Triumph TR4 Race Car
Discussion
This is the family's Triumph TR4. From the extensive history file we have, it was club raced and rallied throughout the 90s in fast road trim before catching fire when on a rolling road, destroying the premises. After this it was painted red and fully rebuilt by Racetorations in 1998 to compete in the Triumph TR Register Championship.
My Dad found it on Ebay after browsing the classifieds, and having serially owned Spitfires, knew a TR would be a progressive step up. The fact that it had been rebuilt at great expense meant it shouldn't have many things to go wrong. He went down to St.Albans to test drive it one autumn night, and the then owner took him on a very fast lap of the neighbourhood before swapping seats. Unused to the unforgiving clutch and direct nature of the car, he said it was one of the most difficult drives he has had. Despite this, he had been bitten and really wanted the car. I took him down a few weeks later, and followed him back to Derby with my Focus full of spares. I was surprised at the pace that this little TR had, and it sounded glorious when I overtook it with my window down.
The former owner was a small chap, so first job was to unbolt the seat, and redrill the floor so that my Dad (6ft) and I (6'4") could fit better behind the wheel. Then it was a case of getting used to driving an uncompromised track car on the road.
It has 2200cc, race cam, steel crank, uprated fuel pump, race clutch and breathes through twin weber 45s. It has a straight through exhaust with a small silencer mid way, and will spit flames on the over run. It also sets car alarms off on enclosed streets. All of the panels are fibreglass and are in reasonable condition. Inside it has Momo fia approved seats, 5 point harnesses and a full cage. It runs on slicky Yokohama's much like those on the quick Loti. We haven't had the car on the rolling road or the scales, but a print out in the files shows 172bhp and it certainly weighs well under a tonne.
To drive, it is pretty hard work. There is little suspension travel, so you have to watch the road surface like a hawk. The clutch is very meaty, and requires finesse to find the biting point in traffic against the strong clutch springs. It is a bit grumpy at low revs, and combining this with the carburetors means you can quickly bog and stall it. The gearbox feels like a riffle bolt to use, and the steering is very heavy at low speeds. However, it is very special to drive, and once you get it flowing, great fun. It sounds like a Spitfire plane between 2k and 3k with the throttle open, and really sings when you are up the top end around 5500rpm when the power peaks and falls away. It is great fun on track, and will stick reasonably to some of the small modern circuit stars. More than outright pace though, its all about the experience; with the hardtop off, exposing the lovely welded cage, its a real blast when driven around the Peak District on a clear day.
One Sunday I went out for lunch with some mates, all into cars as well, and decided to take the TR. One of the girls wanted a ride, so as we all left, I jumped into the Trump and turned the key. There was a just a high pitched whirr, the starter motor had come loose. We pushed the car out of the parking space, and then I got my friend Laura, in high heels and short skirt to push the car down the slope so I could bump start it. As we gained speed down the hill I caught sight of half a dozen groups sitting outside at picnic benches enjoying a pint, and unaware of the steathily approaching car. I let out the clutch and blipped the throttle, the car exploding into life, and watched a few people choke on their pints and turn around to look is surprise.
I occasionally track the car, sharing a days driving with my Dad, or should I say, he with me. We were at Mallory last year on a Sports Six Club day, and I was out chasing a Trump 2000 racer on its shakedown before the season started. I could make distance up on brakes and on corner speeds, but our acceleration was pretty much equal. Being a mere track day I didn't want blaze up the inside of him, so just enjoyed hanging back and trying different corner approaches to try and get a better exit speed. Anyway, in the process of using all the performance on the straights, something went pop, and I managed to coast the car to the pits. Turns out one of the rocker rods broke. Luckily we had taken two cars that day, so I drove the tow car, a S6 XJR X300, and pulled the TR back to Derby. We had the car repaired at a TR specialist, and he said he could really free up the engine with some work, and expected over 200bhp with some improvements. We haven't used the TR much over that last year, and my Dad decided to move on, so the TR was auctioned at Buxton, and replaced with a Spectre R42. The TR was amazing run to drive and turned heads where ever it went!
joesnow said:
joesnow said:
I got my friend Laura, in high heels and short skirt to push the car down the slope so I could bump start it. As we gained speed down the hill I caught sight of half a dozen groups sitting outside at picnic benches enjoying a pint, and unaware of the steathily approaching car. I let out the clutch and blipped the throttle, the car exploding into life, and watched a few people choke on their pints and turn around to look is surprise.
Good work 
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