[Fot] SVRA allows 5 speed transmission conversion!

[Bill Babcock]

This falls between the "good point except" and the "slippery slope"  
categories. No one requires full OEM vintage. If they did there would  
be very few running production-based cars. The megabuck cars must be  
pure in order to retain their value, but all the rest have parts  
relentlessly replaced with what's available and what fits the budget.  
If these cars are going to participate (and they are the backbone of  
vintage racing) then it's going to be a continual regulatory  
management process that enables that, not a hard and fast rule. The  
organizations are trying to hold the brakes on as much as feasible  
without winding up with races that have 20 entries.

You can argue that a transmission change provides performance  
opportunities, and it does, but nothing out of scope of what can be  
accomplished inside an OEM box and overdrive with a lot of very  
expensive parts (most of which never saw the inside of a Triumph  
factory). The big difference is price and reliability. I don't mind  
paying that price to some degree, but I also don't mind racing with  
people that did it in a less expensive but not OEM-like manner.



On Feb 10, 2009, at 9:42 AM, Randall wrote:

>> Frankly, I'm upset... seems if a national captioning vintage race  
>> group
>> allows the 5 speed conversion, other groups should come around and
>> acknowledge the swap.
>
> I'm kind of an outsider here, so no particular axe to grind ... but  
> isn't
> that why they call it "vintage" racing?  I thought the goal was to  
> have fun
> with old cars; not bolt some reproduction sheet metal to a Toyota  
> and call
> it a Triumph.
>
> If any 5-speed will do, why not any 4-cylinder?  Etc...
>
> Randall
> _______________________________________________