By Andy Lindberg: It’s almost time to get the TR3 out of storage. Last summer another mille miglia was completed. Notice that mille miglia is not capitalized. I’ve never participated in the Italian thousand-mile race and probably never will. But when the Triumph was put away for the salt season, its trip odometer said it had traveled 1,074.8 miles in 2018. Don’t know how many miles you put on your vintage car, but this is a pretty dismal performance for me.
Of course, there were reasons. Mainly it spent some time hors de combat. First the slipping clutch finally got replaced. It had been bugging me since the Grand Rapids Rendezvous. Finally I bit the bullet and ordered a complete clutch kit. First from The Roadster Factory and then from Moss when TRF didn’t deliver. Next, what I thought was a simple misalignment issue ended up being a complete front-end rebuild, links, tie rods, ball joints and the alignment. Finally, while down in Lacrosse for the Vintage Triumph Register National convention, the tachometer developed a mind of its own. It’d stick at 4,000 rpms, even driving at 30 mph in 4th overdrive. New cable didn’t help so off it went to Nisonger. Perfect now.
Intermezzo
On January 5, I drove the Miata to Elsie’s for breakfast with the intermarque crew. It wasn’t snowing and the temp was well into the twenties (above zero). So the retractable hardtop went down. The next two weeks were spent coughing and lying in bed.
When Sun Country’s 737-800 (not a MAX) took off for Phoenix on January 13, seats 28A and B were inhabited by two sniffling passengers hoping for a mid-winter break and to cross the Barrett-Jackson auction off my bucket list.
Some comments about B-J. First, if you’ve ever been to the North St. Paul or Hastings shows, you’ve seen 90% of the cars for sale at Barrett Jackson. Ford Torinos, Chevy Chevelles, AMC Pacers, etc., etc. Of course, an occasional Ferrari or Porsche appeared for spice and maybe to up their sales average prices. There were also a few middling foreign cars. Some big Healeys, a couple TR6s, a smattering of Jags, a rubber bumper MGB, and my personal show favorite, a Volvo 1800 ES. Don’t know how much any of them sold for other than the TRs. $12K for the one with a hardtop and some bubbling paint. $20K for another with triple Webers, a shiny alloy valve cover, and a racing stripe. Neither seemed to have overdrive or a 5-speed conversion.
Second, let’s talk about ambiance. Have you been to the State Fair? Kiosk after kiosk, indoor and out. Renewal by Andersen was inside with the hot tubs, art, antiques and “official” Barrett-Jackson clothing. Most of the automotive product sellers were outside. Tires, polishes, some hot-rod equipment, and a zillion Chevy/Ford/Hemi hats and tee shirts. The auction itself was inside. But I couldn’t stand to listen to the auctioneer’s “yada yada yada yada yada 15 do I hear 15.” Car on the stage for 30 seconds and then gone. In summary, it’s underwhelming.
The Next Act
What’s on the agenda for this year? Well, the Triumph is going to appear at a few events where the Miata substituted last year. The Spring KickOff in Osseo in May and Rendezvous in Eau Claire in June. This, of course, depends on whether the vinyl convertible top can be stretched enough to connect the seven million tenax and lift-the-dot fasteners. Also on whether my teenage neighbor would like to earn a few bucks changing the oil and learning what a grease Zerk is. Note: while the Triumph attended 2018’s Triumph national in Lacrosse, it’s highly unlikely to be at the 2019 event in Leaky Faucet, Texas.