I won't dispute the claims of some that their cars were delivered with a
white chassis - but I can't understand how it would have been achieved or
why it would have been done. Bear in mind the body had to have a chassis in
order for the parts to be bolted to it and those parts would have been in
bare metal which later needed an anti-corrosion (joke) treatment, paint
undercoats and topcoats. Would Standard-Triumph have gone to the trouble of
masking off the chassis to retain the white when everthing else was another
colour? Personally, I doubt it. The name of the game was to produce as many
cars as possible per hour and not divert costly man hours to applying and
removing tape :)
The original TR4A catalogue for the UK (and maybe other export markets)
certainly showed a white chassis - but Frank Callaby, the senior Works
Photographer probably called the shots on that one. Frank was not only an
artist of some consummate skill but also a more than competent draughtsman,
as well as being an outstanding photographer. IMHO, I suspect he felt a
white chassis against a coloured background was more visually pleasing than
a black one against any colour - even white.
For the record, many motor show cars certainly had a white chassis for
enhanced display - but anyone who ordered a car on the assumption of what
they had seen on a show stand as being wholly representative of the normal
article, was possibly more than a little naieve. One wonders what St.
Piggott may have to say about this phenomenon? :)
Jonmac
---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.637 / Virus Database: 408 - Release Date: 20/03/04
|