Sorts the men from the boys

Sir,

I would like to say that Mr. David A. Adams is quite right when he says a TR is a brute to drive, but when one has learned to drive this car nothing is more satisfying than driving it with all the power that is there. My own experience with the TRs is a TR4A which was a really exciting car to drive and, as the adverts. say, “SORTS THE MEN FROM THE BOYS”. I wound up being a boy when I misjudged a slight curve on the Via Emelia between Bologna and Modena. I went into the curve on what I thought was the right line, but coming out of the curve a Fiat 500 came out of a restaurant in front of me. Not being able to tighten my curve I braked three times before hitting the kerb with the right side wheels and commenced to go through the scenery at about 85 m.p.h. on the right-hand door, taking five concrete posts out of the ground and coming to rest up against a lamppost. The car was a complete writeoff, but owing to the robust construction of the chassis and bodywork I came out to drive another day (1 1/2 days in hospital).

Not to remain in the BOYS’ Class I bought a 1968 TR5pi which, with 150 b.h.p. is quite a car. I took it to Monza and in two hours I learned to drive this lovable brute, and now I can do what I want with it. The trouble is that when one learns to drive this car it gets very expensive in the way of gearboxes and differentials. The petrol injection is now working perfectly all right, having been put right by the Maserati agent in Modena, and the trouble with petrol surge was found to be due to the take-off pipe being too far up into the tank. The tyres disappear after about 5-6,000 miles and the brakes tend to burn out, but I would not change it for the world (well, maybe for a TR6).

I would also like to thank you for putting out a first-class monthly for the motoring enthusiast and my friends in Italy, where I work most of the time, think your colour pictures the best in the world.

Shepshed.
Reg Walker.