent I have no complaints -
BACK THEN WE WERE THE EXPERTS
AT INSURING ‘57 CHEVYS
even my wife enjoys the opportunity to drive the car.
Before TR8 production was halted in 1982, about 2,750 cars
were built. Only 352 TR8s were produced in 1981, all with fuel
injection, and in 1982 only 69 were built - all of which came to
Canada. Because of these statistics, I consider myself lucky to
have acquired a rare car from a gentleman who knew all the details of the car, and who spent considerable time and money on
it as well. It is not in perfect condition and will need repainting
in the future. During the last year I have only had to do minor
repairs based on things that were overlooked previously or improperly done, mainly wiring in the dashboard-clock, dash lights
and heat gauge. I have also replaced the carpet and upholstery
and installed a high-end radio.
TR7s can be found today as “parts cars” or “handyman specials”
starting at a very low price and their value can escalate easily to
upwards of $15,000. A rare TR7 Sprint (the black one with the red
decals) would likely fetch more than $25,000 in good condition.
Because TR8s are fairly rare, I would guess that their value would
start in the $5,000 range. There are so few TR8s around that finding a cheaper unrestored car as a fixer-upper is next to impossible.
There are TR8s advertised on the internet for upwards of $25,000.
Something to consider when buying a TR8 is the difference between a real TR8 and a TR7V8. There are quite a few TR7 owners who
AND WE STILL ARE.
Driven by Quality and Passion...
A
L O T O F I N S U R A N C E C O M PA N I E S S AY T H E Y K N O W C L A S S I C A N D A N T I Q U E C A R S .
B E T T E R T H A N S TAT E FA R M .
AND AS
WITH
AFTER
BUT
WE BELIEVE NO ONE KNOWS THEM
ALL WE WERE INSURING MANY OF THESE CARS LONG BEFORE THEY BECAME CLASSICS.
T H E W O R L D ’ S L A R G E S T C A R I N S U R E R , W E C U R R E N T LY I N S U R E W E L L O V E R
S TAT E FA R M Y O U ’ R E A LWAY S S U R E O F G E T T I N G C O V E R A G E T H AT ’ S R I G H T
T H E M O S T C O M P E T I V E R AT E S AVA I L A B L E .
PERHAPS
120,000 O F T H E S E U N I Q U E M A C H I N E S .
F O R Y O U --- A N D Y O U R C A R . A T S O M E O F
T H AT ’ S W H Y S O M A N Y C L A S S I C A N D A N T I Q U E C A R O W N E R S I N S I S T O N
I N S U R I N G T H E I R A U T O M O T I V E T R E A S U R E S W I T H S TAT E FA R M T H A N W I T H A N Y O T H E R C O M PA N Y .
SO
C A L L Y O U R S TAT E FA R M A G E N T T O D AY A N D Y O U ’ L L L E A R N T H AT J U S T L I K E S O M E C A R S , S O M E I N S U R A N C E C O M PA N I E S
O N LY I M P R O V E W I T H A G E .
ZENON KOLTALO
AGENT
702 BURNHAMTHORPE ROAD EAST, SUITE 7
(CORNER OF CAWTHRA ROAD)
MISSISSAUGA, ON L4Y 2X3
905-276-2440 FAX: 905-276-2450
[email protected]
STATE FARM
INSURANCE COMPANIES
CANADIAN HEAD OFFICES:
AURORA, ONTARIO
L I K E A G O O D N E I G H B O U R S TAT E FA R M I S T H E R E .
32
www.TorontoTriumph.com
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have put the V8 motor into their cars, bought the TR8 decals, and
converted their TR7 to a TR8. Done correctly, these are wonderful
cars, but if you are paying for a TR8 and want a TR8, check the VIN
number carefully!
Based on what I have read, people I have talked to and my own
knowledge from working on my cars in the past, here are some
things I would look for if purchasing a TR7 or TR8:
1) Try to buy a later model TR7 with the five speed transmission,
early models with the four speed transmission were said to be problematic
2) On both 7s and 8s, check for warped heads or head gasket
damage by looking for white smoke out the tailpipe or water in the
oil. Doesn’t happen very often, but it will be expensive if it does
3) On both 7s and 8s check the electrics carefully - it seems
many electrical issues on these cars end up being difficult to diagnose and expensive to repair
4) The radiators on these models seem to be the lowest point
on the car - check for “road rash” to the bottom of the radiator, especially the welds on the bracket supporting the radiator
5) Rust damage frequently occurs where the rear suspension is
attached to the body (behind the seats, under the floor)
6) The turrets at the top of the front springs/shocks are another
weak spot to be examined carefully. Race/rally cars always support
these towers with a brace.
7) Keep a close watch on the temperature gauge, especially in
stopped traffic and on hot days.
There is an excellent Buyer’s Guide on the WorldWideWedge
website at (http://www.team.net/TR8/ TR7-TR8-BuyersGuide.html).
Before I purchased my TR8, I was looking for a sports car from
the fifties or sixties, something with a wood dash and a bonejarring ride - a “real” sports car. But then came the opportunity
to buy the TR8 - forget the wood dash, this thing had a V8! I just
had to have it, testosterone on the loose! The “shape of things to
come” is now in my garage and I now appreciate that really cool
styling. My TR8 has been super reliable and a genuine pleasure
to drive. Cruising the back roads on a beautiful sunny day, with
the top down, oldies on the radio, alongside my favourite girl now this is indeed heaven!!
(Ron Etty is joint marque coordinator for the TR7/8 models
within the Toronto Triumph Club. He acquired his 1980 TR8 in
late 2010, his first experience of Triumph ownership. The car is
equipped with 4-barrel Holley carburettors, a competition cam,
and fancy pistons giving a 10.5:1 compression ratio. Ron admits
that “it is really fast.” - Ed.) ragtop
Ragtop distribution provided by:
J.D. AUTO SERVICES
• Bulk Mail Service
• List Management
Josip (Joe) Dukova
IMPORT, DOMESTIC & SPORTSCARS
301 Rexdale Blvd. Unit C, Etobicoke, Ont. M9W 1R8
TEL: (416) 746-1048 • FAX: (416) 746-9935
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34
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Martin Grove
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(416) 755-9191
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restoration
I
Six and Two Three’s Part 9
t has been a little while since my last
update… as a matter of fact it was a little
over a year ago in the 2011 Spring Issue of
Ragtop. Man, how time flies!
I can’t believe how long it is taking me
to complete this restoration. Don’t get me
wrong, I am no less motivated to get it done
than I was in the beginning and I am still
having a lot of fun working on this project.
My first full restoration project of my ‘73 TR6
only took me 14 months to complete but
then, I didn’t have a fun, two seat roadster
to drive in the summer months!
Last spring and into early summer was
a little difficult for me personally as labour
issues at work and potential strikes at
some of our facilities across Canada kept
me away from home, in a management
support role. Having another TR (or two!)
can also throw a wrench into best-laid
plans. As always, at the beginning of the
driving season, I do a thorough inspection
and follow up on some of the items on my
“to do” list. The TR6 had some carb and
other minor issues that needed attending
to, so the TR3A would have to wait.
I didn’t really to get to work on the
by
Engine bay bulkhead hole repair,
before and after
David Tushingham
TR3A until I had some spare time towards
the end of June and into early July. The
first thing that needed to be tackled was
to weld the new rear valance back on. I
decided that it would be much easier to
invest in a spot welder to do this job rather than use my MIG welder. Kijiji can be
your friend when looking for lightly used
equipment and I found a good heavy-duty spot welder and timing unit for a great
price. This proved invaluable to replace all
of the spot welds that I had cut out around
the spare tire opening. It was also great to
re-attach a new front driver’s side body to
frame mount that was rusted beyond repair. The new floors that I installed did not
come with cage nuts affixed, so new and
improved cage nuts were purchased from
Macy’s Garage and welded to the bottom
of the floor pans.
For me, most weekends throughout
the summer are dominated by one British
Car event or another. I have driven my TR6
to these events without any major issues
for the past 4 years. Unfortunately, this
came to an end last July on my return trip
from Ottawa having travelled to the 26th
and complete a rebuild.
Fortunately, my wallet
was spared as I found
that the culprit was a
faulty/worn switch on
the transmission top
cover that was jamming the gear selector
shaft. Long story short,
the TR3A didn’t get
touched again until late
September.
I was getting tired of
seeing the TR3A in state
of disassembly for such
a long period of time,
Test start temporary
dash set-up. Great use
of an old milk crate!
Putting the panels back on to remember what the car
looked like!
Front body to frame
mount, plug welded
prior to grinding
Rear valence repair test fit
36
Canadian Classic. I limped back to Newmarket, after a quick stop in Lindsay for
the “Brits on the Lake” show having lost
2nd gear. Over the next two weekends,
my focus was to remove the transmission
Rear valence finished welded
www.TorontoTriumph.com
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so I decided that I would put all the body
panels and windscreen back on to make it
look like a car again. This in the end was a
good exercise as it served to motivate me
to continue onwards with renewed vigor.
I continued to work with the welding
to close panels on the rear of the car and
made progress on patching holes on the
wheel well arches and inside the body tub.
At one point I counted the holes that needed to be filled inside the body tub… 36 if
you must know!
Without a doubt, the single most motivating factor for me thus far in the project has been getting the engine started.
www.TorontoTriumph.com When I bought the car it wasn’t running,
although the previous owner stated that
it was running before it was parked. At
the end of December, plans were made
to try and see if I could get it to fire. As I
needed some assistance with wiring the
car to test start, I asked Scott Douglas to
give me a hand and he graciously accepted. With Syl Demers on fire extinguisher
duty and John Morton in attendance for
moral support, we cranked it over and
despite our best efforts, we could not
get it to start. We definitely had spark,
but were having issues getting fuel from
the carbs into the cylinders. After a couple of days troubleshooting, changing
the intake manifold and rebuilding
the carbs, I finally got it to start.
First time that it had been running
in about 9 years and it was like music to my ears. A great way to start
the New Year.
I still have some welding to do,
but I am almost ready to hang up the
MIG and pick up a paint gun. That’s
right… I have decided that I am going to learn to do some bodywork
and paint. Over the winter, I purchased a new Turbine Spray Paint
unit (again off Kijiji) and have been doing
research on paint and body ever since.
Kevin Tetz has a great 5 disc series available for purchase called “Paintucation”
that I highly recommend. Great resource
for a bodyman/painter in the making. I
have been prepping the tub for interior
painting and have been media blasting in
my garage over the winter months. Very
effective, but also very very messy.
I hope that by next report, I will have the
body primed and if all goes really well, it
might even have some paint on it… watch
this space! ragtop
37
Speke Easy
by Terence
Y O U PA I D H O W M U C H ?
McKillen
A speakeasy was a high-class establishment that offered food and entertainment as well as alcoholic beverages in the United States
during the 1920s Prohibition Era. In the context of the Triumph Motor Company, Speke, derived from the Old English ‘Spec’, meaning
‘brushwood’, is a suburb of Liverpool located adjacent to the John Lennon airport, which during the 1960s to mid-1970s was the main
production site for some of Triumph’s saloons (not the speakeasy type), the TR7 as well as body pressings for other models, including the
Stag. It had the infamy of being the most inefficient assembly plant in the UK with absenteeism rates of up to 25% on any given day.
W
This new column will focus on Triumph and other classic motoring tips and trivia. Readers are invited to forward comments and
ideas to [email protected].
hat a great driving season we had in
2011, especially in the autumn with its unseasonably mild temperatures. I don’t know
about you, but I continued driving my TR
well into December, actually until the day
after Christmas. I even managed to sneak
in a top-down outing as late as December
3. Mind you, the 2011 season didn’t start
off too pleasantly as all who made it to the
Ancaster British Flea Market on April 17 will
attest. The heater that I had rebuilt over the
previous winter ensured that I was fairly
toasty inside my Six even if those selling
their wares outside froze off their proverbials. My driving season actually started a
month previously, on March 19, giving me a
full nine months of classic motoring before
deciding to call it quits for the year.
D
o you suffer from
poor panel gauge illumination at night? Gauge
illumination can suffer
over time with deterioration of the reflective white paint on the inner surfaces of
the gauge and the green filter into which
the bulb holder is inserted robs much of
the transmitted light from the original 2.2
watt screw-in bulbs. Some people have
had success removing the green filter material and repainting the white inside area
of their gauges but there is a simpler solution at hand. I recently fitted 1.2 watt (1/2
the power consumption of the original
bulbs) 70-Lumen E10 screw-in LED bulbs in
my panel lights for an astounding improvement. The advantage of these bulbs is the
huge improvement in luminosity at a significantly reduced wattage, contributing
to less heat generation over, for example,
halogen bulbs. These five-sided LEDs are
sold in pairs for about US$3.50 a pair (total
38
cost to replace all panel gauge lights is under $15) and they screw in to existing bulb
holders. I ordered mine directly from a supplier in China, however, Fred McEachern at
British Auto Sports now has them in stock.
N
ot many people know the history of
the TR10 model produced from 1957 to
1960, however, those of you who were
able to attend the recent Canadian International Auto Show now know the answer! It was introduced by Standard-Triumph to some export markets, including
the United States, following the success
of the TR2 and TR3 roadsters. However
the TR10 was not strictly a Triumph model at all, but a rebadged Standard 10, of
which saloon and estate variants were
available. It’s a good thing that the TR
range never extended beyond 1981 after
the TR8’s demise, otherwise the chronological order of the numbering system
would have been upset! Over the years
Standard rebadged other cars as Triumphs for additional cachet in selected
export markets.
W
hen reinstalling your engine sump
and gasket, it can often be difficult to keep
the gasket in place while trying to get the
bolts started. To facilitate easy reinstallation,
consider manufacturing two studs to act as
a guide in holding the gasket in place until
the sump can be presented and bolted in
place. Once four bolts are in place the studs
can be removed and the remainder of the
bolts torqued to specification.
H
oning out cylinder sleeves or scraping
gasket gunk off the engine block can cause
www.TorontoTriumph.com
a good deal of dirt and other particles to
fall through on to the crankshaft bearings.
A simple method of keeping things clean is
to use an old compression ring to hold a Jcloth at the base of the cylinder which can
then be lifted up and out of the way when
finished. If you use J-cloths or Scot towels
to block oil and coolant ways in the engine
block while working on the cylinders or
pistons, be sure that you recover all of the
pieces. It has been reported that such pieces of cloth have subsequently been found
floating in the radiator coolant!
A
re you a half-full or a half-empty kind
of person? Regardless of your outlook on
life, the question of whether to keep your
gas tank completely full or nearly empty
isn’t an easy one to answer. During the
regular driving season, some people are
of the opinion that it is best to keep as
little fuel as possible in the tank, stopping
for gas before setting out for a drive, and
adding just enough for the planned journey. After returning home, they add fuel
stabilizer to the remnants and hope to
minimise any gasoline problems. Others
keep the tank completely filled in order to
reduce the surface area of the gasoline exposed to any humidity. Absorption of water by the ethanol in E10 gasoline occurs
whether or not the tank is vented. The
moral of this story, at least from a phase
separation perspective, is to avoid the use
of gasoline with ethanol, which means, at
least in Southern Ontario, using Premium
(91 octane) gasoline or to make more
regular use of your classic car. Further
information on this issue was contained
in an article entitled Ethanol and Octane
Ratings published in the Fall 2011 issue of
Ragtop. ragtop
Ragtop
IS
pring
I 2012
If you don’t mind paying too much
for your parts, there is no need to
read any further. If you would like
to buy your parts at the best prices
in Canada, read on. Drakes’ British
Motors can supply any part from
the Moss catalogs at the most
reasonable cost to you. But, don’t
take our word for this. The next
time you need something, send
1970
Triumph TR6
This is a very
nice TR6 that
lived its entire
life in California.
No rust or body
damage before
we had the paint
redone in original Jasmine yellow. New bumpers, sill chrome, windshield and trim seals were fitted throughout and the
suspension and complete braking system was rebuilt. The engine had been
previously rebuilt and runs great, so we just did a tune up, added new belts,
hoses and fuel pump. We also added a fully rebuilt overdrive and the wire
wheels were refinished complete with new hubs, chrome knockoffs and new
Coker redline tires. The complete interior was replaced with all new correct
reproduction components and is the original light tan, we also fitted a new
Robbins top with the correct reflective strip. This car is one small step away
from being called a full top to bottom restored vehicle, it looks stunning and
runs and drives as nice as it looks. $22,500
us an email for a quote. We will
get right back to you with a price.
Many TTC members are already
believers. Get in touch for a quote
– [email protected]
We are also a Canadian distributor for
Dayton Wire Wheels.
1974
Triumph TR6
Californian TR6.
No
accidents,
no rust, paint is
nice with only
minor defects,
on a beautiful,
straight body.
New front & rear
bumpers, stainless trim rings and tires. Tan interior has new seats, panel
kit, dashtop, sunvisors, tan Robbins top, retractor seatbelts and windshield and seals. Engine is strong with electronic ignition and the overdrive transmission was rebuilt two years ago. 4 tip Ansa exhaust system.
Front end rebuild including bushings, ball joints, tie rod ends, and steering
rack boots & at the rear new differential mounts and trailing arm bushings.
Hydraulics all redone with new clutch and brake master, slave cylinder and
hoses. $16,600.
Drakes’ British Motors Inc.
(250)763-0883 Ph., (250)861-8051 Fax, email [email protected]
2286 K.L.O. Road, Kelowna, B.C., V1W 3Z7
WWW.DRAKESBRITISHMOTORS.COM
Next to the warehouse
is a garage full of British cars. And our co-workers often
commute in theirs. We put these cars to work every day.
When new parts are developed, we test them. If a part
is returned, we’ll bolt it on, analyze it, and work with
the manufacturer to make it right.
If we are not happy with a part being on our cars, we
wouldn’t think of selling it to you. And, just to make
certain you are satisfied, we stand behind our parts
with the longest warranty in the business.
Call us. We’d love to send you a free catalog.
800-667-7872
www.mossmotors.com