I enjoyed reading TeriAnn and Jim's thoughts about driving versus show
restoration, as I tend to be a detail freak, but have to constantly
remind myself why I got my cars--to work on and drive them! My
perpetual and subconscious fear is that I will make them 'too nice to
drive.'
Anyhow, TeriAnn mentioned a triumph culture transitioning from lots of
driving to lots of showing. See if you agree with this theory...
Triumphs tend to appeal to people who knew them when they were young.
This creates a wave of people interested in a particular model of car,
similar to a baby boomer effect. That wave of peoople goes through a
life cycle of wanting the cars, then getting to a point they can
finally afford one but don't have much left over, then getting to a
point in life with a bigger bank account and more time to cover nice
paint jobs and frame-up restorations. So maybe the transition is an
inherent self-imposed one for cars of this age? The same way souped up
Honda Civics will be restored to concours quality 25 years from now,
despite being driven into the ground now.
Does that hold any oil?
As a related side note, I'm 31, and in the seven years I've owned a TR6
and have actively driven and worked on it, I've been absolutely amazed
at how few people my age are interested in Triumphs, or LBCs in
general! Perhaps having been born in 1973 I was just on the tail end of
the TR6 wave? It's true I originally got one because I recalled seeing
one rumble by as a kid and was absolutely thrilled by it!
Steve
71 TR6
72 GT6
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