4 VC - Earliest Vitesse 6 that survives?

[Gary Flinn]

I've been following a post on the Triumph Vitesse International page which shows a photo of one of the Press Vitesse 6 Cars.

A query was raised regarding if the car survives, but it is fitted with the TR4 Rally car Registration number plate - 4 VC for the Press photographs only.

This particular car was no doubt sold on with an alternative 1962 registration plate?

Does the Club (Dave Rumens) know what the commission number is of the earliest surviving Vitesse 6 model?

Gary

 

 

[trigolf]

Hi Gary,

Slight thread drift ...but I like the look of the wing mirrors on your Vit. Do you know if they are still available, if so where, and what car were they were fitted to ?

Gav

 

[dave.vitesse]

No sorry Gary. Due to changes in the data protection act the Reg Sec's don't now keep data. HQ may have some, but the changes in this act have restricted what they can give out.

Dave

[Gary Flinn]

1 hour ago, dave.vitesse said:

No sorry Gary. Due to changes in the data protection act the Reg Sec's don't now keep data. HQ may have some, but the changes in this act have restricted what they can give out.

Dave

Dave

Ok thanks for the update, I doubt very much if the car survives😢

Do you know if the early cars stayed in the UK or went off to the USA?

Gary 

 

 

 

[Gary Flinn]

2 hours ago, trigolf said:

Hi Gary,

Slight thread drift ...but I like the look of the wing mirrors on your Vit. Do you know if they are still available, if so where, and what car were they were fitted to ?

Gav

 

Gav

Here's a link to Tex Automotive based near Oxford

http://texautomotive.com/classic_exterior_mirrors.html

I believe the Mirror & Lens are model MO310F & MO310C

I replaced them a few years ago, the originals were the same style and were purchased by my Good friend John Gregory way back in the 1980's when he owned the car, he purchased them from an Autojumble.

I believe they are fitted to some Ford models from the 60's, Capri's, Corsairs, Etc   

Regards

Gary

 

 

 

[dave.vitesse]

As you know the Vitesse was known as the Sports 6 in the USA and due to it's price didn't sell that well. Most if not all of the Vitesse/Sports 6 the factory exported to the USA were the early 1600. So yes there are a number of early cars in the USA. Andy Mace is the expert on Triumph in the USA. He is on the forums and Facebook.

[trigolf]

2 hours ago, Gary Flinn said:

Gav

Here's a link to Tex Automotive based near Oxford

http://texautomotive.com/classic_exterior_mirrors.html

I believe the Mirror & Lens are model MO310F & MO310C

I replaced them a few years ago, the originals were the same style and were purchased by my Good friend John Gregory way back in the 1980's when he owned the car, he purchased them from an Autojumble.

I believe they are fitted to some Ford models from the 60's, Capri's, Corsairs, Etc   

Regards

Gary

 

 

 

Thanks very much for the info Gary.

[Herald948]

On 06/12/2018 at 10:57, dave.vitesse said:

As you know the Vitesse was known as the Sports 6 in the USA and due to it's price didn't sell that well. Most if not all of the Vitesse/Sports 6 the factory exported to the USA were the early 1600. So yes there are a number of early cars in the USA. Andy Mace is the expert on Triumph in the USA. He is on the forums and Facebook.

The Vitesse 6 was dubbed "Sports 6" for the US market. All of the whopping 679 such cars were very early specification 1600cc convertibles (pre-HB15001), all sporting the Solex semi-downdraught carbs and the earliest single-dial dashboards. As Dave said, the price was just that bit more than the US market could bear, as potential customers could get a roomier Ford Falcon, Plymouth Valiants or Chevrolet Corvair convertible (among other possibilities) for just about the same money. Many of that original batch of 679 cars sat for the better part of a year or more before being sold for the first time!

The Vitesse apparently did a bit better in Canada, where it continued to be sold for several more years, in saloon as well as convertible form. I'm not absolutely positive when, but at some point those Canadian models began to be badged also as Sports 6 models! I would note that the US and Canada were two very separate and distinct markets and were served by two separate and distinct companies, Standard-Triumph USA and Standard Triumph Canada, respectively.

p.s. Thanks for the compliment, Dave!

Edited December 8, 2018 by Herald948
thanks added