Jim Boyd wrote:
>
> Hey Listers:
>
> I have an opportunity to purchase a 1959 Triumph Herald Convertible. The
> car seems to be reasonably intact, although it has been stored outside,
> uncovered, for about 15 years. There does not seem to be any visible rust
> (thank you, California!), no major body damage at all, etc. All the side
> body trim strips, over riders, etc are all there, too. All the doors open
> and close quite nicely and the bonnet and bootlid also operate smoothly.
> The engine sits there, intact; not sure if it is free or not. The interior
> is shot, seats, soft top, etc. Convertible top bows are in place with
> remnants of material, but again, operates quite nicely!
>
> Questions: How rare is this car? Are parts available to restore it in the
> US? What size is the engine (I'm guessing about 1000 - 1100cc)? Are there
> some obvious pitfalls to this particular car? There seem to be some
> connections to the Spitfire - could some Spit running gear be interchangeable?
>
> He wants $1000 US firm for this car. That seems steep for a car that has
> been sitting so long...any thoughts on value as it sits vs a restored car?
> It looks like it would be a fun 4 seater car to cruise in!
>
> Any feedback would be appreciated! If I decide to pass on the car, I will
> let the List know the whereabouts, and contact person, etc.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Jim Boyd
> Northern CA
I'm not a Herald guru (Hey, Andy!!!!), but the info I've gained from
Andy Mace is very good. Don't know how rare Heralds are on this side of
the pond, but there were only 675 Sports 6s imported to the states (and
I've got ONE!!!). The early Heralds were powered by an 803cc 4
cylinder, later receiving an 1147cc, then a 1296cc version of the same
engine. The Spitfire was based roughly on the Herald chassis, same
front and rear suspension design, but there are some minor differences
in the chassis. Basically, anything you can do to a Spitfire, you can
do to a Herald. Go to the VTR web site:
http://www.vtr.org/
They have all the awesome info you want!
Personally, I think the 4 cylinder small chassis Triumphs are a bit
underpowered, but look better than the large chassis Triumphs. Thank
goodness, it is easy to infuse 6-cylinder power into them. But some
people, like Andy, actually like their power output, but to me, too much
power is not enough!
I don't know of any suppliers in the US for interior bits, but I found a
place in the UK that has interior bits. I don't know the quality or
prices, but here is there web site:
http://www.anglianet.co.uk/newtoncomm/
They say they have hard to find bits (like back seats) for these cars.
I hope they do, 'cause when I start on the Sports 6, I'll need them!
Hope I have been some help
Ron N.
Dalton, Ga
http://member.dalton.net/~spitfire1500
77 Spitfire 1500 - undergoing cajones transplant - FM66513UO
62 Vitesse/Sports 6 convertible - HB5635LCV
92 Ford Tempo GLS V6 (Ultimate Q-ship!) - 1FAPP38U1NK150073
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