Well, I guess I'm kind of scamming my way onto this list, since I don't
even own a Triumph, but at least
there is one in the family, even if it doesn't run.
So here's the deal: my grandpa's got a 57 TR3 hanging out in his garage.
It hasn't been run in quite a few years- since he blew out the third gear
racing and first gear 'cause he was- ahem- not entirely sober. Where do we
start- assuming I can get him to work on it again. It's very original, but
many things are going to need replacing, since racing took its toll and and
my family is somewhat notorious for pushing cars to their limits anyway.
What do I look for, what things are priorities, and what do we need to do
for the engine that hasn't turned over in ten years (but ran before we
stored it in the pole barn)?
Last summer I saw a british racing green MG for sale in Dinkytown (part of
Minneapolis near the University) and I was intrigued. I mentioned it to my
dad, who promptly put down the MG and mentioned that my grandpa had a
two-seater sports car that was a good deal better. I didn't think much of
it then.
Over the winter I really started wanting a car again, even though I can't
afford one because of college. My roommate and I played racing games on
the computer and when I could I borrowed my mom's little Toyota and drove
it like a maniac. I'm not sure what reminded me, but one day I thought of
my grandpa's car, so I called up my dad and asked him what kind of car
grandpa had, and all he said at first was that it was a Triumph. I
remembered hazily seeing the white car down in the pole barn, I remembered
the round headlights peeking bug-eyed out from under a tarp, but it seemed
so long ago. I did some reading and figured that it was probably a later
model like the TR-6, and tried to picture it again.
I wore my roommate out showing him pictures.
"Like this- only white!"
"Great. I'm trying to watch TV here."
I asked my dad some more, and he remembered that it was a 1957 TR3. I did
more reading and tried to place it based on what I knew. The next time I
talked to my dad we really talked about the car- but I told my dad more
about the car than he told me. He dug up an old picture from a photo album
from the early '70's. There it was, in the garage when the family still
lived in Saint Paul.
The next weekend was a small family event- a first eucharist/birthday party
for two or three of my innumerable cousins. I tried to ask my grandpa
about the car, but some other guy started saying that my grandpa should
just sell the car and buy a fishing pole. I almost commited a felony with
the plastic silverware right there at my cousins' party, but restrained
myself by taking a hard swallow of my Mountain Dew.
"When are you going to fix the Triumph, Grandpa?"
"It'll get fixed when it gets fixed."
The next weekend was a wedding, and I came armed with the camera. I
stopped at my grandparents' home first, a quiet rambler set into a few
acres of pines trees in pastoral Wisconsin. The garage door was closed but
I went in through the house, saying hello to my grandma first, but then
sneaking quietly into the garage.
It was like a blind date. I strolled casually over to the car and gave it
the once over- that look where you say to yourself- "wow, she's cute but
what about that jack under the engine bay?" and can't stop looking, despite
your best efforts not to stare. The smooth lines beckoned- they called me,
but I was more than a little nervous.
I pulled back the
tarps to reveal the hood, the grin of the grille. I moved a shipping
blanket and was faced with the shock of a cracked windshield. I moved some
lawn ornaments off the boot and slid back the third tarp a ways. The
tonneau was off-white, faded and dirty with age and dust. I unzipped it a
ways and peeked into the dark interior. The key fob was just visible and
read "1957 TRIUMPH TR3". I zipped it back up, pulled the tarps back
over. I had a wedding to get to.
After the wedding some of the family came back to the house before the
reception, so I came along and asked one of my uncles to help me get the
commission number. I opened the hood and was amazed at how familiar yet
rusted everything was. The two air cleaners were like those cousins whom
you haven't seen in a few years- immediately recognizable yet different
than you remembered- maybe a little taller.
Anyway, that's my sad story thus far.
------------------------------
Jesse Mullan
jmullan@doubt.com
http://www.math.umn.edu/~jmullan
1957 Triumph TR3 TS 18958 LO
1980 Toyota Tercel
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