Good day everyone and welcome to April! The rain we got over the weekend washed that pesky road salt away so I took the TR out for a spin on Tuesday afternoon for its first spring drive. Oh joy! Now we just have to wait for more dry sunny days and (hopefully) NO MORE SNOW!
So far this year we’ve had 4 TTC Zoom calls which have attracted some excellent presentations and speakers. In March Dave Tushingham gave an in-depth talk on the history and work that he has been doing on his Royal Blue Triumph TR250. In case you missed it, click onto the below link and you can view the presentation and Q&A.
The entire video goes for about 85 minutes and is well worth a view. There are a few technical glitches but they are minor and don’t detract from Tush’s excellent talk. 58 Club members joined in the call which is a record for a virtual meeting and demonstrates how popular Tush is. Great job Tush!
To continue in this virtual vein I am delighted to report that Alex McLeod has been in contact with Jim Kenzie who has agreed to speak with us via Zoom on Tuesday 13th April. Jim, Canada’s foremost automotive journalist, recently retired from the Toronto Star where he entertained his readers for many years. When Alex asked Kenzie what we would cover in his presentation his response was …
I have driven Lambos and Ferraris in the Appenines, Porsches at the Grand Prix circuit at Nurburgring, AMGs at Hockenheim, Audis at Zandvoort, GTRs at Spa, various cars including Jaguar F-Types on the Nurburgring Nordschleife. A charmed life for sure!
And I inadvertently accompanied the last Ferrari F40 built on its way from Maranello – well, the Rome to Toronto leg in an Alitalia 747, and how it almost started a riot at the Rome airport. Of course, I could go on for hours, days, about Targa! Usually in these things I don’t have much in the way of a “prepared script”. I just start rambling
on, see how it goes, take questions from the audience and see where they want it to go.
While there is no Kenzie Car Calendar for 2021 club members are encouraged to show their support for Jim Kenzie and Parachute, the injury-prevention charity the calendar usually benefits. Injuries are a leading cause of death, car crashes are a leading cause of injuries, for more information or to donate, see www.Parachute.ca . To thank Jim for his talk, Toronto Triumph Club will be donating to Parachute.
We have a limit of 100 participants on our Zoom account so I am asking that you pre-register for this event. In this regard you will be receiving an invite from Rob Ragsdale in the next day or so and the first 100 registrants will be signed-up. When you have registered you will receive the meeting details, including the Zoom log-in, the day before the event. This should be a fun 90 minutes!
A couple of events that I’ve heard are going ahead in 2021 are:
- For over 25 years in July, Brits-in-the-Park has been one of the best shows of the season. Although health and safety considerations preclude a “normal” Brits this year, we hope you will join us for this year’s Brits (not quite) -in-the-Park virtual car show. While acknowledging that the “normal” Brits is what we all would most want, we believe that this year’s show will be memorable in its own right and invite you to be part of it.
- There will be 17 classes of British cars.
- There is no entry fee.
- Entry will be done by e-mail sending a photo and a few notes about your car.
- All cars will receive a certificate of participation.
- Awards will be presented to the 1st and 2nd place vehicles in each class.
- As this Brits is being sponsored by the Victoria British Car Club for our participating guests, no club vehicles will be judged for awards.
More information will be forthcoming about this unique Brits. Given the importance of coming together at this time, we sincerely hope that the British motoring fraternity will support and participate in this event. For more information contact Ian Macnabb from Victoria British Car Club at Britsinthepark@gmail.com
- Rob Hattin from the Aston Martin club tells us that Sessanta Miglia Giro 2021 edition is being planned as we speak. We are hopeful that c19 will be contained so that SM ’21 will be enjoyed to its fullest. It’s on Aug 7 & 8. 2 days of driving nirvana. SAVE the date. We already have 26 owners confirmed without any notice, so a sellout of the remaining 34 spots is expected. There are 50 names on this email so … McLaren, E type, Ferrari F8 Tributo, Astons, Cobra, Bentley, already committed.
With the WLM Hospital building campaign about to launch, we wish to be there for this important cause. Entry fee for our 2.5 day event is $400 per car. A tax credit for the donation portion will be issued as an offset. Why the growth? Because SMG has become the premier driving event in Canada for classic / exotic autos. Most of all, we have fun.
What’s New? Friday nite music. Live auction of luxe lifestyle items. Demo drives. Reserved event hotel. Meet the Docs & Drivers. Best Stylish Chapeau, Canale d’Aurele Sensual and Modest Accomplishment awards. What stays the same? 2 days of spectacular driving on quiet Niagara backroads, great food, après drive wine tasting, Breakfast in the Vines, Fiesta at 50 Pt… and our commitment to our new WLM Hospital.
So who is in? For those who have not done so prior, pls send a quick “I’m in for SMG! I’m bringing my … (car, spouse, pet, smile …)” to Rob Hattin at RHattin@Hattin.ca who will reserve your spot and fwd. you the registration website when it’s launched in a few weeks.
So, despite COVID there are still lots of car-related activities to talk about. Thanks for listening and I look forward to seeing lots of Triumphs on the road this spring. Any questions, just yell!
Cheers; Dave
Dave Sims, President Toronto Triumph Club