BECOME A MEMBER! - Gold Coast Brit CarI bought my first Triumph (a 61 TR-3) when I graduated from the U in August of 1964. I bought it from Carl Kish’s used car lot on N.W. 36 ST

Platinum Sponsors• Palm Beach International Raceway• Treasure Coast Classics

Gold Sponsors• All Loti Restoration

• Creative Workshop

• Fort Lauderdale Children’s Theatre

• Fort Lauderdale Collection

• Kensington Automotive Group

• The MG Centre

• Spacecoast Plating & Metal Refinishing

• Wheels Across the Pond

The 23rd Annual All British Classic Car ShowHonor Roll of Sponsors

We would like to thank all of the individuals and businesses that supported this year’s 23rd Annual All British Classic Car show to include those who have supported us over the years as well as those who are joining us for the first time. Please take the time to visit them and thank them for their support.

Silver Sponsors• Auto Appraisal Network

• British Marque Car Club News

• City OK Tire

• Hagerty’s Insurance

• J.C. Taylor

• Moss Motors Ltd.

• Sailroman

• The Field

• Victoria British

• Welsh Enterprises

• Wire Wheels

Club Benefits* Annual subscription to British Marque newspaper where we have our own Gold Coast section* Membership roster published semi-annually* Permanent name tag for club gatherings* Option to purchase club regalia - Tshirts, caps, jackets, mugs, grill badge, etc.Club Benefits* Annual Classic British Car Show* Club dinner night each month which rotates between the counties (Miami-Dade/Broward/Palm Beach)* One to two picnics per year at local parks* Caravan to car shows around the state - St. Augustine, Winter Park, Ft. Myers, etc.* Planned weekend getaways to quaint B&B’s and other interesting places* Fun impromptu get-togethers for beach-side breakfasts or cruise-in nights at local “Fifties” drive-ins* Shared information and technical “how-to” help in taking care of your British sports car

All this for just $30.00(The membership year runs from June 1 - May 31 of each year. Members who join prior to January 1 will have to renew by May 31.)

www.goldcoastbritcar.com and join online.You may pay by check and mail it to GCBSCC, PO Box 293214, Davie, FL 33329 or pay by Paypal.

BECOME A MEMBER! From a club that started in 1987, with a handful of members, our club now boosts over 200 members mainly within Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade but also throughout the state and nation. We invite you to join us today!

Bronze Sponsors• Apple Hydraulics

• British Motor Works

• Crackers

• Dune Deck Cafe

• Glenn’s MG Repair

• Joe Curto

• Motorcar Gallery

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The Triumph Motor Company’sTR3, TR4, TR7 and TR8

The Gold Coast British Sports Car Club would like to welcome you to our 23rd Annual All British Classic Car Show. The show is open to all British

car owners. We invite them to bring their cars to our show (most of them are no longer in production) for all of us to view and admire. Currently produced models are also on display for your enjoyment. This year, the featured marque is the Triumph (name change - 1930) and we are featuring four models this year. The TR3 (produced from 1956 to 1962), TR4 (produced from 1961 to 1967), TR7 (produced from 1975 to 1981) and TR8 (produced from 1978

to 1981). Our club has a good representation of these marques and others across the spectrum. We invite all British car owners to consider joining our club and increasing the enjoyment of their LBC by participating in our many club activities throughout the year. The club members would like to thank our show sponsors for their support. Please ensure to read thru our car show brochure and patronize our sponsors throughout the year. Their support makes this car show possible. We also appreciate Royal Palm Place more and more as our venue of choice with each year’s show. We thank them for their hospitality and partnership. To all of our guests attending the event, please explore the shops in Royal Palm Place and enjoy the fine shopping and dining experi-ences they offer.

Sincerely,Bill Miller, President

Gold Coast British Sports Car ClubP.O. Box 293214 • Davie, FL 33329

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My First Love by Miami-Dade Vice President Ed Morat

I remember my first Love. When I first saw her, she

was beautiful with these big wonderful eyes and what I thought was quite a nice figure. I assure you these were not the overwrought hormones of

a 60’s teenager; it was love at first sight. She was a 1960 Bug Eye Sprite; the icing on the cake was she was driven by an equally lovely young lady. After the formal introduction to the young lady, I was introduced to the Bug Eye. She was a street version ‘G’ production Sebring race car, designed by the young lady’s father who was the current race marshal at the Sebring race in Sebring Florida. The car had a mild cam with Webber carburetors, tuned headers and exhaust, oversized Pirellis on wire wheels. When the ignition caught, I was convinced this was true love, the rumble of the exhaust and the drone of the RPM’s when the throttle was pushed to the max,

exciting to say the least. I had the privilege of driving this car off and on for two weeks when my new found love returned to her home in ‘Howie in the Hills’ FL. I never forgot my first introduction to British Sports Cars and to this day the Love continues. I have owned a 1965 Spitfire which I drove for several years when I lived in Spain and shipped her home to be driven for several more glorious years. Today I am the proud original owner of a 1973 TR6. My wife and I thoroughly enjoy the thrill of the drive and the music of exhaust notes on our road trips with the Gold Coast British Sports Car Club.

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My Love of British CarsBy Brian Jenkins, Car Show Chairman

It all started when I was seven years old. My dad came home with a 1959 MGA. I thought it was the neatest car I had ever seen. My dad knew I would

love it because I had so many match box cars. I really fell in love with it because my father wanted me to help him work on it, wash and wax it. Maybe I loved it because I got to work on it with my dad. Being the middle child of five kids, it was hard to get alone time with my dad. Plus, I always wanted to go riding with him. Unfortunately about six months later, he and I got into a accident

with it and my mom made him sell it. It wasn’t until I was 19 years old when I was able to get my own British car. Fresh out of high school, living in Massachusetts, my roommate came home with a funny looking car called a 1967 Lotus Europa. He had bought it in Vermont. He took me for a ride and I was hooked for life. I was amazed at the power and handling of the car. It was like riding on a roller coaster all of the time. With my luck, nine days later he came to me and said he was getting married. He wanted to know if I wanted to buy the car. I said HH… Yea. So I was now the owner of a 1967 Lotus Europa. I did not even know what a Europa was at the time, I just liked the car. This was the first year they were made. It was a few years later that I found out how rare they were and that some day it would be worth something. I always enjoyed working on cars. I restored it but customized it to the car it is today, my three tone candy apple red with a lot of chrome car. I have had this car now for 38 years. Since then I have bought two more Lotus’ - a white 1967 Lotus Europa and a 1967 Lotus 7. I love all British cars but I like the Lotus the best because of their power and handling. BUT before any of you think about buying a Lotus, you need to know what Lotus stands for - Lots of TROUBLE USUALLY SERIOUS. But the fun of driving one is worth it. When I was 21, a friend and I took six months off and traveled the country. We went to most of the National Parks. I had my red Europa and he had his BMW Motorcycle. All of the great mountain drives, winding roads, and fun the parks have to offer, is something I will never forget. About ten years ago I decided to give up my job in the construction field because it wasn’t fun anymore. Three people asked me to restore their cars because they liked the way I did mine. I said to myself - “That’s about a year’s worth of work. Why not? It sounds like FUN.” And the work just snowballed from there. Thanks to a lot of our Club members, I have had the Honor of fixing your cars. Plus, being your Car Show Chairman for seven years now, it has been an HONOR. So thank you to all of you. It has been a privilege to serve you in both ways.

Brian JenkinsLife is no fun without a British Car

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My Triumphs By Brad Hanafourde

I bought my first Triumph (a 61 TR-3) when I graduated from the U in August of 1964. I

bought it from Carl Kish’s used car lot on N.W. 36 ST for $1300. It lasted a month. I totaled it when somebody turned left in front of me when I was doing 80 mph. I was coming home from a date at about 2 AM and seeing how fast I could go. For those of you who weren’t around then the designated driver was the person who owned the car. Luckily the only injury was my split lip. However the cop thought a rib was broken and took me to South Miami Hospital instead of making me take a breath test. As soon as I got the insurance money I was back at Carl Kish’s. This time it was a 1962 TR-3A for $1500. If I had $100 more it would have been an Austin Healy 100-4. The original color was light blue but it had been repainted black. As I remember it had about 13,000 miles on it. This was the only car Lucy and I had until I came back from Nam and went to law school. One summer Lucy and I drove the TR to her house in Long Island, New York. Never again, it was hot, wind blown and a pain to stop anywhere since you can’t lock the car. You had to park where you could see the car. To make sure nobody took one of the zip lock Baggies our clothes were in, as there was room for only 2 tiny suitcases. I graduated from law school in 1971. Lucy demanded a more practical car than the TR, so we bought a 1948 Bentley James Young Hard Top Coupe. Suicide doors and the gear shift next to the driver’s side door. Meanwhile the TR kept right on trucking. A rebuilt engine, TR-4 transmission, metallic blue paint then Ford Truck Green which it is now, side curtains disappear, interior redone with marine materials so rain won’t hurt. I have been rained on many a time both before and after side curtains disappeared. During the summer the side curtains made you as wet from sweat as from rain. Besides putting the top up is a big pain. Anyway go 50 mph and rain blows over your head. My mechanic told me to stop driving the TR every day in the year 2000. (I think Lucy put him up to that). So after 36 years and 200,000 miles the TR has become a once a week or so ride. I still get caught in the rain now and then though.

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TR 4A – The Middle ChildBy Richard Clarke

I’m a middle child so I understand what it’s like to be neither the first nor the last. The TR 4 and 4A

were the middle children of the TR series of Triumphs. Maybe that’s what attracted me to the TR 4A when I first saw it. The TR 4 and 4A did have some firsts. The TR 4 (1961-1965) was the first TR to be fitted with crank-up windows, replacing the side-screens used in the TR2/3/3A/3B. Many other models of Triumph had crank up windows by the early 1960s, but the TR 4 was the first of TR series to have this innovation. The TR 4A (1965-1967) was the first TR with an independent rear suspension (the letters IRS are proudly displayed on the boot lid). The IRS required a change to the TR frame, so the TR 4A chassis became the model for the later TRs including the TR 6. More than 40,000 TR 4s were built, and more than 28,000 TR 4As were built. Finally, the TR 4s were the last of the series to use the 4 cylinder, 2138cc, 104 bhp engine which was by the mid 1960s had become dated and lacked the power and speed of competitors. The TR 5 and TR 250 (1967-1968), which had a similar body shape to the 4s, boasted the 6 cylinder 2498cc, 150 bhp engine. Because of a variety of issues related to carburetion for the 6 cylinder and emerging pollution control standards in the US, few TR-5s were exported to the US and in total only 2,900 units were built. The TR-250 (1967-1968) was the version used in the US but it was quickly replaced by the most popular of the TR series, the TR 6 (1968-1976). The TR 6 was the only Triumph I really knew growing up since the car was so popular in the US. More than 90,000 TR 6s were built from 1968-1976, most of them exported to the US. As a guy in his mid-20s, I lusted after that car, but couldn’t afford it. So, I settled for a new 1978 MG midget. It was a fun car to drive, but a growing family necessitated selling the car. Once the kids were grown and gone, and I was on my own, I sought out my dream car, the TR 6. Finally, 5 years ago, I purchased a rebuilt 1976 TR 6 from a guy (Jim King, King Triumph) in Rochester, NY. (It’s a long story on how I became aware of this guy). Anyway, Jim did a frame up restoration of the TR 6, and when I got it, I loved it. I drove that car around Miami for 5 years, but during a car rally to Key Largo sponsored by the British Sports Car Club of Miami, I happened to see a 1965 TR 4A. I didn’t know the car, but I thought it was a very classy and distinctive looking TR. And as it turned out, Jim, the guy who rebuilt the TR 6 for me, had just taken delivery of a 1966 TR 4A-Wedgewood Blue with matching numbers. When he asked, “Do you want it?”, I immediately said yes. A year later, I received delivery of the TR 4A, rebuilt from the frame up, with wire wheels, and repainted in the original Wedgewood Blue color.

The looks of the car, with the distinctive headlight eyebrows, chrome turn signal side panels, and subtle rear fender fins is what drew me in. It is a very classy lady. It even has an engine crank hole in the front grill, though the TR series stopped offering a manual start years before. When I drive around Ft. Lauderdale, several people wave, or at a stop light, will engage in conversations about the car. Although that happened with the TR 6, most people had seen a TR 4A before. The TR 4A is somewhat of a novelty. The facts I quoted in this article came from the book “Triumph Sport and Elegance” by Bill Piggott. The book covers the entire history of Triumph Standard from the early bicycle shop in the 1880s, to the last TR 8, around 1981. For this book, covering the proud history of this car maker, the author used a TR 4A on the cover as the symbol of what Triumph “sport and elegance” looks like. I couldn’t agree more.

A LOOK BACK AT OUR EVENTS IN 2015By Fran Zeitz, Gold Coast British Sports Car Club Editor

Gold Coast British Sports Car Club is an active car club with 228 members from the tri-county area - Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade and from out of the area as well! Our members

have a passion for British cars and ownership of a British car is not a requirement for membership. We plan events at least once per month in various locations throughout the area. Last year was a very busy year!

January was a busy month that began on January 1st with our Annual Hangover Run at the Dune Deck Café located on beautiful A1A in Lantana, Florida. Sixty members and friends enjoyed a leisurely breakfast overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. After breakfast, many members chose to caravan home and enjoy the sites along scenic A1A. On January 10th, we held our Club dinner at another favorite location, the Blue Anchor Pub in Delray Beach. The original pub was erected in 1864 in London’s Chancery Lane

by William Younger Brewery. When the pub was dismantled, the 8-foot tall English oak doors, the dark oak paneling and the unique stained glass windows were shipped across the Atlantic in 1996 to the present Blue Anchor location. And, on January 17th, we held a Tech Session at the private garage of member Jack Schneider. The topic was conversion to electronic ignition and was presented by Board Member, Brian Jenkins. In February, we held our 22nd Annual All British Car Show on February 15th at Royal Palm Place in Boca Raton, Florida. We honored the TR6 and twenty-two of the honored marques attended. All owners of British Cars were invited. We had a total of 26 classes and awards were presented in each class. We gave away great raffle prizes and we published a great car show brochure thanks to our generous sponsors. For the first time, we organized a wives breakfast during the Car Show; and we had a Best Restoration award judged and presented by Jon Dega of the Creative Workshop.

On March 21st, we met for lunch at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida. We sat at Cascade Poolside Café where we had a beautiful view of the Biltmore pool. The luxurious Biltmore was built in 1926 and at the time, it was the tallest building in Florida; and also at the time, their pool was the largest in the world. Our annual spring picnic was held on Saturday, April 19th at Tree Tops Park in Davie, Florida. The Club provided the barbeque food and members brought side dishes, salads and desserts. We met at Gumbo Limbo Shelter; and parked close by were our British cars. And, on April 25th we met for breakfast back at The Dune Deck Café in Lantana, Florida.

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May was the month for car collections. On Saturday, May 16th we met at the Antique Car Museum in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Museum was established to ensure the preservation and history of the Packard Motor Company and to show progress and development of skills in American engineering. The museum curator provided a personalized guided tour of the many classic Packards as well as the many exhibits including the largest known bud vase collection; hood ornament collection; a collection of horns and sirens; hundreds of old dashboard clocks; several amazing child-size models; and a very rare 1908 British-made Zenith Stromberg Carburetor, used in a Triumph Spitfire. We then concluded our day with lunch at nearby Lester’s Diner. On Sunday, May 31st, Car Club Members, Rocky and Henry Grady graciously opened up their private collection of beautiful automobiles for a South Florida Cars and Coffee Event. The Club organized two events during the month of June. Our Club dinner was back at The Blue Anchor Pub in Delray Beach; and on June 20th, we were back at Jack Schneider’s garage for another Tech Session, this time for valve adjustment presented by Club Vice President of Palm Beach John Morris. On Saturday, July 18th, we enjoyed brunch at the Miccosukee Gaming Casino in Miami, Florida, a popular and affordable international buffet with many choices and delicious food. And, on Saturday, August 8th the Club went to dinner at The Field Irish Pub in Dania Beach, Florida. The Field started out as a cottage and the original chimneystack and fireplace remain, as does a huge old banyan tree at the entrance. It has always been a favorite meeting spot, as attested by the many Club members who attended.

The annual membership dinner of the Gold Coast British Sports Car Club was held on Saturday, September 19th at The Atlantis Country Club in Lake Worth, Florida. We enjoyed a delicious dinner; members voted in our new Board Members for the 2015/2016-year; and entertainment for the evening was provided by The Singing Sailor with songs from Frank Sinatra, Frankie Valli, Tom Jones, Bobby Darin and Dean Martin. We even had a few couples out on the dance floor! We held two events in October. First, on Saturday, October 10th, there was a Tech Session at Club member, Adam Twinley’s garage, Treasure Coast Classics in Stuart, Florida. The subject was brake adjustment and shoe replacement and Adam demonstrated on his Morris Minor van. Adam’s wife MJ prepared a delicious British-style

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The TR7by Brad Baumgartner

By the early 1970’s, it was clear to Triumph, (now part of British Leyland),that a replacement to

the aging TR line needed to happen. Austin Morris designer, Harris Mann was selected to design a new automobile. It was codenamed Bullet. It was a dramatic looking sports car that looked more like a mid-engine coup. It came to be known as “The Wedge.” It was powered by a 1998cc overhead cam slant four, producing around 105 bhp. TR traditionalist hated it. Initially no convertible, no six cylinder engine, no wood dashboard, just plastic. To make matters worse, the factory in Liverpool, where it was made had labor issues. The TR7 soon developed a reputation of poor build quality. The factory was closed in May 1978, & relocated to Canley, where build quality improved. For 1979, the TR7 received a five-speed gear box, upgraded rear axle, & a good looking convertible, which required body reinforcements, and an addition of harmonic bumpers. It debuted in May 1979, & represented the first

mass-produced open sports car to be introduced into the United States for 10 years. It was announced, September 1979, that British Leyland would stop production of the MGB, & transfer production of the TR7 at Canley to the Solihull factory where Rovers were produced. Unfortunately, this was the beginning of the end for Triumph, as production was stopped October 1981.The TR7 did achieve racing success in SCCA Class D with Bob Tullius’s Group 44,and RAC Rally Competition. Over a seven year production run, Triumph sold 112,368 TR7s, making it the most successful of all their TR line.

I purchased my 1980 Triumph TR7 convertible to complement my MGB/GT in November 2011. It was a two owner, 31,000 mile car that was all original. That meant replacing brakes, tires, shocks, tires, exhaust system, various seals, & miscellaneous parts. Most recently, the Stromberg Carbs crapped out. I was fortunate to get from GCSCC member David Rosenthal a pair of Weber 40 DCOE Side Draft carburetors complete with intake manifold. The idler arm sprocket & timing chain also had to be replaced, (thank you Brian Jenkins), the car runs absolutely fantastic, and is very reliable & comfortable. I drove the car to Brits on the Bluff in Natchez, Mississippi. I won the longest distance award, (2300 miles round trip) without a glitch.

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In Memoriam

GCBSCC member Jim Schradel passed away this month. He was a TR6 owner and a member of the club for 11 years. Jim was also in the process of having a TR3 restored. Jim’s son, Jay is also a club member. Jim and Jay always attended our club show every year and other occasional events. This picture is from one of the Winter Park car shows where his early TR6 won first place.

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Tech Tip - Tires + AlignmentsBy Brian Jenkins

First let’s talk about tires. Car manufacturers built their cars to use certain size tires on

their cars. If you change the size of the tire, you will most likely change how the car handles and drives. This is because you are changing the camber and caster of the car. So if you want bigger and fatter tires, you will need to have your caster and camber, and the toe of the car, checked by a good front end shop. Putting bigger and fatter tires may not make the car handle better. Alignments. If your car wonders all over the road with normal driving, or when you hit a pot hole or bump in the road, you most likely need a front end alignment. Most car manufacturers require a 1/16 to 3/16 toe on the front end and maybe even the back end. Check the specs for your car and bring them with you to the front end shop. If your camber and caster is off, ask your alignment shop if there is a way to fix it. This may not be easy. It is easy for them to check with the new equipment they use these days.

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Triumph TR7 & 8 By William Miller

The Triumph TR7 is a sports car manufactured from September 1974 to October 1981 by the Triumph Motor Company (which was part of British Leyland) in the United Kingdom. It was initially produced at the

Speke, Liverpool factory, moving to Canley, Coventry in 1978 and then finally to the Rover Solihull plant in 1980. The car was launched in the United States in January 1975, with its UK home market debut in May 1976. The UK launch was delayed at least twice because of high demand for the vehicle in the US, with final sales of new TR7s continuing into 1982. The car was characterized by its “wedge” shape, which was commonly advertised as: “The Shape of Things to Come”, and by a swage line sweeping down from the rear wing to just behind the front wheel. The design was penned by Harris Mann.

The Triumph TR8 is an eight-cylinder version of the “wedge-shaped” Triumph TR7 sports car, designed by Harris Mann, and manufactured by British Leyland (BL), through its Jaguar/Rover/Triumph (JRT) division.

Because of its outstanding performance, the TR8 was often dubbed the “English Corvette”. The majority of TR8s were sold in the United States and Canada. For export to the US market, Triumph created a much more powerful Triumph TR8 model in 1977/78 thru 1981, which was a TR7 with a 135 bhp (101 kW) 3.5 L Rover V8 engine. While some genuine TR8 models stayed in Britain, these examples are exceedingly rare. Most TR8s went to the US. In total approximately 115,000 TR7 models were built which includes 28,864 soft top/convertibles, and approximately 2,800 TR8 models.

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lunch. Then, on Saturday, October 17th, it was lunch at Crackers in Miami Springs, followed by a tour of the Glenn Curtiss Mansion. Curtiss was an aviation pioneer, land developer and all-around innovator; and our group had a private tour of the museum. Ed Morat, Miami-Dade Vice President, organized this event for the Club, and we received lots of publicity from reporter Krista Schubert of the River Cities Gazette, who published an article about our Club and the event! Our event in November was held on Saturday November 21st and was organized by Club member Brad Hanafourde. We went to Camelot Days Medieval Festival in Hollywood, Florida and were transported to a kingdom of knights and jesters, musicians, artisans and eateries. We enjoyed watching jousting, sword fighting, games including a living chess game, music, magic, belly dancing, a pub on-sight and lots of good food!

December proved to be a great way to finish our year! It started with a weekend getaway from December 4th thru December 7th to Lime Tree Bay Resort, Long Key, Florida. Snorkeling in the Keys, a sunset cruise aboard a sailing catamaran, lots of good food, kayaking, bicycling, side trips to Key West and lots more filled our weekend! Our last Club event for 2015 was our Holiday Party held on Sunday evening, December 12th

at the home of Maureen and Howard Daffner. Thirty Club members attended a great party, brought a delicious potluck dinner and had great fun during the Chinese Auction gift exchange. That completed a great year of events and the Board of the Gold Coast British Sports Car Club is planning another year of even better things to come in 2016!

Continued from pages 14 and 15

A LOOK BACK AT OUR EVENTS IN 2015

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