In these modern times of diminishing reserves of crude oil and where the mere mention of the good old combustion engine is often met with profound hostility, it truly warms my heart to experience a new enthusiast join the ranks of classic car owners.
But besides giving me a glimmer of hope, that maybe – just maybe – there is still enough drive (pardon the pun…) behind the classic car scene for us to actually have a little influence and perhaps still be able to cling to some format of classic cars on our streets in the years which lie ahead of us, it’s also an interesting process to witness a car enthusiast first dipping his toe into this amazing hobby which we all cherish so much.
As classic car enthusiasts, we often get asked for advice when a friend of a friend decides that they might have been bitten by the classic car bug. I’m sure we’ve all been there before. In this case, it was my father-in-law who asked me whether I would be willing to help his good old friend Tonni. Naturally, I replied that it would be my pleasure…
While Tonni has never previously owned a classic car, he has always enjoyed cars, follows various series of motorsport and spends a fair amount of his spare time behind the screen of racing simulators. But he felt the time had come to treat himself to something special, and he had never quite forgotten that light green metallic mk1 Ford Capri which he had owned during his youth. As we all know much too well, there’s nothing rational or sensible about classic car ownership – it’s all about emotions, rose-tinted memories and nostalgia. That’s precisely how it ought to be and the old Capri was really tugging at Tonni’s heartstrings! But much as he had loved his 1.6-litre Capri, he knew that this time it would have to be the full fat 3-litre version. Well, that is, right up until he realised how rare they are in Denmark and not least just how expensive a good, honest example has become.
The thought process continued and Tonni recalled that a good mate back then had owned a Spitfire while he had been enjoying his Capri. Wind-in-hair motoring suddenly seemed the way to go – especially seeing as Tonni’s classic car would only be driven in the summer months. As an added bonus, a perfect Spitfire can of course be picked up at a fraction of the price for a slightly dodgy 3-litre Capri.
But then Tonni’s son got involved and suggested that if he was to buy an open Triumph, he might as well get one with a proper engine in it. So that’s the journey which led Tonni to trawl through every ad for a Triumph TR6 in the classifieds.
And that’s also where I got involved. Tonni had made up his mind; he wanted a TR6. But which one was the right one? We now needed to go look at a few examples in the flesh – touch, feel, smell and drive them…
We spoke plenty about priorities: About which colours Tonni preferred – either Pimento red or British Racing Green. About specifications – such as a PI-engined European car versus a carburetted US car, and not least about the attributes of overdrive. We spoke about wire wheels, standard steel wheels and aftermarket Minilites. We even touched on aftermarket steering wheels, modern stereo units and rolls bars. And at the end of it all, I resolutely advised him to ignore every one of those elements and buy purely based on condition, condition, condition…! Buy a classic in a colour which isn’t your favourite, and with time you will grow to appreciate it. However, you will never ever grow to appreciate a smoky engine and rotten floors.
So we compiled a shortlist of TR6’s in Denmark which we wanted to inspect and off we went on a mission. A Damson red ’71 sparkled with a near perfect body and paintwork to match, but the mechanicals and thus the driving experience suffered from a couple of years stood still in a garage. I suggested we keep it as an option, but I sensed that Tonni wasn’t feeling the love.
Then there was a Pimento red ’71 sporting a trio of DCOE Weber carburettors. I’ll confess that the engine was an absolute peach and not near as temperamental as I had expected with those huge Webers. It pulled like a steam train and sounded amazing! Clearly a lot of time and cash had been invested in getting the engine perfect and Tonni was grinning like an eight year old at Christmas. Sadly though, the bodywork was somewhat tired, the paint a little flat, the brightwork equally so, and this was a picture which continued once sat in the interior. Tony was ready to hand over the cash, but I had alarm bells ringing and dragged him away while insisting that we should at least see one more car from our shortlist.
And then we struck GOLD! The second we pulled up to the driveway where the British Racing Green ’69 sat waiting for us, I had that warm and fuzzy feeling that this was the one. The owner, Svend Aage, came out to greet us and started telling us about all the ins and outs of his 15 year ownership of this beautifully restored and immaculately presented, very early TR6. The body was straight as an arrow and the now 10 year old paintjob still had a deep and glossy lustre to it. The interior certainly didn’t disappoint either and the engine bay was clean enough to eat your dinner off.
The TR6 was kept company in Svend Aage’s garage by a stunning Trophy Blue metallic ’66 C2 Stingray convertible. It was clear that he still cherished his TR6 which he had imported from California 15 years ago, but with the Stingray in the garage for three years now, it was time to focus all his passion on the iconic Corvette. That was Tonni’s luck!
Out on the road, the TR6 drove just a sweet as it looked. No unwanted clonks or knocks, the suspension and steering was tight, the engine sounded very healthy indeed and the overdrive slotted in and out without the slightest hesitation. The top was down and Tonni was smiling – even if he couldn’t help himself from commenting that it didn’t kick like the triple-Webered TR6.
Back in the driveway, Tonni and Svend Aage shook hands on the deal and Tonni became the happy owner of a Triumph TR6 – his very first classic car. I caught myself reminiscing for a while. It’s been so long since I bought my own first classic car that I’m not sure I really recall how I felt on the day. Obviously, I was happy – that’s a given – but I can no longer bring back the emotions I felt on that day. But in some weird way, I got to relive the experience through Tonni. I shared his joy. While the TR6 obviously wasn’t mine, I even shared his pride. But the best part was perhaps Tonni’s immediate plans to take his newly acquired TR6 on a huge roadtrip up to the Norwegian fjords next summer. That a boy Tonni – that’s the spirit…
