Amicable Triumphers...
Well it's one of those infamous "found in a barn stories"...
Here I am mindin my own business, when I hear of a TR4 "race car" that a guy
has and wants to sell. Glutton that I am, I hafta go look at least, I mean
it's kinda like a "civic duty" for us, isn't it ?
Well what I found was a very "period" car in that it has all the stuff on it
that you could order from the Triumph Competition Department circa 1965.
Factory things on the car like: aluminum oil pan, tri-Y headers, oil cooler,
5" American Silverstones, comp springs front and back and polished Alfin 10"
drums. While all of that sounds cool, there basically wasn't much else done
the car as a whole. All the suspension bushes are still rubber, it sits pretty
high, no front sway bar at all (never even looks like it had one ????), lever
shocks in the back, no de-cambering of the wheels, etc etc, basically the
suspension is all stock. The rear end is welded solid (no Detroit locker for
this guy...) with a hefty rear sway bar to boot (must make for an
"interesting" ride.) The motor even started and ran ok. Sounds like it has a
fairly mild cam in it as it would almost even idle, but did have a fairly
heavily shaved head and what looked like a set of factory springs and
retainers. The cars is an IRS model, but has TR4 front fenders and hood on it,
what race car hasn't met its match once in a while, but no evidence of any
"major" hits (the frame looks straight.) Don't know what rear end gear is in
it, but it is running an OD setup. The roll bar is a bolt in homemade unit
that wouldn't get past any of today's tech guys,a few minor dents in a few
places, evidence of hood fractures, but all in all a fairly solid "antique".
There's even a log book with it that shows it raced last in 1974, but from the
prep standards, it must have been uncompetitive by then.
So, even though I have absolutely no use for this beauty, my hand quivers on
my checkbook...
As a last appeal, I turn to my brethren to help me on this one. All opinions
and free advice accepted, not only for "the big question" , but also as to
what a). You would pay for this car, and b). What a sane and rational person
would pay for it !
Pack Rats-R-Us...
NIck in Nor Cal
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