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Originally
born and raised in Lurgan, I moved out to the village of Waringstown around
1992 with my Family. I loved the place so much that I managed to talk
my wife into buying a house here when we got married in 1994 and have
lived at the same address since then.
Speaking of the wedding, I was surprised to discover that my wife and Father had collaborated, in secret, to have me picked up from the house and transported to the Church in a gorgeous Series 3 V12 Jaguar E-Type roadster. Lovely! It was tempting to forget the wedding and head to the seaside…… but suffice to say I didn’t and our Family was further enhanced in June 2002 with the birth of our son Micah. Micah doesn’t know it yet but he too is going to be a huge TR7 fan!
So this obsession with British Leyland’s last sports car. How did that come about I hear you ask? Hmmm. I think I would have to put the initial blame on my Father. No, He wasn’t a Tr7 fan, he wasn’t even particularly into cars in general but he did fuel my interest. Sometime in the mid/late seventies he bought me a TCR (Total Control Racing) set to keep me out of his hair (he had hair back then). For those of you who are too young to remember, TCR was a scalextric type game that had the facility to change lanes while racing and there was a “jam car” that pottered around the track getting in your way and which you had to overtake. One of the cars was some sort of BMW, another is now lost in the mists of time but the third was a very sexy bright yellow Lancia Stratos with glowing pop-up lights. See the connection?
When I played the game with any of my mates there was always a fight for who got to be the Stratos. It looked faster and cooler than the other cars and I guess the shape appealed to me. I wonder what ever happened to the set? In an attempt for my son to have a similar introduction to wedge shape motoring I recently purchased a pair of Scalextric TR7 rally cars off eBay. I hope it has a similar effect on him.
The seed of my love for TR7's specifically
was germinated when as a child of about 8-9 years old I, while sitting
on a grass verge with a group of mates, saw a sleek shark-like car zooming
towards us. The sight of this UFO caused us to lift our thumbs skyward
(as fashion in those days dictated) in a gesture aimed at the pilot of
this strange and wonderful vehicle. Suddenly there was a stirring at the
nose of the craft....twin lasers raised out of the bodywork, flashed their
rays at us and promptly disappeared as the mystery vehicle flashed past.
I only just took the time to read "TR7" on the back of the craft
as we shouted and nudged each other with exuberance over this amazing
occurrence. I vowed there and then that one day I would own one of these
TR7's........
Nowadays if I'm out in the '7 and I spot a kid pointing and saying "look
Mummy..." I always flash the lights and watch as the child's eyes
double in size. I suggest all you TR7 owners out there do the same thing,
we could be sowing seeds for the next generation of TR7 owners and should
try to fuel any interest kids take in our cars including (with their Parents
permission) taking them for a spin. That way there will be plenty still
on our roads another 25 years down the line.
Then came CIL2828. She was a blaze coloured fixed head that a friend of my Fathers had bought and was going to restore. That day with my mates came back into my mind. Not in great nick and an “interesting” colour but she won my heart nonetheless though I didn’t have the money to buy her. She was sold unrestored and I haven’t heard of her in 12 years. I wonder what ever came of her?
Then in or around 1993 I saw an advert for a 1980 TR7 fixed head coupe for sale on the outskirts of Portadown near the now infamous Drumcree Church. Jacqueline, then my fiancée, agreed that we would go and look at it and that we would buy it between us if it was suitable. When we arrived it was sitting in a dark garage and the fact that it had a special 2 tone paint scheme was not immediately obvious. We were warned that the clutch was “dodgy” but in we hopped and off for a spin around the countryside. It was love at first drive, sharp clutch or not!
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I had to have her. £1250 was handed over with £20 handed back for a “luck penny” and a 14 year old dream become reality. |
From here my interest became obsession and I now, ten years later, find myself the owner of the car just mentioned, also a 1981 DHC project car and a 1980 V8 DHC. I was also privileged to be present when John Egerton first met, fell in love with and then bought his beautiful Poseidon Green 1980 DHC. You can see and hear more about the history of these cars by clicking on the 'The Cars' link on the navigation bar.
