Triumphant

By John Gunnell

The Vintage Triumph Register filled Lake Geneva, Wis., with Triumphs last week. I almost said “Triumph sports car,” but that would not have been accurate because there were such rides as a Herald convertible, a Super Six convertible and a very rare Triumph Italia that looked like a Ferrari. Of course, there were plenty of “TR” models—including the first TR ever built.

This serial no. 1 car was a TR2 specifically made for that model’s introduction at the Toronto Auto Show. This car was first restored by a hobbyist and then went to Hawaii. It received a recent every-nut-and-bolt professional restoration by Macy’s Garage in Tipp City, Ohio.

I enjoyed this meet a lot because I saw people having fun with cars. The Triumph owners seemed to be having a real blast cruising the back roads that wind around Geneva Lake. There were many smiling people in little British cars scooting this way and that way. It looked like more fun than sitting in a lawn chair hearing about an Uncle who had a car “just like yours, except it was an MG and the top didn’t go down!”

There were some fabulous seminars and workshops presented at the meet. I took in one about sealing engine leaks and another about reproduction TR250 frames. As we learned from one of the current projects in Gunner’s Great Garage, those frames are prone to cracking in several places. I also picked up a few parts from the Roadster Factory, which came all the way from Pennsylvania to sell its wares.