The HCTC event for September was Bob. A Girl, a Guy, and a TR by Nel McPhail, President. A Day at the Races

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1 The RAGTOP Volume 19, Issue 10, October A Girl, a Guy, and a TR by Nel McPhail, President Bob s newly restored vintage racer certainly looked the business. This TR4A is a restoration of a 60s Daytona winner and everybody was quite impressed with its appearance. Bob wasn t out to win any races that weekend since the car still needed to be broken in. Moral support was abundant as the whole Kramer family turned out. Barbara, Sarah, Andrew, Jennifer, and son-n-law Casey were all there to cheer Bob on. In addition, Charlie Stewart and girlfriend/business partner Laurie, Richard Ceraldi, Tom and Nancy Harrison, and Don Burkley all came by to show their support. A Day at the Races The HCTC event for September was Bob Kramer s TR4A coming out party at Texas World Speedway (TWS) in College Station. Bob and Barbara were there on Friday for practice and the rest of us wandered in at various times over the weekend. Fil Valderrama got to see Bob s awesome car first. Mike and I didn t get there until Saturday morning. But, what a show! At TWS you can wander around the paddocks and check out all of the cool rides. Just about everything you ever lusted for is there in racing form: Alfa, BMW, Caterham, Corvette, Formula V, Healey, MG, Mini Cooper, Lotus, Mustang, Porsche, Triumph, and all kinds of other cool racers. The rest of you missed out on some truly exciting motor sport. Come on, isn t this what you really dream about doing? I love going to the races because you can see it, feel it, smell it, taste it, and hear it! There is nothing quite like the sound of those vintage cars! Bob s next competition is at Hallett Raceway in Oklahoma October 6-8. Go Fireball Bob! The October Hill Country driving event is the 17 th annual All British Motor Vehicle Expo at Traders Village in Houston on Saturday the 21 st. This show is hosted by the Houston MG Club and is always fun. Traders Village is on the west side of Houston off of 290 (about 2 hours from Round Rock) and is completely under cover. Come rain or shine! The RAGTOP 1 October 2006

2 Officers President, Membership Nel McPhail Vice-President Bob Baker Treasurer Earl McGlothlin Secretary Barbara Kramer Ragtop Editor Carol Pennington Webmaster Dan Julien The Hill Country Triumph Club, the 50th Chapter of the Vintage Triumph Register (VTR), was founded in 1990 to bring together the owners of Triumph automobiles in the Central Texas area surrounding Austin. In 1991, the membership decided to include other British car fans as associates due to lack of other clubs in our area that represent some of the other marques. As owners and lovers of our unique types of cars, we have a special kinship, which draws us together. Membership is open to anyone who is a British car enthusiast, with or without a car. Annual dues are just $15.00 per family group or address per year. We have dinner meetings on the 2nd Tuesday of each month and at least one other event each month. We encourage you to join and support us, even if you don t drive your car regularly. We also offer technical assistance if needed. One goal of the club is to help its members keep their cars on the road. Please call one of the club officers listed in the newsletter for more information about club benefits and spread the word about our club to others. The Hill Country Club is a local chapter of the Vintage Triumph Register (VTR)/Triumph Sports Owners Association, which is open to all drivers of Triumph motorcars; a chapter of the Triumph Register of America, exclusively for TR2 through TR4A sports cars; and a chapter of the 6-PACK, dedicated to the enjoyment, preservation, and restoration of the Triumph TR250 and TR6 sports cars. Membership in these national organizations is encouraged. Visit their websites at and The RAGTOP is published monthly by the Hill Country Triumph Club. Material within may be freely reproduced providing Ragtop and the authors are credited. Any and all newsletter contributions are welcome. Deadline for submissions is the end of each month. Submissions may be sent to: Carol Pennington; 105 Etta Place; Austin, TX or ed to cpenn33@yahoo.com. Photos in jpeg format are always welcome. Car related classified ads are free to members and will run for three months unless otherwise instructed. Contact editor for other ads. Membership Application Name: Address: City/State: Zip: Home Phone: Work Phone: address: Car Make: Model: Year: Color: Car Make: Model: Year: Color: Please circle which method you would like the newsletter delivered: Snail Mail How did you hear about the Hill Country Triumph Club? Please mail application and check to: Nel McPhail, 1105 N. Canyonwood Dr., Dripping Springs, TX, The RAGTOP 2 October 2006

3 Bits from Barb by Barbara Kramer September 12, 2006 L ogans Roadhouse in Round Rock was the site of our September Hill Country Triumph Club meeting. A few thunderstorms couldn t keep away some of the Triumph faithful. Don Couch s newly restored 1979 Spitfire Ruby made her debut. And what a beauty she is! The parking lot was dotted with a few other TR s, Dan Julien in his Jasmine TR6, Bob Kramer s Tahiti Blue TR6, and the McPhail s Red TR250. If you weren t able to make this years Texas All British Car day you missed seeing 127 outstanding British cars, so put the show on your calendar NOW for next year. The 2007 TXABCD will be held the weekend of September 29th & 30, With the cooler weather just around the corner, really it is, it s time to think about driving your TR. There will be a Houston All British Car Day in Trader s Village on October 21st and a Boerne All British Car day on November 5th. Both have been worth the trip in the past. Bill Waller is researching a possible HCTC trip to Shiner to visit the Brewery, another worthwhile drive. If you haven t driven your car other than on the weekend HCTC outings and to club meetings you may consider giving it a whirl. Since I wrecked my daughter s car and she took mine to A&M, I am once again driving a Triumph as a daily driver. Unfortunately, Godiva s engine needs to be rebuilt, but fortunately Bob s blue 6 is road worthy. (If I could take the best parts from both these TR6 s I d have my dream TR6.) Driving a Triumph every day may be a bit much for most but the weather is getting cooler and it s getting to be the perfect time to take your Triumph for an extra spin. Try driving it to work one day, you will be pleasantly surprised at the attention it draws and how enjoyable it can be. As always, join us whenever and wherever you can. The Houston MG Car Club is hosting their 17th Annual Houston All-British Motor Vehicle Expo, at Traders Village, Saturday, October 21st. The event takes place under the Red Expo roof. It brings together British automobiles and motorcycles from Houston and across the country for display and competition. There will be per Show Class and Premier Class judging in 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in the following categories: CARS: MG Triumph Austin-Healey Jaguar Rolls Royce Morgan Sunbeam MOTORCYCLES: BSA Norton Triumph Vincent and more If you are a car or motorcycle enthusiast, the Houston All-British Motor Vehicle Expo and Swap Meet is the place for you. The covered market is just minutes northwest of downtown Houston on N. Eldridge Road off of Highway 290. Free to the public, parking $2. NEW MEMBERS Charlie Stewart Red 1953 Austin Healey BN1 Plano, TX The RAGTOP 3 October 2006

4 Hill Country Triumph Club Shirts I have one Large men s shirt in royal blue, one Large women s shirt in royal blue, and one Medium women s shirt in royal blue available. The cost is $27.06 each. Please contact Carol Pennington at or cpenn33@sbcglobal.net if you are interested. If you prefer to order your own shirt, you may do so at Monograms Today. Carol Pennington and Pearl in the Austin ISD parade. Passengers are the Anderson HS principal and two drill team members who were injured and could not walk the parade. Bob Kramer s debut in his newly restored TR4 at Texas World Speedway in College Station. Photos by Richard Ceraldi. The RAGTOP 4 October 2006

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7 Classy Classifieds FOR SALE: 1980 Triumph TR8 Roadster, Gold exterior, black interior, 3.5 Liter V-8, 5- Speed, 59K miles. Includes removable hardtop. Never any rust or body damage. Complete mechanical rebuild within past 5 years. Engine rebuilt to original specifications. Original color repaint. Interior redone in black. Garage kept. Purchased June Selling to make room in the garage for a new Corvette. Previous owner kept car for ten years. $7895 Mark Rogers Daytime: Evening: /06 FOR SALE: 1974 TR6. 50k original miles. Engine rebuilt at 38k miles. (also new brake calipers & slave cylinders, pads, rebuilt clutch hydraulics, and new original soft top with reflective strip.) Red with wire wheels. No rust. Never Rebuilt. Never needed it. Asking $12K. Contact Jay , or jay.watts@airrecon.com 10/06 FOR SALE: 1960 Triumph TR-3a For those of you who haven t seen it, it s the TR in arrest me red with an 18 white racing stripe from front to rear. Complete with driving lights, badge bar, anti sway bar, electronic ignition, twin Brickland windscreens, period wide white wall tires, beauty rims and half caps. The interesting part is that she only has 47,000 ORIGINAL miles. This car sat at the bottom of a Wisconsin lake for 16 years. She s completely restored, but she is not a show car. She is a driver and runs like a dream. You can be the lucky owner at $17,500 if you call Mark Atkinson at 1 (715) or him at gr8jaguars@yahoo.com 10/06 WANTED: I am looking for an OD transmission w/od for my TR3 project. Preferably a thick flange box in rebuilt condition. Please reply to ablake2@austin.rr.com. 10/06 South Texas All British Car Day Sunday, November 05, Main Plaza Boerne, TX Registration 8:30-10:00 AM, Judging 10-11:30, awards 12 noon, entry price to be announced later. The RAGTOP 7 October 2006

8 Hill Country Triumph Club Events OCTOBER Brits in the Ozarks; 10 Hill Country Triumph Club Meeting, 7PM th Annual Houston All-British Motor Vehicle Expo, Traders Village, see page 3, NOVEMBER South Texas All British Car Day, Boerne; see page 7, 10 Bastrop Car Show; see page 6 for details. 14 Hill Country Triumph Club Meeting, 7PM. DECEMBER Christmas Party, Carol Pennington and Mars Bucek s house 16 Tour of Lights 1105 N. Canyonwood Dr. Dripping Springs, TX address change requested The meeting will be held October 10 th at Mangia Pizza, Burnet Road, where Burnet Road/1325 meets Mo-Pac. It is located in the Gracy Farms strip center at the northeast corner of Gracy Farms and Burnet Road. (Don t use Mapquest.) Call for more info.. The RAGTOP 8 October 2006