When I was in high school my father was a Triumph dealer. Since we were so
close to Detroit (in NW Ohio) we had to drive to Detroit to Standard Triumph
(the importer) and drive the cars back to Ohio. The building where Standard
Triumph was located was several stories high and an elevator was used to move
new cars from the upper floors to the street floor where we took delivery
after all the paperwork was completed. This whole process usually took about
an hour to complete before we headed back home with the new car(s).
Once, while I was wandering about the building on the fourth (as I remember)
floor, I came across all three of the Shell 4000 rally cars backed against the
wall in the rear of the building. They looked, quite honestly, like hell.
One had been damaged quite a bit in the front. One of the Triumph employees
there told me that the car had come to a bridge at a very high rate of speed
and the driver realized too late that the level of the bridge was quite a bit
higher than the level of the road and the TR hit, causing a lot of damage to
the front of the car. The driver and navigator, apparently with help from
others, repaired the car enough to continue and finish the rally!
I will never forget those three cars sitting back there in the almost dark
building and I will always wish that I had had a camera with me. I did take a
camera back the next time I went there, but the cars were gone.
Mike Rose
>>
>> > Since I have get one of the ex powder blue TR4 works rally cars I
>> > was searching on informations about the cars. It is very difficult
>> > from Germany because my english is not so good and my finance
>> > background also.
>> >
>> > The car which was "rebuilt" for ten years ago in Mexico/New York
>> > was in fact a serial LHD TR4 rebuilt with a handful remains of one
>> > of the works cars 3VC or CAG 408. This car was sold to an english
>> > TR supplier where it got the 3VC identification.
>> > The car seems to be had some original parts of the ex 3VC but the
>> > commission number plate is an reprint!
>> >
>> > 4VC was always in England. 1969 sold to the actually owner who had
>> > it driven some years every day. Engine, gearbox, front axle, rear
>> > axle and some outer panels were changed by the time.
>> > In the early nineties the car were restored by the same english
>> > supplier who later bought "3VC".
>> > The car had got a "new chassis", the most new outer panels and the
>> > most of the new tube. In Germany we says it is an complete replica
>> > with some original parts of the remains of the genuine works car.
>> > Unfortunately also here is an reprint commission number plate
>> > fitted!
>> >
>> > 5VC / CAG 410 the car which was driven at the Shell 4000 Rally by
>> > the swiss Jean-Jacques Thuner and the english Roy Fidler comes 1994
>> > to Germany and I bought it 1998 as "modified" TR4.
>> > Approx. 60-65% of the parts were still original. Some original
>> > parts of this car I have get in the follow years after a long
>> > research.
>> > The car has still the original engine and rearaxle with the
>> > Salesbury LSD and an 4.33 ratio. Also some original alloy panels
>> > were still fitted. The original hood of this car I have get for a
>> > time ago by an finest member of our list.
>> > The car has still the original commission number plate!
>> > Now the car is ready restored and the first 600 miles were driven.
>> >
>> > About 6VC/CAG 409 are all informations unknown. This car were
>> > driven at the Shell 4000 Rally by G.Jennings and Ed Homsey. Ed told
>> > me that the car were crashed by an bridge on the rally. The
>> > complete front of the chassis were strong damaged and the car runs
>> > not more in the right line.
>> > 1994/95 in England comes a car with the identification of 6VC by
>> > the same supplier who had "restored" 4VC and bought 1996 "3VC".
>> > The car have had none of the alloy panels for some years ago. Also
>> > not the long boot hinges of the works cars. Now it has.
>> > Also here the commission plate is an reprint!
>> >
>> > Perhaps some of the members of the list have more informations.
>> >
>> > Carsten Conrads
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