-
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.)
but were afraid to ask: 
STOP!! Never post your email address in open forums. Bots can "harvest" your email! If you must share your email use a Private Message or use the 
smilie in place of the real @
Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> 
yeah baby.
- Thread starter PeterK
- Start date
Share this page
Offline
You don't need to have an "originality" neurosis to have a problem with this.
Some years ago I visited the museum of the Berlin Philharmonic--a great collection of musical instruments of all periods. They had a harpsichord that was owned by JS Bach, and it was in the process of being restored. Now, <span style="font-style: italic">that's</span> an example of an item with great cultural and historical significance. Anyone restoring that instrument better be one of the top experts, and even he will have some dilemmas to face. On one hand, you want it as original as possible, but you also want it playable, so people today can have a sense of what Bach heard.
Triumphs, as much as we like them, don't have that kind of significance. So, at first appearances, it's a little hard to fault someone for doing an, uh, <span style="font-style: italic">individualistic</span> restoration. Worst case, the world is out one TR4. Not an earth-shaking tragedy.
At the same time, there still is something called <span style="font-style: italic">taste</span>, and I think this car shows little of it. I see a lot of dignity in these cars, and this one has lost any it once had. It's been turned into a joke, and not a very funny one. Not a tragedy, perhaps, but still nothing to smile at.
I suppose I could grant the restorer some credit for trying to do something special, even if it didn't work. But that's as far as I can go.
Finally, I know that the owner may be reading this, and I regret any offense; none is intended. However, there is an issue here that is worth exploring: how far can one legitimately go in modifying one of these cars, and what are the implications? I don't want to see such discussions censored simply because someone might not want to read them.
Some years ago I visited the museum of the Berlin Philharmonic--a great collection of musical instruments of all periods. They had a harpsichord that was owned by JS Bach, and it was in the process of being restored. Now, <span style="font-style: italic">that's</span> an example of an item with great cultural and historical significance. Anyone restoring that instrument better be one of the top experts, and even he will have some dilemmas to face. On one hand, you want it as original as possible, but you also want it playable, so people today can have a sense of what Bach heard.
Triumphs, as much as we like them, don't have that kind of significance. So, at first appearances, it's a little hard to fault someone for doing an, uh, <span style="font-style: italic">individualistic</span> restoration. Worst case, the world is out one TR4. Not an earth-shaking tragedy.
At the same time, there still is something called <span style="font-style: italic">taste</span>, and I think this car shows little of it. I see a lot of dignity in these cars, and this one has lost any it once had. It's been turned into a joke, and not a very funny one. Not a tragedy, perhaps, but still nothing to smile at.
I suppose I could grant the restorer some credit for trying to do something special, even if it didn't work. But that's as far as I can go.
Finally, I know that the owner may be reading this, and I regret any offense; none is intended. However, there is an issue here that is worth exploring: how far can one legitimately go in modifying one of these cars, and what are the implications? I don't want to see such discussions censored simply because someone might not want to read them.
Online
Sarastro said:
It's not about censoring because "someone might not want to read" comments. It's about fair play and following Basil's requests not to slam people on his forum.
I don't think that's too much to ask.
And to answer how far one might go in modifying cars... well, that's up to the individual and his or her desires.
Not sure I understand your comparison to Bach and his harpsichord, but had this TR250 been owned by Sir John Black...
HerronScott
Darth Vader
Offline
Well on the good side (if there is one), I'm pretty sure this was not a TR250 but rather a TR4A although it's always possible someone could have combined a TR4A and TR250 to make it.
- Missing TR250 reverse lights
- TR4A thinner body side moldings
- TR4A exterior door handles (integrated locks)
- TR4A interior door and window handles and door pull
- TR4A door latches (versus TR250/TR6 ones)
- TR4A washer bottle on driver's side (versus TR250 on passenger side)
- TR4A radiator
Scott
- Missing TR250 reverse lights
- TR4A thinner body side moldings
- TR4A exterior door handles (integrated locks)
- TR4A interior door and window handles and door pull
- TR4A door latches (versus TR250/TR6 ones)
- TR4A washer bottle on driver's side (versus TR250 on passenger side)
- TR4A radiator
Scott