Joe Curry wrote:
>
> Andrew,
> It just could be that it is because your car really is a 1966 model.
> According to the BMIHT (keeper of the Triumph production records), the
> first Mk2 built in 1967 (yes there are 1967 Mk2's) was FC88565. Since
> your car is FC81359, it would have been built sometime before the end of
> 1966.
>
> In those years Triumph was still using the calendar year to designate
> year models, so yours is indeed a 1966 model. Probably, the car was
> originally sold in 1967 and registered as that year by the dealer. That
> was a very common practice back then.
>
> The Commission number would not have that 67 prefix from the factory.
> If the plate indicates that, it was added sometime after the car left
> the plant (probably by the dealer to help justify the change in model).
> However, if the car was sold in the US, it should have an "L" at the end
> to signify Left hand Steering.
>
> Also, as you suggest a car that came from the factory with overdrive
> would bear an "O" as a suffix to the commission number.
>
> So, You are not crazy, just a victim of creative salesmanship!
>
> Regards,
> Joe Curry
>
> Andrew Holmes wrote:
> >
> > Why is it that virtually every spitfire website or publication, or even
> > folks generally knowledgable (ie: half the british parts folks I've dealt
> > with) always tell me that I am wrong about my car?
> >
> > I have a 1967 Mk II. Everbody tries to tell me that I must be mistaken, and
> > that by 1967, only mk III cars were made. But I have a 1967, VIN 67FC81359L
> > (I have since added overdrive - I understand that cars with factory OD
> > usually had that indicated in the VIN?).
> >
> > Are these rare? Why do so many british car "experts" think I don't have
> > what I say I have?
> >
> > I even have an 1147 engine - could it be that this is actually an earlier
> > car that took awhile to first register? How can I find this out? I have
> > the original plates (it's a black-plated California car), so my registration
> > has been continuous, but it shows 1967 on the paperwork . . .
> >
> > Somebody please tell me I'm not crazy . . . or confirm my wife's diagnosis
> > of me!
>
> --
> "If you can't excel with talent, triumph with effort."
> -- Dave Weinbaum in National Enquirer
'67 was a unique year. we were a bmc/standard triumpph dealer at the
time. the distributors, triumph had distributors throughout the country
who supplied car to the dealers in their geographic zones - our zone was
handled by a distributor located in detroit, had to get rid of te
left-over mkII's and sell the mkIII's as well. we sold a bunch of new
'67 mkII's at $2500. this included wire wheels, tonneau, tax and title.
we received discounts from the distributor to encourage the sale of the
remaining mkII's. the mkIII was really supposed to be a '68 (the first
year of the federal safety and rudimentary emission standards). this
same thing happened with the mg midget. in '67 there was both an 1100cc
car with removable top and steel dash panel and a 1275 cc with fold down
top and padded dash. also, up to the 1968 model year, we could send the
certificate of origin (CO) backtothe manufacturer at the end of the year
and a new CO would be issued with the following year date; ie all the
'66's we had in stock on dec 31, 1966 had the CO's sent back the
following week and became '67's. ted
--
Ted Schumacher
TS Imported Automotive
404 Basinger Rd.
Pandora, Ohio, USA 45877
Ph. 800/543-6648 USA/Canada FAX 419/384-3272 24 hour
Ph. 419/384-3022 - tech./general information
Web page http://www.tsimportedautomotive.com
New-Used-Rebuilt-NOS-Performance British car parts.
200 - 300 parts cars in our British-only salvage yard.
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