Triumph cars and bikes and my mother-in-law
Discussion
I have had various T140 Bonnevilles, a couple of four cylinder Trophies and a Triumph Herald car. All of my Triumphs were great and fun to own. Several years ago we gave the Herald to my mother-in-law in New Romney with a fresh MOT and battery as a Christmas present as she had been badgering my father-in-law to get her her own car. It cost us several £100 to get it going nicely and ready for her. We put a big red bow round it and parked it on her driveway on Christmas Eve. Next morning she absolutely hated it.
The next time that we went to visit her the car was not there. "Where is the car?" we asked, "I sold it" she said "To the Army, they are going to use it for target practice at Lydd Ranges, its okay though,........... they gave me £40 for it"
Has anyone else got any Triumph related stories like this?
I hope that I'm allowed to mention this here but if you are in to Triumphs of any kind you might be interested in Triumph Day at Dover Transport Museum on 27th August. It is a celebration of all things Triumph. Turn up in or on a Triumph and two people get in for £5.
The next time that we went to visit her the car was not there. "Where is the car?" we asked, "I sold it" she said "To the Army, they are going to use it for target practice at Lydd Ranges, its okay though,........... they gave me £40 for it"
Has anyone else got any Triumph related stories like this?
I hope that I'm allowed to mention this here but if you are in to Triumphs of any kind you might be interested in Triumph Day at Dover Transport Museum on 27th August. It is a celebration of all things Triumph. Turn up in or on a Triumph and two people get in for £5.
As a Triumph Herald owner I'm devastated that a perfectly usable Herald was used for target practice :-(
Puddles of Oil said:
I have had various T140 Bonnevilles, a couple of four cylinder Trophies and a Triumph Herald car. All of my Triumphs were great and fun to own. Several years ago we gave the Herald to my mother-in-law in New Romney with a fresh MOT and battery as a Christmas present as she had been badgering my father-in-law to get her her own car. It cost us several £100 to get it going nicely and ready for her. We put a big red bow round it and parked it on her driveway on Christmas Eve. Next morning she absolutely hated it.
The next time that we went to visit her the car was not there. "Where is the car?" we asked, "I sold it" she said "To the Army, they are going to use it for target practice at Lydd Ranges, its okay though,........... they gave me £40 for it"
Has anyone else got any Triumph related stories like this?
I hope that I'm allowed to mention this here but if you are in to Triumphs of any kind you might be interested in Triumph Day at Dover Transport Museum on 27th August. It is a celebration of all things Triumph. Turn up in or on a Triumph and two people get in for £5.
The next time that we went to visit her the car was not there. "Where is the car?" we asked, "I sold it" she said "To the Army, they are going to use it for target practice at Lydd Ranges, its okay though,........... they gave me £40 for it"
Has anyone else got any Triumph related stories like this?
I hope that I'm allowed to mention this here but if you are in to Triumphs of any kind you might be interested in Triumph Day at Dover Transport Museum on 27th August. It is a celebration of all things Triumph. Turn up in or on a Triumph and two people get in for £5.
I have two.
First, a Spitfire bought when I was 16 because I'd always wanted one. The highlight was a fur-covered dashboard which was quickly stripped. Sadly the chassis turned out to be largely made of cheese. We swept it into a skip and threw the whole car away.
Second, and not such a sorry ending, but close.
When I was a teenager my parents divorced, but had the good grace to wait until I had passed my test to do so. To ease the financial burden I moved in with my dad and left my brother with my mum. Father was a policeman and secured a police house complete with office and a garage.
I'd always wanted a Herald convertible, so bought a 13/60 that was for sale about 30 miles away. We went to collect it and it drove home fine. I proceeded to "restore" it, in the way a teenage boy does: badly, with little attention to detail and only when I could be bothered.
Respraying was carried out in the garage which was so narrow I had to do one side at a time. When dry I pushed it out into the sunshine to admire...the orange peel. More like orange acne, in fact.
I pushed it back in the garage and left home for a job 250 miles away. When my dad had to move out of the police accommodation he sold the car for a few quid and off it went, ironically back to the same village I bought it from.
The current small chassis is a GT6, and apart from an exciting journey home when I bought it last year, has been fairly boring to date.
First, a Spitfire bought when I was 16 because I'd always wanted one. The highlight was a fur-covered dashboard which was quickly stripped. Sadly the chassis turned out to be largely made of cheese. We swept it into a skip and threw the whole car away.
Second, and not such a sorry ending, but close.
When I was a teenager my parents divorced, but had the good grace to wait until I had passed my test to do so. To ease the financial burden I moved in with my dad and left my brother with my mum. Father was a policeman and secured a police house complete with office and a garage.
I'd always wanted a Herald convertible, so bought a 13/60 that was for sale about 30 miles away. We went to collect it and it drove home fine. I proceeded to "restore" it, in the way a teenage boy does: badly, with little attention to detail and only when I could be bothered.
Respraying was carried out in the garage which was so narrow I had to do one side at a time. When dry I pushed it out into the sunshine to admire...the orange peel. More like orange acne, in fact.
I pushed it back in the garage and left home for a job 250 miles away. When my dad had to move out of the police accommodation he sold the car for a few quid and off it went, ironically back to the same village I bought it from.
The current small chassis is a GT6, and apart from an exciting journey home when I bought it last year, has been fairly boring to date.
I had a Spitfire 1500 in green, it was my first car back in 1981. Had many incidents, mainly drivetrain related, not sure if the drivetrain was just weak or I was giving it too much abuse as I managed to fry the clutch pretty much yearly!
We had a lot of rain over the winter and many of the roads around us had flooded. On my way home I managed to get through a few large 'puddles', once even had the wave of water coming up over the bonnet and hitting the screen but the last one, very close to home proved too deep and the car just stopped in the middle of a small river running over the road.
I sat there for a minute or so, wondering what to do whilst the car slowly filled up with water seeping through the door seals until it got up to about the level of the top of the seats.
not wanting to fill it up too much, I opened the top and climbed out, although the flood was in a slight dip, I was able to push it out of the flood, the water was over my knees.
Once out I opened the doors to let the excess water out, got back in and turned the ignition and, surprisingly it started right up - can only assume it stopped because the exhaust was blocked by the water? I drove home the couple of miles whilst sitting in a bath of cold river water.
Once home I managed to bail out most of the water and found there were some grommet/holes under the carpets so removed them to drain it. As it was winter, it took months to fully dry out and the speakers (cut into the rear panel in front of the fuel tank) never sounded the same again.
We had a lot of rain over the winter and many of the roads around us had flooded. On my way home I managed to get through a few large 'puddles', once even had the wave of water coming up over the bonnet and hitting the screen but the last one, very close to home proved too deep and the car just stopped in the middle of a small river running over the road.
I sat there for a minute or so, wondering what to do whilst the car slowly filled up with water seeping through the door seals until it got up to about the level of the top of the seats.
not wanting to fill it up too much, I opened the top and climbed out, although the flood was in a slight dip, I was able to push it out of the flood, the water was over my knees.
Once out I opened the doors to let the excess water out, got back in and turned the ignition and, surprisingly it started right up - can only assume it stopped because the exhaust was blocked by the water? I drove home the couple of miles whilst sitting in a bath of cold river water.
Once home I managed to bail out most of the water and found there were some grommet/holes under the carpets so removed them to drain it. As it was winter, it took months to fully dry out and the speakers (cut into the rear panel in front of the fuel tank) never sounded the same again.
catso said:
Once home I managed to bail out most of the water and found there were some grommet/holes under the carpets so removed them to drain it. As it was winter, it took months to fully dry out and the speakers (cut into the rear panel in front of the fuel tank) never sounded the same again.
What were you playing - Handel's Water Music? Springsteen's The River? Blondie - The Tide is High? etc
threespires said:
"A very friendly wall"
An ITV interview in 1956 about the 1955 Tulip Rally in a Triumph TR2
Thanks for posting, threespires.An ITV interview in 1956 about the 1955 Tulip Rally in a Triumph TR2
Different world, eh? Nowadays international rally drivers would be banging on about power, grip, the right tyres, sponsorship, power, stage times, how slippery it is, power, championship aspirations and power. This lady frequently discusses the views and uses the word "nice" a lot.
Triumph #1 - a Herald 13/60 I learned to drive in , on the mean streets of Pontefract
Triumph #2 Dad's Vitesse Mk1 2litre. Oversteered like a b
d ; quick , synchro MIA (my Fittipaldi fast gearchanges? Hmm ). Pinked on 5 star , overheated until Kenlowe installed
Triumph # 3 Dad's Vitesse Mk 2 2 litre . Wonderful exhaust howl . Oversteered ,but less treacherously. Overdrive would sporadically go MIA . Even quicker. Written off after I over corrected my earlier over correction during my first encounter with black ice - lamp post intruded up on the passenger seat. Empty , thank God
Triumph # 4 Dad's Dolomite 1850 HL. A really nice car - swift , modern and refined . Or it would have been had it not destroyed 5 - count 'em - gearboxes in a year. . Chronic running on too- up to 30 seconds after you'd parked. Its piece de resistance was collapsing its n/s front suspension at 80mph on long RH leading to a viaduct on A1 . Dad sold it and stuck with Hondas (faultless) for the rest of his long life . Smart move .
Triumph # 5 1500 belonging to Dad's partner (in his general practice) Like a Dolomite with less go but with the advantage that it worked and didn't try to kill me
Triumph # 6 Mate's GT6 Mk 2 . A Vitesse in a mini dress' even more cramped inside....
Triumph ? Of hope over experience perhaps . A curate's egg of a marque best left in the dustbin of history , based on my experience
Triumph #2 Dad's Vitesse Mk1 2litre. Oversteered like a b
d ; quick , synchro MIA (my Fittipaldi fast gearchanges? Hmm ). Pinked on 5 star , overheated until Kenlowe installed Triumph # 3 Dad's Vitesse Mk 2 2 litre . Wonderful exhaust howl . Oversteered ,but less treacherously. Overdrive would sporadically go MIA . Even quicker. Written off after I over corrected my earlier over correction during my first encounter with black ice - lamp post intruded up on the passenger seat. Empty , thank God
Triumph # 4 Dad's Dolomite 1850 HL. A really nice car - swift , modern and refined . Or it would have been had it not destroyed 5 - count 'em - gearboxes in a year. . Chronic running on too- up to 30 seconds after you'd parked. Its piece de resistance was collapsing its n/s front suspension at 80mph on long RH leading to a viaduct on A1 . Dad sold it and stuck with Hondas (faultless) for the rest of his long life . Smart move .
Triumph # 5 1500 belonging to Dad's partner (in his general practice) Like a Dolomite with less go but with the advantage that it worked and didn't try to kill me
Triumph # 6 Mate's GT6 Mk 2 . A Vitesse in a mini dress' even more cramped inside....
Triumph ? Of hope over experience perhaps . A curate's egg of a marque best left in the dustbin of history , based on my experience
My first triumph apart from mothers dolly 1850 was a 68 spitfire 3, I borrowed a toyota tercel and a trailer to collect this from somerset and on the way back collected an xr2 on the trailer that was going a bit quick. The spitfire was fine but the impact bent the towbar and the whole combination had to be recovered. I eventually got the spitfire going and sold it to a dutchman as having two cars was taking up too much time fixing them, my daily driver was an MGA, this was in 1995......
didnt go back til I bought a TR4 which I still have and am quite keen on, just did the Winter Challenge in it and the dear old thing did Monte Carlo to Suffolk in one hit never missed a beat 14 hours door to door which I dont think is bad for a car older than me.
Have a soft spot for an early 2000 estate though but they are not getting any cheaper....
didnt go back til I bought a TR4 which I still have and am quite keen on, just did the Winter Challenge in it and the dear old thing did Monte Carlo to Suffolk in one hit never missed a beat 14 hours door to door which I dont think is bad for a car older than me.
Have a soft spot for an early 2000 estate though but they are not getting any cheaper....
Another Triumph that met a watery fate was a true cut-and-shut Herald that had been converted into a Vitesse convertible look-alike by its owner: basically two different cars stuck together with a white front half and a brown rear half. The owner took us to the beach at Brancaster, Norfolk. Meanwhile the tide came in and the car filled up around our ankles with salt water as we headed back home down the access road. I doubt it lasted much longer before being scrapped once and for all.
coppice said:
...stuff about Dolomites...
These were a great car. The day I passed my test 27th October 1985) I was put on the trade policy of the used car dealership I worked at, part time, and was allowed to use anything that came in part exchange with tax and MoT. I was still at school so was the only kid in sixth form with a company car. Dolomites were a rare treat, what with the lovely wooden dash and often with overdrive, and were quite popular with the girls. Triumph #1
2500 Mk2 in French Blue - my first car and tempting fate to be in such a tail-happy thing amid a sea of Metros and 2CVs as a student. Died pretty much exactly the kind of death you would expect.
I put a set of 2500S instruments in it, and changed the clutch with it on ramps in the road, which was educational. Party tricks included slightly dodgy wiring to the overdrive inhibitor switch - reverse too enthusiastically and the gearbox would squat the wires against the tunnel, the resulting short putting all the lights out. And anyway, I wanted a PI. Replaced with…
Triumph #2
2500 Mk2 PI in Burnt Sienna, or whatever they called that dark brown. Pulled out the brown velour seats and swapped-in the black vinyl ones from Triumph #1, along with the black door cards and smaller-diameter steering wheel. My second-ever car and my first automatic: inevitably the day dawned when it wouldn’t start and I had more or less completely dismantled the dash before I remembered that autos only start in P or N…
Converted it to manual o/d, which was educational. Killed when someone ran into the back of it. The combination of a dead alternator and broken clutch slave cylinder made one journey across London quite memorable. Replaced with…
Triumph #3
Very late M-reg 2500 Mk2 PI in Wedgwood Blue. Swapped-out the blue interior for the black vinyl from Triumphs #1 & #2. Went like stink. Suffered very badly from fuel boiling in the pump and vapour locking: a cooling coil on the pump and a bit of 2.5” drain pipe through the boot floor helped, but not as much as carrying a 5l petrol can full of water to pour on the pump when it got too hot.
Changed the clutch and rebuilt the o/d in the street, and replaced some of the high pressure fuel line with ordinary fuel pipe, which was educational for a short time. Also fitted 14” wheels with Rostyle trims from a Stag, which looked very good.
It holed a piston on the M3 but kept running all the way back to Dorset, only throwing in the towel on the drive into work the next day.
Party tricks included cutting-out mid-overtake on the A303 in the Blackdown hills and stranding me in a dip in the road in Richmond when the prop shaft broke and also took out the handbrake cable, making it a bit tricky to leave the car to go and phone the RAC…
Replaced with…
Triumph #4
Vitesse 2 litre Convertible (Mk1) in Cherry Red. Went very nicely, but with a lot of miles - it was my only wheels - started jumping out of third. The living room carpet smelt of EP90 for ages after I rebuilt the gearbox in there. Swapped the motor for a tweaked high-compression lump from a banger racing acquaintance, which then overheated and cracked its head. Pushed for time I replaced the head with the one from Triumph #3, along with the pushrods and other bits needed to crowbar a 2500 head onto a 2000 block. The result has all the speed of a stunned slug, but at least it ran.
Party tricks included a passenger door that would automatically open on right-handers and a steering column that was so flexible that the horn would sound on left-handers. Parking late at night was a bit of a trial. It was also a bloody uncomfortable place to spend the night.
Despite the pathetic lack of oomph I managed to prang it hard enough to put it off the road for a few months, necessitating the acquisition of…
Triumph #5
Immaculate low-mileage 2500 Mk2 PI in white. Already had a black vinyl interior, so no need to swap that out. Gorgeous thing, save for the usual problems with the clutch release mechanism.
There followed a short Triumph-free interregnum before the acquisition of Reliants #1 & #2, which have TR6 front suspension, trunnions and all, so I’m still afflicted.
2500 Mk2 in French Blue - my first car and tempting fate to be in such a tail-happy thing amid a sea of Metros and 2CVs as a student. Died pretty much exactly the kind of death you would expect.
I put a set of 2500S instruments in it, and changed the clutch with it on ramps in the road, which was educational. Party tricks included slightly dodgy wiring to the overdrive inhibitor switch - reverse too enthusiastically and the gearbox would squat the wires against the tunnel, the resulting short putting all the lights out. And anyway, I wanted a PI. Replaced with…
Triumph #2
2500 Mk2 PI in Burnt Sienna, or whatever they called that dark brown. Pulled out the brown velour seats and swapped-in the black vinyl ones from Triumph #1, along with the black door cards and smaller-diameter steering wheel. My second-ever car and my first automatic: inevitably the day dawned when it wouldn’t start and I had more or less completely dismantled the dash before I remembered that autos only start in P or N…
Converted it to manual o/d, which was educational. Killed when someone ran into the back of it. The combination of a dead alternator and broken clutch slave cylinder made one journey across London quite memorable. Replaced with…
Triumph #3
Very late M-reg 2500 Mk2 PI in Wedgwood Blue. Swapped-out the blue interior for the black vinyl from Triumphs #1 & #2. Went like stink. Suffered very badly from fuel boiling in the pump and vapour locking: a cooling coil on the pump and a bit of 2.5” drain pipe through the boot floor helped, but not as much as carrying a 5l petrol can full of water to pour on the pump when it got too hot.
Changed the clutch and rebuilt the o/d in the street, and replaced some of the high pressure fuel line with ordinary fuel pipe, which was educational for a short time. Also fitted 14” wheels with Rostyle trims from a Stag, which looked very good.
It holed a piston on the M3 but kept running all the way back to Dorset, only throwing in the towel on the drive into work the next day.
Party tricks included cutting-out mid-overtake on the A303 in the Blackdown hills and stranding me in a dip in the road in Richmond when the prop shaft broke and also took out the handbrake cable, making it a bit tricky to leave the car to go and phone the RAC…
Replaced with…
Triumph #4
Vitesse 2 litre Convertible (Mk1) in Cherry Red. Went very nicely, but with a lot of miles - it was my only wheels - started jumping out of third. The living room carpet smelt of EP90 for ages after I rebuilt the gearbox in there. Swapped the motor for a tweaked high-compression lump from a banger racing acquaintance, which then overheated and cracked its head. Pushed for time I replaced the head with the one from Triumph #3, along with the pushrods and other bits needed to crowbar a 2500 head onto a 2000 block. The result has all the speed of a stunned slug, but at least it ran.
Party tricks included a passenger door that would automatically open on right-handers and a steering column that was so flexible that the horn would sound on left-handers. Parking late at night was a bit of a trial. It was also a bloody uncomfortable place to spend the night.
Despite the pathetic lack of oomph I managed to prang it hard enough to put it off the road for a few months, necessitating the acquisition of…
Triumph #5
Immaculate low-mileage 2500 Mk2 PI in white. Already had a black vinyl interior, so no need to swap that out. Gorgeous thing, save for the usual problems with the clutch release mechanism.
There followed a short Triumph-free interregnum before the acquisition of Reliants #1 & #2, which have TR6 front suspension, trunnions and all, so I’m still afflicted.
Edited by IroningMan on Wednesday 19th July 20:57
Triumph #1
Spitfire MkIV in, well pick a colour, any colour. Sienna brown (AKA "st brown") out the factory, white when I bought it, Inca Yellow after first resto., custom metallic yellow after second. Bought as my first car aged 19 when I worked out I could buy and insure one for a year for the cost of the insurance for a year on a ratty Fiesta or similar. Still mine, still on the road, water still drips in onto your right leg from the top of the windscreen frame in the rain (which is why you should always know where your towel is). Generally reliable (for a 50 year old cheap British car with a designed life about 2 days longer than the warranty). More than enough modifications to really upset the originality Nazis (one of my hobbies).
Triumph #2
2500PI Mk2 in green. Bought as a generally solid barn find with plans to get it back on the road while on a long term project that had me staying back at my folks place. Project cancelled about a month later and car still sat on parent's drive. I REALLY need to get around to moving it on!
Triumph #3
2500 'PI' Mk2 in dark blue. Fitted with a 2500S engine when I bought it and a generally reliable, faithful old beast - it even did me the kindness of only blowing a brake pipe as I pulled into my folk drive...at the end of barreling 100m down the M5 from Stoke. Always scraped through its MOTs until the faitful day I got a call from my friendly MOT station asking me to pop down. "It's failed on corrosion. I've left it up on the ramp if you can pop down now...". Yea, upper body was solid. Floors were solid. Points where the upper body was still connected to the floors were...limited. Became a parts car where all I think I still want is the rear window (with still working demister!).
Triumph #4
2500 'PI' Mk2 in carmine red. Previously restored and converted to 2500S spec. and now fitted with the 'best of both' between it and the blue one. Generally rolls along but the (known when i bought it) cheap respray is breaking up. Need to get my thumb out by butt and move forward with "The Plan" - fit the Stag v8 lurking in my garage, then get it properly resprayed (in a non-standard colour to keep the originality nutters foaming at the mouth).
Spitfire MkIV in, well pick a colour, any colour. Sienna brown (AKA "s
t brown") out the factory, white when I bought it, Inca Yellow after first resto., custom metallic yellow after second. Bought as my first car aged 19 when I worked out I could buy and insure one for a year for the cost of the insurance for a year on a ratty Fiesta or similar. Still mine, still on the road, water still drips in onto your right leg from the top of the windscreen frame in the rain (which is why you should always know where your towel is). Generally reliable (for a 50 year old cheap British car with a designed life about 2 days longer than the warranty). More than enough modifications to really upset the originality Nazis (one of my hobbies).Triumph #2
2500PI Mk2 in green. Bought as a generally solid barn find with plans to get it back on the road while on a long term project that had me staying back at my folks place. Project cancelled about a month later and car still sat on parent's drive. I REALLY need to get around to moving it on!
Triumph #3
2500 'PI' Mk2 in dark blue. Fitted with a 2500S engine when I bought it and a generally reliable, faithful old beast - it even did me the kindness of only blowing a brake pipe as I pulled into my folk drive...at the end of barreling 100m down the M5 from Stoke. Always scraped through its MOTs until the faitful day I got a call from my friendly MOT station asking me to pop down. "It's failed on corrosion. I've left it up on the ramp if you can pop down now...". Yea, upper body was solid. Floors were solid. Points where the upper body was still connected to the floors were...limited. Became a parts car where all I think I still want is the rear window (with still working demister!).
Triumph #4
2500 'PI' Mk2 in carmine red. Previously restored and converted to 2500S spec. and now fitted with the 'best of both' between it and the blue one. Generally rolls along but the (known when i bought it) cheap respray is breaking up. Need to get my thumb out by butt and move forward with "The Plan" - fit the Stag v8 lurking in my garage, then get it properly resprayed (in a non-standard colour to keep the originality nutters foaming at the mouth).
I loved my old Triumphs... they used to be such good value, years ago.
My first four wheeler was an Austin Maxi, but it went as soon as I passed my test and was replaced by a modified GT6 Mk2 After that I had loads of small chassis Triumphs including a 1200 Convertible with a half race Spitty motor (in which I lost my licence racing the Chief Super of Wiltshire Constabulary - mistook his Granada for a mate's Sierra), a 2.5 TR6 spec' "Vitesse" convertible that I built from a 1600 "6" saloon and half a dozen other cars, a 13/60 pick up, a "Cal-look" 1200 saloon with a 1500 Dolomite engine and overdrive, a '72 Mk4 Spitty that was in fact a late 1500... a T-top Bond Equipe custom (that I never finished building) and a Vincent Hurricane, among others.
The watery tales above tho', reminded me of our Triumph 2000. My better half very nearly lost her leg when someone drove into her whilst she was riding her Harley. Thankfully, we weren't far from stoke Mandeville, so that's where she ended up for a month. We were living in Swindon at the time, so I bought a twenty five year old 2000 auto' for £500. Over the course of the next twelve months, I put around twenty five thousand miles on it running back and forth to hospital appointments. It barely skipped a beat and was just the job as far as comfort, ride quality, wide doors and the various other needs of a seriously beat up invalid were concerned.
It was a pretty dire time for us, with the threat of other half's leg being amputated still hanging around nearly a year after the accident. On one journey to Stoke Mandeville, the road around Stadhampton was described as flooded. We carried on, splashing through the, in the main, large puddles until clearing the bridge over the swollen river. No harm done, lots of splashing and a bit of light relief... Nine hours later, we were heading home over the same roads and it hadn't occurred to me that the water levels may have risen. As we dropped off the bridge into the flood water, the headlamps dipped under the water level, the water rushing over the bonnet and against the windscreen. It was a bit late to try and stop so it was toe down and hope for the best. Part way through the flood, the rear wheels lost traction and the rear of the car was pushed by the current onto the verge - thankfully, this was just enough for us to gain a little grip and to be able to drive out of the flood water - which it was obvious now had spread out over several hundred yards and had a strong current. As we rolled onto the drier section of road I could smell anti freeze, the force of the fan trying to spin through the water had caused it to deflect and cut a dinner plate sized hole through the radiator... Good job it was only about sixty miles home, which it managed no problem! A call to Wynn's Triumph had a replacement used rad' in it ready for the next Stoke Mandeville run a couple of days later. It was still running fine when I sold it six months and ten thousand miles further on... but had a six inch crease in the nearside rear wing, where it was washed into a wooden post, to remind me of just how bad things could have been.
Just a few of them... (and don't start me on the bikes!).
My first four wheeler was an Austin Maxi, but it went as soon as I passed my test and was replaced by a modified GT6 Mk2 After that I had loads of small chassis Triumphs including a 1200 Convertible with a half race Spitty motor (in which I lost my licence racing the Chief Super of Wiltshire Constabulary - mistook his Granada for a mate's Sierra), a 2.5 TR6 spec' "Vitesse" convertible that I built from a 1600 "6" saloon and half a dozen other cars, a 13/60 pick up, a "Cal-look" 1200 saloon with a 1500 Dolomite engine and overdrive, a '72 Mk4 Spitty that was in fact a late 1500... a T-top Bond Equipe custom (that I never finished building) and a Vincent Hurricane, among others.
The watery tales above tho', reminded me of our Triumph 2000. My better half very nearly lost her leg when someone drove into her whilst she was riding her Harley. Thankfully, we weren't far from stoke Mandeville, so that's where she ended up for a month. We were living in Swindon at the time, so I bought a twenty five year old 2000 auto' for £500. Over the course of the next twelve months, I put around twenty five thousand miles on it running back and forth to hospital appointments. It barely skipped a beat and was just the job as far as comfort, ride quality, wide doors and the various other needs of a seriously beat up invalid were concerned.
It was a pretty dire time for us, with the threat of other half's leg being amputated still hanging around nearly a year after the accident. On one journey to Stoke Mandeville, the road around Stadhampton was described as flooded. We carried on, splashing through the, in the main, large puddles until clearing the bridge over the swollen river. No harm done, lots of splashing and a bit of light relief... Nine hours later, we were heading home over the same roads and it hadn't occurred to me that the water levels may have risen. As we dropped off the bridge into the flood water, the headlamps dipped under the water level, the water rushing over the bonnet and against the windscreen. It was a bit late to try and stop so it was toe down and hope for the best. Part way through the flood, the rear wheels lost traction and the rear of the car was pushed by the current onto the verge - thankfully, this was just enough for us to gain a little grip and to be able to drive out of the flood water - which it was obvious now had spread out over several hundred yards and had a strong current. As we rolled onto the drier section of road I could smell anti freeze, the force of the fan trying to spin through the water had caused it to deflect and cut a dinner plate sized hole through the radiator... Good job it was only about sixty miles home, which it managed no problem! A call to Wynn's Triumph had a replacement used rad' in it ready for the next Stoke Mandeville run a couple of days later. It was still running fine when I sold it six months and ten thousand miles further on... but had a six inch crease in the nearside rear wing, where it was washed into a wooden post, to remind me of just how bad things could have been.
Just a few of them... (and don't start me on the bikes!).
Having owned several Triumphs in the past I fancies something pre-war so what better way than to combine the two.
Picture taken on its way down to the Le mans classic this year
1200 trouble free miles.
Picture taken on its way down to the Le mans classic this year
1200 trouble free miles.
Edited by Ozzer2006 on Friday 21st July 12:44
Edited by Ozzer2006 on Friday 21st July 12:47
The first Triumph in my life was in 1973. I was born in the April and my parents had returned to England from South Africa in the January along with their Triumph 2000 MK1. Not sure of the exact age as it was issued with an ‘M’ suffix but have been told it had been lowered, fitted with banded steel wheels and sported a straight through exhaust. My dad worked for Leyland in South Africa and recalls it belonging to one of the management team prior to his ownership. During 1975 it was part exchanged for a Vauxhall Viva estate.
Fast forward to 1979 and three Triumphs join the family. My grandad part exchanged his N-registered Datsun 140J for a brand new Triumph Dolomite 1500 in yellow, RLV170T. At the same time my Dad decided to trade our MGBGT, OLU315L, for a low mileage honeysuckle Triumph 2500TC, PKD908M. A couple of hundred miles away my uncle purchased an Emerald Green Stag, SVX982M. I was only six years of age and I’m certain that this all had an effect on me.
I have owned many cars myself including a carmine red GT6, CBH5**K and a late model blue 2500Pi, JKV76N.
In 2011 I was in the privileged position to buy the same Stag that my uncle still owned. He had relocated to South West France so my dad and I booked a one way plane ticket to pick it up and drive it back to England. It made such an impression on me as a child that I had to buy it and, hopefully, will never part with it.
Fast forward to 1979 and three Triumphs join the family. My grandad part exchanged his N-registered Datsun 140J for a brand new Triumph Dolomite 1500 in yellow, RLV170T. At the same time my Dad decided to trade our MGBGT, OLU315L, for a low mileage honeysuckle Triumph 2500TC, PKD908M. A couple of hundred miles away my uncle purchased an Emerald Green Stag, SVX982M. I was only six years of age and I’m certain that this all had an effect on me.
I have owned many cars myself including a carmine red GT6, CBH5**K and a late model blue 2500Pi, JKV76N.
In 2011 I was in the privileged position to buy the same Stag that my uncle still owned. He had relocated to South West France so my dad and I booked a one way plane ticket to pick it up and drive it back to England. It made such an impression on me as a child that I had to buy it and, hopefully, will never part with it.
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