A Triumph badged sports car by 2010!!!

[Mickey Richaud]

I briefly lost my Accord in the airport long-term parking lot on Saturday. The guard on duty asked if he could be of any assistance, till I told him it was a silver Accord. He said, "so is every car in this lot".

...And if it's not a silver Accord, it looks just like one!

 

[Andrew Mace]

...A big part of the love of our Triumphs is the fact that we're all masochists and there just isn't enough of us in the world anymore to justify an unreliable, temperamental, uncomfortable car that requires constant attention and only occasional driving....

Please understand that this is not a personal attack, but am I the only person who does NOT feel this way about Triumphs?In nearly 40 years of my own ownership and nearly 50 years of Triumphs in my family, I can't think of one Triumph that was excessively unreliable and/or needed any more attention than any contemporary car. When they were new or current, perhaps some of this "attitude" came either from neglect or lack of readily available and quality service. And perhaps as these cars get older and older, much of the same "attitude" comes from those cars that somehow survived the neglect and bungling and are still out there waiting to be a: properly repaired and b: driven regularly enough to prevent problems that stem from sitting around.

But that's me. Again, no offense intended, ok? /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grouphug.gif

 

[TR6oldtimer]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]I can't think of one Triumph that was excessively unreliable and/or needed any more attention than any contemporary car. [/QUOTE]

Have you forgotten about the evil doer?


<span style='font-size: 26pt'><span style="color: #FF0000">LUCAS, LORD OF DARKNESS</span></span>

These parts came broken.

I suppose if the BMW Triumph has Lucas electric, we will all be happy.

 

[Guest]

I guess some of my feelings towards my Triumph is the fact that it <span style='font-size: 17pt'>is</span> a 34-year-old car.

 

[tomshobby]

No Andy, you are not the only one. I put many hard miles on my TR4 and GT6 in the '60's and '70's and they were very reliable. Better than some of the American cars I had. I had to rebuild a couple of starters and replaced one transmission in each and the rear end in the GT6 once, and a lot of tires. But I had to replace the transmission five times in my '55 Olds, and many times in my GTO. And the engine and trans in my '81 Bonneville. Of course I had only a 100k+ on the Triumphs and 455k+ on the Bonneville.

The thing is that I drove them like I would any other car.

 

[TR6oldtimer]

Actually, the '64 TR4 I bought in '66 and kept until '74 when I launched it over a center divider, served me well. I routinely drove it at 80mph from Vallejo, CA to San Diego, CA, as well as a cross country trip to Balston Spa, NY where it went through a winter (-40). I never garaged the car, even in NY.

The only real gripe I had was the generator or regulator which always went out at the most inopportune time. Like at night in the rain coming back from Connecticut. We disconnected one head light, turned off the heater, cycled the wipers, stopped at two garages to recharge the battery, but we made it. It was not a Lucas thing, just what generators did from time to time.

When new, they were as reliable and as good as anything in their price range.

 

[TR3driver]

I can't think of one Triumph that was excessively unreliable and/or needed any more attention than any contemporary car.

I'm guessing you've never owned a Stag or TR7 ?
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I love my Triumphs, flaws and all. But I can't think of any other contemporary car where a minor overheating episode can so easily lead to major engine work.

Any new car wearing a Triumph badge would be just that; and I would be willing to judge it on it's merits. But a Miata or Z3 that said 'Triumph' wouldn't be any better than without the Triumph badge, IMO.

 

[Tinster]

That's pretty cool Andy! You have been a
very lucky guy.

But have you forgotten about the Crypt Car?
The cost of a low end Mercedes for 200 miles
of driving? I think there are many cars like this
or the big Three would not be in business.

I used to purchase Chevy Cavaliers for my employee's use.
At the end of 4 year's use most had 200,000+ miles on them
with only tires, brakes, oil changes and the usual routine maintenance performed.

My experience would indicate the TR6 was always a low
reliability, high maintenance auto purchased by the more
well-to-do crowd.

Just my opinion

d

 

[4aKen]

I'd like BMW engineering, 200hp to 245hp, a study between the TR4 and TR6, slightly smaller then a 55 t-bird (boomers need comfort), flow free TR exhaust, rwd, that subtle bounce in the rearend, for around 35k. To much to ask?

 

[myspitfire]

Quoting Andy;AMEN on the last two lines in your statement.THATS what i fear,And when ALL the original(or restored to original)Triumphs are gone,well their just gone forever.At the moment theirs so many mod's happening right now i'm afraid that alone will wipe away the originality.Only because of the need for speed.And i just love it admiring my 'WhiteLightning'knowing at the moment EVERYTHING;s in great working order where i can hop in and feel free to go anywhere at anytime without hesitation.Except when it rains or snows & in the winter.Even then when its cold but sunny i'm still out their.
PS;Not to change the subject but read in the sunday 'parade'supplement that 'a high mount brake light' for the front of the car may not be a bad idea,I QUOTE"
BRAKE LIGHTS FOR THE FRONT"Brake lights in the front of cars would better communicate the intentions of drivers."QUOTE'I have found myself in the middle of an intersection under a traffic light,ready to make a left-hand turn",Wrote a reader,"I never know when the ONCOMING traffic is stopping"END QUOTE....Any thoughts?..Ken

 

[PATR8]

I have always driven cars I enjoy, I will admit that it may be the fact I miss being the danger of being in the middle east that I replace with the need for a Triumph and it's constant need for vigilance. I have avoided cars because of the manifacure or location of the owners but I never bought a car for just the name (That is a Yuppie thing, have to have a Lexus or Acura....)

I go for cars that are fun to drive and enjoyable. If a new TR came out, sure I would look at it.

I agree that for me there will never be another Triumph.

 

[Deleted member 451]

My wife is the proud owner of a Z3 which I am forced to drive on occation. The reason I don't like the car is because of the interior room which is smaller than a Spitfire. After owing a dozen LBCs and 8 Porsches I also find the shifter a little rubbery. On the other hand if I could mount that glass smooth I6 engine in my 944(or TR3for that matter)I could be real happy.
So if BMW would strech the wheelbase of the Z3/4 by about 5" and build a nice retro style car, I'de probably take a look regardless of what they called it.

 

[70herald]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]I can't think of one Triumph that was excessively unreliable and/or needed any more attention than any contemporary car.

Have you forgotten about the evil doer?


<span style='font-size: 26pt'><span style="color: #FF0000">LUCAS, LORD OF DARKNESS</span></span>

These parts came broken.

I suppose if the BMW Triumph has Lucas electric, we will all be happy. [/QUOTE]

My fathers '70 VW Beetle with Bosch electrical bit has been giving Sir Joseph a real run for the money lately! The fact in that most problems with the Lucas electric bit can be solved by cleaning the connectors.

 

[Andrew Mace]

That's pretty cool Andy! You have been a
very lucky guy.

But have you forgotten about the Crypt Car?....

Not at all, Dale. But that's why I added the caveat in my post. Crypty might well have been the PR equivalent (or actually so) of a Cuban car, kept alive in an area where NO spare parts were available by adapting whatever was at hand. Sadly, over the years, that practice has NOT been limited to Cuba, and (arguably) the parts situation and expertise available is often better than it was when Triumphs were current cars.

Remember, unlike VW, Triumphs were almost always a sideline to one or more American lines, or just one of many in a typical all-import dealership. Triumph really did a pretty good job over their years of sales in North America, in trying their best to keep parts in the pipeline and even occasionally providing training and support; of course, that was a moot point if you were 50 miles away from the nearest dealer and had already had a bad experience there. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

Don't get me wrong: over the years I have made plenty of repairs to my Triumphs, but few of them were what I'd consider to have been extraordinary in terms of "but that NEVER happens to a Chevy"!I've also had my share of Volvos and Saabs, which I sometimes cynically came to view as being so safe because there was often a problem that took them off the road completely! Oh, and the Subaru that had rear shocks fail like clockwork every 60,000 miles. Ok, except that the shocks would invariably and suddenly cease to be of any function at all. I got very good at changing them quickly, a process very similar to that used in changing the front shocks on a Herald/Spitfire (on which I've never had to replace a front or rear shock because of a sudden and complete failure).

And Randall, no, I've never had either a TR7 or Stag. I'll probably never be able to afford a Stag anyway, but I'd not turn down a well-sorted TR7. (But remember, Leyland quality control was probably at its worst in the first couple years of TR7s, so much so that they actually had to close the Liverpool assembly plant and move production to Conventry and, later, Solihull!)

And there's that ingenious design of fiber timing gears on old Chevy 6s. When they broke, it was as bad or worse than breaking a timing belt on a modern engine with "interference" valves (fully open valve hitting a piston at TDC). Oh, and mom's brand-new '68 Ford Country Squire that dropped a front shock clean out of the car about a month after we bought it. Oh, and...never mind. My point is, again, that I don't view Triumphs or most other British cars as inherently worse than any contemporary car in terms of reliability; in fact, I think they were often much better than some IF properly maintained. And that still holds true today, IF properly maintained and driven regularly. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/driving.gif

 

[TR3driver]

(But remember, Leyland quality control was probably at its worst in the first couple years of TR7s, so much so that they actually had to close the Liverpool assembly plant and move production to Conventry and, later, Solihull!)

Agreed. But even ignoring build quality issues (which were common with American cars too), the Stag/TR7 motor has some really awful design decisions in it. Somehow, I can just hear the Triumph engineers saying "We'll show those *#$ Swedes how to build a *&% engine !".

And while we're on the subject, IMO Lucas gets blamed for a lot of things that weren't really their fault. They made better quality components, but Triumph/Leyland chose the cheapest thing they could find; and left out little details like fuses. Lucas wasn't the best in the world, certainly, but no worse IMO than say, Bosch at the same time (and better than Marelli).

 

[TR3driver]

QUOTE'I have found myself in the middle of an intersection under a traffic light,ready to make a left-hand turn",Wrote a reader,"I never know when the ONCOMING traffic is stopping"END QUOTE....Any thoughts?..Ken

OH ! How terrible that they might possibly have to wait a whole 45 seconds for the light to change ! CLEARLY the whole world should change, just to ensure that they never, ever have to wait such a horrible long time.

Heaven forbid they should actually have to follow a different route to avoid difficult left turns. That would be totally unacceptable !

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