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Re: TR3B on E-Bay STC#

To: triumphs@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: TR3B on E-Bay STC#
From: BPAULTR3@aol.com
Date: Thu, 14 Dec 2000 12:26:17 EST
In a message dated 12/14/2000 9:09:43 AM Mountain Standard Time, 
spitlist@gte.net writes:

<< I thought the consensus was that it stands for "Sold To Customer as a 63", 
because the Triumph factory used the actual manufacturing
 year to designate the year model and that caused US dealers a lot of grief 
trying to explain why in December they were selling what
 appeared to be "last year's model".
  >>

I started a thread inquiring about the STC notation some itme back. What I 
got out of it was that STC stood for Supplemental Title Certificate and was 
issued to vehicles, probably in California only, not sold in the year of 
manufacture, but in the year actually sold to a consumer. It is also 
noteworthy that in some states a dealer can and will use a vehicle for a time 
period then they sell it as 'new' since the first title transfer to the 
purchasing consumer establishes the 'year' of the vehicle for MVD purposes.  
I had and sold a car with a STC number affixed and it also appeared on the 
title, in addition to the regular factory VIN. The car was identified on the 
title as being a year later model than any factory records would support.  I 
even inquired to Bill Piggott to see if he was aware of any factory 
connection, he was not and was unfamiliar with the STC notation.

I would guess that in the case of the EBay TR it is possible that the dealer 
kept and used the car ( perhaps even for longer than a year) without ever 
transfering the title, then actually did a conversion to add the soon to be 
required smog stuff.  If that was the case, it is unoriginal from the 
factory, but sports company supported modifications and as such is surely an 
'original'  and interesting car for that reason.   The question regarding the 
actual engine number has not been answered.

At any rate, I personally don't make so much out of this sort of period mod. 
My TR3 has Strombergs, bought it that way.  It runs great so why mess with 
it.  Some of the reactions are more appropriate to finding out there was a 
big block chevy under the hood, or god forbid that it's actually an MG with a 
Fiberglas TR body!

Bob Paul
Corrales NM
59 TR3
55 TR2
36 F2 Morgan Three Wheeler (For Sale!)

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