Bringing the past back to life

Robert Browett bought his 1967 TR4A in October 2012, but he has a history with the model which goes back to the 1960s.

Early Years 1952-65

My love affair with TRs started way back in 1952 when I was just nine years old. My father had just brought home one of the first TR2s to be released – he was managing director of H.A. Browett & Co. Ltd, Standard-Triumph distributors for Leicestershire and Rutland since 1931, and was delighted with the new car. He regularly took me out for drives after work in the surrounding countryside and I would hold on tightly to the passenger grab bar (no seat belts in those days) as we went along the windy roads, often at night. I loved this and often imagined I was driving, and so the seed was sown...

Once I was old enough to drive, my mother passed on her 1946 Standard Eight, which I took to college with me at Loughborough. Many epic journeys were made in that car during the summer holidays, including trips down to the south of France and into Italy where it attracted much interest. It was also incredibly reliable.

In my final year at Loughborough College I started to take an interest in a 1924 Standard that my father had bought in 1946 for company promotional purposes, and after coming to terms with the central accelerator position, I arranged to attend a Standard Register Rally organised by the factory at Charlecote Park in Warwickshire. A college friend of mine came with me and we had a great time, but unfortunately on the way back to Leicester the engine developed a big end knock that ultimately meant a full overhaul.

After finishing college, rather unexpectedly I was offered a job by Standard-Triumph in the USA, which of course I excitedly accepted and here begins another chapter.

Triumph USA 1965-67