[TR] Special commemmorative car

[John Macartney]

Dave
Thank you for your very kind but undeserved compliment and let me say at
the outset that I couldn't agree with you more on this general theme!
Frankly, I too don't see the point in this particular MG limited run project
either - though the people that are doing it no doubt hope to make money at
it. And also, I'd be the first to 'oppose' a similar move to resurrect a TR6
with anyone's engine or gearbox in it. 
That said, I'm sure there will always
be people who will happily stump up the money to buy one of these MGBGT
creations, just as much as there are those who pay even more for an AC Cobra
lookalike and all the other ad nauseams. 
Equally, on the plus side of things,
I'm delighted for the sake of the hobby that British Motor Heritage still has
the capability to crank out new (and better) bodies for Spridgets, B's and
TR6's on the original tooling. As the good surviving cars get higher and
higher in price on both sides of the pond and start price themselves out of
reach, all that is left for those who still aspire to an 'old car' are the
basket cases where the body is all but gone and only the engine, gearbox and
tranny are salvageable. That's where many of us are at in the UK, so buying a
BMH replica body can and does bring an old rustbucket back to life, more or
less "as it was." Sure, such an exercise costs a wad of money but some people
have the financial wherewithal to do it and if it somehow rescues something
that might soon morph into a washing machine, that has to be a plus. So in
summary, I'm all for British Motor Heritage continuing with what they do well
in enabling the
 cars we love to have a rebirth - but not with modern engines and all that
goes with them. Needless to say, my first post was somewhat tongue-in-cheek.
 
Cheers, John

From: oliver <sumton at sbcglobal.net>
To: Triumph List
<triumphs at autox.team.net>
Sent: Friday, 22 July 2011, 21:32
Subject: Re: [TR]
Special commemmorative car

John - I have a lot of respect for you, but I
really don't see the point in reviving old marques, or making special one offs
like these.  the cars are old, pugnacious, and really have little to do with
todays cars except for geneology.  who would compare an xjs with an xk140?

I
really believe that the old cars are old; they are special, and trying to
revive them makes no sense.  I grant an exception for the mini, which really
carried on the spirit of the old car, but I just don't see a "new" Triumph
being at all relevant to the old one.  even the new MGF IMHO had little to do
with the old mgb I've got in the garage.

the old cars and the old marques are
gone.  they are wonderful, historical, and I love mine.  but don't revive an
old marque and get all misty eyed about how great it is for it to be back. 
its not.  its new, modern, and thank goodness for that.

at some point you
move forward.  Datsun did it with the 240z - it has nothing to do with the 
old roadsters.  but the 240, 260, 280, 350, 370 I think is a continuous
chain.  we've left the old British roadsters behind; they took a lot longer to
die, but they are gone.