In a message dated 03/15/2006 12:40:34 PM Central Standard Time,
hottr6@hotmail.com writes:
> "I many years ago had as my first competition car a TR3, not an ordinary
> one
> but one of the ex factory works test cars that ran at Le-Mans with what was
> known as the Sabrina engine, 2 litre with double overhead cams, with 2 big
> bulges at the end of the cam covers that looked like breasts and were named
> after a famous British actress of the time called Sabrina who had rather
> large breasts and was known for displaying them,they were also know as
> Double Knocker engines also after the lady, the cars bodywork was
> fibreglass, wings, bonnet, boot, think that relates to fenders, hood and
> trunk but it was most unreliable, drank oil and had a very flexible body
> shell, I ran it in hillclimbs for about 12 months but it nearly bankrupted
> me and divorce was almost pending so I sold it and bought a Bugatti, just
> more trouble, but all turned out ok in the end and here I am still married
> after 41 years, ask any of the old Triumph experts and mention the Sabrina
> TR3's and wait for the reaction they were remembered fondly -by some mostly
> those who didn't own them or have to bear the running costs but I sure wish
> I still had it today would be worth a fortune, such is life".
>
Ah yes, the TR3Ss would be worth some bucks, but so too that BUGATTI. The
VSCDA featured BUGATTI at the Elkhart Lake Vintage Festival last September.
The
estimated street value of the starting grid in the all BUGATTI race was
forty-two million dollars. Five or six of the more valuable cars dropped out
after
one lap, but the front runners ran a very competitive race, with good dices
and impressive lap times.
One has to assume that since we never saw the SABRINA in subsequent TR
models, it was not the world's greatest engine. Probably not even second.
I was always under the impression that the TR3S had a significantly different
footprint. Longer? Wider? You should ask him if it had a distinctive
chassis.
Bill Dentinger
|