Grassroots Motorsports

Triumphant Arrival! Feb 26, 2008

As those of you that frequent the forums page here at CMS know, we picked up this '74 TR6 from the nice folks at Brit Bits in Rye, New Hampshire at the beginning of February. Besides a bit of freezing rain followed by a torrential downpour, the 1300 mile trip home to Florida went well. Oh sure, we blew a heater hose in North Carolina, but it was an easy repair that only took an hour or so, including travel to the auto parts store. We even were able to catch the last two minutes of the Super Bowl at a Hooters in Savannah, Georgia.

What an ending!

We were constantly amazed at how comfortable and calm the TR6 was at highway speeds. The overdrive unit is a blessing: 3000 rpm = 80 mph (or so).

Since the car has been home, we've purchased a used tonneau cover for it and cleaned the car up a bit. We have removed the ugly bumper attachments from the front of the car, only to find the chrome rotting underneath. This car is a "driver" with plenty of cosmetic issues, including bad seats, several rusty areas, poor paint, a bad top, and, well, you get the picture. It runs and drives wonderfully though, and the frame is solid. Over time this car will receive a rolling restoration, but for now we're content to dive the wheels off of it. Stay tuned as improvements will be happening soon. 

Funny Furrin Car Apr 21, 2008

Since the TR6's arrival in Florida, it has gotten frequent workouts. It really is a testament to the prep work done by the guys at Brit Bits that this 34-year-old car has required exactly nothing to keep it running. We haven't even changed the points, replaced a fuse or fiddled with the carbs. The TR6 just starts and runs whenever we ask it to. Since this fiesty old Brit seems to run better and better as the miles pile up, we decided that a nice weekend drive was in order.

The path from the Daytona area to Jacksonville, Florida, is usually a straight but effective slog up Interstate 95. This drive usually takes an hour to an hour and a half depending on traffic. I-95 is a typically boring, high-speed interstate crowded with semis and speeding half-wits trying to text their buddies while flying along at 90 mph. Lane discipline is nonexistent, and the pavement can be poor in sections. This is not the road to take if you are planning on enjoying the trip.

We instead decided to head west on Route 100 leading to Palatka, and then north, through the thickly wooded center of Florida on Route 17. This was the perfect choice, free of congestion, big trucks and speeding idiots. The TR6 loved the 45-60 mph limits and hummed right along. After a fun night with friends on Saturday, the return trip from Jacksonville on Sunday was idillic. We woke to beautiful 80-degree weather, sunny skies, and with Rufus the wonderdog as my co-pilot, this promised to be a great day. The trip went well, with the Triumph's melodic exhaust note eliminating the need for any radio during the drive.

Just outside of Palatka, on Route 100, we came across a sign simply stating "MUD." Peering through the trees, we could see a gathering of trucks in the field just off of the road. Curious, we turned around to find a mud bogging event going on. The massive field had been soaked with water to create a monster truck playground. Huge, insect-like tractor/truck hybrid machines crept through the deepest sections of the mud, pulling out the pickups that had bitten off a bit too much to chew. The very nice guy at the gate told us it was $10 to get in and play in the mud for as long as you liked. Dogs weren't allowed in, but he said we were welcome to look around a bit, providing the dog didn't leave the car. The fields were filled with massive mudding pickups: Broncos, Blazers, and purpose made swamp buggies. The atmosphere was great, with folks setting up barbeques, picnic tables, and basically settling in for a fun day of dirty fun. Everyone was friendly, and we did get asked a few times if were were going to take our funny Furrin car into the mud. We declined, but we may have to return with a big pick-em-up truck soon.

We got home around lunch time, really glad that we hadn't taken the interstate.