Greetings! Thanks for allowing me to join your membership and special thanks
to Joe Alexander for nominating me!
Joe suggested I tell you a little about myself and how I came to be a Triumph
fan. Married to a tolerant sometimes car fan, Susie, three grown boys (two
car buffs), two granddaughters, and two adopted retired racing greyhounds. I
have worked for the Frank Russell Company in Tacoma, WA for almost thirty five
years and my current position is Western Division Director for the US
Distribution unit. We are a pension consulting, investment advisory and money
manager
research firm. Our best advertisement is the Russell 2000 index for small cap
stocks.
I have been a car fan since I saw a Stanley Steamer pull into the space next
to my Dad at a White Castle hamburger store in 1947 in Orange, NJ. Bought my
first sports car 50/50 with my Dad in 1963, a 57 MGA and drove to a dozen car
dealers looking for a summer job in 63 on Long Island. Landed a summer job as a
gopher with Raymond Foreign Sales in Islip, a dealer for MG, AH, Triumph,
Renault, and Daimlers. A blast and I really got the Sports car fever---and
never
lost it. Even got to go to the sports car races at the Bridge with one of the
sales guys in a right hand drive Lotus 7.
I've had a bunch of different makes over the years, but always wanted to
replace the 67 TR4A I had to sell when I went off to SE Asia in 67. Susie and I
had a six month old son and she never has mastered the art of shifting, needed
more space, etc. It was serial # CTC70786 L and I still have the owners
handbook and original paperwork if any one knows where the car is located
unless the
salt on the NY roads lead to a premature departure. IRS, wires, navy
blue/blue interior. Purchased the car from Raymond Foreign Sales on 9/9/66 for
$3,096.30.
In 1996 I purchased a green 67 TR4A and last month a 63 TR4 Vintage racer
through Jack Drews/Joe Alexander. While I was visiting Uncle Jack in Geneseo,
Il,
he put me on to a nice 64 street TR, red/tan with wires all cosmetically
restored. Bought that one so I am up to three Triumphs! Excited to go vintage
racing and will start this April at Pacific Raceways (X-Seattle Int'l Raceway)
and
look forward to meeting any of you out there or look me up at Monterey
Historics where I help crew Dr. Cordell Bahn's 1950 Allard JX2 #18!
Never have had a racing license, but have autocrossed and been to dozens of
track days with the Porsche Club, and Proformance Driving School at PR. Also
attended Bondurant's Grand Prix Course and last Fall the Advanced Road Racing
Course.
Thanks again for allowing me on board and I am anxious to meet anyone at the
races or other events!
Regards, John James
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