In 2010 we visited the 90-year-old Spitfire Dick, who had bought, sold, scrapped, restored and thoroughly enjoyed 50 Triumph Spitfires and GT6s, rescuing and re-homing as many of them as he could. Now we return to get the story behind one of those cars.
Mel Carter is one of Spitfire Dick’s regular customers and friends, and bought both his current Triumphs from him as projects for full restorations. Dick is now 96, and after a spell in hospital has moved into a care home: we all wish him well and hope this is temporary, and that he’ll be rescuing some more Spitfires and bits this summer. (Although it’s probably time to stop moving engines around without a crane –you shouldn’t do that when you’re approaching 100.)
Mel’s first Dick-sourced Triumph is the red Spitfire pictured below and on p54. The GT6 is his second –it tempted him twice, and the second time he gave in. The first temptation to buy this 1970 GT6 Plus (as it’s known in North America) came about in 2001, when Mel was buying a few bits and pieces from Dick for a 1968 MkIII Spitfire he already owned and was restoring. Dick had brought the GT6 out of long-term dry storage, and was working towards getting it running and drivable before selling it on.
The car had been parked since 1980 and the then owner was more interested in finding someone to restore it than in the money. Mel would have loved to take it on, but as he was already in the middle of a Spitfire restoration he was sensible and resisted. He actually got to meet the GT6’s original owner though, when he dropped by his house to pick up the registration papers and some leftover hubcaps as a favour to Dick.
Denne historien er fra April - May 2017-utgaven av Triumph World.
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Denne historien er fra April - May 2017-utgaven av Triumph World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
ZIGGY'S NO BANGER!
Good friends Paul Herbert and Chris Harding bought this Mk2 Spitfire in 2014 to use on a Banger Rally. Six years on they’ve still got the Triumph, and it is running better than ever.
The right choice
In 1978 a Triumph Stag would have been a brave choice as your only car, but after 41 years and getting on for 200,000 miles together, it was clearly the perfect fit for Malcolm and Vera Whitehouse.
THE GREY LADY
In the mid-1930s the New Avon Coachbuilding Co started to build luxury saloons and no longer concentrated on building smaller open sports cars. Phil Homer introduces a luxury product of the era, a six-cylinder Avon on the Standard Flying 16 chassis, and explains why it wasn’t a success.
HAROLD THE HERALD
Over the last 20 years, Harold the Herald has been through five distinct phases of development. Now though, with owner Dale Barker going soft and transferring his favours to a big and comfortable saloon, Harold is looking for a new home.
APPRENTICE TR2
History repeats itself as RHP 552 is handed over to apprentices – 64 years after the last time!
A LASTING PASSION
Lee Godfrey has featured in these pages before, but his enthusiasm for the big Triumphs remains undiminished. Mike Taylor talks to him about the model, his latest example and how the passion started.
A flurry of activity ends 2019 season
H&H’s last sale of 2019 was at the Buxton Pavilion and offered 127 lots.
Herald Suspension Overhaul
Thorough investigation turns into a major overhaul and a future-proofed Triumph
Hotter Rockets Launched For 2020
The world’s largest-capacity volume production motorcycle just got bigger.
SPECIAL EDITION DOLOMITE 1500
Andrew Burford reckons that a 1500SE represents the epitome of Dolomite design. Mike Taylor meets the man who likes to champion the underdog, and his ultra-rare example of Triumph’s evergreen Dolomite saloon.
