Real enjoyment comes from reading the history of our love affairs with
Triumphs.
Myinfatuation was kindled over a weekend after my junior year in high school,
during the summer of 1963 when a friend picked me up at work at about 10 pm on
the way to the Lake Garnett SportsCar Races at Lake Garnett, Kansas. We lived
on the Missouri side of KC at the time, and the drive was about 150 miles, I
guess, but all I can remember on the way was the delicious feel of
freedom from work, the parents, and from a mild depression caused by the
unfortunate demise of a recent love affair.
The vehicle for this trip was a late 50s TR3, powder blue. There was
excitement in the glow of the gauges as we set out over the plains of
southeastern Kansas with visions of the great races of Europe dancing about our
brains, and about a case of beer hidden behind the seats. We were to meet
another friend there in his green bug-eye sprite. At about two, on Saturday
AM we found each other and backed the cars up to the fence next to the
(purported) most exciting S-curve on the track, draped some blankets across
the
fence to the cars for an impromptu tent, and tried to sleep until the race
started, at about 10 AM. Drank beer, smoked cigars and watched the races all
day that day. Got to know our neighbors, saw some spinouts on the curve
and reveled in our good fortune to be alive in such a magical place.
Later, after the races, we retired to the city park and found several other
LBCs
to camp out with. Awakened at about 1 AM by explosions, we discovered that we
had made camp in a small valley between two warring factions, (As I recall,
Kansas City high schools) and they were lobbing fairly good size firecrackers
over our heads at each other. We quickly negotiated with one of the
factions to join them on their hill, but never joined in the war because it
ended just as we had finished pushing the bug-eye up the grade. It never
would
start when we really needed for it to.
We had just started to relax when word came that there was a riot in what was
loosely called the downtown area of Lake Garnett. Off we go, just to see
what's up, and the entire square was a mass of people moving around, throwing
objects, threading beer cans to the flag pole rope and hoisting them with
overdone salutes. The city had the firehoses out and laying across the
streets, and a group of bikers were thoroughly enjoying themselves by running
back and forth across them until they were spraying water over much of the
milling crowd. We heard later that the sheriff suffered a heart attack,
although this was never verified. This was the last year for the Lake Garnett
Races. (can't imagine why)
But, I was hooked, and bought my first LBC, a 63 TR3B in 1969, two years after
Cheryl and I married. One of the great days in my life was the beautiful
spring morning I stepped out of the plane that carried me home from the Army
and
fired up this car for a drive to our new home at the Lake of the Ozarks. It
seems that freedom, and these cars just naturally go together. Drove it for
five years, and sold it to a good friend who drove it for another seven. Cost
at purchase: $350 Cost at sale: $750.00, but I made him promise to resell it
to me at that price. A TR6 came after our second child in the mid 70's to
help
clear away the post partum blues for Cheryl, but was sold quickly once she
determined that two kids and a week's worth of groceries would not fit safely.
So, one day after a shopping trip she chirps out that she got whistled at,
felt
better now, and thought maybe we should trade for something more practical.
Recent cars have arrived post-children, and our toys are back!
Apologies for the length of this!
Mike Barron
70 TR6 now gone
60 TR3
Kansas City, USA
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