Well again there a little to be corrected. It made just over 200bhp on the
engine dyno and had a ton of torque.The windscreen is that shape because we did
not have enough money to make our own dsign so we used a glass that Pete had
already used in his Samauri Hino special. It fit, okay and looked great.
Pete's detail work was always great.
I've written tons about this car in all my books. By the way it was on the
cover of Competition Press (Aurtoweek) twice twenty years apart.
---- Shane Ingate <hottr6@hotmail.com> wrote:
=============
Would that have been AutoWeek 10-Feb-03? No photos though. The EscapeRoads
article on Pete Brock says:
Today, Brock remembers the goals set for building the car began with
wanting to prove to the English that he and TR-250K co-creator R.S.
``Kas'' Kastner could design a good-looking, saleable car on the
existing Triumph frame and running gear. They also wanted to build a
show car to convince the American dealers that such a car was possible
(so they could lobby for the design with the Brits).
The ultimate goal was to make it a competitive racer in SCCA C production,
and finish it in time for Sebring.
``We knew the world's motorsports press would see the car and put
further pressure on British Leyland to produce it,'' Brock said.
Brock and Kastner traveled from concept to finished design in just six
to eight weeks. Getting the nod from Triumph HQ was slow- er, and the
boys had only 90 days to build the car for the 12 Hours of Sebring in
1968.
Starting with the production Triumph TR-250 components, Brock says,
they made a ``direct descendant of the subframe I'd used on the Daytona
Cobra'' to mount the 165-hp 2.5-liter six nine and a half inches
rearward. Because of the short time, the heat at Sebring, and the
complexity of a coupe design, they built a roadster for the race.
The design incorporated 1968's knowledge of aerodynamics. The rear-set
engine allowed for a low hood, which reduced frontal area. The
sweptback windshield would still look fantastic on a modern sports car.
The high deck line would provide plenty of space for luggage in the
production model and a smoother flow of air. The most intriguing
detail, according to Brock: ``The moveable rear spoiler was an attempt
to compensate for the lift I knew the body would generate, as the loss
of the coupe's upper [body] would increase the aero drag. By making it
moveable we could tune the car's downforce for any circuit.''
Climbing into the car today is easy, thanks to the long doors. Your
view is dominated by the huge tach showing through the 15-inch steering
wheel. The car starts with a loud bark, reminding you this is a race
car with not a speck of fat, or sound insulation. The shift lever is
perfectly positioned, and the throttle, clutch pedal and steering are
all very light, as befits a 2100-pound car. Thanks to the independent
rear suspension, traction out of the corners is excellent and the
brakes are first-rate. Keep the spoiler fully open, as the rear body
can act like a sail and provide some interesting rear-wheel-steer
moments at higher speeds.
The wheels came off a Chaparral and had to be machined to fit the
Triumph hubs. This turned out to be the car's downfall, as Bob Tullius
and Jim Dittmore found out on the 49th lap at Sebring when the broken
wheel caused a complete suspension failure in the right rear. A lack of
spares meant it was finished. The April 1968 cover of Car and Driver
trumpeted the TR-250K as the ``American Revolution in Sportscars.''
Inside, Leon Mandel called it ``the salvation of an empire.'' The last
Triumph rolled off the assembly line in 1981. This TR-250K exists as a
shining example of what could have been."
Mmmmm 2100 lbs. Seems a little hefty to me. I reckon that was Brock's psyops
on the competition.
Shane Ingate in NM
To: hottr6@hotmail.com
CC: fot@autox.team.net
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:30:41 -0600
Subject: Re: [Fot] Why is the TR250K so fast?
From: wgrosenbach@juno.com
Back when AutoWeek, was a tabloid on news print, they did an
Escape Roads on the TR-250K.
Had photos of the reworked combustion chambers, and, as I recall, lots of
detail. I think my copy is in my basement, somewhere. Probably be some time
before I ever get the chance to look for it.
Bill
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