I've just got back from the TSSC International weekend in Stafford, I always enjoys myself at this event, for me it's more of a social event that a car event, however the car side was pretty good this year.
Due to family commitments I couldn't leave to arrive for the Friday evening part of the event but not wishing to waste away Saturday travelling I left home at about 11:30 pm and drove up in the GT6 through the night (Good practice for the Round Britain Run!). Due to roadwork's closing part of the M6 I had to follow a rather complicated diversion through the streets of Birmingham in the small hours but apart from that I made good time and arrived just after 2am. I quickly pitched my tent and set up my airbed and sleeping bag and then went a joined a few friends at about 2:30am who were still up drinking and partying.
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A Late Couple of Beers after my arrival at 2am with Jonathon Ingram and Richard Philpot
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The following morning after a bit of a lie in and a late breakfast it was time for a wander around the show with Darren Sharp. A few unusual cars this year, we decided a GT6 with very big wide wheelarches needed some further investigation and fortunately the owner was around to open up the bonnet. It has a Volvo T4 Turbo Engine fitted, Volvo Gearbox and Sierra rear axle and suspension. Plus all the body work had been hand crafted in steel unlike most cars of this ilk which normally have body mods made out of fibreglass and plod!
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| Body Mods all hand crafted in steel, not your usual fibreglass and plod! |
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| Volvo T4 Turbo Engine in a GT6 |
In the hall on the Saturday there were line ups of big Saloons and Bond Equipe's due to the 50th
Anniversary of the Triumph 2000 and Bond Equipe.
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| Lee Godfrey's ;lovely MK1 Estate |
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| Display of 2000s and 2500s behind me |
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| Display of Bond Equipe's |
After the show it was off to the excellent Holly Bush Pub restaurant with Darren, Anne-Marie and Glynn for some nice scoff before the evening party. As usual there was quite a bit of fancy dress going on, I'm afraid I was guilty of partaking in this!
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| Less said the better, me as captain caveman! |
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As usual Jonathon's fancy dress was impressive.
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After a late night partying another visit to the show the following day. Sunday is concours day so lots of OTT polishers at work. Concours doesn't actually give me much of a thrill but there was one car that particularly impressed me, there was a Triumph Italia with about 7,000 km on the clock. As well as the rarity it was totally as found and unretored, There were a few issues with the paint wehere it had started to crack off in places but it really was an impressive car. There were also quire a few other interesting cars on display that were not concours cars but were just there as they were interesting.
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| Unrestored Triumph Italia |
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| TR7 V8 Rally Car Replica |
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| Irish TR6 nicely prepped for the track |
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| Belgian Vincent Hurricane |
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| Jigsaw racings fleet of Lemans Spitfire Replicas. |
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| Zetec Engined Spitfire |
This Zetec Engined spitfire also had a one off space frame chassis in place of the normal Spitfire chassis.
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| Zetec Engined Spitfire with the bonnet closed, note the one piece front valance. |
A few nice shiny cars....
This 2000 has been purchased by Doug Jensen from the US to use in the CT 10 Countries run, he is shipping it off to the US afterwards. Doug is part of a contingent of Americans coming over for the 10CR this year calling themselves "Team Torpedo", there are 12 of them in 4 cars, all purchased in the UK from afar. The white 2000 is affectionately known as Casper and Roy lacey ahs been helping to prep it ready for the event,
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| Casper |
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| Casper Interior Shot |
After the event I camped over and left on Monday for a leisurely drive back home. The car started playing up before I'd got out of Stafford though. I'd let the fuel get pretty low and this had pulled through some sediment to the rear carb so I ended up taking the float chamber apart on the roadside and cleaning out the float valve. This fixed everything and the car behaved itself for the rest of the journey.
