Triumph Herald #31 April 2014 Page 2 Events for Sale & Want Ads by Sharon Robinson for Sale for Sale Floor Pans for TR4, TR4A, TR5, TR6 Antique Gearshift Knobs

EDITION 31 | 2014 April Triumph

The Herald A Publication of The Rocky Mountain Triumph Club www.rockymountaintr.org

Don Joy – the driver, not the passenger by Gordon Kenney in this issue... When I remember Don the thought was that he was a driver to the end. I know of nobody 2 Country Roads else who drove the same car from age 15 to past his mid 70’s. And he drove a Triumph on most 4 A Failed Alliance of our club events. He enjoyed driving old Triumphs, old Fords and old street-rods. The last few 6 The Kamm Effect years were tough for him but he kept driving. It was only a few days before his passing that he 7 April Fools had to come home as a “passenger”. He probably knew that when he was no longer the “driv- 8 April Events er” it was time to leave. He was a good friend and will be missed

Ode to Don Joy by Janet Kline We bought our 1971 TR6 from him. He was such a great help to us during the restoration of it, as well as with other projects. He also drove out to Kansas with Mike and Alex to pick up a 1973 Triumph Stag project car. He was a good friend to our family and we will miss him very much.

before after Don Joy, a Few words from Friends & Family by Rod Tomkins I remember Don for all the generous help he gave me when reassembling my first TR 6 at the Jason Street Garage. It had seemed like a straightforward enough project when it was sitting in my garage in Aurora. Right. So I had it flatbeded to Jason Street where I spent many evenings, and would have spent many more without his, and Bob Brown’s, expert advice and assistance. Good memories. Thanks Don, and Bob. by Mary Marsh What I would share about my Dad and the RMTC is that he has been a member since the beginning, I am pretty sure. He bought his 1967 Triumph GT6 in 1970 and is the second owner. He gave me the Triumph and I have it with me now in VA. I plan to join the local Triumph club here in the DC area. My Dad loved cars and love to restore cars. I know he made many good friends over the years in the club. Thank you to everyone who came to the funeral to help remember my Dad.

Don with the 67 GT6 Country Roads, Take Me Home* by Patrick Huckels We all do it. We take the concrete or Dwight traveled coast to coast with the asphalt below our tires for granted. To get 1919 Transcontinental Motor Convoy it there took politicians to approve the while in the Army. It took 62 days (that’s purchase of land and budgeting of tax pay- 2 months folks) for his 81 vehicle and er funds to build them. It took surveyors 382 personnel group to cross the USA days, months and even years to lay out the from Washington DC to San Francisco. best route through the harsh countryside, Companies like Cadillac, Dodge, Harley- mountain passes and through gnarled cit- Davidson & Indian motorcycles and even ies. It took civil engineers to study soil and a Renault participated. Dwight never for- rock reports and decide what pavement got that trip (I bet he sat on a pillow for material to use and design bridges to cross months afterwards) and after seeing the rivers and streams. It took contractors to marvels of the German Autobahns during battle nature’s elements to lay them down WWII, connected the dots to help per- or raise them up. It took painters and sign suade Congress in producing a world class makers to make them safe and keep order interstate road system here at home. He amongst the ‘path of least resistance’ driv- helped create the 1956 Federal-Aid High- ers. It takes street sweepers to keep them way Act and funding for new roads ended colfax tower clean when there is no rain to wash away sometime in 1996. Total cost is estimated the dirt and grime. our amazing historical avenue that Playboy at $119 billion. So, the next time you pass And all it takes for us to remember all magazine once called “the longest, wicked through the Eisenhower tunnel, give a sa- of these brave souls is one pothole………. street in America” I invite you to visit this lute to Ike and the fact that it now takes (dial 311) site: http://www.colfaxavenue.com/p/his- as little as 2 days to drive coast to coast. Everyone knows that Colfax Ave is tory.html Pillow is optional. the US’s longest continuous commercial Now, did you know that Dwight D Ei- *The popular song written by Henry John street. It’s as long as a marathon at 26 senhower is known as the Father of the Deutschendorf, Jr. (aka John Denver) from miles. For some interesting facts about Interstate System? It all started when Roswell, NM

The Triumph Herald #31 April 2014 page 2 Events For Sale & Want Ads by Sharon Robinson For Sale For Sale Floor pans for TR4, TR4A, TR5, TR6 Antique Gearshift knobs. Bakelite, Spring is here! Hoping you are able to both right and left hand sides. Catalin, Onyx, Daka Ware. Contact Jim get out and enjoy this warm weather in These are the British Motor Her- at [email protected] your LBCs itage approved parts. They are sturdy Since the driving season is upon us it is steel floor pans made in the UK not the the perfect time to take a look under your cheaply made China/India floor pans. bonnet, grease your trunnions and do a lit- I will sell both for $500 and you tle tweaking. don’t have to pay any shipping costs Frank has very kindly offered to host his ($$$) from the UK. SPRING TUNE UP again. SATURDAY APRIL These are in pristine condition. 26 10am onwards. He has lots and lots of Contact Bud at levilevi@comcast. tools and a LIFT...... And of course dough- net or call 303-941-5302 nuts and coffee. I know he works hard to make this a fun For Sale event - please come and support him. Used TR4 trunk lid fair condition - Address: 717 Anderson St. Castle Rock some rust $50.00 Ralph Malewska cell Wanted Phone: 303-807-5905 # 303-877-7255 [email protected] Good used (one car) car haul trail- We are getting ready for a couple of er w/electric brakes Ralph Malewska events in May..... Save the dates. For Sale #303-877-7255 email: rmal64@gmail. May 9th weekend is the annual drive to Official TR4 RHD Triumph/Castrol com St Francis Kansas where Bob and JoAnn Lubrication Diagram/Poster 17” x 22” Klie host the Cheyenne county cruisers car reprint suitable for framing. $12.50 Wanted show – it’s a fun weekend, lots to do and 303-525-1089 bespokeroadsters@ya- 9 club members to help donate $5 great prizes. hoo.com ask for Patrick each for information to a UK web- Details, a link to registration and con- site containing at least 30 download- tact information for Terry Hughes ( route able Official Standard Triumph repair and possible convoy ) and Bob Klie (show and service manuals including, but not questions) are on the website under events. limited to: TR2-3-4-4A-6-7-8 Herald Hope you can make it! Vitesse GT6 Spitfire Mayflower Saloon May 18 is our ANNUAL SPRING CAR Renown Vanguard 3500 Stag Dolomite SHOW. We will be at Quaker Steak and A-Type OD manual, wiring diagrams, lube in westminster again. Its a great place fuel injection manuals, tonneau cover for a car show - we had a great turnout last installation procedures year and With your help I am hoping we can Website owner asking for a $45 do- be even bigger this year. nation for clubs to enjoy these docu- Rockin’ Dave (always a blast!) will be ments. Contact Patrick @ 303-525- back with his car show and music adjacent 1089 or bespokeroadsters@ yahoo. to us so its two shows for the price of one! com I will be sending out an email for RSVPs later this month so I have a good idea of how many spaces to rope off. More details including directions on the website under events. Please keep checking our website - I try to keep all our events updated and include directions and contact information.

The Triumph Herald #31 April 2014 page 2 The Triumph Herald #31 April 2014 page 3 Donald Healey and Triumph Motorcars – A Failed Alliance by Gordon Kenney remaining assets to Standard Company on Nov. 24, 1944. During the war Donald Healey developed ideas and plans for a “new” car to be built after the war. He tried to interest the “Triumph” owners in producing his car but was rebuffed and looked to other companies for a development partner. This effectively marked the end of Don Healey’s involvement with Triumph cars. He then went on to produce his own cars in 1946 using components from various manufacturers and with engines and transmissions from Riley. Following the Healey 100 car development, the car was sold to Austin and continued as the Aus- tin-Healey sports cars. His involvement with the A/H and its relationship with BMC lived on to the 1970’s. 1935 Triumph Southern Cross with Don Healey on the left This summary is based on the book TRI- UMPH CARS, The Complete Story by Robson By 1939 The Triumph Motorcar Com- on as Triumph’s general manager and spent and Langworth, copyright 1979 and 1988. pany was in trouble. Triumph had expe- most of the war years in carburetor de- rienced good growth and sales for several velopment for another company, the Hob- years and had a good complement of fac- son group. Bombing during the war ef- tories and design facilities. Donald Healy fectively eliminated the Triumph motorcar was the strength of the technical staff and future and the owners eventually sold the had been responsible for much of the good engineering and design behind the cars during the period from 1934 to 1939. But the luxury cars that had been successful were coming under intense competition from William Lyons SS Company (Jaguar) and others and sales were lagging. The company was in debt and had no future models under development and they were looking to merge with some other manu- facturer. They struck a deal with Thos. W. Ward Ltd., an engineering and steel making group which took over Triumph on Sept. 1st, 1939. (That was the day on which Hit- ler invaded Poland and was the beginning of WW II which produced large changes in the English auto industry.) Donald stayed Don Healey & His Dolomite Straight 8 Alfa Romeo 8C competetor

The Triumph Herald #31 April 2014 page 4 2014 F1 season in Melbourne, Australia by theroar.com.au Triumph TRs in the limelight once again, the car of choice for the opening drivers parade for the 2014 F1 season in Melbourne, Australia As with every new year in Formula One, teams will still be coming to terms with the new specifications, rules and equipment in the season opener. It will make for entertaining racing! Four-time defending champion, Ger- many’s Sebastian Vettel, will be looking to have another 2013, where champagne driving saw him capture 13 victories from 19 starts, including nine straight to finish the season. It is hard to see how the man many have anointed to become the greatest the sport has ever seen will be beaten, but a last year’s shaky start will give other con- tenders hope on Sunday. TR3 Parade at Australian F1 2014 With Mark Webber stepping away from Formula One, much of the talk has focussed around his successor in the Red Bull car and compatriot Daniel Ricciardo. The 24-year-old Western Australian will be looking to make a name for himself after graduating from Toro Rosso, and early testing shows that he’s on pace to place high in GPs this year. The usual threats are also lurking. Fer- nando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen, and four- time conqueror at Albert Park will all be hunting for a good start at a venue that Australian Grand Prix March 2014 Australian Grand Prix March 2014 has given them success in the past.

April Birthdays 4/2 - Betty DeVisscher 4/13 - Les Stern 4/21 - Tony Cooper 4/3 - Jimmie Burke 4/14 - Kim Baillargeon 4/22 - Sondra Cook 4/8 - Dale Peterson 4/14 - Bob Russell 4/22 - Alan Russ 4/9 - Dan Lynch 4/16 - LeRoy Jennings 4/23 - Carol Glasson 4/12 - Ann Swearengin 4/16 - Tim Lucas 4/24 - JoAnn Jackley 4/13 - Sue Janssen 4/19 - Vicki Kalin 4/28 - Tom Deats 4/29 - Al Liljekrans

The Triumph Herald #31 April 2014 page 4 The Triumph Herald #31 April 2014 page 5 Tail Kropping pares for its American sports car invasion and decides to pull an earlier design con- (aka The Kamm Effect) taining details from a German-American by the name of Count Albrecht Graf von As with some dog pedigrees, such as Goertz off the shelves and put it into pro- this boxer, tail kropping, has been con- sidered a cosmetic choice. Hundreds of years ago it is reported that the animal’s ears and tails were cropped to not give dropped auto body shape, the wind drag its opponent advantage of an unnecessary coefficient virtually remained unchanged appendage in a fight, a dog fight to be ex- with a decrease in body part stamping and act. assembly costs. As Triumph was looking for a new design for their aging TR4s and considering a fresh, sort of diversion, to the well known Michelotti designs, it appears that all the stars aligned for Karmann GmbH in 1967 to not only beat the bonnet bump out of the TR4 but also chop off its rounded tail using their countryman’s aerodynamic design! Triumph liked the idea of reducing their body stamping and assembly costs as well as the possibility of decreasing drag In the 1960’s sports car designers start- and increasing overall speed for their new ed to incorporate an aerodynamic detail TR6. Kropping the tail off the TR6 was ac- duction. The car: The Datsun 240Z. And in known as the Kamm Tail (also known in cepted by the Triumph review board with- true German auto design styling, the Z car the USA as the Kammback) or K-Tail for out objection. The TR6 was introduced to incorporated the now famous Kamm Tail. short (no pun intended). The Kamm effect the public in January 1969 in true Anglo- The war between the TR6 and the was developed by the German automo- Saxon style. 240Z is well recorded in auto magazines tive scientist Wunibald Kamm in Stuttgart So you might be wondering where is from around the world. (the home of Porsche). He showed, under connection between the dog fight men- Bruce McWilliams is credited in the both empirical and mathematical testing tioned earlier in this article and the K-Tail? matted black Kammback of the TR6. that if you cropped off the end of a tear- This all starts in 1969 when Datsun pre-

Member Roster Update Janet Cline is in the process of updating the 2014 Club Membership Roster. We are now at 123 members. Please submit your information to Janet [email protected] or call 303-683- 7057 whether you have any changes or not. Name Address Phone Number Birthdays E-Mail address Car model, year

The Triumph Herald #31 April 2014 page 6 Yugo to revive “But I struggle to see a place for it Triumph cars is not to be confused [within the Yugo Group product portfo- with the privately owned Triumph Mo- Triumph cars? lio]. I can’t think of anything that is in the torcycles, which also hails from the UK. First it was Mini, then Rolls-Royce, production timeframe that would not be now Yugo looks set to revive another fa- wearing a Yogo badge - be it ‘i’ [electric Whether Yugo has any immediate mous British brand - Triumph. cars] or just Yogo.” plans to produce Triumph-badged vehicles remains to be seen, but the merchan- Proposals were reportedly made to dising campaign can’t be good news for market a cheaper version of Yugo’s 1985 the motorcycle maker. GV 65 roadster to rival the Mazda MX- 5. This could be a modern take on the April Fools’ Day (sometimes called All Triumph Spitfire, a small, rear-wheel-drive Fools’ Day) is an informal holiday celebrated roadster powered by a four-cylinder en- every year on April 1. It is not a national holi- gine. day, but is widely recognized and celebrated in various countries as a day when people Another potential candidate is the play practical jokes and hoaxes on each TR6, a larger six-cylinder convertible, other called April fools. Many companies which was popular in the US. Then there’s have executed April Fools Day hoaxes such the famous wedgy TR7 coupe and Dolo- as the famous “spaghetti trees” reported by mite sedan. the BBC, and now the article you just enjoyed. Zastava Automobiles has filed a new trademark for the Triumph name that ex- tends not only to vehicles, but also a host of branded merchandise, UK motoring magazine Autocar reports.

These include watches and jewel- lery, luggage, leather goods, textiles and even Christmas tree decorations. The approach appears to follow Mini’s successful ethos as a brand first, car maker second.

Yugo has been long rumoured to The 1990 Yugo 65 owed its technology to the 1970s Fiat 127 be preparing a relaunch of the Triumph brand, but more than a decade later, Zastava Automobiles acquired a nothing has materialised or mentioned collection of British marques when it internally. bought the Rover Group in 1994, including Austin, Land Rover, MG, Morris, Rover, “[The Triumph brand] is always there Wolseley, Mini, Riley and Triumph. to be rejuvenated should we choose,” Yugo Group Australia head of corporate After it broke up and sold off the communications Piers Scott says. “I don’t Rover Group in 2000, Yugo retained the think people realise we have Triumph latter three brands - Mini was launched [cars] in our stable. in 2001 while the others have remained dormant.

The Triumph Herald #31 April 2014 page 6 The Triumph Herald #31 April 2014 page 7 04 APRIL Board Meeting Hacienda Colorado • 4100 E. Mexico Ave. Denver Ph.: (303) 756-5700 Monday, April 7, 2014 6:00pm07 – 8:00pm Meetings are held on the 1st Monday of each month Meet for dinner at 6pm, meeting starts at 7 pm General club business and planning - All are welcome

General Meeting at Piccolos • 3562 S. Monaco Parkway General meetings are held on the 3rd Tuesday evening of each month. We gather about 6 for drinks and dinner, start the meeting at 7, 15 present a program and conclude with a raffle about 8:30.

Spring Tune Up Frank will once again host an informal spring

tune up - its a chance to get your car up on

the lift and inspect the underside, grease your

trunnions or tighten those nuts and get your 26 LBC ready for the great drives we have planned for this summer! There will be tools, coffee

and of course Doughnuts!

The Triumph Herald # 31 April 2014 page 8 RMTC 2014 Event Calendar by Sharon Robinson

July April Mon 7TH Board Meeting October RMTC - 31st Anniversary ! Sun 5TH Breakfast/Drive (Reeds) Tue 15TH General Meeting Mon 7TH Board Meeting Mon 6TH Board Meeting TBA speaker/tech

Tue 15TH General Meeting Tue 21ST General Meeting Sun 19TH Highway Clean Up TBA speaker/tech Rollinsville (Rod) Sat 26TH Spring Tune Up Franks Playhouse TBD Movie Night (Gordon) TBD JCNA Slalom Event

Front Range Airport May (Frank & Gordon) November Mon 5TH Board Meeting Sat 1ST Wine Tasting (Boslers)

TBD ST Francis (KS) Car Show August Mon 3RD Board Meeting Mon 4TH Board Meeting (Terry Hughes) Elections 2015 Sun 10TH Highland Games Show Sun 18TH RMTC Spring Car Show Tue 18TH General Meeting (Brooks) at Quaker Steak & Lube TBA speaker/tech Tue 19TH General Meeting TBD Northern Foothills Drive TBD Coors Tour (Becwars) TDA speaker/tech (Dave Roberts) Sun 31ST Drive to Leadville and Lunch December ** No General Meeting ** Mon 1ST Board Meeting (Ralph) June TBD Christmas Party Mon 2ND Board Meeting September Mon 1ST Board Meeting Sat 14TH Father’s Day Picnic Sun 7TH TBA DRIVE at the Huckels 9TH - 14TH VTR Dobson NC Sun 15TH Glenwood Rallye Tue 16TH General Meeting TBA speaker/tech Sun 22ND Jefferson Drive Sat 13TH Ride the Rockies Tour (Tim & Sandee Piano) Sat 13TH Conclave Party (Hughes) Sat 29TH Mount Evans (Jeff Otto) Sun 14TH 31ST Annual Colorado Conclave – Arvada

The Triumph Herald # 31 April 2014 page 8 The Triumph Herald# 31 April 2014 page 9 RMTC Meetings March, 2014 By Gordon Kenney Minister of Letters Frank Oakley, PM, called the meet- cellation of the banquet will be consid- On April 15, Don Munson will be the ing to order at 7 pm. He indicated that ered later this week. speaker and in July Mike Cline will talk due to some imprudent correspondence Rod Tomkins had submitted a suggest- about headlights. Bud Rolosfson will talk from club members concerning his arti- ed judging sheet for use at the car show about modification of Triumph suspension cle in last month’s PM article he would to make the awards selection more ob- at one of our monthly meeting. withdraw from this month’s board meet- jective. After considerable discussion the The Christmas party will be in Ston- ing early. He stated that he would inform issue was tabled and will be addressed egate as arranged by Dave and Marilyn the board about his decision to continue again at the next board meeting. Bosh on Dec. 14th. on as PM or not. As per the club’s By- It was decided to include any web re- If the Banquet is not held then the Laws, Bob Mott, Vice PM, assumed Frank’s lated costs in the advertised purchased MOY and the COA will be distributed at responsibilities and continued with the price for items and services purchased the Fathers Day Picnic. meeting, following the agenda Frank has through our web site. Janet C. reported there are 124 mem- distributed. Bob M. will verify with Piccolo’s the bers and she is continuing to update the The number and type of events and planned usage of their facility for each of roster. the degree of involvement with other the months. Ralph distributed a financial report for clubs was discussed. Some favor a large The Huckels will host the father’s day the end of February. number of events so that members could picnic on June 14th. The newsletter printing continues to pick and choose whereas others felt we The drives planned for Aug 31 and Sept be at less than ½ of what we used to pay. should have fewer with the intent of hav- 7th were discussed as being too close to- At 9:46 the meeting was adjourned. ing better attendance. No policy was set gether. Sharon will talk to those hosts but a couple of weekends of consecutive about changing dates to help with attend- events were adjusted. The date for the ance. RMTC Car show will stay as scheduled Some of the club’s tools have gotten although there is a conflict with events of lost but we still need to let the member- other clubs. ship know of what is available. The low registration numbers for the Sharon talked about web page up-dates club’s banquet on the 15th was discussed. she had made about coming events. The A TOOT will be sent out immediately to Sept. board meeting is on Sep. 8 to not encourage sign-up but the possible can- conflict with Labor Day weekend.

RMTC’s Shop is Now Open

Your car club now has an online shop for your convenience. Here you can purchase member- ships, Our Annual Banquets, registration to car shows, club merchandise and so much more. Gone are the days of writing and mailing checks. Our shop is Safe, secure and easy to use. You can do your shopping in minutes. The RMTC’s shop gives you the opportunity to shop 24 x 7. RMTC would like to reach a wider audience with our online store. We know we have members from not only Colorado but from all parts of the globe.

The Triumph Herald # 31 April 2014 page 10 P & L Statement By Ralph Malewska Income

Banquet ...... $128.00 Membership ...... 150.00 Raffle ...... 57.00

Total ...... $335.00

Expense

Checking Acct Exp ...... $111.79 Meetings ...... 12.00 Newsletter ...... 41.80 Postage ...... 49.00 Raffle ...... 34.94

Total ...... $249.53

Profit ...... $85.47

Checking balance @ 2-28-14 . . $4,281.87

Commercial Advertising is available for $50/

year for business card size up to $500 for a full

page; contact Patrick Huckels at patrick@rocky-

mountaintr.org or call him at 303-525-1089 for details

and procedures.

The Triumph Herald # 31 April 2014 page 10 The Triumph Herald# 31 April 2014 page 11 RMTC Officers [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Minister of Letters Prime Minister Sharon Robinson [email protected] [email protected] Gordon Kenney Ralph Malewska Sharon & Emily Patrick HuckelsPatrick Membership Terry Hughes Andrej Galins Andrej Galins Newsletter Frank Oakley Frank Sean DeBow Robert Mott Robert Treasurer Web Guy Publisher Janet Cline Publicity Archives Vice-PM Regalia Events

And Now for Something Completely Different “A word to the wise ain’t necessary - it’s the stupid ones that need the advice.” ~ Bill Cosby

Rocky Mountain Triumph Club, LLC P.O. Box 300426 Denver, CO 80203-0426

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