[TR] stressful things in triumph

[TeriAnn J. Wakeman]

On 11/29/12 2:35 AM, John Macartney wrote:
> The thing for me is the realisation that many of my former friends in
> Engineering were little more than sadists. They completely overlooked the fact
> that many among us down the years have been youthful in heart, though much
> longer in the tooth. Waking each day as I do with aching joints and perhaps a
> little too much 'circumferentially' - I especially curse all TR Spitfire, GT6,
> and certainly curse Little and large Healeys, Morris Garages variants and
> those things from Jaguar that look like a flying bedpan.
> It's not that I'm
> jealous but simply because whenever I have the opportunity to ride in or drive
> a sports car, it's raining and the hood is erected. It's bad enough getting in
> - but getting out is hell on earth.
>
Sadists?  I always thought the problem was that the folks who designed 
many of the cars were height challenged and designed cars that fit their 
short stature and short legs.  The cars would have been different if 
Donald Healey and Colin Chapman were around 6 foot 2 or 4 and the 
average Brit male was at least 6 foot tall or taller.

First time I sat in a BJ8 I was heartbroken to discover that my knee hit 
the bottom of the instrument panel before my foot got high enough to 
clear the clutch pedal unless I angled my leg sideways.  I had thought a 
big Healey would be a grand third car until then. The only time I tried 
a GT6 I found my knees on either side of the steering wheel.  I figure 
if I ever got one I would have to remove the front seat and sit on a 
cushion or something instead.  They were not meant for people with long 
legs.

I have just assumed that the fun of driving a British Roadster would be 
a proper inducement to keep the personal circumference small enough for 
easy entrance and exit.  Though I have to admit getting out of a 3 with 
the hard top on is a tad less than graceful when you are on the tall 
side as I tend to back out of the car.

"A Jag looks like a flying bed pan"  That image would have never 
occurred to me.

TeriAnn