Our Excellent Adventure: 2014 VTR Convention and Stowe British Invasion
The Vintage Triumph Register (VTR) is a USA-based Standard-Triumph automobile club with more than 2800 current members worldwide. The VTR has regional car show events, but the annual convention called the North American Triumph Challenge is an exciting multiple day gathering that includes activities such as rallies, autocross, a judged concours d’elegance and participant’s choice car show, autojumble, parts vendor sales, and much more. The 2014 convention was sponsored by a winery, so tours of the vineyards were offered, and even three of the wines from the vineyard were especially labelled for the VTR convention, including Spitfire Red and TRiesling. These were actually Shelton Vineyards own quality wines with fun names on special labels just for our convention.
Bob Thomas and David Huddleson were especially motivated to attend this particular 2014 convention due to the special invited guest, Harris Mann from England. Harris was a stylist-designer employed within Austin-Rover-Triumph in the 1970's, and it was his sketch from 1970 that became the definitive TR7 that arrived in North America in January 1975. It was great to meet the man in person and he was a very genuine and personable character. He probably still wonders why we were all treating him like a rock star legend!
However, beyond our special Wedge theme to the 2014 VTR convention, we feel that many of you in the OVTC would really enjoy participating in one of these annual shows. Perhaps when the event might come to Albany, NY (as it did in 1989 and 1996) or maybe Buffalo or Rochester, some OVTC members might be coaxed into joining a convoy there. Whether your car is a real show car or barn-find, there are events for everyone. Hey, if some old guy can drive 11,000 miles in a TR3 from California to get to North Carolina (no, he did not drive DIRECTLY) to attend the VTR convention, you could easily drive 300-400 miles and make a vacation out of it! Gee, we did JUST THAT (made a vacation out of our trip), although our total mileage was significantly more than 400 miles! We took lots of pictures too.
We started our 800 mile journey to Dobson, North Carolina, from Bob and Fran’s house in North Augusta early on Sunday, 7 September 2014 with David’s 1981 TR8, Bob’s 1980 TR8, and Fran’s Honda CRV as the support vehicle. A full day of cruising at 70 mph down Interstate 81 covered 500 miles and brought us to Winchester, Virginia, where we stopped for the night and discovered our first and only mechanical problem of the trip, a non-operating electric radiator fan in Bob’s TR8. It took "TR8 Tech" David about 15 minutes to diagnose, clean, and tighten the responsible fuse holder and we were ready to go for the morning.
Another day of 70 plus mph travel ate up the remaining 300 miles in a hurry, and we arrived in Mount Airy by mid-afternoon where we checked into the Quality Inn that was to be our home for the next week. Mount Airy is a medium-size town in North Carolina that is located a few miles east of Interstate 77 and just south of the Virginia border. Andy Griffith was born and raised there and it served as inspiration for the fictional Mayberry in his television show. Mount Airy still capitalizes on that connection as we found out later in the week when we toured the town and saw Floyd’s Barber Shop, Opie’s Sweet Shop, and recreations of the Court House and Goober’s Garage.
The Hampton Inn at Shelton Vineyards in Dobson, North Carolina, was the headquarters for the VTR Convention and is about 12 miles south of Mount Airy. After spending Tuesday morning touring the area to the south of Dobson including the gorgeous Pilot Mountain State Park, we arrived mid-afternoon at the Hampton Inn to register. In the course of the afternoon, we met many people that we only knew from email exchanges, including John Clancy and his wife Susanne who were there from England to record the event for another DVD in their series of mainly Triumph productions that they offer for sale. Many VTR members known only from the magazine or from online Triumph discussion forums also had faces finally revealed to us.
On Wednesday morning we attended a tech session that was moderated by well-known British automotive writer Graham Robson, where Harris Mann spoke of his experiences in styling the TR7/TR8 wedge bodied cars. He seemed to be quite moved by the reception that both he and his design were given throughout the convention. At the Wednesday afternoon tech session, a panel discussion with former Triumph race drivers was moderated by Mike Cook. Present were, Ken Slagle (TR7 and TR8, SCCA National Champion), Ted Schumacher (TR8, professional series competitor) and Bob Johns (TR2 and TR3, raced in Europe and the USA, co-drove at Sebring with Mike Rothschild). The racing stories were very entertaining to say the least and the session could have gone on for much longer than time allowed. In the evening, we attended a welcome reception at Surry College in Dobson where we were joined by a group of much modified TR8s led by Woody Cooper from the Boston area. It’s safe to say that we heard them a few minutes before we actually saw them arrive! The Welcome Reception allowed us to sample those special "Triumph-branded" wines from Shelton Vineyards, and they were pretty decent.
Thursday was another beautiful day and we spent the morning participating in the fun rally which included parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Many cars were doubling back, trying to complete the question sheet. After missing several answers, we just followed the road directions (forget trying to decipher the rally clues) and had a great time. The hill climb was held in the afternoon and most cars had a least a couple of runs on the course. Ken Slagle was reunited with his last TR8 race car and he wore his original helmet and drivers suit. How many guys would even fit into their suit after 30 years! The evening was completed by a memorial run for Bill Sweeting who was very active in TR8 circles, followed by supper at a nearby restaurant where David managed to sit beside Harris Mann. Paul and Kathy MacDonald arrived earlier in the day on their way home from Florida and were able to attend the Convention for the last couple of days. It was great to see them there.
Both the Concours and Participants Choice car shows were scheduled for Friday at the gorgeous Shelton Vineyards property. In addition to a winery and store, the property boasts a 5 star restaurant and a pond, all on a beautifully landscaped, rolling property surrounded by the vineyards. The rain held off until the show was over and David collected a 3rd place with his TR8 in the judged concours. To top the day off, it was announced that wedges outnumbered TR6s at the convention for the first time ever. That evening we were treated to an excellent southern BBQ (pulled pork) meal at Surry College. Security was provided by “Barney Fife” complete with his standard issue of one bullet (stored in his shirt pocket of course). "Barney" arrived in high style, driving a 1963 Ford police cruiser. Awards for the fun rally and hill climb were given out and there was a fund raising auction of donated items to complete the night.
Saturday dried out enough to run the autocross in the morning and then before we knew it, the week was ending with the evening awards banquet held at a golf course near Mount Airy. As you might expect, Graham Robson was a very entertaining speaker and a table full of awards were given out to deserving owners. One presentation that stood out from the rest was "The Harris Mann Choice Award" for the (TR7 or TR8) car that Harris would most like to have in his garage. With so many well restored and high quality modified cars to choose from, Harris could have been forgiven for picking a technical masterpiece or a professional restoration. Instead he choose a basic, one owner 1976 TR7 Coupe that had been a daily driver until parked as a rust bucket for 11 years, then restored on a budget, at home, to new condition over the following 12 years. It was an emotional moment for the owner, John Clifford, who could barely speak when receiving the award.
Sunday morning after breakfast, most people were leaving for home, but because we were going to Stowe for the following weekend we stayed an extra day and toured the Mount Airy area. We also had the opportunity to spend time with the Clancys who were flying back to England the next day. John owns an early TR7 while Susanne has a classic Mini. From that passion for LBCs they created a video company that has produced DVDs covering several British marques, and Triumphs in particular. John also writes for Triumph World Magazine and was heavily involved in organizing the recent TR7 40th Anniversary Tour put on by the TR Drivers Club in England. Very interesting and knowledgeable people.
Although the VTR Convention this year was more "wedge oriented" than other years due to the 40th Anniversary of the TR7, most Triumph models were well represented. A particularly rare sight was a pair of 1935 Triumph Gloria Southern Cross cars from Texas. Although trailered up to Dobson, they were no trailer queens and participated in the hill climb and autocross events. In fact, there was even a third Gloria Cross in attendance! How many of you have even seen ONE of these cars in real life? And we had three all together at several of the events all week.
The Triumph Club of the Carolinas, Vintage Triumph Register and Triumph Wedge Owners Association deserve full credit for a memorable and well run event. Support from the community in general, and Shelton Vineyards in particular was exceptional. We look forward to returning for some more "Southern Hospitality" some day in the not so distant future.
Monday morning we started our trip back north to Stowe, Vermont for The British Invasion by travelling up US Highway 52 to Fancy Gap where we got on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Parkway is approximately 460 miles long and runs from near Waynesboro, Virginia south through the Blue Ridge Mountains down to near Bryson City, North Carolina. We drove 199 miles to the north end of the Parkway with notable stops for a pioneer village at Mabry’s Mill and a panoramic view of Roanoke, Virginia. We were in sports car heaven as we spent the entire day on a road that rarely ran straight or level. Hairpin turns and steep elevation changes were the norm and with no traffic or law enforcement around, the 45 mph speed limit was treated as merely a suggestion. By the end of the day we had a greater appreciation for the mental and physical effort that it took Ken Richardson and Kit Heathcote to race through the Stelvio Pass at rally speeds in a TR3. We ended our day at the Best Western in Luray, Virginia, just as daylight faded.
As our long-suffering support vehicle driver, Fran’s only request on the trip was to visit the Luray Caverns, so we spent Tuesday morning both underground in the caverns and above ground in their museum. A very interesting place to visit that we’d all recommend to anyone going through the area. This is a Triumph story, but look up Luray Caverns as they are quite spectacular! We headed back to Interstate 81 north for the afternoon and finished our day in Hazleton, Pennsylvania at another Best Western.
On Wednesday we went cross country from Hazleton on secondary roads, through the Pocono Mountains to Interstate 84 by way of Newfoundland. Newfoundland, Pennsylvania that is! We followed Interstate 84 east to the Taconic Parkway which we took north to New York Route 23 east into Massachusetts and then travelled north on a very scenic US Highway 7 to just below Williamstown where we stayed at a great spot called the 1896 House Country Inn and Motels. A first class pub and restaurant was a short walk from our door and we took full advantage of it. We stayed in their Pondside Motel unit and as its name suggests, there was a pond behind our room. We met the two resident ducks in the morning and they befriended us. Or I should say they did until our food supply ran out.
Our first stop Thursday morning was Hemmings Motor News in Bennington, Vermont. At first glance, the building looked like many older style gas stations, but a closer look revealed a couple of hot rods gassing up at the Sunoco gas pumps in front of a store full of collectibles and other automotive goodies for sale. Next door is a large brick building that has editorial offices upstairs, while downstairs is a shop and working museum of Hemmings owned vehicles. It’s a pretty eclectic collection of cars and trucks with some neat displays of antique diagnostic equipment and other memorabilia. Another item crossed off the bucket list! From Bennington, we headed east on Vermont Route 9 to Brattleboro, then north on Interstate 91 and back north west on Vermont 103 to US Highway 7 which we followed north to Rutland where we stayed for the night.
Friday morning we travelled east on US Highway 4 towards Killington ski area, to Vermont 100 and followed this scenic route north to Stowe. As in previous years, we booked rooms at the Town & Country Resort and Motor Inn which is outside of the downtown area on Mountain Road and very close to the show fields for the British Invasion. After checking in, we travelled to Burlington to pick up Lynda Huddleson who was unable to make the trip to Dobson and travelled by bus from Ottawa via Montreal to join us for the "Invasion Weekend" in Stowe.
Registration is at the show field and takes place in an atmosphere of music, food and your favourite libations while surrounded by vendors both inside and outside the large white tents that anchor the weekend activities. Following that, the place to be is downtown with your LBC where they shut down the main street and the British cars line both sides while live (mostly 60's British) music goes on until late in the evening. Stores are open and the restaurants are full in what amounts to a big block party with a backdrop of beautiful cars.
Saturday was overcast with mild temperatures, which as we all know, is perfect car show weather. The featured marques this year were Singer, who did a great job on their club display, and MG, who outnumbered every other manufacturer on the field. With a total count of over 650 cars, there was something from every era and most marques on the field. One brave woman even invited David and Bob to sit in an XK120 that they admired. I mean really, would you let one of those "wedge guys" sit in your Jag? Of particular interest to Triumph fans was a Standard 8 in what appeared to be original condition and a TR10 that looked to have been "rode hard and put away wet." No one who saw the very, very bright green customised TR3 on display was left sitting on the fence, you either loved it or hated it. Another pair of cars destined to aggravate the purists were an old style Mini with a 200 HP Honda engine and a V8 powered Spitfire. There were also vintage motorcycles on display including many Triumphs from the 50s and 60s. A sharp eyed spectator could occasionally spot "The Queen" circulating among her loyal subjects throughout the day.
The wedge class had 1 TR7 and 6 TR8’s in their group. Having 7 of these cars on display 40 years after the TR7 went into regular production in September 1974 might be a coincidence, but it seemed highly appropriate given the anniversary celebrations this year. With basically stock TR8s in a participants choice show, neither Bob nor David figured they would win an award. In the end, an "all David result," David Twombley (red TR8 coupe) took first; David Blozie (grey TR8 DHC) took second; and David Huddleson (Persian Aqua TR8 DHC) took third. As David (Huddleson) chanted "I’m number 3, I’m number 3." Bob figured he was the real winner because his TR8 didn’t leak a drop of coolant this year and it started every time!
Sunday at British Invasion includes the Picnic Basket Competition, Colours Competition (judging cars grouped by colour not make or model), and Blind Driver Obstacle Course (the blindfolded driver is “guided” by a navigator through a pylon course). Because of family obligations this year, we had to miss the Sunday events and left Stowe early in the morning for home.
Over the course of our 2 week adventure, we drove some 2300 miles that included high speed Interstates, two lane scenic highway, and congested city streets. We met the man who designed our Wedge cars and some Triumph racing legends as well. We made new friends from all over North America and renewed old acquaintances too. Our Triumphs are meant to be driven and enjoyed. Plan your dream trip and make it happen. You’ll be glad you did!
Bob Thomas and David Huddleson were especially motivated to attend this particular 2014 convention due to the special invited guest, Harris Mann from England. Harris was a stylist-designer employed within Austin-Rover-Triumph in the 1970's, and it was his sketch from 1970 that became the definitive TR7 that arrived in North America in January 1975. It was great to meet the man in person and he was a very genuine and personable character. He probably still wonders why we were all treating him like a rock star legend!
However, beyond our special Wedge theme to the 2014 VTR convention, we feel that many of you in the OVTC would really enjoy participating in one of these annual shows. Perhaps when the event might come to Albany, NY (as it did in 1989 and 1996) or maybe Buffalo or Rochester, some OVTC members might be coaxed into joining a convoy there. Whether your car is a real show car or barn-find, there are events for everyone. Hey, if some old guy can drive 11,000 miles in a TR3 from California to get to North Carolina (no, he did not drive DIRECTLY) to attend the VTR convention, you could easily drive 300-400 miles and make a vacation out of it! Gee, we did JUST THAT (made a vacation out of our trip), although our total mileage was significantly more than 400 miles! We took lots of pictures too.
We started our 800 mile journey to Dobson, North Carolina, from Bob and Fran’s house in North Augusta early on Sunday, 7 September 2014 with David’s 1981 TR8, Bob’s 1980 TR8, and Fran’s Honda CRV as the support vehicle. A full day of cruising at 70 mph down Interstate 81 covered 500 miles and brought us to Winchester, Virginia, where we stopped for the night and discovered our first and only mechanical problem of the trip, a non-operating electric radiator fan in Bob’s TR8. It took "TR8 Tech" David about 15 minutes to diagnose, clean, and tighten the responsible fuse holder and we were ready to go for the morning.
Another day of 70 plus mph travel ate up the remaining 300 miles in a hurry, and we arrived in Mount Airy by mid-afternoon where we checked into the Quality Inn that was to be our home for the next week. Mount Airy is a medium-size town in North Carolina that is located a few miles east of Interstate 77 and just south of the Virginia border. Andy Griffith was born and raised there and it served as inspiration for the fictional Mayberry in his television show. Mount Airy still capitalizes on that connection as we found out later in the week when we toured the town and saw Floyd’s Barber Shop, Opie’s Sweet Shop, and recreations of the Court House and Goober’s Garage.
The Hampton Inn at Shelton Vineyards in Dobson, North Carolina, was the headquarters for the VTR Convention and is about 12 miles south of Mount Airy. After spending Tuesday morning touring the area to the south of Dobson including the gorgeous Pilot Mountain State Park, we arrived mid-afternoon at the Hampton Inn to register. In the course of the afternoon, we met many people that we only knew from email exchanges, including John Clancy and his wife Susanne who were there from England to record the event for another DVD in their series of mainly Triumph productions that they offer for sale. Many VTR members known only from the magazine or from online Triumph discussion forums also had faces finally revealed to us.
On Wednesday morning we attended a tech session that was moderated by well-known British automotive writer Graham Robson, where Harris Mann spoke of his experiences in styling the TR7/TR8 wedge bodied cars. He seemed to be quite moved by the reception that both he and his design were given throughout the convention. At the Wednesday afternoon tech session, a panel discussion with former Triumph race drivers was moderated by Mike Cook. Present were, Ken Slagle (TR7 and TR8, SCCA National Champion), Ted Schumacher (TR8, professional series competitor) and Bob Johns (TR2 and TR3, raced in Europe and the USA, co-drove at Sebring with Mike Rothschild). The racing stories were very entertaining to say the least and the session could have gone on for much longer than time allowed. In the evening, we attended a welcome reception at Surry College in Dobson where we were joined by a group of much modified TR8s led by Woody Cooper from the Boston area. It’s safe to say that we heard them a few minutes before we actually saw them arrive! The Welcome Reception allowed us to sample those special "Triumph-branded" wines from Shelton Vineyards, and they were pretty decent.
Thursday was another beautiful day and we spent the morning participating in the fun rally which included parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Many cars were doubling back, trying to complete the question sheet. After missing several answers, we just followed the road directions (forget trying to decipher the rally clues) and had a great time. The hill climb was held in the afternoon and most cars had a least a couple of runs on the course. Ken Slagle was reunited with his last TR8 race car and he wore his original helmet and drivers suit. How many guys would even fit into their suit after 30 years! The evening was completed by a memorial run for Bill Sweeting who was very active in TR8 circles, followed by supper at a nearby restaurant where David managed to sit beside Harris Mann. Paul and Kathy MacDonald arrived earlier in the day on their way home from Florida and were able to attend the Convention for the last couple of days. It was great to see them there.
Both the Concours and Participants Choice car shows were scheduled for Friday at the gorgeous Shelton Vineyards property. In addition to a winery and store, the property boasts a 5 star restaurant and a pond, all on a beautifully landscaped, rolling property surrounded by the vineyards. The rain held off until the show was over and David collected a 3rd place with his TR8 in the judged concours. To top the day off, it was announced that wedges outnumbered TR6s at the convention for the first time ever. That evening we were treated to an excellent southern BBQ (pulled pork) meal at Surry College. Security was provided by “Barney Fife” complete with his standard issue of one bullet (stored in his shirt pocket of course). "Barney" arrived in high style, driving a 1963 Ford police cruiser. Awards for the fun rally and hill climb were given out and there was a fund raising auction of donated items to complete the night.
Saturday dried out enough to run the autocross in the morning and then before we knew it, the week was ending with the evening awards banquet held at a golf course near Mount Airy. As you might expect, Graham Robson was a very entertaining speaker and a table full of awards were given out to deserving owners. One presentation that stood out from the rest was "The Harris Mann Choice Award" for the (TR7 or TR8) car that Harris would most like to have in his garage. With so many well restored and high quality modified cars to choose from, Harris could have been forgiven for picking a technical masterpiece or a professional restoration. Instead he choose a basic, one owner 1976 TR7 Coupe that had been a daily driver until parked as a rust bucket for 11 years, then restored on a budget, at home, to new condition over the following 12 years. It was an emotional moment for the owner, John Clifford, who could barely speak when receiving the award.
Sunday morning after breakfast, most people were leaving for home, but because we were going to Stowe for the following weekend we stayed an extra day and toured the Mount Airy area. We also had the opportunity to spend time with the Clancys who were flying back to England the next day. John owns an early TR7 while Susanne has a classic Mini. From that passion for LBCs they created a video company that has produced DVDs covering several British marques, and Triumphs in particular. John also writes for Triumph World Magazine and was heavily involved in organizing the recent TR7 40th Anniversary Tour put on by the TR Drivers Club in England. Very interesting and knowledgeable people.
Although the VTR Convention this year was more "wedge oriented" than other years due to the 40th Anniversary of the TR7, most Triumph models were well represented. A particularly rare sight was a pair of 1935 Triumph Gloria Southern Cross cars from Texas. Although trailered up to Dobson, they were no trailer queens and participated in the hill climb and autocross events. In fact, there was even a third Gloria Cross in attendance! How many of you have even seen ONE of these cars in real life? And we had three all together at several of the events all week.
The Triumph Club of the Carolinas, Vintage Triumph Register and Triumph Wedge Owners Association deserve full credit for a memorable and well run event. Support from the community in general, and Shelton Vineyards in particular was exceptional. We look forward to returning for some more "Southern Hospitality" some day in the not so distant future.
Monday morning we started our trip back north to Stowe, Vermont for The British Invasion by travelling up US Highway 52 to Fancy Gap where we got on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Parkway is approximately 460 miles long and runs from near Waynesboro, Virginia south through the Blue Ridge Mountains down to near Bryson City, North Carolina. We drove 199 miles to the north end of the Parkway with notable stops for a pioneer village at Mabry’s Mill and a panoramic view of Roanoke, Virginia. We were in sports car heaven as we spent the entire day on a road that rarely ran straight or level. Hairpin turns and steep elevation changes were the norm and with no traffic or law enforcement around, the 45 mph speed limit was treated as merely a suggestion. By the end of the day we had a greater appreciation for the mental and physical effort that it took Ken Richardson and Kit Heathcote to race through the Stelvio Pass at rally speeds in a TR3. We ended our day at the Best Western in Luray, Virginia, just as daylight faded.
As our long-suffering support vehicle driver, Fran’s only request on the trip was to visit the Luray Caverns, so we spent Tuesday morning both underground in the caverns and above ground in their museum. A very interesting place to visit that we’d all recommend to anyone going through the area. This is a Triumph story, but look up Luray Caverns as they are quite spectacular! We headed back to Interstate 81 north for the afternoon and finished our day in Hazleton, Pennsylvania at another Best Western.
On Wednesday we went cross country from Hazleton on secondary roads, through the Pocono Mountains to Interstate 84 by way of Newfoundland. Newfoundland, Pennsylvania that is! We followed Interstate 84 east to the Taconic Parkway which we took north to New York Route 23 east into Massachusetts and then travelled north on a very scenic US Highway 7 to just below Williamstown where we stayed at a great spot called the 1896 House Country Inn and Motels. A first class pub and restaurant was a short walk from our door and we took full advantage of it. We stayed in their Pondside Motel unit and as its name suggests, there was a pond behind our room. We met the two resident ducks in the morning and they befriended us. Or I should say they did until our food supply ran out.
Our first stop Thursday morning was Hemmings Motor News in Bennington, Vermont. At first glance, the building looked like many older style gas stations, but a closer look revealed a couple of hot rods gassing up at the Sunoco gas pumps in front of a store full of collectibles and other automotive goodies for sale. Next door is a large brick building that has editorial offices upstairs, while downstairs is a shop and working museum of Hemmings owned vehicles. It’s a pretty eclectic collection of cars and trucks with some neat displays of antique diagnostic equipment and other memorabilia. Another item crossed off the bucket list! From Bennington, we headed east on Vermont Route 9 to Brattleboro, then north on Interstate 91 and back north west on Vermont 103 to US Highway 7 which we followed north to Rutland where we stayed for the night.
Friday morning we travelled east on US Highway 4 towards Killington ski area, to Vermont 100 and followed this scenic route north to Stowe. As in previous years, we booked rooms at the Town & Country Resort and Motor Inn which is outside of the downtown area on Mountain Road and very close to the show fields for the British Invasion. After checking in, we travelled to Burlington to pick up Lynda Huddleson who was unable to make the trip to Dobson and travelled by bus from Ottawa via Montreal to join us for the "Invasion Weekend" in Stowe.
Registration is at the show field and takes place in an atmosphere of music, food and your favourite libations while surrounded by vendors both inside and outside the large white tents that anchor the weekend activities. Following that, the place to be is downtown with your LBC where they shut down the main street and the British cars line both sides while live (mostly 60's British) music goes on until late in the evening. Stores are open and the restaurants are full in what amounts to a big block party with a backdrop of beautiful cars.
Saturday was overcast with mild temperatures, which as we all know, is perfect car show weather. The featured marques this year were Singer, who did a great job on their club display, and MG, who outnumbered every other manufacturer on the field. With a total count of over 650 cars, there was something from every era and most marques on the field. One brave woman even invited David and Bob to sit in an XK120 that they admired. I mean really, would you let one of those "wedge guys" sit in your Jag? Of particular interest to Triumph fans was a Standard 8 in what appeared to be original condition and a TR10 that looked to have been "rode hard and put away wet." No one who saw the very, very bright green customised TR3 on display was left sitting on the fence, you either loved it or hated it. Another pair of cars destined to aggravate the purists were an old style Mini with a 200 HP Honda engine and a V8 powered Spitfire. There were also vintage motorcycles on display including many Triumphs from the 50s and 60s. A sharp eyed spectator could occasionally spot "The Queen" circulating among her loyal subjects throughout the day.
The wedge class had 1 TR7 and 6 TR8’s in their group. Having 7 of these cars on display 40 years after the TR7 went into regular production in September 1974 might be a coincidence, but it seemed highly appropriate given the anniversary celebrations this year. With basically stock TR8s in a participants choice show, neither Bob nor David figured they would win an award. In the end, an "all David result," David Twombley (red TR8 coupe) took first; David Blozie (grey TR8 DHC) took second; and David Huddleson (Persian Aqua TR8 DHC) took third. As David (Huddleson) chanted "I’m number 3, I’m number 3." Bob figured he was the real winner because his TR8 didn’t leak a drop of coolant this year and it started every time!
Sunday at British Invasion includes the Picnic Basket Competition, Colours Competition (judging cars grouped by colour not make or model), and Blind Driver Obstacle Course (the blindfolded driver is “guided” by a navigator through a pylon course). Because of family obligations this year, we had to miss the Sunday events and left Stowe early in the morning for home.
Over the course of our 2 week adventure, we drove some 2300 miles that included high speed Interstates, two lane scenic highway, and congested city streets. We met the man who designed our Wedge cars and some Triumph racing legends as well. We made new friends from all over North America and renewed old acquaintances too. Our Triumphs are meant to be driven and enjoyed. Plan your dream trip and make it happen. You’ll be glad you did!