Dave Terrick wrote:
Finally, in absence of other information (and I suspect I'll need to break
down and gab a BMHIT certificate), my car was built in Malta (Thanks Joe C,
I also found your list post on the archive). Just where the @#$@# is
Malta?!?
A small island in the Mediterranean, slightly south west of the toe of Italy.
Used to be a
Crown colony (maybe still is) and allegedly big buddies with Libya.
(I know, sort of). Was there a military establishment there?
Yes. Naval dockyard during WW2
Might my car have been a personal import?
Highly likely. Most improbable it was built there for re-export - and certainly
not to
North America. Risk the cost of a Certificate Dave, AFAIK most of the records
for CKD
shipments (completely knocked down) to overseas assembly plants didn't survive
to the same
extent as for those cars built in the UK. Try it, you might get lucky.
Someone else speculated "Why Malta?"
Twofold answer. Malta was very popular as a tourist resort and many Triumphs
were used as
hire cars. That wasn't the real reason for putting a plant there. Standard
Triumph had an
assembly plant at Haifa in Israel and because of that, was on the Arab boycott
list. "You
make cars in Israel, you can't sell cars in Arab countries - even if you make
them in your
own country." The way round this was to lean heavily on the Dom Mintoff in
Malta/Wotsisname Gaddafi in Libya association. By getting Libya's endorsement
that
Triumphs made in Malta were 'kosher' for Arab markets in the middle east - the
boycott was
relaxed. Certainly the volume of cars made in Malta if used strictly for Malta
consumption
would have sunk the island without trace.
Jonmac
Current Book: IN THE SHADOW OF MY FATHER
http://www.toolbox.ndirect.co.uk/triumphbook
New Book: THE CROCUS AND A CORNFLOWER http://www.toolbox.ndirect.co.uk/crocus
The SLOW progress with 'Canley Girl': http://www.toolbox.ndirect.co.uk/
Triumph Charity Run in 2000 (in UK): http://www.toolbox.ndirect.co.uk/stories/
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