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Ah, those were the days...

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Sarastro

Sarastro

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I'm cleaning out a lot of old stuff around home, and I found this picture of me with my TR4A. It really took me back--I think it was taken around 1967 or 68. The TR4A is a 1966 model, with IRS. I now have a bugeye sprite, no Triumph, my hair has all migrated to the bottom of my head (with a little diverted to ears) and, on the whole, I'm a lot uglier. But, boy, were those the days.

1960s: it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
 

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Yes, they were the days...sigh.........lucky to have grwon up in those times. Far more innocence then.

Say, who lived next door, Wally and the Beav? Looks like a TV Land neighborhood.
 
I got my license that year and drove my first Triumph. A white TR3, with a red interior. Never forgot it.
 
Actually, the LBCs, in those days and in that neighborhood, were really popular. The guy next door, about a year younger than me, had a green bugeye Sprite and an MGB at various times. A friend down the street had a bugeye, which needed quite a lot of work. I helped him tear down the transmission--don't remember much about it, except for a nearly infinite number of needle bearings and my first view of those incredible graphite clutch release bearings!

Yes, in many respects, it was more innocent, but also a disturbing era, with many great social upheavals. Thus my quote from "A Tale of Two Cities," applied perfectly, I think, to the 60s. I do believe that it fits, and I do feel fortunate to have grown up then. I view all the good and bad aspects of that era as a worthwhile experience. And, especially, the prevalence of fast, cool, British cars.
 
Makes me want to jump in my '66 TR4A, top down, with Zepplin on, "Going to California."

There wasn't much traffic on the interstate back then. We could head past Yuma with hardly a car on the road, and LBCs were all over the place. The car I own today is simply the materialized version of some old dreams. Why did you have to post that . . .

[I hope future generations will have old sports cars that they can tinker with]
 
Number 4 son was born in 1967, of five boys he is the only one with oil in his veins. Yes I agree, your quote is very accurate for those times. I was doing the night school thing at the University of Houston at the time and saw some of the upheaval up close and sometimes personal. You know though we survived and are probably stronger for it.

Thanks for the look back it was great!

Tinkerman
 
1967 sure brings some memories back here too.

Meet my first car:

54jag01.jpg


My parents had promised that if I were accepted into an Ivy League school, they'd get me a Jaguar. I got accepted to Dartmouth, and they kept their part of the bargain. It was already 10 years old, but it started my life-long fascination with "real cars".

Of course it was a bit inconsistent to drive my MkVII up to the Financial Aid Office.

Tom
 
Indeed!

My first car was a ragged out 1959 Hillman Minx that
cost me $200. All I could afford in those days.

Difficult to start in snow storms but it never left
me stranded on the side of the road.

Mine was two tone red and white.

hillman.jpg
 
My '67 GT6 and I taken by a girl I was court'n taken across the street from where she lived. My first LBC was a 64 TR4 which I traded for this car.

67_gt6_4.jpg


BTW - It was a successful effort and Shirley and I have been married since November of 68 and in many ways still very much like the kids we were. Also she still loves LBC's.
 
Were there really LBCs all over the place? I had a picture of it being like that but my dreams were dashed by a friend who said that although there were a lot of LBCs exported to the States they only made up a very small percentage of the cars on the road. [censored] it, I gave up working on my time machine because of what he told me!
 
Nick, I lived in Arizona in 1967, an area perfectly suited to year round top down motoring, and there was indeed an abundance of LBCs'. I lived in Phoenix, and there was a full compliment of British dealerships.
I drove a '59 TR3 at the time.
Don't give up on the time machine. I've got an extra flux capacitor if you need one. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
Jeff
 
All I know is this: the TR4a looked great then, and it looks great now. I wish us all that same outcome.

Randy

p.s. Tom - that Jag looks pretty good too!
 
Don Elliott said:
The girl next door was Betty. You know Betty, the daughter in "Father Knows Best" played by Dr. Welby with Jane Wyman.
Click to expand...

Don, don't forget "Betty's" TR2 connection: The movie Girls Town!
 
Since it was brought up, let's have a moment of reflection for Jane Wyatt. She passed away just a few months ago at nearly 100.
 
Nick,

I grew up the mountains of western Pennsylvania, actually within 40 minutes of the Roadster Factory (it wasn't there then, Charles was in college at the time). I can remember seeing every type of British (and foreign ) car made, even the occasional Rolls. The Hillman, Vauxhall, Triumph, MG, Morgan, Jag, Mini and all other brands were extremely popular in the 50's and 60's. So were the Simca, Peugeot, Renault Dauphine, Citroen, Saab, Volvo, BMW Isetta and on and on.

Those were really fun days. Cars were simple and life was simple, at least until November 1963. Then the world began to change and not for the better, I'm afraid to say. Once Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. were killed all innocence was gone.

It seems that we lost a lot of our civility towards one another at that time also.

Maybe that's why this forum is so popular. It's a step back to the way that things should be and the way that people should treat each other.

Sigh.......
 
Brosky said:
Maybe that's why this forum is so popular. It's a step back to the way that things should be and the way that people should treat each other.

Sigh.......
Click to expand...

/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/iagree.gif
Jeff
 
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