Out of the Woodwork 2003
Colin Lyons brings us up to speed on the annual TVR gathering in New Jersey
The TVR Car Club of North America has approximately 480 members spread far and wide, not only in the US but many are located in the UK and Europe. For those of us in the UK who consider a 100-mile drive in a TVR to be an adventure, imagine driving over 1000 miles to get to the show. But that’s exactly what some have to do to attend the annual Out of the Woodwork show in New Jersey.
Woodwork, as it’s commonly abbreviated to, started in the early 1980s as a small show for British sports cars. In 1983, the guy who organized it was also a TVRCCNA member and it soon became the annual national show for US-based TVRs.
This year's guest of honour was Gerry Sagerman, who raced a Grantura at Sebring in 1963 with Mark Donahue, bought a Mk3 Grantura in 1964 and became the TVR North American importer from 1965 to 1979. Gerry has related 100s of TVR stories to me during the years that I have known him, unfortunately most can’t be put into print!
A sign of a successful show is usually based on not only how many turn up on the day, but how many turn up at the hotel on the Friday before the show. This year there were already a good number in the Holiday Inn car park by 4pm and by 6.30pm we counted 20 TVRs, some driven great distance and some trailered. By midnight, many had retired after their long journeys but I and a few others had re-acquainted our taste for weak American beer and spent a bit longer in the bar.
But the time most of us had arisen and had breakfast at the local diner, a few more cars had arrived. By lunchtime there were 35 cars, all gleaming in the bright New Jersey sunshine – yes, sunshine! Unlike previous years, the currant bun had followed me over from the UK and by 2pm I had to put on a layer of factor 20.
Auction
The dinner later that evening was well-attended and this was followed by the annual auction. This year, TVR Engineering had sent about 15 kilos of miscellaneous TVR bits, including AJP pistons, bits of a Le Mans car and various literature. Needless to say, I was selected for a random check at Gatwick and explaining what all these bits were to the girl at the security luggage check were was interesting.
I also had autographed bits from Peter Wheeler and Martin Lilley, plus items from the PH shop kindly donated by Ted, a couple of TVR models from the TVRCC and some stickers from Dave & Diane of Mid-Essex fame. The star lot in the auction was one of two one-quarter scale wind tunnel models of the 1971 TVR Zante which Gerry brought with him. It fetched $1250 after some spirited bidding and is now somewhere amongst Bill Sandford’s vast collection of TVR automobilia. The original Motor Show car is back at the factory, partially restored, but that’s another story.
Sunday
The warm sunny weather continued on the Sunday and this brought some ‘interesting’ cars out at the show itself, along with the 50 or so TVRs that had assembled. Most of the people there had never even heard of a Metro 6R4, let alone seen one, but there one was, with it’s quad-cam V6 producing a rasping growl. A pair of classic Saabs stood out, including a rare Sonnet. The D-type won a couple of awards - rumour was that it was a real one but you never can tell these days. Amongst all the other British Classics were Morgans, TRs, Lotuses, an Austin Healy 3000 Mk3, an Aston DB7, Morris Minor, MGB, Spitfires plus an immaculate Reliant Van! ‘Other’ cars of note included a nice Ferrari and a GT(D)40.
I’ve been to several Woodworks now and the quality of cars there this year was the best yet. Every model from a 1957 Jomar to a 1994 Griffith was represented with the three post 1987 cars journeying down again from Canada. There were the usual bunch of V8-converted Vixens and Ms, with one owner not content with a mere 350hp from his Ford 302, fitting a supercharger as well!
Specials
Cars that deserve a special mention are the immaculately restored Vixen 2500 that was the first 2500 built and imported to the US and the two Jomars brought along by Alex Saidel.
Gerry told us how he and Martin Lilley went to see the top honcho at Triumph in 1969 as the US market needed cars with a bit more go than the 1600 Ford engine could provide. A deal was struck for Triumph to supply TVR with the twin-carb TR250 engine as this had all the emission stuff fitted that the USA required. Somehow, a fuel-injected TR6 engine was sent to TVR by mistake and this was fitted to the prototype! The car has now been restored by David Zumstein in California for it’s owner and is far better than when TVR originally built it.
My personal favourites of the show were the two Jomars, one a supercharged Climax-engined racer with special bodywork by Ray Saidel of Saidel Sports Racing Cars of New Hampshire, who were the first TVR dealers in the US and a Jomar notchback which was built in Blackpool and pre-dates the Grantura. The Jomar story has been told, albeit briefly, in a couple of TVR books, maybe one day I’ll get around to doing a fuller history of the cars.
Many thanks to all those who contributed to another successful weekend, lets hope we get the same weather next time.
 Probably the only 6R4 in the USA. One TVR owner thought it was a Yugo! |  No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you! A Reliant Van on ‘historic’ New Jersey plates. ‘I told you to turn left at Catford, you plonker’ | |
 This D-type had all the right bits, hard to tell if it was the real-deal. |  This Vixen’s license plate prevented the owner from being stopped and asked ‘whatthehellisit?’ during his 1000 mile drive from Illinois | |
 – This 2500M now sports a supercharged 5-litre Ford V8. Brakes appeared to be standard! |  Gerry Sagerman and the Vixen 2500i prototype | |
 – Even TVR never built them to this standard |  This car was called the TVR Coupe when sold in the UK in 1958. In the US it was sold as a Jomar. | |
 Alex Saidel and the 1957 Jomar Racer, built by his father, Ray. |  Coventry Climax aluminium ohc race engine with Shorrocks supercharger sits neatly in one of Trevor Wilkinson’s early chassis. | |
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