TR2/3/3A TR2/3 Mille Miglia eligibility?

[Darel]

Listd as eligible cars for the MM is two TRs, a "TR 2 Sports" and "TR 3 Sports". Are these particular submodels (that I've never heard of) or do they basically just mean TR2s and TR3s are MM eligible? Cut and paste from the Mille Miglia official site:

Also I'm not real clear, but would it have to be a TR3 from 1956, or any TR3?

TR 2 Sports 1954, SI, <2000 - 1955, SI, <2000 [CA] - 1956, Sap, <2000
TR 3 Sports 1956, Sap, <2000 - 1957, GT, >1600 <2000

Thanks,
Darel

 

[Geo Hahn]

"TR 2 Sports" and "TR 3 Sports". Are these particular submodels (that I've never heard of)...

Standard called them all 'Sports' models:

As for the year specificity - I have no idea.

 

[M_Pied_Lourd]

Hi Darel,

Looking at the 2017 cars entered, there are 2 1955 TR2's, a 1955/1956/1957 TR3's entered...cut off year is 1957.

Cheers
Tush

 

[M_Pied_Lourd]

https://www.1000miglia.eu/attach/Content/Interna/2421/o/accettatimm2017ginevra.pdf

 

[Darel]

So basically any TR2/3 up to '57 is eligible? Do I read this right?

 

[M_Pied_Lourd]

That's the way I read it Darel. But, from what I read, the cars cannot be modified from stock unless they are period correct items. Plus, even though the cars might be eligible, there is a very long list of those wanting to participate and not all that apply make the list.
Would be a fun adventure though!
Cheers
Tush

 

[Darel]

Understood. Driving the MM is my life dream. I figure, if I'm going to be looking for a new project in a couple of years, and it'll take me 5 years or more to restore it, why not pick something that one day, if I hit the lottery, I might be able to drive in the race, right? And I'll certainly never be able to afford an Amilcar AGCS or a Delahaye, but a TR2 would look great next to my TR6 anyway.

I'm just a plain old working stiff with two kids, and a wife who is a **** of a mathematician and TSD rally navigator. However, those two kids will graduate from college in about ten years. So, the way I see it, I've got at least ten years to find a car, restore it, and save up the ~$50,000 or so it would cost me to get the car there, enter the race, and maybe get it home. Maybe. That's only $5K a year I need to stash away, or $416/mo. And if it takes longer, whatever, I've got nothing but time. And then I could die. Without a single penny to my name, but I'd die with a smile on my face.

Thanks guys.

 

[Geo Hahn]

In that case - good luck with your dream.

...And then I could die. Without a single penny to my name...

Or better yet, have the last check bounce.

 

[HealeyRick]

I met this guy at the Lars Anderson British Car Day in Newton, MA a few years ago who had run his Austin-Healey 100M: https://www.bc.edu/publications/chronicle/FeaturesNewsTopstories/2013/features/mclaughlin052313.html He had a fantastic time. Good luck with your quest. Wonder if you'd have a better chance of being accepted if you built a clone of a car that had actually run in the race? Don't know if you've ever seen this documentary before, but it will probably spur you on:

 

[Darel]

Yeah, you know, the MM will never, ever happen. But, a TR2/3 probably will. It might sway my decision that the car could one day serve a "dual purpose" vs. choosing some other project. I'd love a Lotus Europa, Lancia Fulvia, or MG TC, but none of those would be eligible. I've already got a TR6 so I'm already kind of partial to TRs, and my local area is rich in parts availability, club support, and even a few shops that specialize in TRs.

My other idea was, once I got the car (which is probably still a few years away), to start a blog. What I'm doing, why I'm doing it, follow the restoration, hey look, my kids graduated magna cum laude from Penn State, hey I just won the lottery, look, we won a local TSD rally in the car, time to send in that MM entry form. And maybe if that blog had something of a following, it might be a nice "story" for the MM entry board to want to choose this average nobody who restored his car in his garage specifically to enter a race he can't afford and has no hope of getting selected for vs. all the multi-millionaires in 300SLs and 166 Barchettas. Or maybe I'll just shut the **** up now and go have a beer.

 

[Geo Hahn]

None of my cars could qualify for the MM but I have looked into some US events they would be eligible for - such as the Copperstate 1000. Or, as a friend calls it: The Copperstate 7000.

But really, much more fun can be had (and possibly nicer people met) in an event of your own doing. With that in mind I started running annual fall drives of 1200 to 1400 miles. We are now in our 10th year of these and will be touring Colorado in late September.

It got so popular that I added a spring version and we just had our 5th annual La Carrera Primavera this past week.

If you keep the numbers manageable (about a dozen cars, 20-24 people) limit the vintage (I use pre-1980 British) and hand-pick the participants you can have a great time both on the road and at the destinations.

 

[Darel]

Agreed, this is exactly the reason I do the Chester County Road Rally every year in conjunction with the Radnor Hunt Concours d'Elegance. Not really competitive (more of a gimmick rally), but fantastic hand-picked cars. I ran my TR6 a few years ago but frankly its' paintwork is shameful compared to the other magnificent competitors, so the last 3 years I've driven my Volvo 1800S. I'll be selling that in the next month or so though, all the more reason to get to work on my TR's paint!

I definitely plan on doing the Going to the Sun Rally in MT (we used to live in Great Falls) as well as the Copperstate but truth be told, the fees are about the same as the MM! I'd have to ship the car from PA anyway, so I save a few thousand but they're not the comparative bargain they seem to be.

When we do actual, competitive TSD rallies I'll admit we do sometimes take the TR if the weather and route are nice but usually we just take my Silverado. The big, flat center console is perfect for my navigatowife's big routebook/clipboard and miscellany.

I think to a certain extent you're right - I need to start my own "selective" East Coast rally. We have phenomenal roads around here.

 

[M_Pied_Lourd]

Hi Darel,

Don't give up on your dream. Get a TR3 regardless if it never makes the MM, you will have a ton of fun with it !

Cheers
Tush