Simon's reliable Triumph owes much to hours spent with his grandfather.
Triumphs of a lifetime
I can trace my passion for Standard-Triumph to early childhood. We would visit my grandparents who lived above the main dealership in Dorking, where my grandfather was the shop mechanic. He took great delight in sitting me in the new TR4As with their gleaming dashboards and covered seats. Parked alongside were Vanguards, Heralds and the latest upmarket Triumph 2000s. 25 years later, now living in New Zealand, I reconnected to the good times with my grandfather. Rose-tinted spectacles, blinding me with fond childhood memories, saw me buy a Triumph 2000 MkI wreck.
Then I took a second car home and transferred all its useful components to the first. Enter Triumph number three, a 2000 MkII with perfect doors. My garage and garden now looked like a breaker’s yard!
It came together though. My wife’s brother toured New Zealand in the restored car for three weeks, driving 2000 miles without missing a beat.
The joys of XKR
I much enjoyed your article about Jaguar XKR. The vehicle shown seems to have been off the road for the past four years. Thought that you might like this shot of our XKR, our son’s DB9 and his Land Rover lightweight. All are road legal and used.
