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DD1 Our classics ; April 2016 ; CSC · Triumph,tomakesurethatthe replacement was bespoke and...
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April 2016 Classic & Sports Car 161 THANKS TO Δ Moss Europe: 020 8867 2020; www.moss-europe.co.uk Δ Oli Cottrell, Classic Jaguar Replicas: 0118 971 2091; www.jaguarreplicas.com It was a funny old year, 2015. The last time you read about the Triumph, I’d just taken it off the road for a pre-50th birthday (its, not mine) spruce up. Nothing too dramatic: some filler here, a dash of rattle-can paint there, that accursed steering column bush, all putting off for a bit longer the bigger tasks that I can still ignore at the moment. And then work (namely C&SC – The London Show) overtook me. Suddenly it was November, our workshop was being demolished and the Beast needed to be shifted. Thankfully, Oli Cottrell of Clas- sic Jaguar Replicas stepped in, allowing me to kill several birds with one stone: get the Triumph off site, give it a good home over the winter and get some of those jobs done while it was there. I borrowed a Kia Something-or-other from former editor Clements (today the God of all things caravan and motorhome), hitched up the C&SC trailer (now also sadly gone due to lack of storage space), loaded up the Triumph and made a dash for Berk- shire as the bulldozers moved in. Oli’s principal job was to fit the new wiring loom, which I’d wanted to do myself until common sense prevailed. I’d bought the loom from Moss Europe and been hugely impressed by the process. Before I was allowed to order one for my Mk1/Mk2 cross, I took a call from fellow owner (and Moss employee) Adam Chignell. He then painstak- ingly talked me through the decades of mods and bodging to the Triumph, to make sure that the replacement was bespoke and would fit with minimal adaptation. It was nice to catch up with Adam and Triumph-mad son Will when I picked up the loom from Matthew Hutchins at Moss Europe’s London HQ, which was only a spit and a cough from our old office. Oli was certainly grateful of that extra attention to detail when he fitted the lovely new item. The BEASTIE’S LONG- AWAITED RETURN Triumph 2.5PI Run by James Elliott Owned since April 1998 Total mileage 64,218 Miles since January 2015 report 224 Latest costs £1170 bottle). That bought a little more time but my original thinking that the car would be away until spring was undone by 6 January when, for the first time in more than 12 months, the Beast became legal. On picking it up, I instantly became addicted all over again. In approaching 20 years of ‘owner- ship’, the joyous thrills of driving the Beast have never dimmed and it still brings out the hooligan in me. It isn’t the fastest car in the world, but it is the best-sounding and there is just something a bit lairy and outlaw about it. My relation- ship with it is like forever being stuck in the first three months of a romance, and I guess that’s why I’ve never parted with it when so many other classics have come and gone. With the car pressed into daily use (the kids love its attention-grab- bing persona and springy back seat), my growing jobs list (carpets, heater, hi-fi, rust-holes, etc) is being topped by the fact that maybe it’s time to grow up and fit a steering wheel that takes a bit of pressure off my arms. If anyone has a MkI PI item, I would love to hear from them. There is another reason, of course, why I am so pleased to have the Triumph back: sadly, there is sombre news on the Jensen front. previous horrible mess was so knackered that even I was content to watch him bin it rather than let me try to salvage some “get you home” emergency wiring from it. As a result of the loom being a near-perfect fit straight out of the box, Oli was done far sooner than expected and put the car in for an MoT test in mid-December. The good news from the point of view of my storage woes was that it failed. The bad news was that it failed. Typically for the Triumph, it was a similar list of problems to pretty much every year: some welding, a bush or two and something minor and electrical (in this case, the impeller pump for the washer Matthew Hutchins with replacement loom Oli Cottrell with the old tangled remains Corrosion to the sills required attention Cottrell with his handiwork: the Beast is finally running and seducing Elliott all over again Moss employees and arch Triumph enthusiasts Will and Adam Chignell with their cars With the car rewired, it was time for an MoT; the short list of fails was easily addressed
Transcript of DD1 Our classics ; April 2016 ; CSC · Triumph,tomakesurethatthe replacement was bespoke and...
April 2016 Classic & Sports Car 161
THANKS TOΔ Moss Europe: 020 8867 2020;www.moss-europe.co.ukΔ Oli Cottrell, Classic JaguarReplicas: 0118 971 2091;www.jaguarreplicas.com
It was a funny old year, 2015. Thelast time you read about theTriumph, I’d just taken it off theroad for a pre-50th birthday (its,not mine) spruce up. Nothing toodramatic: some filler here, a dash ofrattle-can paint there, that accursedsteering column bush, all puttingoff for a bit longer the bigger tasksthat I can still ignore at the moment.And then work (namely C&SC –The London Show) overtook me.Suddenly it was November, ourworkshop was being demolishedand the Beast needed to be shifted.
Thankfully, Oli Cottrell of Clas-sic Jaguar Replicas stepped in,allowing me to kill several birdswith one stone: get the Triumph offsite, give it a good home over thewinter and get some of those jobsdone while it was there. I borroweda Kia Something-or-other fromformer editor Clements (today theGod of all things caravan andmotorhome), hitched up the C&SCtrailer (now also sadly gone due tolack of storage space), loaded up theTriumph and made a dash for Berk-shire as the bulldozers moved in.
Oli’s principal job was to fit thenew wiring loom, which I’d wantedto do myself until common senseprevailed. I’d bought the loomfrom Moss Europe and been hugelyimpressed by the process. Before Iwas allowed to order one for myMk1/Mk2 cross, I took a call fromfellow owner (and Moss employee)Adam Chignell. He then painstak-ingly talked me through thedecades of mods and bodging to theTriumph, to make sure that thereplacement was bespoke andwould fit with minimal adaptation.
It was nice to catch up with Adamand Triumph-mad son Will when Ipicked up the loom from MatthewHutchins at Moss Europe’s LondonHQ, which was only a spit and acough from our old office.
Oli was certainly grateful of thatextra attention to detail when hefitted the lovely new item. The
BEASTIE’S LONG-AWAITED RETURN
Triumph 2.5PIRun by James ElliottOwned since April 1998Total mileage 64,218Miles since January 2015report 224Latest costs £1170
bottle). That bought a little moretime but my original thinking thatthe car would be away until springwas undone by 6 January when, forthe first time in more than 12months, the Beast became legal.
On picking it up, I instantlybecame addicted all over again. Inapproaching 20 years of ‘owner-ship’, the joyous thrills of drivingthe Beast have never dimmed and itstill brings out the hooligan in me.It isn’t the fastest car in the world,but it is the best-sounding andthere is just something a bit lairyand outlaw about it. My relation-ship with it is like forever beingstuck in the first three months of aromance, and I guess that’s why I’venever parted with it when so manyother classics have come and gone.
With the car pressed into dailyuse (the kids love its attention-grab-bing persona and springy back seat),my growing jobs list (carpets, heater,hi-fi, rust-holes, etc) is being toppedby the fact that maybe it’s time togrow up and fit a steering wheelthat takes a bit of pressure off myarms. If anyone has a MkI PI item,I would love to hear from them.
There is another reason, ofcourse, why I am so pleased to havethe Triumph back: sadly, there issombre news on the Jensen front.
previous horrible mess was soknackered that even I was contentto watch him bin it rather than letme try to salvage some “get youhome” emergency wiring from it.
As a result of the loom being anear-perfect fit straight out of thebox, Oli was done far sooner thanexpected and put the car in for anMoT test in mid-December. Thegood news from the point of view ofmy storage woes was that it failed.The bad news was that it failed.
Typically for the Triumph, it wasa similar list of problems to prettymuch every year: some welding, abush or two and something minorand electrical (in this case, theimpeller pump for the washer
Triumph 2.5PI
Matthew Hutchins with replacement loom
Oli Cottrell with the old tangled remains
Corrosion to the sills required attention
Cottrell with his handiwork: the Beast is finally running and seducing Elliott all over again
Moss employees and arch Triumph enthusiasts Will and Adam Chignell with their cars
With the car rewired, it was time for an MoT; the short list of fails was easily addressed
