Like most teenagers I was fascinated by hot rods. The big engines, modifications that could be made to the old Ford flathead V8’s and GM straight 8’s and 6’s. This was during the mid-late fifties and I was 14 years of age. I would read all of the “Hot Rod” magazines that I could get my hands on. When an English teacher required a term paper showing a comparison of ideas or things, I chose to do a comparison of American and Europeans automobiles. Asian cars were unknown then. I read several books and magazines. My conclusion was that the European autos were better constructed, lasted longer, handled better, and got higher gas mileage. They were generally smaller and more economical. An uncle started giving me his “Sports Cars Illustrated”. I began to read about “Lister Jags” and “Bird Gage Maserati’s”. I read about racing that wasn’t just a sprint in a straight line but on road courses. The cars had to corner as well as accelerate.
When 17 and had almost enough money to purchase my first car, I still wanted a big V8, especially one with the new sporty “hard top” coupe body. Being a minor and with no legal standing to purchase a car, I was at the mercy of my parents. What would they let me buy? “No V8! They’re too fast and use too much gas.”
So, in 1960, I bought my first car, a 1955 Chevrolet Bellaire. It wasn’t a hard top but had the “ugly” B pillar post and it was a six cylinder. But it was mine! I no longer had to be chauffeured everywhere. Then I found out that this six cylinder was the Blue Flame Six, the same engine put in the first (1953-54) Corvettes. While they had dual side draft carbs, mine had a single down draft carb. But it was a BIG dual throat carb.
I found that I could out drag race any stock 6 cylinder or flat head V8 in town. I began to dream of hot rods with hopped up six cylinders or flat head V8’s. Even admired the “For Ever Four” club. Drag racers devoted to the racing of old Ford Model T and A’s in a highly modified state with multiport heads and overhead valve conversions available for the period. Thus, as the twig was bent, the tree shaped.
A college pal had new Harold convertible. As we would drive it around the city on the freeways, I thought to myself. “What a life, to be able to drive one of these around town all day.”
When I came home from college for the summer of ‘63 with no car, I intended to work for the summer to purchase a car to take back to school. A friend’s dad had just “restored” a TR-3. I fell in love with it. I liked being able to pick up a dime off the ground by just reaching out the door. I liked how fast it would go and how I could whip it around corners. Still, being a minor at age 19, I was still at the whim of my parents. “No! That car is too small and dangerous. We think that you should get something bigger and safer.”
I found a beautiful 1958 Plymouth Sport Belvedere. This was the same as the high performance “Fury” model with the 318 CID engine with a 4-brl carb and dual exhaust. It just did not have the same name badging. It was a 2-door hard top, white with a gold spear down the side, tall fins, and a red and white interior.
It was a huge car that floated like a cloud, smooth and powerful, but it rolled excessively in corners. I had bought it out of spite, but it had a big V8 engine and was a 2-door hard top. I had my hot rod.
When I returned from Viet Nam in 1967, my father had passed away and to help my mother out I bought his car, a plain Jane ’61 Chevrolet Biscayne, no chrome trim and no radio, small hub caps. At least it was transportation. She still thought of it as “their car” and when she retrieved packages from the trunk one afternoon, she found my bottle of scotch. She was taken aghast! “Dad would never have had whisky in the trunk of his car!”
I traded the car the next week for a 1963 Spitfire Mark I. I joined the local SCCA club and was finally initiated to: autocrossing! Rallying! and associating with other British marques. Thus began 40-year association with Triumphs, British cars and sports cars. This ’63 Spitfire was replaced with a ’64 TR4 and finally in 1978 with the carmine red ’73 Spitfire 1500. Her name was Ruby. I drove her daily for almost 30 years. She has been all over this county from coast to coast and Gulf to the Canadian border.
All of these cars have been daily drivers and weekend autocross racers. This last car became a cross-country tourist when in 1989 an overdrive was added. It has been to VTR National meets in Grape Vine, TX, Albany, NY, Boulder, CO, and Savannah, GA. and to every South Central VTR Regional meet, except for 5, since their inception. It has been all over Arizona, Triumphest in Laughlin, NV and all points in between. This car and I have been members of Central Oklahoma Vintage Register for 21 years. We have been members of the Desert Center Triumph Register, Phoenix, AZ as well as Red River Triumph Register, Hill Country Triumph Club and nearly all clubs in the South Central VTR Region.
In 2008 my wife, Charisse and I decided to travel full time in our motorhome. I packed up all of Ruby’s trophies, spares, etc. and drove her to Orlando, FL to give to my daughter. She spent her teen years helping to detail the car for car shows and navigating on road rallies. I think that is a fitting progression for Ruby. Jennifer is saving the Spitfire for my grandson. He is 12 years old now.
In 2009 Charisse and I decided to settle down in Mesa, AZ. I said that if we were not going to travel in the RV anymore, I wanted another Triumph. In 2010 I found Jack, a 1974 TR6, with just under 70K miles on him. I was looking for a car that was any color but white. While Jack was white, I felt that I could paint him a nice French blue, maybe BR green or even pewter gray.
But first I had to rebuild the engine. Then I had a chance for a Toyota 5spd transmission. Well, the paint would have to wait. It doesn’t look too bad. Did I tell you that it is all original and un-molested? Jack has a nice “patina” that has now become “fashionable”; besides, the white has started to grow on me. It is certainly the right color for the Arizona desert.
Now after 7 years and with a rebuilt engine, 5-speed, rebuilt front suspension/steering and rebuilt rear end, I decided that I have had enough of the patina. I was ready for some color. This past August, Bob Holt helped me to remove the fenders, and rust, and all dents and dings. We sanded several times with various grits up to 320. I then took it to the Macao Paint shop on Main St in Mesa to be primed, re-sanded and painted a Mallard Blue with a tan interior.
