Hell Listers,
It is good to hear the different opinions regarding the rear valance color.
I thought you might like to hear the perspective of the person who actually
decided what color to paint the rear valance as well as other design
influences for the TR6. His name is J. Bruce McWilliams. Bruce was a key
figure for Triumph in North American Sales according to his interview with
Steven Rossi which was published in the #33 VTR newsletter. Bruce says the
following about the rear valance:
"Doing the tail in black was another case of design detail. Karmann came up
with the Kamm-type tail, and I did a lot of fooling around with the black
applique to get it to look just right. I mean you could bring the black
down to a certain point, and it would look all right. But if you went a
little deeper, it could make it look worse than better.
My wife was the one who actually insisted on the bolder tail lights than the
car original had, and we thought this would cause a big delay since it
required new tooling.
All the graphics were mine. The hollow rear TR-6 side designations, to be
honest, were inspired by the GTO"
So, this might ad a bit to the conversation on the list. McWilliams also
was the man behind the Union Jack emblem. I have permission to post the
full interview on the web (per VTR's approval) and will do so when I get a
chance. I will let you know when.
If I can add my two cents, I think the 6 looks clean without the black, but
it sure does offer a muscle look with the matte black. If you use a good
painter, a nice crisp clean line will really set it off! I favor the
original design as it was intended.
Mike Brinker
74 TR6
The section is quotes was taken from VTR #33 interview with J. Bruce
McWilliams
|