It's like these big, glossy coffeetable books on "Classic " "Sportscars"-
that'll include MGBs! But not anything after a TR2!
It seems that the British publications, when they go if for making these
lists and silly judgements, are far more likely to include Spits and TRs.
Chaucan a son gout, eh?
Laura G.
----- Original Message -----
From: Terry L. Thompson <tlt@digex.net>
To: <spitfires@autox.team.net>
Sent: Friday, October 29, 1999 9:07 AM
Subject: Fine literature
>
> Just a rambling...
> I had a day of lounging yesterday (stranded in New Hampshire), and so I
> spent it at a Border's book store, and perused the periodicals to waste
the
> time.
> Lo and behold I came across two interesting magazines/articles. The
> first was the new installment (#8: body, paint and updates) of the Ro-Spit
> project car in GrassRoots Motorsports. What a nice looking automobile. A
> spit that does 0-60 in 4.6 seconds and the quarter mile in 12.5? Not too
> shabby. (Of course it's just a Spitfire exterior on a Rotory engine and
> drive-train). I don't remember the race, but it came in 1st in class and
> 3rd or 4th over-all at it's first public debut. And did I read it's still
> using the transverse leaf spring? They're supposedly going to upgrade the
> suspension even further (giving even stiffer front coils and changing the
> rear to a coil over shock).
> Interesting article, and such a nice looking car.
> The second magazine/article I came across was "The DuPont Register: Top
> 100 cars of this Century". (Doesn't sound too impressive, until you
> consider that there were only a few hand-made automobiles BEFORE 1900). I
> decided to see if Triumph had received even an honorable mention in the
> side-lines. I figured I would start from the back of the list (100) and
> work my way backward, and I'd eventually run into atleast a TR2 or TR3
> aknowledgement. Page, after page of Jaguar, Ferrari, Porsche, Lotus, Aston
> Martin, BMW, et al.
> The Ford Mustang was listed twice. Once for the classic 62-70 and again
> for the 90-99 models. Both incarnations of the Shelby Cobra were listed
> independantly as well. But, search as I might, no listing of a
> single-solitary Triumph in any way shape or form.
> I don't mean to sound spiteful, but I guess that Triumph was just a
> bit-player in the grand scale of automobile geniuses, such as the creators
> of the Plymouth Prowler and the DeLorean DMC. (I let out a very audible
> "You've got to be kidding!" which seemed to resonate for minutes in the
> cloistered confines of that Border's Book store.)
> Disgusted with that blatent disregard for the entire line of enjoyable
> Triumph models (which I might add, have elicited as many excitable squeels
> from delighted drivers in their 50 year or so reign as any Corvette or
> Volkswagon Beetle), I beat a hasty retreat, with my
> triple-grande-no-foam-half-decaf-now-tepid-latte in tote, out of the
store.
>
> My head is still shaking (like the toy-dog in on the dash of a 74 gremlin)
> in disbelief.
>
> Terry L. Thompson
> '76 Spit 1500
> Maryland
>
>
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