Period Photos of Triumphs

[Mike Costigan]

As promised, the next selection all show the Tiny Lewis entry in the 1960 RAC Rally.

The photographic evidence shows the car carrying the TL 5 registration number, but when I spoke to Ian Lewis back in the early 1990s he was insistent that there was only ever one Herald that carried that number, his coffee and white early 1959 car. Ken Richardson's notes identified a car registered 8166 DU as being prepared by the Competition Department for that RAC Rally but that number does not appear in any photograph of the event. My conclusion was that the Lewis car must have developed a major fault just before the rally, and 8166 DU - a ribbed-roof white car - was hastily substituted using the TL 5 identity. 8166 DU is a registration in the middle of a batch of Canley-registered cars which were sold to Americans with these temporary UK numbers so that the new owners could enjoy a European holiday whilst collecting their new car. These registration records survive - I now forget which organisation holds them - but significantly 8166 is missing...

The first shot shows the car at the Wolvey Skid Pan:

Next, in the paddock at Brands Hatch:

and lastly on an unidentified test:

[PeteH]

BAOR!!, Of course. And one of our neighbours, actually brought an Opel back, when we live near Camberley, He being in the Para`s. It`s interesting to see all this sporting history though.

Pete

[Colin Lindsay]

Nice spotlight mod in the lower front valence. Wonder how easy it would be to replicate?

[Mike Costigan]

It shouldn't be too difficult; I was going to use rear-mounted lamps with a flat bracket mounted via exhaust clamps round the chassis cross-tube. The cut-outs in the valence would need careful measurements but pretty easy to do:

 

 

[Mike Costigan]

Spitfires for you today, all from the 1964 Tour de France when Rob Slotemaker and Terry Hunter won the 1300cc GT Class in ADU 7B, much to the joy of the French Distributors, and the dismay of the French Alpine team who thought they had their name on the trophy!

So first of all, one of the Alpine team driven by Cheinesse and le Blond leading Jean-Jacques Thunier and John Gretener in ADU 5B, both about to be gobbled up by the Ferrari 250GT Lusso of Muller and Walter:

Thuner and Gretener would retire with a blown engine towards the end of the event:

Although suffering from a split fuel tank on the last day, Slotemaker and Hunter survived to win the class, finishing tenth overall in the GT Category behind Ferraris, Porsches and an Alfa Romeo:

[Mike Costigan]

Rallying doesn't always go according to plan! Photographers tend not to be on hand when disasters occur, but here are some recorded for posterity.

During the 1960 RAC Rally, the Hodson/Collinson TR3 came to grief, causing significant damage to the rear quarter - note even the hard-top didn't escape undamaged!

Still in 1960, this time it's the Tulip Rally, and the Herald of Tony Horne and Rob Pengelly narrowly avoids a major disaster; it was enough to finish their rally, but it could have been so much worse:

Two years later, the 1962 RAC Rally again and the Misses Walker/Davies TR4 seems to have hit the bank fairly hard; not enough to halt their progress, but again the rear quarter is worse for wear:

 

 

[mark powell]

Spotlight on a soft top?

[Colin Lindsay]

Easier to fit; less drilling...

(Screwed to the frame, presumably)

[Mike Costigan]

Interesting, I hadn't spotted that; never seen it before.

[Chris A]

3 minutes ago, Mike Costigan said:

Interesting, I hadn't spotted that; never seen it before.

Missed it myself 🙄. So no hood up no spotlight . . .

[Colin Lindsay]

Maybe they wore those wooly hats with the LED in front, when the top was down?

[mark powell]

Roof spotlights usually linked through to handle inside for searching purposes.

[Works Spitfires]

On 18/02/2022 at 17:52, Mike Costigan said:

As promised, the next selection all show the Tiny Lewis entry in the 1960 RAC Rally.

The photographic evidence shows the car carrying the TL 5 registration number, but when I spoke to Ian Lewis back in the early 1990s he was insistent that there was only ever one Herald that carried that number, his coffee and white early 1959 car. Ken Richardson's notes identified a car registered 8166 DU as being prepared by the Competition Department for that RAC Rally but that number does not appear in any photograph of the event. My conclusion was that the Lewis car must have developed a major fault just before the rally, and 8166 DU - a ribbed-roof white car - was hastily substituted using the TL 5 identity. 8166 DU is a registration in the middle of a batch of Canley-registered cars which were sold to Americans with these temporary UK numbers so that the new owners could enjoy a European holiday whilst collecting their new car. These registration records survive - I now forget which organisation holds them - but significantly 8166 is missing...

The first shot shows the car at the Wolvey Skid Pan:

Next, in the paddock at Brands Hatch:

and lastly on an unidentified test:

Mike Many thanks for the above. I have attached a picture of the car after I reinstated the through the valance 576's, and the RMS576 on the roof.

[Works Spitfires]

On 20/02/2022 at 09:46, Mike Costigan said:

Spitfires for you today, all from the 1964 Tour de France when Rob Slotemaker and Terry Hunter won the 1300cc GT Class in ADU 7B, much to the joy of the French Distributors, and the dismay of the French Alpine team who thought they had their name on the trophy!

So first of all, one of the Alpine team driven by Cheinesse and le Blond leading Jean-Jacques Thunier and John Gretener in ADU 5B, both about to be gobbled up by the Ferrari 250GT Lusso of Muller and Walter:

Thuner and Gretener would retire with a blown engine towards the end of the event:

Although suffering from a split fuel tank on the last day, Slotemaker and Hunter survived to win the class, finishing tenth overall in the GT Category behind Ferraris, Porsches and an Alfa Romeo:

Mike. Nice. I took this picture of 5B next to TL5 (8166DU) a few years ago.

[RogerH]

Is the Herald Coupe being brought back to life?

 

Please say yes.

 

Roger

[Works Spitfires]

13 minutes ago, RogerH said:

Is the Herald Coupe being brought back to life?

 

Please say yes.

 

Roger

I got most of the way there a few years ago, but a dodgy repro front wing halted my progress (I have found an original OE one since), and it's sat waiting in the restoration queue since. Most recent picture here;

[Colin Lindsay]

Lovely. How are the spotlamps attached in behind the valence? Am I correct that they're just upside down and the stem is attached to the front cross tube?

[Chris A]

On 22/02/2022 at 16:38, Colin Lindsay said:

Maybe they wore those wooly hats with the LED in front, when the top was down?

Back then LED was spelt LEAD . . .

[RogerH]

3 hours ago, Works Spitfires said:

I got most of the way there a few years ago, but a dodgy repro front wing halted my progress (I have found an original OE one since), and it's sat waiting in the restoration queue since. Most recent picture here;

Looking good.

 

Roger

[Works Spitfires]

1 hour ago, Colin Lindsay said:

Lovely. How are the spotlamps attached in behind the valence? Am I correct that they're just upside down and the stem is attached to the front cross tube?

Colin. Its been a few years since I last looked. I'll take a picture for you later.

[Colin Lindsay]

Thanks! much appreciated, even if I never take it any further than idle curiosity. I just like the look.

[Pete Lewis]

being below bumper height i guess they now  have to be fog lamps( not spot /long range lamps)   under the lighting regulations now 

maybe rallying back then that didnt apply  ???

pete

[Mike Costigan]

I'm pretty sure the same regulations applied then, too. If you study the photos, the low-mounted lamps are fogs, the grille-mounted one is a spot. The big problem with the low mounting is the danger of smashing the lens, either from stones or temperature shock at night when fording a stream.

[Works Spitfires]

1 hour ago, Colin Lindsay said:

Thanks! much appreciated, even if I never take it any further than idle curiosity. I just like the look.

Here you go. Bracket welded to top side of tube, which is normally hidden when valance fitted (which it isn't here as you can see). I think if you simply bolted the spots through the tube they would poke through the valance too much, The brackets bring the spots back about a 1 1/2".

[Colin Lindsay]

Brilliant. So simple. I'll salt that away for future use.

I have a set of original Stanpart spotlamp brackets for the Herald, but never worked out how they fitted the car. They would presumably site the spots in front of the grille, which is the position I'm used to seeing them in, but round spots / fogs under the car is new to me and very appealing. Thanks for posting that.