Photos from Family Albums

[Mike Costigan]

A comment in another thread has prompted this topic; here you can show us all photos and recollections of Triumphs owned by friends and family in the distant past.

I'll start it of with two pictures on my father's 948cc twin-carb saloon, one taken in the summer of 1960 when the car was only a few months old, and the second during the winter of 1960-61 at Peak Forest in Derbyshire. We don't seem to get winters like that any more!

The third picture is of my own 2-litre Vitesse, bought second-hand when it was five years old. This car was heavily modified - although I didn't realise it at the time, I thought all Vitesses went like that! It was only when I came to replace the exhaust system that I discovered there were serious modifications, probably by SAH, although there was no identification or documentation. It would only run on 5-star fuel, and even then it was very picky over brands - Esso and Shell were OK, but Jet was a definite no-no! I never verified it's top speed, but I did get a £5 speeding fine for doing 118mph, and it wasn't flat out at that! I recall one run, from Exeter to Chesterfield in the early hours of the morning, which I covered at an average speed of rather more than 80mph...

Anyway, that's started the thread, now over to you...

[Chris A]

1 hour ago, Mike Costigan said:

recall one run, from Exeter to Chesterfield

From my neck of the woods the, Chesterfield not Exeter.

 

1 hour ago, Mike Costigan said:

during the winter of 1960-61 at Peak Forest in Derbyshire. We don't seem to get winters like that any more!

if i remember rightly, I was only young at the time, quite a severe winter even by Derbyshire standards. 

Looking at the wheel tracks in the second picture I would say the car has just slid backwards . . .

The street I lived on when young was quite steep and where we lived near the top there was a 'kink' which made the last 100 yards even steeper. My sister and myself would look out of the front room window and watch cars struggle up the hill and try and guess how much further up the would get once on the extra steep bit. It really was the last straw for many. Parents and neighbours would spoil the fun by spreading ashes from the coal fires on the road.

[Mike Costigan]

9 minutes ago, Chris A said:

From my neck of the woods the, Chesterfield not Exeter.

 

if i remember rightly, I was only young at the time, quite a severe winter even by Derbyshire standards. 

Looking at the wheel tracks in the second picture I would say the car has just slid backwards . . .

The street I lived on when young was quite steep and where we lived near the top there was a 'kink' which made the last 100 yards even steeper. My sister and myself would look out of the front room window and watch cars struggle up the hill and try and guess how much further up the would get once on the extra steep bit. It really was the last straw for many. Parents and neighbours would spoil the fun by spreading ashes from the coal fires on the road.

 

No, we had just reversed back to park and take the photo.

Yes, I was born and brought up in Chesterfield - the Vitesse photo was taken outside some garages I rented on Bank Street.

[Pete Lewis]

remember learning to drive out in the freeze up of 1962 we ended up at willie lotts cottage at flatford mill  with the ducks ice skating as they 

tried to land  that was in a series 3a Minx 

[Chris A]

1 hour ago, Mike Costigan said:

Yes, I was born and brought up in Chesterfield - the Vitesse photo was taken outside some garages I rented on Bank Street.

Newbold for me to be precise

[Pete Lewis]

not that historic but heres my Vit6 on a fish and chip road run 2013

[Pete Lewis]

here is our local member Dr Martin with his current and regularly used Herald back in 1978  

and he still runs it now with a good few thousands of miles all year 

Pete

[Colin Lindsay]

3 hours ago, Mike Costigan said:

A comment in another thread has prompted this topic; here you can show us all photos and recollections of Triumphs owned by friends and family in the distant past.

I wish I could but the only Triumph we ever had, a Toledo in the mid-Seventies, was never photographed. Couldn't afford the camera / film / developing!

[Mike Costigan]

Indeed, Colin. Even as an enthusiastic photographer, I had to consider my shots very carefully. Even now with a digital camera, I still have that film mentality and tend to take single carefully composed shots.

[Jeffds1360]

Here is my spit4. Early 70's at santa pod. I was about 20 .... I think?? Memory troubles 

[mark powell]

Pre honeymoon in 1972.  

[Chris Longhurst]

Oldest daughter with TH convertible in 79/80 - as far as I could make out the black stripe was dealer applied from new; the car was originally Jonquil Yellow but I repainted it with Parsons Enamel Repaint by brush in ~ 1977!

[PeteH]

I remember Painting a Mini Van, At the side of the road, circa 1967ish, spent all weekend with a brush and dozens of Kettles of boiling water to stand the paint tin in, trying to get it to flow and not show too many brush marks. Looked "not too bad" from about 6 feet or more. Finished late Sunday, and drove it to work at 6am Monday!. I think, from this point in time, I used a Humbrol Mid Blue?. The Factory was just up the road, and you could get "discounted" paints direct from the stores guy.

Pete

[Chris Longhurst]

Eldest daughter, son and youngest cleaning the 'family TH estate' in 1988. At the time I ran a 1200 saloon for the winter months and a 1200 convertible for the summer (daily commutes  to work). The Estate was used for weekends & holidays (2 bolster seats for the older kids and a shaped seat for the youngest) - I even fitted rear seat belts. The 'renovation' of the estate was featured in Courier articles in the mid-1980s when I was Register Secretary. It became somewhat cramped so for holidays so I eventually rented a Montego for a few weeks from the local Austin-Rover dealer. In early 1990s I moved jobs & ended up with a company car (Volvo) which solved the space problem!

[mark powell]

Dog residence,  1974.

[mark powell]

Herald Estate, fit for purpose 1966.  I would have just passed my test and took my mums dogs for a walk on the old disused airfield near our house in Suffolk. Mum bought it new in 1964.

[Chris Longhurst]

Straying away from Triumphs

1. Me in a bicycle sidecar (early 1950s) - can you believe that my Dad (with me in the sidecar) and Mum on her bike would cycle from Alton in Hampshire to Hayling Island (35 miles at a guess) for a day trip to the seaside back in the 1950s!

2. My first car was pedal car - does anyone recognise the model ?

 

[Colin Lindsay]

Looks like a Tri-Ang?

If you'd been really flush you could have had one of these:

 

 

[Pete Lewis]

is that an arrow on the side so you know which was the front  ???

Pete

[Chris Longhurst]

9 minutes ago, Pete Lewis said:

is that an arrow on the side so you know which was the front  ???

Pete

I think it is the toy equivalent of a go-faster stripe!!

[Mike Costigan]

I agree, it looks like one from the Lines Brothers Tri-Ang range from the late 1930s; this one is similar:

 

[mark powell]

My late mums oldest friend, Lady Moynihan, with her '63 Vitesse 6.   Passed to me after her death in 1991. 

[mark powell]

Seen also when on tour in either the South of France or Italy.  Picnic in the vineyards while the Vitesse cooled down!   I don't know which Vitesse this was, as they had a matched pair, saloon and convertible, both white with black stripe and sequential number plates.     

[mark powell]

More mundane, my efforts to repaint my 1200 convertible...1980 ish.  Stripping by hand and later on the road in various shades of primer.  Stopped by police, who enquired as to the colour....Technically Black I said, pointing to the front valence which was the only part I ever got round to finishing!    Sold as seen later.

[NonMember]

15 minutes ago, mark powell said:

I don't know which Vitesse this was, as they had a matched pair, saloon and convertible

The photo appears to show the additional locating lug on the door, which would suggest it's the convertible, since saloons didn't have them.