It hit me in the summer of '72 or '73. I was in Boy
Scouts, headed to a campout when I happened upon a
brand new TR6. It was BRG and was the most beautiful
car I'd ever seen in person. I knew I would have to
have one some day. Fast forward to 1987 and I finally
bought one, a blue 1976. That car was my daily driver
through law school. I can still remember the nights
when I'd drop the top and hit some back road, just to
hear that exhaust note. It was a great way to clear
my head. I can't explain why, but that car felt like
it was a part of me. I could almost feel when
something just wasn't right with it.
Three years later I bought a 1977 911S Targa. I
couldn't keep both, so I put them both up for sale
thinking that I'd keep the one that didn't. Sold them
both. The 911 was an incredible car and I think that
every sports car enthusiast should own one in his or
her lifetime, but something just didn't feel right
about selling that TR. I decided that I would at
least pretend to be responsible, so I bought a Nissan
Pathfinder. I just couldn't get rid of that yearning
for a TR6 though. I found a red 1974 1/2 with hardtop
a year later. Great car, but I didn't like the loping
cam it had. It failed to start once and my then-wife
began pushing me to sell it, and that should have been
my first clue.
I went without a TR6 for 4 years until she finished
grad school. Then we parted ways and a 1976 BRG TR6
fell into my lap (meaning I only had to drive 3 hours
each way to get it). Manufactured in July 1976, it is
one of the last 100 or so they made. She's got a
hardtop, OD, and she's a complete basket case. I know
I'll never recover the $$ its going to take to do a
frame off on her and I don't care. She's the one I
always wanted. Work and a new family have kept the
restoration at bay for years now. The new house
should be finished this summer and then the fun can
begin. My new wife is pushing me to get to work on
it. And she's wanting her own 911 some day, too.
Tim
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