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Not so much a case of ‘My Dad had one of those’ but more like, ‘Crikey, I had one of those’! And so it was, and in just the same colour as this fabulous exhibit at the local Classic Car show.
My first ever new car, and there have only been three of them in total, such is my distaste for the depreciation endured by motorists in general when buying new cars. Considering that depreciation comes out of tax paid income makes me shudder even more. Perhaps that’s what drove me to the world of classic cars. At least they are as green as a motor car can be given that they continue to give service, rather than owners running off to the showrooms every few years for another shiny new piece of manufactured and carbon heavy footprint.
The Triumph Vitesse was essentially a beefed-up Herald with the Triumph 2000 six pot twin carb lump dropped in. It was front heavy and not particularly safe given the chassis design dating from the 1950’s. With no roof structure to offer rigidity, the doors could pop open over rough road surfaces which added to the excitement. 100 mph was achievable with brisk acceleration and four seats.
Insurance for a sports car was just as prohibitively expensive in the 1970’s as it is today for young drivers, so this was as close to having a sports car as I could find but even so, third party, fire and theft cover still cost around 50 per cent of the car value in the first year. Therefore, I have no sympathy for young drivers today who complain about insurance costs. Been there, done it, got the T shirt!
In 1970 The Vitesse gave way to the Triumph Stag, a proper four seat GT convertible tourer with a T bar roof which gave rigidity and enhanced safety. Designed to appeal to the lucrative Mercedes SL market, it was an exciting addition to BL’s range.Sadly, poor cooling issues with the V8 engine caused dreadful warranty claims and tarnished the image for ever.Stags are now great value at around £15,000.
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