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The following article appeared in the Automobile section of the New York Times
on Sunday, November 24, 1996. Charles McEwn authored the piece, and although
the Triumph content was only a small part of the story, it's worth reading.
You'll see :
"Paris or Bust, 90 Years Later"
"When the first Peking to Paris Motor Challenge was run in 1907, a
7-liter
Itala won handily, covering 10,000 miles in two months. The second place
finisher, a Dutch-built Spyker, pulled in a week later.
"Ninety years later, this "great race" will be rerun over a somewhat
different course, beginning next Sept. 6 and concluding 12,000 miles and 11
countries later at the Eiffel Tower on October 18. Eighty-six vintage cars -
the oldest a 1914 Vauxhall, the newest a 1968 Triumph TR6 and a "68 Mercedes
280 - have been entered in the event, organized by the Classic Rally
Association of England.
"Buick and General Motors China are co-sponsing one of the 12 American
cars
in the race, seizing the opportunity to promote a joint venture with the
Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation to build Buick - designed sedans.
Their entry, a 1948 Buick Special two-door sedan, will be driven by Richard
F.N. Clark, a banker in Singapore, and his former deputy, Kenneth M. Hughes.
"The car is being modified for the trek, said Mr. Clark, who is
rounding up
spare parts. Although a mobile shop - a small van - will drive the route,
along with two chuck wagons, all entrants must carry their own parts.
"The route will skirt Afghanistan but will cross Iran. There, "the
quality
of the roads was extremely good," said Philip Young, the rally director, who
drove the route from Katmandu, Nepal, to Paris last month in a 20-year-old
Peugeot 504.
"The most daunting segment of the rally will be in Tibet, where the
route is
sometimes no more than a dirt track, at elevations of 15,000 to 17,000 feet.
"You can drive all day," Mr. Young said, "and not see a soul."
Seems like a good story to keep in the glovebox to be re-read as you
contemplate making that "long trip" to the TRF Summer Party, or that VTR Meet
way off in . . ...
Jim Schoonmaker
'79 Spit
'68 250 Rustbucket
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