• Hey Guest!
    British Car Forum has been supporting enthusiasts for over 25 years by providing a great place to share our love for British cars. You can support our efforts by upgrading your membership for less than the dues of most car clubs. There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Upgraded members don't see this banner, nor will you see the Google ads that appear on the site.)
Tips
Tips

...on being a Triumph owner...

Share this page

simpzimmer

simpzimmer

Senior Member
Offline
I had an extra minute so I thought I would relay two of my favorite times driving my Spit. My Spit is in the process of being restored. This is a slow process, in my case, but it's happening. My spit looks pretty good. Structurally it's tip-top, but it could use a paint job and a bumper restoration. It doesn't seem to matter, though. It's such a conversation piece that I'm always being stopped and asked about my car. Teenagers don't know what it is and love to hear about it. Older people always have something to say about the older cars, either relaying some info from some old Triumph or MG they use to own in college or generally commenting on the "tiny car." This happens most often at gas stations for some reason. So this is one of my favorite times to stop. Also, I love going through drive-through windows. The young girl at the window always seems to get a kick out of reaching the food down. This is one of my other favorite things to do in my Triumph.
Anyways, Happy Motoring
 
Yeah, ain't it great, Greg? /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

You've hit on why we love these little beasties. Glad you're enjoying the experience.

If you ever get over Clarksville way, be sure and look me up!

Mickey
 
Greg, like Mickey suggests, that's what it's all about! In recent years, I've had compliments, long conversations and passing thumbs-up from every conceivable type of person while in or near my Herald sedan. Other Triumphs I've driven through the years usually got the same types of positive reactions.

Back in the mid-1980s, I had a Mk3 GT6 that looked pretty decent from a distance, especially from the rear. Front view, though, yielded a very rusty front of the ill-fitting bonnet, no front bumper or underriders, and one Carmine Red quarter valence that obviously did NOT match the rest of the Laurel Green car. DIDN'T MATTER; people still loved the car!

Even back in the late 1960s, when I was in high school, the other kids @ school seemed to like the Heralds I had back then. (Of course, the football team and/or other burly types often got a real kick out of picking up and moving the car, or just raising and lowering the back of the car to make those swing-axled rear wheels tuck in.) /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif
 
One of the people that work the toll booth (a troll?) once asked me where I got my "kit car". She was amazed that the TR6 was mass produced and wanted to hear more. The line of cars behind me watching her leaning way out the window to give me change didn't seem to mind waiting.

My most often heard question is "Is that a TR6" ? -Yup, just like the large decals on the side say.

I also often carry a unicycle on the trunk rack and have people follow me into gas stations. They have interesting stories, but are either oblivious to the unicycle, or car, and ask intense questions about the other. It makes refuelling much more fun.
 
TexasKnucklehead said:
I also often carry a unicycle on the trunk rack and have people follow me into gas stations. They have interesting stories, but are either oblivious to the unicycle, or car, and ask intense questions about the other. It makes refuelling much more fun.
Click to expand...

That's the funniest thing I've heard in a while. I love funny things that don't really connect to other things. Alfred Hitchcock use to have dinner parties and invite a raving alcoholic 90 year-old lady whom no one knew. He would also not claim to know her "which he actually barely did." He would also on occasion dye the food blue and never comment upon it.

Ever since I read this I've been trying to think of what kind of odd-ball item I have around the farm to strap to my luggage rack.
 
Penny Farthing would be cool!

Tinkerman
 
Stopped at street vendor to buy a hotdog this afternoon.
A Cuban guy stops by, says he is visiting from Miami and
stated he sees a Triumph club with over 50 cars on a fairly
routine basis.

He asked me if I knew any of the Miami club members.

Do I ??? /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cool.gif /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cheers.gif

Oh and awesome! An nicely restored early 50's panel truck
paced me a while........ honking and waving. A nice day
to driving the SIX.

d
 
My pet peeve is while I'm driving on the open highway (in the right lane) doing 70 (or a bit more) and there is a tractor trailer 22-wheeler about a half mile ahead. Then a M/B or a Beemer comes out of nowhere behind me doing about 20 or 30 MPH faster than me. He's in the passing lane - because that's where he always drives. When he sees me he slows down to my speed and sits on my rear corner trying to make out what kind of car I'm driving.

Well, that 1/2 mile to the rear of the semi-trailer closes pretty fast at these speeds and next thing I know I have to slam on the brakes because I can't pull out to pass because the idiot is still just on my tail in that lane. So he forces me to jump on the clamps so I don't run under the back of the semi.

There are some real idiots out there. You have to keep your wits about you. Most of the time, it's a real pleasure to drive my TR3A.

Don Elliott, Original Owner
 
Should be no problem, Don. Wait for him to match speed, then flip the OD off while you do a power shift into 3rd. Then while the idiot is wondering what happened, cut in front of him. Best done without eye contact (love those wing mirrors) IMO, but you should have no trouble picking up a TR3 length before he can react. And with any luck, you'll scare him so badly that HE'll be the one cramping the binders.
 
Don,

Did they bother to give you the "Wave" or did yo give them a "wave" for what they did?
 
Tinkerman said:
Penny Farthing would be cool!

Tinkerman
Click to expand...

I have more than 1 size penny farthing, and they will not fit on the trunk rack of a TR6. The smallest (kid sized) has a 29" front wheel, but the frame and handle bars make it impossibe to fit on the rack. The 48" wheel of the normal sized "ordinary" is much larger than the car is wide. My 36" unicycle hangs over a bit on one side and the rear, but when strapped properly will not come off.

The "thumbs up" from passers-by is never clear to refer to the car, cycle or combination.

I like odd things too. My sister is a school psychologist and has been known to bring jello to parties -molded in the shape of a brain.

I try to not let the idiots driving next to me irritate me, though I do not know how to make them more intelligent. I figure that attention comes in good and bad ways, and we must be prepared to deal with both.
 
What always bothered me in my 3 is when a vehicle, especially trucks, drive up on your bumper, usually at night and shine that cyclops headlight into the rear view mirror. Eventually they back off to where you can both of them.

Put an old bowling ball on the luggage rack. Modify it so it won't roll around. That would get some odd stares.
 
Here in East Tennessee I deer hunt every fall/winter. This year, I was in the process of rebuilding my Dodge truck, the automobile I usually haul killed deer in. I didn't get a deer this year. But I fully planned if I did, I was going to strap it to the luggage rack to take it to the check-in station. I kind of hate that I missed the opportunity.
 
I know a guy that drives an old lincoln. On the roof, just above the driver, he has glued a coffee mug, next to a brief case that's bolted through the roof. He enjoys watching people point to their roof trying to explain he forgot something up there, while smiling and returning their wave as if he hasn't a clue why they are doing that.

Also seen where someone had a babby seat bolted to the roof with a doll in the seat.

The police regularly pull these people off the road and are concerend about how safely the 'attachments' are installed.

A bowling ball on the trunck rack would be great.
 
A little OT perhaps, but I promise there will be TR story in here...

So, I'm fresh out of the Navy and got my best friend to tow my Javelin AMX home for me.

But.

His regular truck is REALLY broken and we have to use his '72 Impala... Plenty of power, but.....
small_hitched-up.jpg


Really close to the ground!
small_hitch_closeup.jpg



And, amcboy and his toy...
small_pitstop.jpg


Almost as scary as the time we were doing well over 120mph in the Impala when the pop-rivets holding the home made moons on the original trim rings failed.

Mighty Spectacular.


My friend's best Impala tactic was to suddenly screech to a halt in front of some beautiful girls (why do they travel in packs?) on Atlantic Ave. in Va.Beach and then shout "Its my car. You hate me for my car don't you..." And then exercise the positraction (it was weak and would alternate sides during burnouts) while making his smoky departure.


But I am obfuscating the objective with trivialisms!


Set the way-back machine for 1986: I'm driving with my then-grilfriend, now somebody-elses-problem, in my '69 TR-6.

At a traffic light some punk in a '85 Camaro makes a rude comment about how the car is smoking from the exhaust.

I, of course, am un-flapped by this type of thing (as you all should be), and retort my favorite David Brown (of Aston Martin fame) quote when confronted by a similar cheeky blighter:

"What do you think is lubricating the valves.."

Punk: C'mon smokey lets go.
amcboy: OK

Light: Green

Punk redline side-steps the clutch and blows his universal joint u-bolts...

amcboy simply pulls away as Punk's driveshaft tinkles out from under his car...

"Revenge is a dish best served cold" -- Klingon proverb
 
Noice. A smile an' a wave... b-bye... meh.

Ex-swabbie, huh?

...I knew there was somethin' I liked about ya. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif
 
A customer of mine has a picture from years ago of a deer strapped to the luggage rack of his TR4. I have yet to it, but would love to get a copy.
 
TexasKnucklehead said:
I know a guy that drives an old lincoln. On the roof, just above the driver, he has glued a coffee mug, next to a brief case that's bolted through the roof. He enjoys watching people point to their roof trying to explain he forgot something up there, while smiling and returning their wave as if he hasn't a clue why they are doing that.

Also seen where someone had a babby seat bolted to the roof with a doll in the seat.

The police regularly pull these people off the road and are concerend about how safely the 'attachments' are installed.

A bowling ball on the trunck rack would be great.
Click to expand...

Either I know that guy also or there is some other guy with a brief case bolted to the roof of his car! Apparently he came out of a restaurant one night and there was a waitress outside laughing hysterically seems some kid on a bike had been going back and forth in front of the car getting up the courage to steal the briefcase. Eventually he took a high speed run, reached out to grab it and stopped instantly! Ouch.
 
OT: Yeah Doc, 6 years banging my head on Submarines...

Hasn't afffffffffecccccted me much though.


Hard to fold the top with the briefcase bolted there.

Although an oil can (fudge, I mean bottle) would probably be more appropriate for us.

Maybe a VOM...

Styrofoam Anvil...


My mind is aglow with transient nodes of thought careening into a cosmic vapour of invention..
 
Back
Top