Hello again Triumph listers:
Recently, as a new list subscriber, I posted a HELP request with
numerous
questions about the engine and transmission overhauls I intend to undertake
on my TR2 (#TS7690). I got a tremendous response with lots of words of
encouragement. I can clearly see the great value of participation on the
list. I tried to send a separate note of thanks to all who responded
although I may mave missed on a couple of the later responses (apologies)
and one of my letters "bounced." The one that bounced was to Mr. Randal
Young who now resides in California but was once form the very small
village in the middle of a very large, flat, cornfield (now my hometown),
Rensselaer, Indiana. Thanks for your reply Mr. Young! I will follow up on
the machine shop references you gave me for Rensselaer, Lafayette, etc.
Now I would like to bring another question to the group. This question
probably shows my lack of general knowledge about Truimphs and LBCs in
general. It relates to something that Mr. Steve Thorton of Bowling Green,
KY said about the TR3B on Ebay. He made reference to a "Heritage
Certificate." (Mr. Thorton, my original home town was Bowling Green,
........ INDIANA.) Could someone please tell me more about the Heritage
Certificate?
Actually, I think I may have seen one. At Auburn, IN at the Kruse
auction
this past Labor Day, there was a 55 TR2 that went through the auction and
it brought (apx.) $24,000. The owner had some formal looking papers that
told the date and even the hour of the manufacture of the car. WOULD THIS
HAVE BEEN A HERITAGE CERTIFICATE? I was really surprized to see the car
bring the price it did. (My TR2 is also a "signal red" '55 model, but it
will NEVER bring that kind of money!) The car at the Auburn auction was
somewhat unusual as it was a right hand drive car. The owner speculated
that it might be the only right hand drive TR2 in North America. (Did a
serviceman buy it overseas and ship it to the States??) I think the seller
was from Michigan but he did not seem to have any connections with VTR.
The car was not a #1, but it was very nice. I rather imagine that we'll be
seeing it at some future VTR events. I was showing "comparison" photos of
the car since I had my digital camera in hand and I had several photos of
my TR2 stored on the flash card. (The owner refused to believe me that
some TR2s had a three quarter surround chrome trim around the "mouth" of
the apron operning. My car had the piece and his did not. So my digital
camera helped to support my claim.)
How would someone obtain a "Heritage Certificate" on their car? Does
anyone with VTR have any estimate of how many TR2s surrvive? Is there data
to show what engine numbers would have been been installed in certain
commission series? I have a book which indicated there were apx. 8600 TR2s
made with almost 6000 produced for export. Does anyone know how many of
the nearly 6000 made it into the United States? I think with a commission
number of 7690 that my car must have been very late in the TR2 production
run. Other owners have pointed out that my "2" has some things in common
with the early TR3s (air vent forward of the windscreen). Is it possible
to find out what dealer may have sold the car? I bought the car last July
from a man in Covington, Indiana which is about twenty miles from Danville,
Illinois. In the glovebox of my car I have found a dealership decal from a
Danville, IL dealership. I am wondering if my car has ever gotten very far
from it's "home" dealership. (The agency has certainly long since
vanished.) Would VTR have any records to show if any other owner of this
car had registered with VTR?
I am sorry to write so long a letter to the list. I don't know if my
inquiry is properly "technical" for the list. I know there has been some
expressed concerns about list content of late and I surely do not wish to
violate the list ettiquet.
Respectfully yours,
Rob Blubaugh
Rensselaer, IN
TR2 (#TS7690)
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