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TR2/3/3A TR-3 Tow Car

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aeronca65t

aeronca65t

Great Pumpkin
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One of the guys in the Sunbeam section here at BCF has written something about the old Vineland race track in southern New Jersey.
It has been closed since I was a teenager but I had several web pages about it bookmarked (I never got to it, but it was near my parent's house).

Anyway, one picture (taken around '65) shows a Lotus Seven being flat-towed to the track by a TR-3.
Here I'm all excited about my new van and trailer for my racer....I guess times were simpler back then......
sevFitzgerald11.jpg
 
Reminds me of Hardy Prentice - flat-towed his TR3 with an E-type Jag.I thought this was a joke until I actually saw him do this at Portland,& Seattle race tracks.

- Doug
 
Doug, it's funny you should mention that, as when I saw Nials' picture, I immediately thought of Hardy. The reason Hardy used the Jag was that it was the only car he had!
I ran into him at Laguna a few years back, and he was trailering the 3 with a Ford Mini-Van. Aerostar or Windstar, one of those. He's still got the Jag, too.
Still living in Daly City, as far as I know.
Jeff
 
Hello all,

at one time Innes Ireland used an Aston Martin DB4GT as a tow car pulling a Ford GT40 on a trailer to races in Europe. According to Denis Jenkinson, he said that it was an excellent car to tow with.


Alec
 
I believe Hardy towed the TR3 all the way to Road Atlanta a few times when the runoffs were there. Never met him but he was my hero back then. I had a 3 at the time.
 
[ QUOTE ]
What I would give to have that setup now! As well as the Saab wagon in the background.
Jeff

[/ QUOTE ]

Those Saab 95's (wagons) back then had the same lever shocks in the back as our beloved TR's. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hammer.gif
 
nice pic, that TR3 looks beautiful with a hardtop and sidecurtains, I'd take that over any of those cars, including the racers.
 
When I had my '71 TR6 I lived outside of Atlantic City. I was so impressed with the TR that I started looking for a TR3. Not that I had any place to work on it. I lived in an apartment and did all my work in the parking lot. My search led me to Vineland where a guy has 3 TR3s, a pile of spares, an early Midget or Sprite, a Bugeye and a two axle trailer. He wanted $750 for everything. All or nothing. I had to pass on the deal. I wonder if he ever raced on the old track?
 
One of my favorite towing stories is about ~PHIL HUNT~ , a friend and well-known racer here in New Jersey. One Summer, Phil decided to trailer his faithful Volvo 142 all around the USA with his family on sort of a "SCCA racing vacation". He used his Ford pickup to do the towing. Somewhere out in the midwest the Ford blew up. Not a problem: he put the Ford on the trailer and kept towing with the Volvo (which has dealer plates from his used car dealership). He kept racing too!

Sidenote: Phil had a bad race accident in a vintage motorcycle race some years back and is now in a wheelchair. He still races in our Time Trials using self-designed hand-controls. A neat guy.
 
I have a trailer hitch on my '59 -- it's welded to a plate that is welded to the frame. My friend, Adam, and I were talking about what I could tow...need to either find one of those classic one-wheeled trailers or go make a deal for a rather rusty TR3 a few miles away and cut the car at the rear bulkhead, and just tow a TR3 rear!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Sam,

Look for one of the Coleman Versatrailers.
I've had one for about 25 years.2 wheels,single axle,
tilt-bed,1/2 ton rating,with a plastic top.
We bought this when I was racing the Fiesta.
We were able to haul everything we needed - tent,spare wheels/tires,tools,etc.
I upset more than a few people who would try &
hold this "little fereign car" off.It had to embarress them when they noticed that I was towing a trailer,behind it.
I think about selling it time-to-time,but haven't
done it yet.

- Doug
 
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