On Sun, 1 Aug 1999, jonmac wrote:
> ...The central plinth with a centred backup light
> came in with the Mk 2 / GT6+ in 1969. I don't know the commission numbers
> which started these cars....
I hate to argue with you, John, but the earlier Mk2/+ cars (model year
1969, KC 50001 and future) continued the same general rear lamp
arrangement of the "Mk.1" GT6, although the turn signal lamp changed. It
was for the 1970 model year, beginning build maybe August 1969 or so with
KC75001 (or KC 75031 as I have seen quoted), that the dreaded plinth was
fitted. It was at that time as well that Spitfire Mk.3s paralleled this
lamp arrangement, beginning around FD(U)75001.
I have learned never to make an unqualified statement, so it is of course
possible that the changeover wasn't completely "clean"! ;-)
> ...It's worth mentioning as
> well that this revised arrangement was not, as I recall, within the scope of
> Federal legislation - i.e. the sculptured plinth and integral lamp was not a
> US/Canadian requirement. Joe Curry will shoot me down in flames but the same
> plinth and lamp cut in at the same time on the Spitfire.
I agree with you here, John. I believe it was a "restyle" applied to cars
for all markets.
> Someone then said reflectors weren't needed outside the US? Not strictly
> true - dpeneds whrere they were fitted. Reflectors were an integral part of
> the stop tail lights. IMHO these separate reflectors are either a specific
> individual State requirement not covered by the Federal build spec adopted
> by the factory - or somebody put them on the pretty up the car.
Again I must DISagree. Federal (US) requirements for reflectivity became
rather stricter around this time, and I suspect that the original
taillamps did not quite meet that higher "standard." Some students of the
TR6 will remember that there was actually a federally mandated recall
campaign on some early TR6s (mostly 1970 models, as I recall -- maybe
it's on the Web somewhere) that resulted in auxiliary reflectors being
mounted below the taillamp units on those TR6s. Regardless, by this time
the U.S. government-mandated safety item specifications superseded those
of individual states for the most part.
> Denim seats in 1970 as an optional extra? Don't remember that - though I
> could be wrong. Possible that denim was optional at a later stage after my
> departure and this car has subsequently had seats fitted to it from a later
> variant.
I would suspect that this could have been a "regional" option, as in
California only or Western states only or ????
--Andy
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* Andrew Mace, President and *
* 10/Herald/Vitesse (Sports 6) Consultant *
* Vintage Triumph Register <www.vtr.org> *
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