The Official Magazine of the Triumph Sports Owners Association
of Queensland
March April 2014
TRtotheEND
Members of the C.ex Coffs Touring & Classic Car ClubCoffs Harbour - better known as the Cex Club
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CLASSIC CAR CLINICService, Mechanical and Electrical Repairs to your Classic
Sports Cars, Small Vehicle Storage available. Hire Me Classics also. Enquire Mark and the Team
www.classiccarclinic.com.au 8/241 Brisbane Road, Biggera Waters Ph. (07) 5529 1876
Balancing Wire wheels can be a prob-lem. Not anymore at the Classic Car
Clinic as we now have specific equip-ment to balance wire wheels. Call us
today. You will be glad you did.
We keep a range of parts for SU Car-burettors and offer an overhaul service
as well
Lucas distributors can be tuned on our Distributor scope to give the advance curve your motor requires for optimal performance and fuel comsumption in
all rev ranges
Is your motor/gearbox tired? Discuss with Mark to give your Classic Car a
new lease on life.
This Month in TRendContentsYour 2013 Management Team 3The President’s Thoughts 5Helpers Wanted 6Coming Events 7TRack Talk with TRent TRackTRamp 8Yearly Accounts 10Photos 13They Don’t Make TRiumphs Any More Part 2 17Press Reports on TR7 and TR8 Part 1 19TRack Days for TRiumphs 24For Sale 26
Half Page (colour) $240 per yearFull Page (b/w) $200 per yearHalf Page (b/w) $150 per yearTriumph Trading Free to Club members
The TSOAQ appreciates the support of advertisers in this magazine. Acceptance of an advertisement does not necessary imply endorsement by the Club of the advertised product or service
Come and Join UsThe Triumph Sports Owners Association (Qld) Inc. meets on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at the Vintage and Veteran Car Club Rooms, 1376 Old Cleveland Road, Carindale at 7.30 p.m.
Club RunsThe Gold Coast Chapter of the Club holds a Run on the 1st Sunday of the month. The Brisbane Chapter holds a Run on the 3rd Sunday of the month (see Coming Events for details)
Contact UsThe TSOAQ welcomes interested parties seeking membership to write to the Club or speak to our Club Contact on 0427 672 145 or email [email protected]. For more information, visit our website today www.tsoaq.org.au
Please keep a check on the website for new events, changes or updates for all events
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Your 2013 Management TeamExecutive CommitteePresident Phil Strong (07) 3390 1790Vice President Frank Jacobson (07) 3356 1727Secretary Michael O’Brien 0408659222 [email protected] Richard Graveur 0439 626474Acting Editor Carole Cooke (07) 5536 9730 [email protected] Ex Offi cio Positions Membership Secretary David Linz (07) 3822 7039Concessional Registration Richard Graveur (07) 3857 3850Club Contact 0427 672 145CAMS Delegate Frank Jacobson (07) 3356 1727Web Master Adrian Deihm 0429 910 339 [email protected] Acting Providore Daryl Tonkin (07) 3388 2417Club Historian/Librarian Frank Jacobson (07) 3356 1727Points Secretary Rita Bingham (07) 5596 1870Gold Coast Rep Paul Bingham (07) 5596 1870 AHSunshine Coast Rep Brian Falloon (07) 5447 7842Darling Downs Rep Graham Thompson (07) 4634 3074
Marque CaptainsTR2/3/3a/3b Stephen Rochester (07) 3202 8117TR4/4a Phil Strong (07) 3390 1790TR5/250 Eric Burgaty 0417 754 074TR6 Paul Bingham (07) 5596 1870TR7 Daryl Tonkin (07) 3388 2417TR8 Simon Rowe 0488 420 216Sedan Mk 1 (63-69) Adrian Deihm 0429 910 339Sedan Mk 11 (70-78) Murray Clark (07) 3286 1180Dolomite/Sprint Don Milner (07) 3216 9293Herald/Vitesse Richard Graveur (07) 3857 3850Spitfi re Ashley Beruldsen (07) 3374 0752GT6 Cindy O’Beirne (07) 3814 3762Stag Greg Bird 0427 672 145Pre-War (1923-1939) Terry O’Beirne 0417 687 161
The Committee meets on the 4th Monday of the month at the Clubrooms at 7 pm
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The President’s ThoughtsI am happy to report the AGM for 2014 has been completed. For those who came along and enjoyed the pre-meet BBQ to ensure their vote could be cast - well done. A big thank you to Daryl Tonkin for another great effort in ensuring the night ran smoothly.
Our committee remains basically the same but we did not get a volunteer to replace Carole as our editor. We need to fi nd another gifted and talented person to continue the work of Carole, many thanks. Carole has done a fantastic job over the past several years and she wishes to have a more relaxed few years enjoying her motoring and more personal times.
Daryl Tonkin has been involved in club affairs for longer than I can recall. He has decided he needs to step away from the huge involvement in club matters and we need a fi ne replacement for him to continue in his role as provider. His job as Points Secretary has been accepted by Rita Bingham. If you would like to assist in this function please talk to Daryl or myself.
We have a good team for 2014 to help organize this year’s events and a great team involved with the May Festival of Sport s& Classic cars at the Griffi th University at Loganlea. We will defi nitely need so many more people to help on the weekend, so consider yourself an applicant for these many jobs. Talk with Murray Clarke, Mike Taylor & Geoff Johnson.
The club website is being updated. The expectations are that the club webpage will be much improved and far more modern in its functionality. If you are experiencing diffi culty accessing the site or wish to update your contact details please contact Adrian Deihm asap. Some people have changed their email details, but you do need to get these updates onto the database. This does not happen automatically, you need to make it happen.
Articles on runs with your Triumph, plus some photos, or other events are welcome by the editor in chief. You can obscure your plates if you consider this necessary.
Bill Tottey has offered to co-ordinate the celebration of 40 years of operation of the TSOAQ this year. He will be very active to get this organized within the next few weeks.
Sandy Milner & Cindy O’Beirne have nominated to organize a few coffee nights this year, so they will be adding this onto the website so please keep regularly checking on the club calendar on the website.
Our best wishes are extended to Noel Paterson. Noel is now recovering in hospital from some major surgery. Our thoughts are with Noel and we wish you a safe and speedy return to good health.
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We also wish a good recovery to Neville Smith with his rehab from his recent surgery as well. Graeme Spender his healing well from a fractured femur. Apparently, Spender had a bender on a bike with no fenders!!! He will be fi t to take you on a great run in March.
We are very happy to see an enthusiastic increase in our numbers from members in the recent few weeks. Welcome to you all. We hope to see some visitors to the March meeting and also the next few Sunday runs.
Cheers for this year.
Phil Strong
HELPERS WANTED – MACS BRIDGE AT LOGAN CAMPUS MEADOWBROOK
SATURDAY 17TH OF MAY – Setup of site from 1pm
SUNDAY 18TH OF MAY – Helpers required from 7am
We will need people to man the cash booths and also to act as marshalls.The morning is our busiest time but we will need volunteers for helping with the clean up as well.This is an important fund raiser for our Club and for Charity. The more help we have limits the time our volunteers are required.
PLEASE CONTACT ROB HANTON at [email protected] or on 0437 534 624
All Volunteers get free entry into the event.
Every Friday evening the TSOAQ are invited to a run starting between 6 and 7 pm with a culmination at the Rock n Roll Emporium Cafe at the Petrie Historical Village in Samford Road. It is run by the Northside Hot Rod Association.We as a club are always invited to attend QHMC events. These details if not in our mag are accessed via the QHMC website. If any of our members have SIV cars that need an excuse to get on the road this is available to us/them. Just have your membership cards, a mag or a website printout with you.
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Coming Events 2014March 12 – General Meeting – On this occasion we are doing a bar-b-que for a special occasion. Start time is 6.30pm for meeting start at 8pm – at the Club Rooms. If attending please email Daryl Tonkin on; [email protected] so that we can get the catering requirements right.March 23 – Champagne Run organised by Graeme Spender. Meet at 9.15am at Yaya bar and eatery at 37 Main Street, Samford for coffee. Then at 10am depart and travel past North Pine Dam and through the mountains to Mt Mee for lunch at 12.45 -1.00 at Birches Restaurant (www.birchesrestaurant.com.au). Post lunch return to Brisbane via Mt Nebo. CONFIRMATION IS NEEDED BY 16.03.2014 FOR LUNCH VENUE BOOKINGS. Contact Graeme for this and for any further details....phone 0411 451 369. There is a lucky (car) door prize/raffl e of a bottle of French Champagne. Entry is $5.00 per car.March 22 and 23 – Round Two of Mt Cotton Hillclimb SeriesMarch 23 – Gold Coast Super Swap and Car Show – Take Exit 71 to Carrara. Phone 0449 997 149 for details.April 5 and 6 – Historic Racing Car Club – Historic Racing at Morgan Park near WarwickApril 6 – Gold Coast Run (9am to 3pm) –Meet at Arthur Earle Park at 9am for 9.30am departure for destinations unknown (Exit 71)April 10 – GEAR at Queensland Raceway – From 8.30am until mid to late .April 20 – Third Sunday Run (Please note that this is also Easter Sunday and the date may change) – Being organised by Ian Black and described as the Question Mark Run. Departing Carindale 8.30am for south side members. Catching up with north side members at Petrie Historic Village at 9.00am/9.30am (for a coffee stop?). At 10.00am/10.30am continue on through Mt Mee, Bald Knob, Eudlo, to Buderim Forest Park, Harry’s Lane entrance for a BYO picnic lunch. Activities here are a Rain Forest Board walk, bush walk and a swim (!?) at the waterfall. Head for home afterwards.April 25, 26 and 27 – MG Club’s Ironman WeekendMay 4 – Gold Coast Run (9am to 3pm) – Meet at Arthur Earle Park at 9am for 9.30am departure for destinations unknown (Exit 71)May 5 – David Hack Classic Meet – Toowoomba Airport (8am to 3pm) – For details see www.rotarydavidhack.org or email [email protected] 14 – General Meeting – Refreshments and nibbles from 7.30pm for meeting start at 8pm – at the Carindale Club Rooms.May 18 – TSOAQ’s Sports and Classic Car Festival – held at the Logan Campus of Griffi th University – See the Club web site for more details. This is a must attend event for TSOAQ members!May 19 – Swap Meet and Show at Gatton Showgrounds – See www.carclubs.shannons.com.au/lockyeramaMay 25 – Queensland Vintage Swap – School Road, Capalaba. www.qvva.org for details.May 29 – GEAR at Lakeside Park – From 8.30am until mid to late afternoon.June 15 – The Woolly Sheep Run – This is being organised by Murray Clarke. Watch this space for further details.
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TRack Talk with TRent TRackTRampI wonder who has the fastest, best driven Triumph in the TSOAQ? Daryl Tonkin put this question to me the other day when he was pondering on resurrecting the Triumph Sprints. The Sprints were once an annual event that have not been held for six or seven years now. Because of changing safety requirements and qualifi cations for Offi cials, it became imprac-tical for a Club like ours to conduct them. Apart from Nationals meetings there has been no opportunity to establish any pecking order. All of our racers have their preferred discipline of the sport. Some favour Hillclimbs, oth-ers single lap Sprints like Leyburn and others like multi-lap Sprints on a race circuit. There are another group who prefer Regularity. As a result they rarely all get together at the one event. Daryl would like to know what other competitors think of the idea of everybody entering one of Queensland Raceway’s scheduled Open Sprints events. The advantage being that the Club does not have to provide any Offi cials, approvals, Safety personnel or paper-work. It is just a case of rock up and race. The idea being that the Triumphs would all run in the same group. These Open Sprint days are usually held on a Saturday afternoon making it easier for people who work or have to travel some distance to get to the circuits. The hard part, he says, is selecting an Open Sprint event that does not clash with other popular activities we support. Another consideration is that it would be better held later in the year so that a number of our members can get their Triumphs up and running. Where are you Frank Jacobson, Erin Lancaster, Steve McInerney, Cindy O’Beirne and any others I have overlooked! Hopefully the Club would stump up for some trophies. If you have any thoughts on this, please touch base with Daryl and let him know what you would like to see or what dates you prefer. Even if you don’t think it is a good idea at all, your input is still wanted so please contact him on 0401183401 or [email protected]. He suggests July 19 at Ipswich August 16 at Lakeside or 12 October at Lakeside. A few weeks ago Rob Hanton took part in one of the aforementioned Open Sprints after-noons at Ipswich. He went quite well but put the car on trailer early because of some con-cerns with temperatures and tyre. The same morning Daryl Tonkin had been taking part in the General Practice session using the long National Circuit to put some running- in miles in to his new motor. At the end of the morning he concluded that General Practice is not the place to run in motors or for the fainthearted for that matter.
Some of the cars sharing the track, such as a couple of HQ Holdens were ‘Practicing’ sheer desperation overtaking moves in to corners. A Porsche Cup car squeezed by at enormous speed, missing our lad by less than a coat of paint.
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Then came the TTT Day and Sprints at Morgan Park. Roy Davis and his son did some testing in the GT6. Adrian Diehm and the O’Beirnes were there with cars of a Nipponese nature. Unfortunately Adrian spent Saturday at Warwick Hospital having a beer can ring-pull and a rusty nail or something removed from his eye. The moral of the story is to always wear eye protection when working on cars. Adrian was up and running hard on the Sunday along with Rob Hanton TR7 V8 and Daryl Tonkin TR7. Track conditions were just plain hot. Whereas Saturday was hot and wet in the afternoon sending a lot of drivers to places they didn’t want to be. Rob’s performance was very good coming seventeenth in a starting fi eld of ninety plus. Considering this included open wheel classes and big budget exotics it was excellent. Terry O’Beirne really does have a soft spot for TR7s despite often stating that he is not enamoured with the model, he very quickly identifi ed a fault in the wiring system of Daryl Tonkin’s monster that had been the victim of Dazza’s bush mechanic weight reduction program.The problem is now fi xed, thanks Terry.
Last year Bruce Scammells, driving his TR3A, took part in the Teams Regularity Champi-onship, as a subtitute, in the winning Team Wedge. Our Bruce was pleased as Punch with his success driving for such an auspicious outfi t. To ensure he would get a guernsey on the team next time, he set out to acquire a suitable TR7 or TR8 (Wedge). At a recent GEAR Day he arrived with photos of his new purchase to confi rm its eligibility for GEAR events. It was duly accepted. However closer examination revealed that it was technically not eligible for Team Wedge! Yes the fi ne looking red car was defi nitely wedge shaped and it carried the letters TR but a detailed scan revealed the letters stood for Testa Rossa. Further to this it carries a badge showing a black horse playing up and another with the name of some Logan fi sh and chip shop proprieter mounted on it. Now Bruce is a nice guy. What do you think readers? Who is going to break the news to him or should Team Wedge just let it go? I guess everyone has had these things happen. The moral of the story is to read the packaging carefully before you buy.
See you at a circuit soon TRent TRackTRamp
New MembersWe welcome the following new member to the TSOAQ this month and hope
that they can join us in the events planned for members.
Rob and Judith Bradford - TR3A Rod Lam - TR6Abid Anwar - Spitfi re Tracy Kinerson - StagGordon Reynolds - TR6 John and Jean List - TR8
Our Marque Captains will be happy to help you should you have any questions about your car(s)
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New Editor NeededI have decided to step down from the Editor’s position, but I am Acting Editor in the meantime. I have enjoyed doing the magazine, but it is time for someone else to take this on. I will give all the help that is needed. Please think about whether you would like to do TRend and let me know at [email protected].
Also Daryl Tonkin is Acting Providor, but would like someone to take over.
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Subscriptions Due!
This is a reminder that subscriptions should be paid by the 1st April. Our Web-master sent out via email your details to pay the Club. If you have deleted your email, please contact us on 0427 672 145 or email us at [email protected].
Please write clearly when fi lling out your form. Also please give your reference number when paying by direct debit. We do have a couple of payments that we cannot recognise who made them.
Remember, if you don’t pay soon, you won’t receive the TRend magazine!
Dave Linz – Membership Secretary.
13Left - ‘Rum and Coke’ lights
First Sunday in the Month - January
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First Sunday in the Month - March
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FSIM - March Morning Tea at the River Mill
Frank’s new acquisition, a TR8
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LSIM - Run to Rosewood Steam Railway
Stop and smell the roses!
In the Benz, Rob Hanton, driving coach to the rich and famous
Below - the Rosewood Rattler and ‘spot the ring-ins’
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They Don’t Make TRiumphs Anymore! Part 2
The company was loss making, with generally tired models in need of being up-dated in the foreseeable future (except the TR7) and without the money to meet the challenge. When BMW acquired Rover, it included Triumph for which they paid a nominal £10. When BMW made the purchase, it included huge factory facilities and real estate as well as the brands and production facilities and a range of cars still in production – Range Rover in particular. In our proposal, we don’t want these vast tracks of real estate as we have Innocenti. All we want is the brand, machinery and tools to produce cars that were destined to be scrapped and any attached Intellectual Property.
In 1975 Triumph was suffering losses of £1 million a week and Britain was in recession. This was due to the factories being closed for such prolonged periods and no cash fl ow to meet fi xed costs. I believe that a purchaser could have done a deal for something like £5 million to £10 million. If the company was to produce 100,000 cars in Italy, another £3.75 million would be needed in working capital per week until cash fl ow break-even was met, let’s say £15 million but maybe £20 million to be safe. So the factory acquisition and cash fl ow needs comes to a total of around £25 million.
Crunching the numbersIf the company produced 100,000 cars per annum at Innocenti, then the average cost would have been in the vicinity of £1,893 per unit. How do I come to this calculation?The U.K. retail price including tax for the 2500 was £3,153 for the TC and £3,353 for the S. Dolomites were £1,399 for the 1850 and £1,740 for the Sprint. TR7’s were £3,000. We know that dealers have a 10% retail margin, the factory has several margin layers but combined it is in the range of 20% and of course the tax has to be taken off. So 26,000 2000/2500 models comes to an average cost of £2,112. The same basis of calculation can be done for the other models, TR7 being £1,950, Toledo and Dolomite being an average £1,010. As for a TR8 and 4000, we have to make a number of assumptions. The TR8 sold in the US in 1981 for USD $11,000. The price in 1975 would have been considerably less as we have to remember that the pound became extremely over-valued in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s and infl ation was rampant. So using the 2000/2500 as a basis, let’s add 25% and round it off at £2,500 for the 4000. Of interest is the labour cost per unit. In 1981, the labour cost per unit of a TR7/8 was estimated to be USD $700 per unit providing 26,000 units could be sold per annum.
Another way of calculating labour costs can be done this way. 100,000 units required 3,500 workers (including white collar workers). The combined cost to produce 100,000 units was £196,872,000. Wages at the time in Italy were about £50 per week, so therefore the unit labour cost was £91. That’s a far cry from the UK labour costs of USD $700. This would provide sales of around £260 million per annum at a gross profi t of around £40 million. This is an exceptional return on equity, but we have to remember that the risk in pulling off this deal was so high that any entrepreneur wouldn’t do the deal unless they could make the acquisition at such a bargain basement price. The investment banks will also need to have “blue sky” in the deal otherwise they won’t
support it. There was also the risk of union blockades once they became aware of the plans to move to Milan. So the bottom line is that if you could pull this off you would get your money back in less than a year.
It also has to be understood that these exceptional numbers would not continue as with each passing year, models have to be updated and redeveloped. This costs a lot of money and with Triumph in 1975, the 2000/2500 was in need of more than a face lift which would come at a cost of several million pounds, the Dolomite would need to be upgraded soon thereafter and a 4000 needed to be developed. The TR8 also had to be bought into production as soon as possible but only with minor modifi cation.
Model updatesI have stated that the 4000 would be based on 2000/2500. Early in the development of the 2000, Harry Webster argued with Michelotti that the car needed to be bigger but “Micho” as Webster affectionately called him, won out in the end with the support of the accountants, that the 2000 was fi ne as it was. A 4000 would give Webster the car he originally sought and to make it cost effective, the design would simply be a bigger 2000. So let’s assume that the 2000/2500 redevelopment was done in 1977 and entered production in 1978 and became the 3000, the Toledo and Dolomite followed with redevelopment in 1978 and went into production in 1979 and fi nally the TR7/8 was updated in 1979 and produced from 1980. We now have a co-ordinated plan for redevelopment and new models for the future. I would assume that the 4000 could be developed at the same time as the 3000 update but given this is a bigger project, its introduction would take a year longer.
To this point, long term engine issues have still to be overcome. Any acquisition of Triumph would have to include the IP to the Stag V8. We all know this engine’s problems and we all know that the issues have since been rectifi ed and the motor is now held in high regard. We also know that it is two Dolomite motors siamesed together and has the natural capacity of 4 litres. Why Triumph made it 3 litres is beyond my comprehension. The natural progression would be therefore to develop a 3 litre V6 using the same conceptual thinking. I am suggesting that these new motors (3 litre V6 and 4 litre V8) could be ready by 1980, thus ready in time for the next round of model updates – the 3000 in 1980 and the 4000 in 1982. So as not to get things out of sync, the Dolomite/Toledo would be updated in 1981.
Further product development down the track could include a replacement for the Stag but certainly not called a Stag for obvious marketing reasons. Again it would be a GT version of the 4000. I would also include an estate version of the 3000 and 4000 and possibly a hatch version of the Toledo.Unfortunately the Spitfi re and smaller models such as the 1300 don’t fi t into the scheme of things. Due to US requirements, the performance of the Spitfi re was so bad by now that it was embarrassing although home market versions were fi ne due to the larger capacity 1500 engine. As for smaller sedans, my plan calls for niche market cars and there is no way I would want to be competing for sales in a crowded market dominated by the major producers.
Michael O’Brien Continued Next TRend
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Press Reports on the TR7 and TR8 Part 1by Michael O’Brien
The TR7 was a controversial car when it was fi rst released. You either loved it or loathed it and it was certainly different from any other Triumph. The wedge looks, “the shape of things to come” were extremely advanced yet the mechanicals were in many ways a step backwards. No more independent rear suspension, fuel injection, plus a smaller engine (albeit with OHC) were some of the negative changes. The Americans wanted simplicity and the car was fi rmly designed for the US market and everyone else could like it or lump it!
So what did the press think of the car?The launch of the car was held in January 1975 at the Boca Raton Hotel in Florida which is now part of the Waldorf Group of luxury hotels. This is a very upmarket hotel, (resort really) and Triumph spared no expense in making this a successful launch. The event was managed by Mike Cook, Leyland’s Press and Publicity Secretary based at JRT headquarters in Leonia, New Jersey.
All the important motoring press journalists of the time were invited along with all US Triumph distributors making a total of 75 journalists and several hundred dealers present. The journalists also included press from overseas.
The actual sales campaign was slotted in to start in April, 1975 and everyone had their fi ngers crossed because even the launch display cars were adversely effected by an industrial dispute back in the UK - nothing new here and it was a miracle that the launch was in fact undertaken! The result of the strike meant in fact that the display cars ended up being pre-production cars so the quality of fi nish and presentation just weren’t up to standard. Some of the 35 cars shipped from the UK wouldn’t even start.
Thank goodness Bob Tullius was at hand. He recalled, “Mike Dale (Senior Marketing Manager) and Mike Cook conspired to have Lawton Foushee, Group 44’s crew chief come to Boca and help. When he arrived he took one look at the situation and called me to ask if I could send the entire Group 44 staff to Boca (about 10 men). Without them there would be no introduction or at minimum, it would be a disaster.”
The other problem was of course a lack of parts to fi x the cars and as a result those cars that were classifi ed as unfi xable were cannibalised to fi x the others. As a result, 17 cars were ready for the launch. Quality issues emerged. For instance, the cars that were fi tted with air-conditioning (AC), a much needed option in Florida had levers used to turn the AC on and often broke when pushed, a problem I encountered with my fi rst TR7 so the issue wasn’t fi xed on production cars either. When John Lloyd who was Triumph’s Chief Engineer arrived on the scene a few days before the offi cial release, there were 15 major engineering issues that could not be resolved. In order to conceal the cars, a huge tent was erected in the grounds of the Boca Raton and all the work was carried out by the Group 44 team in secret, including respraying damaged panels. Huge hessian screens were also placed around the hotel’s fences to hide the cars from a prying public.
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The early Federal TR7’s of 1975 only produced 92bhp as opposed to the UK’s 105bhp. The car was strangled by US anti-emissions equipment. For California, power was further reduced to 80bhp which resulted in the factory having to manage 3 different engine tunes along the production line. John Lloyd described the situation as “horrifi c”.
Mike Dale recalled,“By the launch, the price of the car had grown by more than 30% over the original planning but the UK still wanted the same volumes. We constructed an argument for the dealer presentation that showed the price should have been a thousand dollars more than even the actual infl ated price forced on us by the factory and then disclosed, to shouts of delight from the dealers that we were going to sell it at the lower price.”
The fi rst prototype presentation to dealers was on Saturday the 18th January in the banquet hall that was built in the late 1920’s. Before the car was unveiled, a fi lm of early testing and development was shown followed by a technical presentation by John Lloyd, Graham Whitehead (JRT Chief in the US) and Mike Dale.
With only seventeen cars, the seventy fi ve journalists had rationed time in the cars and fi rst impressions were mixed, particularly the wedge shape as opposed to the classic TR6. The fi rst journalist to report on the new car was the BBC’s John Humphrys on that evening’s 9 o’clock news. Driving a yellow TR7, he drove up to the camera and stated,
“The TR7 was the start of a new era!……...launching Britain’s sporty TR7 there was perhaps a touch of optimistic (sic) British Leyland hopes to sell 12,000 a month………..25 years after the British opened up a brand new export market in the United States with an MG sports car, they’re trying again, this time with the Triumph TR7. In those days, when British Leyland weren’t even a twinkle in Lord Stokes eye, the American market was wide open and the British exploited it to the full. To-day it is perhaps the toughest market in the world and the British have been beaten hands down. So the TR7 means more than an addition to the range. British Leyland hopes to start a new era.The trouble is that American’s aren’t buying cars at the moment, at least not the way they used to. Sales are down so sharply, 300,000 car workers have had to be laid off and factories temporarily closed throughout the country. The big manufacturers are desperately worried and perhaps British Leyland should be too.”
Road and Track had well known racing car driver and journalist, Paul Frere assisted by Ron Wakefi eld and John Dinkel carry out their fi rst appraisal. They said,
“The TR7 is a complete breakaway from the long line of TR models and that the rigid coupe top had endowed it with a remarkable torsional stiffness of 7,500 lb-ft per degree of twist.”
John Dinkel gave a separate half page driving report on the car,“We had hoped to have a full test of the TR7 to go with this month’s technical analysis of it but unfortunately a strike in England (what else is new) prevented British Leyland from starting production on time and the cars shown at Boca Raton, Florida were pilot models.
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Some sub-standard components were used to get them put together too, so despite what you may have read elsewhere, we believe a full test of one of those cars would be unfair to both the reader and to British Leyland. The TR7 has a solid feel virtually unknown in previous British sports cars. Even though it blazes no new trails in the evolution of the sports car, the TR7 is a modern and refi ned car that will appeal to the buyer attracted by a sports car looks, handling, size and character but turned off by leaky windshields, buckboard rides and ineffective heaters. If the success of the Datsun 240Z is any indication, British Leyland shouldn’t have a lot of trouble selling a lot of TR7’s at the asking price of $5,100.”
More important to the BL team was the reaction from Road & Track, Car and Driver and Motor Trend. Patrick Bedard of Car and Driver many years later wrote,
“JRT earnestly wanted something new after fl ogging ancient iron for so long. Michael H Dale was the corporate evangelist for British cars, a perfect guy for the job, a loyalist and hard worker who carried fi re without gloves. Respect for him coloured the press reception for the car. We couldn’t laugh at something he took seriously.”
Dale himself acknowledged,“They gave us a remarkably kind ride in the press reports.”
Bedard went onto say,“The car was a radical turn for a traditional sports car maker, daring in its shape, so radical that you had to pay attention and it wasn’t a bad thing to drive. The TR7’s strong suit is comfort. The cockpit is spacious (wider than a Corvette or a Z Car) and the driving position is exceptionally good. The interior of this car is exceptionally well executed from almost every angle. “
However Bedard was not impressed with the brakes, engine and transmission noise stating,
“Another trip through the engineering department is required here.Despite their thoroughness, the engineers overlooked one conspicuous area, engine vibration. Like all inline four cylinder engines, this one shakes. And (sic) at certain speeds it sets up very annoying resonances in the body. You can feel them in the fl oor, in the pedals and in the seat and worst of all, in your ears. As luck would have it, this cacophony reaches a crescendo at 55 mph. And (sic) it’s even worse with the air-conditioning operating. All this can be fi xed with careful vibration tuning and it must be fi xed before the TR7 can live up to its potential as a GT car.”
Bedard concluded, “More than anything else, the TR7 is available at a fair price. If the engineering department follows up on a few remaining problems, particularly the brakes and the vibrations, this car will be a hit.”
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Car and Driver featured the TR7 on its April front cover with the headline, “TR7: A Major Triumph”.The dealer reaction was summed up by Joe Herson, a major JRT dealer,
“I do remember attending the TR7 launch in Boca Raton, Florida. After all those years in the business, we had formed some very close relationships with other dealers from all over the US. In fact, through the National Automobile Dealers Association, we had formed a study group of non-competing BL dealers and it was not unusual for the group to meet in conjunction with the importer’s national events. It sticks in my mind that we had scheduled a meeting at Boca. So we had our own little claque that attended the intro meeting and sat together and gossiped and joked together. Dale and his cohort did a mighty fi ne job of concealment and obfuscation. Our group in the audience did not know all of the travails and woe that had gone into the get ready. In fact as we saw the new TR7 from a distance in the audience, we were quite pleased because it was such a departure from what had gone before. It really looked from afar, that the British had got their act together and had fi nally arrived in the second half of the 20th century.”
Some journalists were given cars after the launch to drive home, a very risky thing to do given the problems encountered. Leon Mandel of Auto Week drove his car from Boca to Nevada and headed his report “Travelin’ On: America Through A Windshield.” Mandel reported,
“The Java Green car, somewhat fresh because it is a prototype, showed early warnings of problems to come by consuming copious quantities of oil.” Mandel was impressed by the cockpit saying, “The cockpit ambience was fantastic, particularly its comfort and the reassuring green glow of the instruments and switches at night, while outside the rush of the wind along the car is like a storm at sea, a blizzard against a house reinforcing the feeling of security inside the car.”
Mandel travelled 2,000 miles in two days, a journey through Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. The engine seized at Possum Kingdom Lake at 6-15 am in the middle of winter. A call to Boca Raton found Mike Dale who was able to identify a spare engine and chartered a Cessna and got it to Overseas Motors, the Triumph dealer in Fort Worth who arranged for a hasty replacement.
Continued next TRend
The Thick Edge of the WedgeThis is just a note to let members know that March is DT’s month. No......it doesn’t mean you have to drink to excess.......it’s Daryl Tonkin month. For those of you who have seen the magnifi cent GEAR calendar for 2014 you will know that Daryl is the featured car/driver for March with a scattering of other wedges in small photographs as part of the spread. On the Wedge subject it has come to our notice that 40 years of Wedge production are being celebrated in both the USA and in the UK and it is our moral obligation to do likewise on the bottom end of the globe. Keep a close eye on your Coming Events section of the magazine/website for further details.
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TRack Days for Triumphs
March15 Open Sprints Ipswich QR15-16 Lakeside Tribute Lakeside QR19 Midweek Night Sprints Ipswich QR 22-23 Hillclimb Mt. Cotton MGCCQ29 Open Sprints Lakeside QR
April5-6 Autumn Historics Morgan Park HRCCQ6 Street Sprints Lakeside QR10 GEAR Ipswich GEAR/QR26 Hillcimb Mt. Cotton MGCCQ
May2-4 Ipswich Festival of Cars Ipswich QR4 Street Sprints Lakeside QR 7 Mid-week Sprints Lakeside QR17 Open Sprints Ipswich QR
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Some Items of Interest from the Club Email Site
We are currently in the process of remanufacturing triumph 2000 / 2.5 body panels. All panels are produced from computer scanning nos British Leyland panels to ensure the best quality of fi tment and are made on brand new press draw tooling. Panels available are wide ranging and will be available for both the mk1 & 2 including the saloon and estate. If these products may be of interest to your members, please contact me on the email below for further information [email protected]
The Healey Factory will be holding a fi rst time promotion on our total stock of Triumph parts from March to May and would like to notify your members of the event in your club magazine and possibly club website. The promotion will offer your members the opportunity to buy TR sports car spares at a 25% discount.Only Triumph specifi c parts will be included in the promotion, parts such as Dayton wheels, Minilite alloy wheels, Moto-lita steering wheels and Tex mirrors will not be included.Your members will be able to save money on spares for three months. Regards Howard Billing Spare Parts Manager The Healey Factory T. 03 9872 3900 www.healeyfactory.com.au
My name is Shane Jensen, I am not a club member but I have a 74 stag soft top for sale and was wondering if any of your members might be interested. The car was given to me by my father in law but unfortunately I don’t have the time, money or knowledge to get it up and running. It has a 3.5 litre v8 rover engine and comes with an array of spare parts(including bumpers),manuals and records of previous work done. Asking price is $3000 ono. If any of your members are interested they can contact me on this email address or call my mobile 0400 425313.
Thanks for the photos in this magazine go to Carole Cooke, Daryl Tonkin, Terry O’Beirne
Did you Know?That a National TSOA magazine is available to view on the Australia TSOA website?Also that a Facebook site called Triumph Car Owners has been go-ing since July 2011?
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FOR SALE OR WANTED ::For Sale - Boot lid BRG for TR7V8 very good condition for sale $150. Several manuals of varying cars - make an offer. 2 sets of Cromadora rims/wheels for sale $200 per set. Please phone Eva on 5630 9307
1976 Triumph 2500 TC.Classic blue . VG condition. On Sunshine Coast. $3000. Anna. 0427611174
Dolomite Spring 1976 repainted in 2pack vinyl roof, exc. cond. re-upholstered and roof lining, door cards, window winders, etc. New windscreen and back and front rub-bers, newe clutch, new brake rotors, slave cylinder, shocks, rack & pinion, excellent wooden dash (needs fi tting), new wooden steering wheel, etc. All receipts, $6,000 ONO. David Evans 0412076276
Triumph TR7 1979 Convertible. Sprint Motor, MegaSquirt EFI Spark and Fuel, Extractors, New Exhaust System, Davies Craig EWP with Controller, Thermo Fan switched by EWP Controller, Spin-On Oil fi lter. Soft Top, Soft Top Cover, Lenham Detachable Hard Top, Front Air-Dam. Koni Front Suspension Inserts, Spax Adjustable rear shock absorbers. (Approx 5000klm). Strut Brace.MGF 15” Wheels and good tyres. 85 Amp Bosch Alternator, 100w Semi-Sealed Beam Headlights, Driving Lights, all relayed. Electric windows.Included but not fi tted. Power Steering System using rebuilt Subaru Rack, Ford Pump and Volvo Tie-Rods. Honda Prelude Front Brake Calipers and Honda Civic Discs. Roll Bar incorporating Stag Type T-Bar. Sway Bar Spacers incorporating caster angle adjustment. Handbrake extension levers. On a Scale of 1-10, Body and Interior 7 , Mechanically 9. $7500. Ph 5462 3764 or 0429 138 452.
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TTT Day and Sprints
Left - Cindy O’Beirne battles with another lady driver
Below - Roy Davis was happy
Team Wedge headquarters
