Happy Simcoe Day! I do hope that you and your families are staying safe and healthy as we move into the fifth month of this COVID-19 crisis.
You should have received your Summer Ragtop by now. Another terrific issue brought to you by Terence and his editorial team. With the focus on the Michelotti-designed Spitfire and GT6 there are some excellent articles on these two great Triumph motorcars authored by Alison Postma (whose GT6 adorns the front cover) and Owen DeReus (famous Spitfire Squadron pilot). Terence takes us through the development of “the little engine that could” which started life as a humble 803 cc workhorse in the Standard 8 and grew to propel both the Spitfire and GT6. I’ve always had a soft spot for the GT6; I worked with a young woman in England whose fiancé was an IBM computer techie who bought a GT6 after he had a spin in my TR5. We helped each other with maintenance including replacing clutches and half-shafts. We couldn’t afford to have work done by expensive mechanics so we learned how to look after our Triumphs by studying workshop manuals and then working on them in my garage … lots of trial and error but a great way to get to know our cars!
As a follow up to Dave Tushingham’s very successful virtual presentation entitled TR Restoration Steps – Bare Metal to Buff, we have another on-line session planned. This time it will be a panel discussion chaired by 3 of our Triumph experts:
Dave Tushingham, whose extensive knowledge of the entire Triumph TR range is legendary.
Tony Fox, aka Mr. Stag, who has owned 13 Triumph Stags over the past 3 decades and has had a hand in preserving the majority of Stags now resident in S. Ontario.
Wayne McGill, a founding member of Toronto Triumph Club and custodian of a one-owner TR6 and award-winning Triumph Herald. Wayne’s knowledge of all-things-Triumph is renowned.
The virtual meeting is planned to run from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday 11th August. We will be using Zoom technology and their new security-enhanced system for our next virtual club meeting. We are limited to a maximum of 100 participants, which will be challenging so here are a few “rules” to keep us on the straight and narrow:
Each participant will be kept in the “waiting room” until they are authorised to join the meeting. Please be patient.
All audience members will be muted to cut down on background noise.
If you have a question, use the Chat function (I’ll explain this more at the beginning of our meeting).
To sign into the meeting, you don’t need to download any apps, just click on the below URL and enter the password. PLEASE start to log on by around 6:45 p.m. which will give us a chance to get everyone out of the waiting room and address any issues.
Click on this URL; https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81975036577?pwd=Sm1MR1BhTmhGV3NIZy9WeGpsZ2todz09Meeting
The meeting ID is 819 7503 6577 and the passcode is 657944
Get your questions ready and we look forward to seeing you on the 11th.
It does seem strange not to be in the midst of BCD planning right now … I just checked our web site and it’s just 417 days to go until the next British Car Day which is planned for 19th September 2021. Can’t wait!
While we don’t have any formal drives planned yet, it does look like all of Ontario will soon be upgraded to stage 3 of the COVID-19 recovery plan. When that happens we should be allowed to gather in larger groups – albeit with the usual social distancing, face masks, etc. – and visit local restaurants (and bathrooms). Stay tuned for updates! In the meantime look after yourselves, your family….and your cars! Please don’t hesitate to drop me a line if you have any questions or concerns.
Cheers; Dave
Dave Sims
President, Toronto Triumph Club
dave.sims@cogeco.ca
905-331-1496