Welcome to February and a very chilly start to the month.
At our last board meeting – held virtually – I had the honour of presenting British Car Council’s “Order of British Car Enthusiasts” to Keith Stewart. Each British Car Council member club nominates a volunteer who has demonstrated excellence and in 2020 Keith did just that as he spent a ton of time bringing our new website to reality. When COVID backs off I’ll be heading over to London to present the medallion to Keith in person and hopefully take Keith and Chris for lunch and a chat. Congratulations Keith on this well-deserved recognition.
By now you should have received your Ragtop in the mail and if you are like me you won’t be disappointed. With print media getting less available it sure is a bonus to be able to sit down in front of the fire and read all about our favourite cars. As Editor, Terence does a fantastic job of finding material to fill 48 pages but WE NEED YOU to send articles to him. They don’t have to be print-ready … point form is fine and send as many high quality digital images as you have to illustrate your story. The stories don’t have to be restricted to Triumphs … or even about cars. If you think it will interest your club colleagues go for it! I should mention that Alison Postma is continuing to provide support as Assistant Editor this year and Mike Kerry is new to the editorial team, filling the role of Contributing Editor. Thank you team for your wonderful work!
Some Ragtop issues are dedicated to a specific Triumph model. I do know that I’m on the hot seat to write an article on TR250 / TR5 models for the summer edition so I’ll be reaching out to my fellow owners for their assistance.
We have a couple of virtual events to look forward to in February:
1. Next Club VIRTUAL Zoom Meeting – QUIZ NIGHT
DATE: Tuesday 9th February
TIME: 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
LINK: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7092439786?pwd=WXo0UlI1MDBnTDBvUnNWWFpkSkxFdz09
MEETING ID: 709 243 9786.
PASSCODE: 530500.
SYNOPSYS: Terence McKillen will be testing our knowledge of “anything related to cars” although I hear on the grapevine that Triumph trivia will be front-and-centre. There will be prizes for the winner(s) which will be well-earned as I imagine that the quiz will be challenging. I will send out a reminder with all the details / protocols closer to the 9th and look forward to seeing a good crowd.
- Drive Your Triumph Day – 10th February
Are you ready for Drive Your Triumph Day, Monday, February 10th, to celebrate Sir John Black’s birthday, the man who organized Standard’s purchase of Triumph after the war and went on to make the cars we enjoy driving today? Here’s a note from Rye Livingstone who organizes this fun event every year.
Dear Fellow Triumph Owner,
One thing that has remained constant in this crazy pandemic year is the pleasure to social distance by taking a drive in your Triumph. So, with that in mind, it’s time to plan a social distance activity for Drive Your Triumph Day, February 10, 2021. My name is Rye Livingston and I’m with the Triumph Travelers Sports Car Club in Northern California, which is celebrating our 62nd anniversary. As you may remember a number of years ago, I encouraged people to drive their Triumphs on February 10th, to celebrate Sir John Black’s Birthday. Last year I received about 350 photos from all over the world: Scotland, Ireland, the UK, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Uruguay, Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, Canada, Holland, Czech Republic, and of course all over the USA. I’m hoping we can increase that number this year!
The concept is straightforward. On Wednesday, February 10th, go for a drive in your Triumph. Take a scenic drive on a country road or out to lunch, to the market, to work, wherever. Go for a drive alone or in a big group from your local Triumph Club. Take your spouse, buddy, child, grandchild or your dog; then take a photo. The photo is mainly of the car, and the owner if possible, ideally in front of a cool spot, landmark, scenic view or in your driveway. If it’s the middle of the winter where you live and your car is in hibernation, or in the middle of a restoration, take a photo of it anyway.
Next step is to email a high-resolution photo to driveyourtriumphday@gmail.com, along with some basic information: owner’s name, year and model of car, and place photo was taken (city, state, country). The photos will then be published not only in our club newsletter, but also in USA’s national magazine: Vintage Triumph Registry, and on the Drive Your Triumph Day website: https://driveyourtriumphday.shutterfly.com
Regards, Rye Livingston, Activities Chairman, Triumph Travelers Sports Car Club
Here’s a link to photos of the 2020 TTC participants and shown above is a photo of Rob Draper and TR4A in his driveway … with Elaine behind the camera.
https://torontotriumph.com/ttc-celebrates-sir-john-blacks-birthday-feb-10-2020/ when we had 23 club members’ cars featured. LET’S SEE IF WE CAN EXCEED THAT NUMBER IN 2021!
This will not be a surprise to you but I can let you know officially of a few event cancellations for 2021:
- I have been in contact with Bert Berry of the MGCCT and there will be no Spring Fling in 2021.
- Similarly I’ve heard from Mike McNeey who says; Ancaster Flea Market and Car Show is cancelled. We are not able to proceed due to Covid 19. The facility is sealed up tight. We may be able to restart later in the year but only if Covid is beaten. So, stay home, wear a mask and get the vaccine when you can. Our Rockton even is still scheduled for October and I will keep you informed as we get closer to that time. Just for fun, try to remember to check the weather on April 18th. I bet it will be warm and sunny!
- Barry & Dianne O’Rourke and André & Diane Fleury – have deferred holding the Canadian Classic for a year too.
We had a long discussion concerning British Car Day at the board meeting and the consensus was that it’s too early to make a call on whether our marquee event will happen this year. We shall see but in summary for many events BRING ON 2022!
I’m looking forward to seeing a good crowd at the Club Quiz and lots of photos submitted to Drive Your Triumph Day but in the meantime, stay safe and stay warm!
Cheers; Dave
Dave Sims
President, Toronto Triumph Club
905-331-1496