Archive for May, 2010

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Topless British Fun For Four – 1962 Triumph Herald 6

May 9, 2010

Not as scandalous as it sounds… Britain of the early sixties wouldn’t have stood for that! Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of a 4-seat convertible so my family and I could go out with the top down, so 4-place convertibles have always held a special appeal for me. Besides being an interesting car as it is, the Herald convertible is a 4-seater with a good-size trunk, just right for taking the family away for a weekend in the Gold Country.

The only problem with taking a Triumph Herald out with a load of luggage and people is that there’s only 39 horsepower to get them there. Luckily, someone else thought of this problem before you did, and decided the best way to resolve the problem was to install the engine from the GT6, creating the Vitesse. Then, someone else who couldn’t get their hands on a Vitesse decided a good idea would be to do it themselves. That brings us to this car, for sale in the East Bay Area near San Francisco, CA for $3000.

1962 Triumph Herald 6 left

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Black Bullet – 1980 Triumph TR7 Roadster

May 8, 2010

Out of the many candidates to be my car (and apparently benefit from a lot more financial indulgence than I ever expected), a Triumph TR7 got an interview. It was actually not a bad car, but felt rather heavy and isolated compared to some of the late 60s and early 70s cars I had tried. At the time, it was also just a used car at the time. But the years have been kind to it, and in retrospect it’s a fairly attractive car with a forward-looking shape for the time.

Since they weren’t so well-respected back when they were built and sold, TR7s have had a pretty high attrition rate (especially the hardtops, which were not the most attractive). So in the meantime, they’ve become pretty rare cars (much like, say, Alfettas), and a good one in a desirable color is pretty hard to find. Today’s car is available for $3250 in Wayland, MI (near Kalamazoo).

1980 Triumph TR7 right

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Gran Turismo Alleggerita?? 1987 Renault GTA

May 4, 2010

Here’s a car that had a promising future when it debuted in the US in late 1982 – the Renault 9/11, the best-selling Renault ever. And yet they just weren’t right for the US market, as was often the case for French cars. They were some of the least costly cars on the market, with great mileage ratings and some innovative comfort features, but actually came out as a decline in the small-car market was starting. Combined with poor longer-term quality ratings, this meant the Alliance, Encore, and GTA only lasted for 5 model years.

And that brings us to our specific car. Brought out in 1986 as a performance model to boost sales, it packed 95 hp, thicker anti-roll bars, body kit, sports exhaust, upgraded wheels, and a closer-ratio gearbox plus stiffer engine mounts. This package added up to something pretty fun to drive, but low cost and sporting intentions mean there aren’t that many left. I’ve been waiting to write about one for a while, so
now you can see one for sale, with bidding currently at $102.50 with only 4 days to go and no reserve.

1987 Renault GTA front

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