A few years ago my 17 year old daughter went from driving a new Ford Explorer
to my 1970 Triumph GT6+ because of a financial crunch due to a divorce. Talk
about culture shock! She had never been exposed to the uncertainty of driving
a British sports car but she learned fast! Initially she wasn't happy about
the change but after a few kids at school asked her where she got the cool
car she was an instant celebrity. Her only complaint was that she couldn't
always get it in gear. I replaced the hat section washers in the shifter and
things were fine from there. I was away on a trip and she found a puddle of
petrol on the garage floor and without any whining she found the leaking fuel
filter and replced it along with the clamps! That's my girl. One day at
school she came out to find the Triumph and GT6+ identification badges
damaged along with the body around the badges. She said that there were kids
around town (pop. 1500) that "collected" badges from "cool" cars. These
"collectors" were probably used to glued on badges from late model cars that
can easily be lifted with a putty knife. Not so on the Triumph! "Ian's" (as
I've come to call him) badges resisted every effort even though their prying
put six sizeable dents and gashes in the BRG paint. Unfortunately the enamel
on the badges was cracked and beyond salvage. I immediately looked up what it
would cost to replace them and nearly passed out at the Vickie Brit prices!
I'm not telling you this to gripe about small town juvenile delinquents. This
fathers day my daughter, now 20 years old and on her own, presented me with a
new Triumph and GT6+ badge for Ian. I now know that her generation can
appreciate British sports cars if they are exposed to them. She sure made me
a happy father.
Greg Wolf
Triumph GT6+
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