Every carburetor I have serviced (or tidied up really) on a TR6 has had the
same characteristic; the adjusting screws are slightly sticky because they
have been in the same location for 30 years due to the fact that they have
not needed any adjustment to run quite nicely.
As for a slipper gas pedal; if memory serves the lack of a rubber cover on
the pedal was a conscious design decision for allowing the foot to slip on
the pedal surface and thus permitting the heel to be on the floor or the
brake pedal while driving. You're not supposed to use an accelerator pedal
in the same fashion as a clutch pedal. Not if you know how to drive that
is...
Mark
-----Original Message-----
From: R. Ashford Little II [mailto:ralittle2@mindspring.com]
Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2003 4:45 PM
To: 'Sally or Dick Taylor'
Cc: 6pack@autox.team.net
Subject: RE: Time Traveler
You tell 'em Dick, and I do doubt his memory also. He must have owned
an MG.
R. Ashford Little II
www.geocities.com/ralittle2
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-6pack@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-6pack@autox.team.net] On
Behalf Of Sally or Dick Taylor
Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2003 3:26 PM
To: barry.stavro@latimes.com
Cc: 6pack@autox.team.net
Subject: Time Traveler
Barry..
On Wednesday, Aug. 27th, you wrote an article in the L.A.Times about
your test drive of the Honda S2000. You rightly proclaimed its virtues
and short-comings as a modern, reasonably priced sports car. I will now
include paragraphs from your report in The Times:
"Honda has magically crafted the look and feel of a classic postwar
British sports car and brought it into the current century with a
modern, more reliable version.
I know because in the early '70s I owned a Triumph TR6 two-seater
convertible. In many ways it was the worst car car I ever had--it would
have flunked the J.D.Power quality reviews.
The carburetor never stayed tuned, the electrical system was a disaster,
and when it rained, water leaked thru the clutch housing--I had to wear
long boots in the winter to stay dry. The radio, heater and defroster
were essentially nonfunctioning, and the seats were as smooth as bare
box springs".
You do go on the say that "the TR-6 was a blast to drive" (you did get
this part right!) but then include some remark about the gas pedal being
"too slippery when wet".
Had you been reciting about certain examples of the TR-6 after 30 YEARS
of service, under the ownership of who knows who, then your recall might
have been close to the mark in at least a few areas. I doubt that the
TR6 when new "leaked thru the clutch housing, had non-existing
heater/defroster and radio functions, a disasterous electrical system
and the 'carburetor' (it has two) wouldn't stay tuned".
I also know it can be entertaining to poke fun at old British Roadsters.
However, in your position as a reporter in the HIGHWAY 1 section of The
Times, I would have hoped you could have at least admitted your recall
might have been dimmed by time. I doubt that these cars had all of the
faults that you proclaimed. My '73 TR6 certainly did not, and do not, 30
years later. I wonder if the '03 S2000 will be able to say the same in
2033?
I will expect a reply, and please cc the 6-PACK List. There are several
hundred of us that would like to hear from you on this.
Dick Taylor,
A regular reader of HIGHWAY 1
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