Wedge What are the chances [ TR8]

[BAD8]

I've been working on TR8's for 17 years now and this is one of the coolest things that has happened in awhile. I had to work on a TR8 this weekend that a friend of mine found in the local paper on Cape Cod. So I'm all by myself and I look over at the other TR8 in my shop and say what are the chances these cars are close in Vin #. Well they both are Persian Aqua, Tan Plaid interior, both 2 owner and one 19k from the Cape, the other from Wisconsin has 57k.
So I decded to check and to my amazement they are 2 numbers apart 214956 and 214954. I got really excited thinking these car were next each other 27 years ago and everything that has gone on in between. Now I have these two cars side by side in my shop. The cars will once again be going their seperate ways. One of the cars will going to Anchorage AK and other will stay here (Mass). If I had not hurried to get the Cape car in before winter settled, it may have never happened. Anyway thanks for listening, I was really thrilled with find, Ask TR8 Todd!




Thank You
Woody Cooper

 

[DNK]

/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/bow.gif The great PooBah himself.The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and had an urge to go down to the shop and sit in the 8. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/bow.gif :

 

[Brosky]

One of these days, when the time is right, I'm gonna find one of those things and it will be a big brother to my TR6.

 

[PATR8]

We are planning a trip up to Mass next June that my girlfriend planned. I was willing if she just gave me two concessions, We take out time and drive Sinsiter8 and we go past Woddy's shop to shake his hand.

 

[Andrew Mace]

Fascinating! And also fascinating that this is the second time in a week on this very Forum that two Triumphs so close together have been -- essentially -- reunited. See this post on Triumph 10 Estate wagons !

And not to brag, but as it happens I own two Triumph Herald 948 Coupés that are only three numbers apart: Y13342L and Y13345L! One came from New Jersey (where it might well have spent most of its life), and the other from Texas by way of ????? Yes, both originally appear to have been to the same specification originally; in this case, Monaco Blue exterior and Phantom Grey interior. Whether either or both cars will ever be restored is up in the air, but at least they're extant!

 

[PATR8]

OK, here might be a stupid question. When car manifacturers are making cars .... do they paint so many one color then the next series another color? I see the trucks rolling off of the Ohio plant and the colors are in no pattern

 

[AngliaGT]

I bought a new Toyota pickup in 1977 (my first new
vehicle).
About 3-4 years ago,I spotted an identicle one -
- same year,color,etc,in Washington state.Bought it,
& after checking the paperwork,noticed that they only
1 serial number apart.

- Doug

 

[mrv8q]

OK, here might be a stupid question. When car manifacturers are making cars .... do they paint so many one color then the next series another color?

I heard that when Yugo was making cars, all the cars painted on Mondays were white, Tuesdays were blue, etc. ...

 

[tdskip]

Cool. It is amazing to think that after all this time they the cars were only separated by a couple of feet again.

 

[Guest]

 

[tr8todd]

One thing you failed to mention is the car that was "found" on the cape only has 19,000 miles on it. Original owner had not driven it since 97, and figured he never would again. He was 75 years old. He put an ad in the Cape Cod Sunday paper. Car was sold by lunchtime. It is a really clean very original car. It seems like a lot of low mileage TR8s have popped up this past year. The only problem with these forgotten cars, is they need some serious going over before they are road worthy again. I had to go thru everything in the 26,000 mile car I have. It sat from 86 to 05. Lots of work and more money than one would expect.

 

[Andrew Mace]

OK, here might be a stupid question. When car manifacturers are making cars .... do they paint so many one color then the next series another color? ...

Certainly production techniques may have changed over the years, but I've been told that it was common for Standard-Triumph to run x number of bodies through the paint booths, all receiving the same color. So it stands to reason that such a group of bodies could then receive commission numbers close to each other.

 

[Guest]

One thing you failed to mention is the car that was "found" on the cape only has 19,000 miles on it. Original owner had not driven it since 97, and figured he never would again. He was 75 years old. He put an ad in the Cape Cod Sunday paper. Car was sold by lunchtime. It is a really clean very original car. It seems like a lot of low mileage TR8s have popped up this past year. The only problem with these forgotten cars, is they need some serious going over before they are road worthy again. I had to go thru everything in the 26,000 mile car I have. It sat from 86 to 05. Lots of work and more money than one would expect.

As I have mentioned on the forum before, there are 2 1976 TR6's and the last of the MGB/s in storage at a dealer in Louisiana that have never been titled. One would think that this is a great find, but the reality of it is that the cars would need to be totally gone through to make them perfect. Thirty years is a long time to just sit, even in a controlled environment storage facility. Great to know about, but not the perfect find as some would think.

 

[MMullins]

Excellent! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/bow.gif

 

[jdubois]

As I have mentioned on the forum before, there are 2 1976 TR6's and the last of the MGB/s in storage at a dealer in Louisiana that have never been titled.

When you say "last of the MGB/s" do you mean one of the last ones, or the actual last one? I seem to recall seeing a GT at the museum at the Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon which they claimed was the last MGB off the line.