Click here to see a photo gallery of the rally

After the forest, hence mud, on Jurby Race Circuit

The 3 Legs of Mann Rally, takes place, not surprisingly on the Isle of Man and equally unsurprisingly is split into 3 legs. The relevance of this, for those who are unfamiliar to the island, is that the islands logo is a star made up of 3 human legs. The rally is a tough navigational and test event, with 2-day legs and 1 night leg.

At short notice Bernard Northmore rang and asked if I would like to do the Rally and I couldn’t think of a reason to say no. The event, organised by the Classic Rally Association (CRA), was a world-class event attracting a very strong entry. This included some very well known international drivers and navigators, amounting to 63 entrants in all, ranging from 50s cars through to 1974 Porsches. There were 8 TRs taking part, including 6 TR4s, along with a TR3A and a TR7. Interestingly I took along our works TR4 6VC which along with 3 other powder blue TR4s made it quite confusing for spectators, as they all tended to look the same. Also it’s interesting to note that the very first Manx rally was organised by 2 well known TR people in 1962, John Hopwood and Roy Fidler and they used as the course car on this rally, none other than 4VC, the sister car to 6VC.

The event took the form of a road rally, but with the benefit of closed roads. This meant that the organisers could circumnavigate the restrictions that are usually imposed on UK road rallies and make the event really tough to try to keep to time. Various types of navigation were used, tulip diagrams, lists of instructions and map references, along with marked maps being typical of the instructions provided. The competition was split into 3 elements; Road Sections, timed to the minute; Regularity Sections, timed to the second; and a variety of tests, timed to the second.

One of several Fords

In the Forest, this was probably the lease bumpy part!

Generally road sections were reasonably generous on time and intended to get you around the rally, without falling behind. However some road sections were on closed roads and as a result the organisers could make life very difficult for the competitor, such that inevitably you would be late. One device for ensuring this happened, was the stationing of passage controls along the route. An unmanned passage control would be a code board, where it would be necessary to slow down and almost stop to note down the code letters. In addition some passage controls were manned; here it would be necessary to have the marshal sign your time card. Needless to say marshals would delight in taking approximately 20 seconds to do this, which of course ensured that you were always monstrously late and had to go like a bat out of hell to try to get back on time!

Regularity sections were timed to the second and once again were very difficult to keep to time, due to the nature of the roads. On each of the legs there were at least half a dozen tests where speed was the order of the day, on race circuits and private ground. One of which was surprisingly in the car park of the police headquarters, which indicates a level of support and commitment to rallying on the island by the local constabulary. Finally we spent some time in forests, which were incredibly hard, as it had rained consistently for the preceding months, resulting in the tracks being very soggy.

Flagged off by the Mayor at the Start

The event started in Douglas on Friday the 19th of March, where the Mayor waved us off. We set off for the first test along Cliff road, with a stunning view out across the bay. This road twists and turns along the edge of some jagged cliffs, I’m sure it’s a lovely road if you have time to stop and look! From there we headed inland, where the scenery soon changes, from pastureland to windswept barren bracken covered terrain. There are many interesting places on the Isle of Man and the organisers tried to make sure we visited as much as we could. Laxey was a particular highlight, where there is the famous 'Lady Isabella' Water Wheel. This is where we assembled to start a regularity test, where we were actually parked on the tramlines. This would never be allowed in England, because some jobs-worth Health and Safety bloke would surely deem it unsafe! One notable driving test was a regularity through the night, on the disused airfield of Andreas. You can imagine the difficulty of this test when faced with an instruction: “Turn Left at Crossroads”, where the crossroad is the intersection of two runways, covered in grass and some 100 meters wide! Another interesting test location was Shoreline Cottage used in the 1997 film, Waking Ned. Although the film was set in rural Ireland, it was actually shot on location in the Isle of Man.

At Shoreline Cottage, used in the 1997 film, Waking Ned

Laxey Station

Douglas Waterfront

All in all, whilst tough the rally was very enjoyable and certainly proved the rule that to finish well you need 4 elements: A strong reliable fast car, a good navigator, a good driver and the presence of lady luck. Out of the 4 the car was the only one that shone, running faultlessly throughout the event and proved a competent machine for the job. Bernard and I agreed that we had a little room for improvement and lady luck drifted off and watched over somebody else periodically. Having said all that Bernard and I were pleased with our result, being 10th overall and 2nd in class. TRs did well, with 4 TR4s in the top 12, Tony Sheach and Rob Kiff came first in class and 6th overall and behind us Jonathan Hancox and Richard Lambley came 11th, with Michael Harrison and Lorna Harrison coming 12th.

The event was won overall by Owen Turner and Matt Fowle in a borrowed Mini Cooper S.

Rallies such as this organised by the CRA are very popular but tend to be expensive on a ‘pounds per day’ basis, compared to other rallies in Europe. However a lot was packed in and there were dozens of marshals required, because of the style of the rally. The Rally was very tough on the car and with the benefit of hindsight; I would have taken my Rally TR5, which is perhaps a little more “disposable” then 6VC. Having said all that if you have a suitable car, I would thoroughly recommend the rally for being a) a good rally in its own right and b) a good way to see the Isle of Man,

Neil Revington

Readers may be interested in the Isle of Man tourist website, where much more information can be found about the places we visited throughout the rally, as well as details on the history of rallying on the Isle of Man.

The Action shots of 6VC in this article are courtesy of Tony Large Photographic, those who are interested in photos of the entire Rally may wish to point their browser at: http://www.everybodysmile.biz/tonylargephotographic/ for shots of all the competitors. Browse to Rallying>The Three Legs of Mann. All other shots were taken by Bernard Northmore

Click here to see a photo gallery of the rally

Some of you may be aware of Mark Hoble having been mentioned in our previous newsletters with regard to Le Mans Classic 2008. For those who are not aware let me give a brief introduction, Mark has been racing a Morgan with a Revington TR built TR4 engine. We met Mark at Le Mans in 2006 as a result of which the Morgan racing engine project was started. Subsequent to that Mark had decided to fulfil a lifelong dream of racing at le Mans and to that end bought an ex-Australian racing TR2, which we were trusted in preparing for Le Mans Classic 2008.

We were pleased to have supported Mark’s racing activities again this year, although track side support was provided by our good friend Guy Heath (Loire Valley Classics Racing).  Guy’s credentials are exemplary, having trained and worked within the Royal Navy and being party to the building of the Revington TRS and Revington Italia. As in all motorsport it’s a team effort and I’m pleased to see that Guy has been part of Marks success this year. For a full season report by Mark Hoble continue reading,
Neil Revington

It's been a really good year. Guy Heath’s brief was to keep both cars on track and he's done just that.  Racing in the HSCC Guards Trophy the Morgan (XOV 584) has done about 13 hours of track time which is more than twice as much as it would do in a season before when I was competing in shorter 20 minute Roadsports races.  The highlight was at Spa in September when I shared the car with a friend of mine in a 2 hour race when it ran without missing a beat.  The Morgan is probably giving about 30-40 bhp to the Cambridge Motorsport engined cars but does feel very strong and is about the only racing Morgan that doesn't use water!   We came second in class and ninth overall in the Guards Trophy which was pleasing for our first year in the championship.

The TR2 (PDU 222) continues to provide great fun.  I have been running the car in the Woodcote Trophy which for 2009 included one hour races at the Silverstone Classic, the See Red meeting at Donington and the Six Hours meeting at Spa.  For those of you who may not know the Woodcote Trophy is for post war sports racers up to December 1955.  As TR2s raced in period they are welcome to mix it with exotic machinery such as the Allard J2X, Aston Martin DB3S, Ferrari 750 Monza and D type.  The class structure is based on engine capacity and brake type which puts me up against Fraser Nash Le Mans Replicas and the occasional small capacity Lister or Cooper sports racer.  I was joined by Brian Waite this year who campaigned his TR2 for the first time this season.
PDU 222 continues to provide many grins to the pound.  Racing against much more expensive machinery always appeals to me and I can't work out why the field isn't flooded with TR2s!  The Silverstone Classic and Spa races in particular were fantastic but for different reasons.  At Silverstone I passed Stirling Moss under braking into the Abbey chicane which is a moment that will live with me for a long time.  The car was really on song that day and I managed to sneak a class award behind the Lister and a Fraser Nash Mille Miglia. 

At Spa (always the best meeting of the year) I was running in the middle of the field when I saw a particular DB2 approaching (the car that I drove in the Spa Six Hours in 2005 and Le Mans Classic in 2006).  On the assumption that the DB2 was coming through to lap me I gave him a suitable single fingered gesture to pass as we came round La Source only to work out that he wasn't much quicker than me at all.  Battle commenced for the rest of the race and we were bumper to bumper as we crossed the line both grinning from ear to ear.  It turned out that the DB2 had been called in for a drive-through penalty which put him out of position hence my confusion.

The car has again proved itself very easy to drive.  Although it isn't particularly powerful it holds its own in the corners and the drum brakes seem to last much better than on the heavier cars.  We race on Dunlop L section tyres which work very well with the TR's suspension set up.  These tyres don't have a great deal of grip but the car slides progressively which is handy at the end of races when sliding into the corners to slow down is often more effective than using the brakes.

As mentioned above Guy’s support has meant that both the Morgan and the TR2 have been 100% reliable.  Maintenance on the TR2 has been relatively straightforward.  Hubs and wheel bearings take considerable load on the track so they are replaced as soon as they show any signs of wear.  Otherwise it has been a case of making sure that the car has had a thorough spanner check before we get to the circuit. It’s a similar story with the Morgan although it seems to like eating dynamos.

Plans for 2010 are coming together.  I have applied to race the TR2 in the Le Mans Classic and all being well will also do a couple of the Woodcote Trophy races.  The Morgan will run in the Guards Trophy again.
Do come and say hello if you come to any of the races. Tea and cake provided,
Mark Hoble

The stunning cliffs of Moher

Neil and Sue Revington have competed in many rallies over the years in Ireland and whilst the rallies were fun and competitive, the scenery flashed by at 100 miles an hour.

We thought at the time it would be nice to revisit Ireland in the future and savour the atmosphere and scenery that is the essence of Ireland and to do so at a more leisurely pace. To that end Sue had kept a selection of road books.

The plan was simple. Invite our friends Mel and Sue Francis from Denver USA to join us in taking two powder blue TR’s over from Fishguard to Rosslare for a 10-day tour. The ex works TR4 rally car and our rally prepared TR5 were the obvious choice. The Cars were duly prepared and adorned with sponsors stickers, Heldite Gasket cement and Superpro in particular.

A mixture of Hotels and B&B were booked that took us in a clockwise circular route. We had chosen the ‘Vomit Comet’ (fast but bumpy) for the crossing and the boat lived up to its nickname. Sat at the back we were witness to a hairy arsed hells angel type rushing to the open air, getting to the railing just in time and letting go. Sadly in his rush, he had not taken care of his position and the flow caught on the wind and covered the arm of the bloke next to him. Needless to say, given the persuasion of the biker bloke, the man with an arm full, thought better of making a fuss!

Faithlegg arrival – Day 1

Once on dry land we headed for Waterford and the Faithlegg golf hotel via the ferry at passage East. No we don’t play golf, but you do get a nice park to stay in. Our intention was to try out some of the types of roads we were used to on the rallies. It was nice to see that motoring in Ireland can still be very pleasant off the beaten track.

Dramatic Sky over Blarney castle

Durty Nelly’s pub in front of Bunratty Castle

From Waterford to Kinsale, a charming fishing village that whilst somewhat commercial now, has managed to retain its charm. Kinsale is fish restaurant central. If you like fish, go to Kinsale. In fact the charm of the place encouraged us to curtail our motoring for a day, whilst we wandered the streets. Needless to say, lunch involved Guinness, as it did most days.

Kolourful Kinsale

Fresh seafood at “Fishy Fishy” chippy in Kinsale

On then to Kilmallock. This is a town I had little experience of before but its location enabled us to take easy day trips to the Ring of Kerry, Bantry and up to the cliffs of Moher. We stayed in a charming Farmhouse B&B run by an equally charming Imelda. The service and food was 5 star and we were sad to leave.

On the beach, lost.

Johnny Fox’s pub in the Wicklow Mountains

Next stop was Blessington and another golf Hotel, the Tulfarris. Set on the side of a lake the views were stunning. We had chosen this location, as Mel and Sue had not been to Dublin. As Blessington is a relatively short distance form Dublin it would be an easy drive into the City in the morning. We had made contact with the Martin McGovern, the secretary of the Triumph Classic Owners Club in Ireland who set about putting an impromptu Triumph meeting together. We were delighted to be joined by a good crowd consisting of Stag, Spitfire and TR for a few bevies at the Tulfarris Hotel, which made for a very pleasant evening.

Neil’s TR5 gets close inspection from one of the Irish Triumph Club Triumph lads.

At Tulfaris golf hotel with the Irish Triumph Club

After Dublin the following morning we journeyed through the Wicklow Mountains via Sally Gap with an obligatory stop at Johnny Fox’s pub to find our last B&B in Rosslare to be ready for a very early ferry back to Fishguard.

All in all the entire trip was a great success. The weather was mostly kind to us, the Guinness was great (particularly with oysters at Bunratty castle), the food was fabulous as was the country side, but above all the cars went well covering the distance effortlessly and completely without a hitch. Must try the north next time!

Unknown village across an un-named estuary

Click here to see a photo gallery of the New Zealand trip

Sue and I, in NZ 1979

It was nearly 30 years ago that Sue and I visited New Zealand for the first (and last) time, when I was best man at a friends wedding north of Auckland. We had been promising to return all of those intervening years but it took an invitation from TR Register New Zealand to eventually make it happen. We decided that we would make it into a family venture as both Marcus and Natalie, our two children, work in our business Revington TR.

Once we landed in Auckland on the morning of the 5th of February it didn’t take long to get into TR mode, as we had been invited to stay that evening with the New Zealand TR Register president Robert Johnston and Stella. During an evening barbeque we had a chance to meet some of the Auckland TR crowd and Robert was able to enlighten us to how the TR Register worked in New Zealand.

The Revingtons Hotel

After a few days exploring the North Island we took the ferry to the South Island. On our West Coast trip to Cromwell we had the pleasure of staying with Terry and Helen Byrne in Nelson and further south a night in the Revingtons Hotel, in Greymouth. It was a bit shabby but had to be done!

Having Breakfast with the NZ TR Register group

The NZ Nationals are quite different to the TR Register International in England and it is easy to see how the format of their nationals suits the numbers attending and the countryside they have the pleasure of living in. As there are around 60 cars attending, everyone stays in the same Hotel and the whole event revolves around a meeting room, where talks are given with communal breakfasts and evening meals. On each of the 3 national weekend days, Friday, Saturday and Sunday touring runs were organised to take advantage of the beautiful surrounding countryside. In the UK these just simply couldn’t work as there are usually well over a thousand cars attending. The area around Malvern where the internationals are held just couldn’t accommodate this and our congested roads don’t lend themselves to a pleasurable tour. By contrast this is an ideal format for New Zealand. It was convenient for us that there were 4 or 5 attendees who didn’t have passengers; this gave us the opportunity to do the runs in a TR rather than a hire car, which we really appreciated.

Parked up for Lunch

For the more formal part of the weekend we were asked and were honoured to do a presentation. The purpose of which was to summarise the history of Revington TR, what the company offers as well as our views on the TR and classic car movement in general. Having spoken to many attendees after the presentation it was interesting how even with the good communication we have around the globe these days, how the perception of Revington TR and the TR movement differs between New Zealand and the UK. In the UK because there are so many TR specialists it is easy to assume that parts are easily available, whereas in NZ with a very much smaller population it is not possible to support such an expansive infrastructure. As a result we got the impression that the New Zealand TR owner was more likely to ‘make do and mend’. It was useful to have the opportunity to make the NZ members aware of what parts, both standard and modified, are available from the UK. As a result of discussions later on in our tour with David Mehrtens of Mehrtens Kwik-Fit in Dunedin, we are pleased to announce that Mehrtens have been appointed as distributors of Revington TR parts in New Zealand.

Marcus sharing a ride

Natalie Sharing a ride

The Deep South Tour after the nationals was another highlight of our trip and thanks to the organising team for showing us parts of New Zealand we may of otherwise never have come across. This tour started the day the nationals finished and took us down into what is known as the deep south of New Zealand, exploring some beautiful countryside, finishing 5 days later in Dunedin. One particular highlight was our visit to Milford Sound in Fjordland, one of the most staggeringly beautiful, untouched parts of the world; this included an encounter with dozens of waterfalls one of which, Stirling Falls, plummets 100m into the sea. At the end of the Deep South Tour we spent a few days in Dunedin and then all too soon 3 weeks had passed and it was time to go back up to Christchurch for the plane home. We all had a wonderful time in New Zealand, made all the more enjoyable by the friendship and hospitality offered to us by the members of the TR Register,
Neil Revington

The New Zealand TR Register Group

Click here to see a photo gallery of the New Zealand trip

Jonathan Boyse taking part in Mamhead Hillclimb

For many years now I have had to suffer the endless ranting of both, the armchair critic and the seasoned campaigner (who should know better) that you will not win anything in a TR7. The other equally as tedious is the repeated question, is it a V8? And the drain of interest when the answer comes back to the negative.

Well, here is the story of my first season in the Revington TR Hillclimb and Sprint Championship, driving a TR7 Rally car. For those of you that don’t know, Leyland cars campaigned the TR7 in British and International rallies between 1975 and 1977. The car utilised the 16 valve engine which powered the very desirable Dolomite Sprint, which many years before the likes of Subaru, provided a performance 4 door family saloon with very few rivals. This engine produced 127 BHP in standard form, utilising twin SU carburettors and with a rev limit of 5250 rpm. My engine was originally built by a non Triumph specialist, who’s machining was excellent, but assembly skills are best not mentioned. This is where Revington TR came to the rescue, re-building the engine to, which will come as no surprise to anyone who has met Neil, an exacting standard which, touch wood, has proved fantastically reliable during a shakedown first season that has tested it to the limit, often revving well past 7000.

16V Sprint Engine

Boot Mounted Ally Petrol Tank

Other works to the car by Revington TR include, 4 pot callipers, rear suspension superpro bushes, replacement propshaft with Hardy Spicer type joints and endless advice. Works by myself include stripping out the interior, plating the sunroof aperture, fitting a full roll cage, removing the metal bumper sections, fitting fibreglass boot lid, boot mounted ally tank, electric fuel pump, twin 45 Dellorto’s with Moss manifold, full stainless competition manifold and 2 ½” stainless exhaust system, rear 200lb Powercoil springs, front 200lb spurious springs, front progressive shock absorbers, rear spax adjustable shock absorbers, eccentric ball bearing strut tops, Limited slip Differential, Minilite 7x13 wheels with 205/60/13 AO48 Yokohama tyres and loads more I can’t really think of!

Stripped down Interior

The original plan was just to make a rally replica, but when I discovered the Revington TR series provided an opportunity to use it in anger it was too good to miss! Before I turned to Neil I suffered some terrible standards of work, ridiculous timescales and dodgy parts etc which means the car took about 4 years to be ‘ready to go’. I have learnt to either do it myself or send it to Neil! In the next year I also hope to paint the car in original works colours, (white with blue and red trim below the swage line and on the bonnet).

So, to the season, and a start at Gurston Down. There were a good number of competitors, some regulars and some newbies like myself, who were just happy to sign on, pass scrutineering and complete the event with no embarrassing moments. I was in fact dreadfully slow, but it was important too get ones first event under the belt without mishap. One thing I did learn was that the Yokohama tyres were legal in class 2b, so the then fitted Falkens were binned and the cheque book took another hammering. Anybody who tries the Yoko’s will feel an immediate affect, the car feels much more direct, the grip levels on dry roads is superb.
So events came and went with a gradual improvement in results until Werrington. I immediately fancied the event and set off on my first practice with enthusiasm, but soon felt something wrong in the steering department and after ‘flying’ over the cattle grid I had no steering at all and was much relieved to grind to a halt inches from the bales guarding the outside of the 90º left. After being recovered to the courtyard, halfway along the course, by some very helpful Marshals, it was discovered that an engine mount had sheared, causing the engine to drop onto the steering knuckle joint. The organisers allowed me to recover the vehicle at lunch, and with no chance of a speedy repair it was back on the trailer and home for tea. I somehow new that this lost opportunity would cost me the opportunity of beating Roger to second in the Championship, not only did he get the 10 points on the day, but his dedication to entering events and Rob’s dominance meant that I would have needed to beat him on every occasion we were up against each other.

Still, having finished behind Roger three times including this non-start, after this I beat him seven times on the trot. The next event was the first of these, and my first 10 points win at Llandow (Boucles-de-Spa?) which was also my first sprint event. The conditions were horrendous, the circuit covered with rain and standing water on many of the corners. I also had another incident, this time spinning on the fourth run trying to beat the time set by a Bristol member in an Escort. He faired worse breaking his gearbox, so I took his car on my trailer and let him drive my car back to his place. Now they say one good turn deserves another, and as soon as he got out he asked why the back end was set so hard. After much face pulling and puzzlement I discovered the spax were wound up way too far and dropped them back to a very soft setting, maybe this explained the spin? However I did manage to spin again at Castle Combe in the wet in the last event of the season, but this time I am sure I changed down and locked the diff. Another improvement after Llandow was getting the carbs set up properly. This improved the flywheel BHP from 163 to 190! Sounds extreme, but as usual the previous lack of power was partly down to something simple, the throttle wasn’t opening fully, so after a bit of rod bending and pedal adjustment we were off!

I think Longleat was next and this was for me one of my two favourite events with Colerne, the setting is stunning and I remember watching heroes like Tony Pond rally there (most old enough will remember the tree he hit there in a Rover!). This was the first event where I felt I was driving the car anywhere near its potential, and, to my delight, I was able to edge out Neil on the timesheet. Plus the last straight after the hairpin was very green under the trees and the car was never pointing in a straight line on full throttle through 2nd and 3rd gear!

So, with new found power and improved suspension set up it was off back to Gurston. This was also the first time I had been to a venue before and I was delighted to beat the class bogey by 0.42 seconds. Brilliant! However due to Rob breaking it by even more the points for my effort weren’t going to be enough.

Jonathan Boyse Taking Part in Wiscombe Hillclimb 2008

Since then I picked up 1st place at Colerne, another sprint, and finished 9th from 21 in A3 class beating a lot of similar cars, modern cars, and was only beaten by cars with 4wd, turbos, superchargers, or a combination of such modern trickery. First place in the wet at Wiscombe where I had the car sideways in both directions on my fastest run, which was very exciting, and was competing with some great 70’s rally icons including a Chevette HS and a Lotus Sunbeam. We went back there the week after and with a stronger field and probably a below par performance adjusting to my new front suspension set up which on occasion caused me to try turn in too early I finished fourth, annoyingly this time been pipped for third and a trophy by Neil. I was pleased however to beat Steve Small in his TR7 sprint race car, which is more powerful and much lighter than my car, it just shows what suspension is all about, as proven by the much faster times his set up produced at Castle Combe! Castle Combe was the last event of the season with the 1, 2, 3 Championship positions already decided, so just a good fun day then. Practice was very wet and lots of cars were taking to the grass, much chuntering about just taking it easy as practice took forever. So, with this in mind, off I went, literally! Over ambitious into the first chicane I can only think I tried to change down early causing the back end to lock up and the result; a 900 degree spin finishing backwards through the tyre wall, a tow back to the pits with the back box on the truck and a disintegrated rear bumper! Still, being checked out by the ambulance lady was the highlight of the season! I actually enjoyed fixing everything up in the rain, with various help from all the TR drivers and raiding Robs’ parts bin, it reminded me of the good old days rallying. Back out for the first timed run, things had dried out, but I still used it as practice, this would be my first lap of the circuit. Timed run two was to be my opportunity to set a competitive time, I had a scorching lap but the eventful day continued as I caught up with the Morgan that had set of 20 seconds before me with all the other TR drivers watching! So, no time, but Triumph 1 Morgan 0!

In conclusion I would like to thank all the other competitors for their friendship and help during the season, Neil for all his help, and all the organising clubs and their members and particularly the Marshals for a very expensive, but enjoyable first season. Special thanks must go to Roger for organising everything, Arthur for being Arthur (and beating my first run up Wiscombe with a puncture!), and all the other competitors for making it such a good year.

So in the end I finished a very pleasing 3rd in the championship, and for those that suggested I was wasting my time with the sprint engine, it finished ahead of all the V8’s. My theory that the car could win the championship also was pretty right, only another new boy, with much more competition experience and a very good car prevented me winning, congratulations to Rob who has become a firm friend. I do not know how many events I can enter next year, but I hope to continue developing the car and honing my skills sufficiently to do it justice, this car is capable of a lot more. So go on, have a go!

Jonathan Boyes

4100HJ during its years of service to Southend On Sea Police Force

Revington TR have had the good fortune over the years to have been involved in the restoration of some very special cars: the Zoom Prototype (Partially completed), TR5 Prototype and 3 of the VC TR4 Rally cars to name but a few. The current project of interest is the only known surviving TR Police Car. The car served with the Southend on Sea police force as a high-speed pursuit car before being sold off into private hands.

Ernie Cole in Bristol bought the car in the late 70’s and ran it for a while without knowing its history, later Ernie spotted a photo of his car in a book and all was revealed. Ernie with his wife Debbie ran the car for a number of years but the car became somewhat ragged, so they decided to sell. By then Sue and I had become good friends with Ernie and Debbie and couldn’t live with the idea of the car leaving the area so I foolishly decided to buy it (I had plenty of cars already that needed restoring so another was not exactly a good idea, but, boys and toys hey?).

The car languished in the back of our barn for a few years and then early in the new millennium I felt the time was right to rebuild the car. The interesting part of a rebuild such as this is two fold, discovering the little differences on the car that make it special and researching the history to be able to fill in the gaps.

The Finished Body

The body shell was tackled first, this was mostly original with mountings for the Winkworth Bell and the PYE radio, but during a previous rebuild the B-Posts had been changed for TR5/6 parts. I can just imagine the owner at the time standing at the counter of his local Leyland dealer ‘Can I have a pair of B posts for a 1962 TR4 please’. ‘Sorry mate can’t supply those but I have these TR6 ones that are the same’. The hapless owner would not have spotted the difference until he came to hang the doors, only to find all the catches are different. Hence the car had TR5/6 doors to match the B-Posts and get over the mistake.

Building up the chassis

These minor errors were corrected along with the fitment of new floors and sills, which is a must for all TR4-6 shell rebuilds. Once repainted white, the body was tucked away awaiting yours truly to find the time to build the chassis up. This was supposed to happen over Christmas 2007/8 when time was set aside to fit the suspension, engine, gearbox and axle and drop the body onto the chassis; sounds easy doesn’t it? Well, I got as far as assembling the axle and front suspension and that is how it stayed until Christmas 2008/9 when I finally got the chassis work finished and the body fitted. Better late than never! So that is where we are today. As the car is now one major lump it should be relatively straightforward now to refit all the myriad of small bits that make up a complete car.

So what makes a TR4 Police Car Special? Well, as you would expect the Police force bought a standard TR4 in white, with a soft top. It would then go to the workshops of the force it was to serve to have all the extras fitted. The equipment list is quite extensive: Front illuminated Police sign, Winkworth bell, 2 spot lamps mounted on the front bumper, hand operated spot lamp on the left hand windscreen pillar, Rear ‘STOP’ sign mounted on the boot lid, two tone ‘Wind Tone’ horns, PYE Communication radio with hand held mike and to power all this equipment an alternator. On the matter of replacing specific Police equipment the Police Federation Historic Vehicle Club have been most helpful and have offered to supply front and rear signals and the PYE radio. The Winkworth Bell on the other hand I already have. Needless to say, these would have been removed when the car was sold into private hands.

The Chassis ready to accept the Body

Fitting the Body

Additional to the above there are two other discreet modifications, the first being an intersecting brace where the handbrake cable enters the chassis support, perhaps some burley officer managed to bend the bracket, so the workshops decided to beef it up? Who knows but its there! The second being strengtheners welded to the chassis. These I initially thought to be for seatbelts but during the fitment of the body it became obvious they were there so that the seats could be bolted to the chassis rather than just to the floor, which was standard. This was further reinforced (excuse the pun) when an email was received from a constable who once rode in the car at the time of its service. Constable Tony Hall has an interesting story to tell, so as a short diversion here it is:

“I’m afraid my memories are somewhat sketchy. I was a young constable and only ever got to be driven as ‘observer’ in this unique (so far as I know) vehicle a couple of times.

Part of our role in this vehicle was to act as ‘Courtesy Cops’ by stopping drivers who we thought were driving particularly well or who showed particular courtesy to other drivers and commend them for their skill or courtesy. We had white nylon sleeves over our tunics to compliment this when we signalled to drivers to pull in. I can’t imagine any such thing going on in today’s traffic and always thought this a double-edged sword as I wondered whether drivers might be irritated to have their journey delayed so, but no one ever complained. <

Two incidents do come to mind, one of which may answer one of your questions. The first is rather comical. We were driving, top down, along a wide urban dual carriageway, Thorpe Hall Avenue, towards the sea front, when I notice a seagull ahead fly across from left to right and discharge its load from about 30 feet up. This splattered across the windscreen right in front of my face. Had we been travelling a fraction faster I would have received the full force of this bomb!

The second is more serious and may answer your question about seat belts. I cannot recall ever wearing these, and I don’t think they were fitted, because I recall that when we were doing any fast cornering I had to hang on to the seat squab to keep from ending up in the driver’s lap. On one occasion this actually happened. We were driving along the sea front and were directed to an incident and went off at high speed turning left from the sea front into Lifstan Way. I was hanging on in the usual manner but during this corner found myself suddenly catapulted sideways against the driver – the left hand seat outer runner securing bolts had pulled through the floor pan!

I have to add that I was then a mere waif of 12 stone and we fortunately came out without mishap, though the TR4 needed some reinforcing work on the seat mountings.”

The mystery is solved!

The story such as the one above is the very reason why it is important that these historic cars are preserved. This doesn’t just apply to unique historic vehicles, I’m sure many of you car enthusiasts out there have your own personal stories and memories associated with your own pride and joy, as do I. If these cars are left to rot, those memories will fade, it’s restoring those memories as well as the car that excites me about these projects. I hope to have the car out and about summer 2009, but given the amount of time it took to get the body onto the chassis, I suggest you don’t hold your breath!

Neil Revington

Revington TR’s New Website, introduces a new look, layout with increased usability and functionality, including a traders login!

Welcome TR Enthusiasts to Revington TR’s new and improved e-commerce website. You may not have realised that the old website had been active for more than 5 years, this is a long time in anybodies book but in computer terms it’s an eternity. This new website introduces a new look, a more user friendly and intuitive interface and increased functionality. We at Revington TR hope that all this will make buying your TR parts, be it new, original, second hand or uprated hassle free and more enjoyable.

A New Look

The first thing many of you may notice is our new logo and style , which have returned us to our roots. We at Revington TR have always tried to set ourselves apart from the crowd, by striving to supply quality components with a service and customer support rivalled by no other TR parts supplier. This is echoed in our redesign, with a logo which some of you may recognise as having similarities to our original design, created by Neil more than 20 years ago. Something else you may have noticed is the return to the inverted black colour scheme, which any of you who used our website 5 years ago may also recognise. This design was completely radical compared to most upcoming websites which stuck with the traditional white background. We had a lot of feedback from customers praising the different approach we took to the website; this was one of the main reasons for our return to a black website.

Easier Access to Catalogues

The new additions are not just cosmetic though, we have streamlined the site making it far more intuitive to the customer. Revington TR’s online catalogues are now easily accessible from the left hand menu and if you wish to browse parts filtered by a specific marque this can be done by selecting the appropriate car on the front page. Triumphs original catalogues, currently available for TR2-6 early, are also easily accessible from the left hand menu as well as the front page and as always these are completely e-commerce enabled. If at any point you wish to filter by a different marque a drop-down menu is provided, accessible within both Revington TR’s catalogues and Triumphs original catalogues and is located at the top right of the page. Hopefully this new intuitive layout will make buying parts for your TR completely stress free.

Featured and New Products

You will also notice the addition of New Products and Features on the front page and within the TR Homepages. This enables us to keep you up to date with all our promotions, re-introduced parts, any OE parts we currently stock and also any new uprated parts Revington TR have innovated. Keep an eye open on these sections for some interesting products.

Traders Access

Revington TR would also like to announce the introduction of a traders’ login. This allows for traders to see their discounts displayed right in front of them so you know exactly how much the parts are going to cost you. To apply for a trade account please login to the Revington TR website, if you do not have an account please register one. Once logged in select ‘My Details’ on the top right of the site and then from this page you can apply for your trade account. Once we have accepted you application your account will be instantly activated and your discounts will be displayed.

We hope that the new look, layout and functionality of our website makes buying parts for your TR a more enjoyable experience. If you have any queries, comments or suggestions we welcome all feedback, please email me on marcus@revingtontr.com.

Marcus Revington

le Mans 2008 report >>

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Click here to view the complete Le Mans Classic 2006 photo gallery. Also click on images to enlarge.

The Revington TRS lines up against GT40's, AC Cobras and Ferraris

It was a sight that’s not been seen for 45 years - a Triumph TRS competing at the legendary Le Mans circuit.

And what a sight it was, the Revington TRS driven by Nick Marsh and Tony Dron not only finished this year’s Le Mans Classic without missing a beat, but came home an impressive 23rd overall in the outright classification in Group Four. It also finished ahead of many of the more powerful, ex-competition machines, such as Ford GT40s, AC Cobras and a host of Ferraris.

The race was the culmination of many years work for the car’s owner, Paul Gerring and the man behind the reincarnation of the TRS, Neil Revington. But this is not the end of the story ... far from it!

In 1998 work began on recreating one of the cars that were built by Standard Triumph’s competition department to compete at Le Mans in 1960 and 1961. After much research and with extensive reference into its racing ancestry, work on the first Revington TRS Le Mans commenced and, after spending two years being built, the car was finally completed in 2002.

Initially used on the road and for displays and exhibitions, the Revington TRS Le Mans took pride of place at this year’s Historic Motorsport Show in February, where it caught the eye of experienced racing driver and journalist Tony Dron. Impressed with the accurate replication of the 1960s original, Dron offered to drive the car in the Le Mans Classic and following the show, an entry into this well-subscribed and prestigious event was applied for.

Race modified Revington TRS showing Adrian Newey's GT40 the way

To ensure a truly historic occasion, entries are ordinarily only accepted for cars of the make and type that raced at Le Mans between 1923 and 1979. However, because of the accuracy in the reproduction of the Revington TRS Le Mans, the entry was accepted - much to the delight of the team.

Preparation for the race then commenced and in order to comply with competition regulations and to improve the car’s performance in racing conditions, a number of modifications were made, such as the fitting of a roll-cage, a cut-down screen, full harnesses and a number of mechanical tweaks.

A series of tests in race trim then followed before the big day when more than 380 cars lined up to do battle. The field was split into six classes: 1923-1939, 1949-1956, 1957-1961, 1962-1965, 1966-1971 and 1972-1979, with the Revington TRS Le Mans classified in class four.

The race, which took place on Saturday and Sunday, 8th & 9th July, featured the same famous circuit used for the modern 24-hour race, with its mixture of specially built race-track sections and closed roads which provided competitors with an 8.482 mile lap and included the notorious Mulsanne straight.

A pre-event practice session was to provide the first test for the Revington TRS. Things went well and, with no problems reported, Dron qualified 50th out of 70 cars. Now this might not sound too impressive, but it was the first time the car had been on a track and pitched against a field of thoroughbred racing machinery.

In keeping with tradition, racing started at 4.00 pm on Saturday and continued until the same time on Sunday. However, because of the age of many of the cars, each of the six classes competed for three 45min sessions, each including a compulsory pit stop for a change of driver if needed.

The TRS reliving the famous Le Mans Start

To add to the nostalgia, drivers relived the famous Le Mans start by running across the track to their cars, but in these safety-conscious times, it was only for show and the real racing commenced with a rolling start.

With a commitment to a Ferrari team which had to be fulfilled, Dron was disappointed not to be able to drive the first of the three races in the TRS so regular classic car racer Nick Marsh was brought in to fulfill the role.

Mindful that there were three races ahead, Marsh opted for a cautious start, but soon became confident in the handling and stability of the TRS and began to increase the pace, his progress through the field assisted as other competitors around him dropped back or retired with mechanical difficulties - or even accidents.

With no problems whatsoever, Marsh finished race one in 30th position and prepared himself for the challenge of race two - which began at 4.00 o’clock in the morning and took place in the dark! Even though it was Marsh’s first ever race in these conditions, he circulated at a consistent pace, only dropping a few seconds per lap to his daylight times and after a faultless performance Marsh crossed the line in 30th position.

And so to race three and enter Tony Dron, who was eager to get behind the wheel of the Revington TRS. After starting well it wasn’t long before the red flags came out when another competitor crashed heavily and when the race got underway again, Dron put his head down and got on with the job.

Although the road-going TRS did not have the out-and-out speed on the straights and was being caught and passed by the more powerful cars, Dron was making up time under braking and in the bends, delighting the crowd with a fine display of committed driving as he drifted the car through the corners.

Lap-by-lap he made up places and at the end of the race, Dron and the team were delighted to end the final race of the weekend in 27th place, a result which produced an aggregate score of 23rd in group four, out of 70 starters.

The Revington TRS in its first event giving more exotic machinery a run for their money

Entering the straight, Revington TRS showing off its handling ability

Tony Dron delighted with the performance of the Revington TRS

At the finish Dron praised the performance of the Revington TRS: "Considering the car has not raced before and its fitted with a road engine, I’m impressed with it. It may not have had the pace on the straights, but it handled so well under braking and through the corners. To finish where we did is testimony to Neil and the team. They did a great job in preparing the car so it ran 100% throughout the three races."

Nick Marsh was also pleased with the car and the outcome of the weekend: "It was a real privilege to be the first driver to ever race the Revington TRS - and to be the first to drive this car at Le Mans since the works team competed there 45 years ago. I really enjoyed driving it and was very impressed with its handling and reliability - I can't wait to do it again!"

The Owner of the Revington TRS, Paul Gerring was delighted that his car had gone so well and was brought home without a scratch: "I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive about seeing my car race for the first time. But once the adrenalin cuts in and the drivers started to move up the field, then it was all about getting to the finish in the highest position possible. I was very pleased that we finished ahead of the MGBs, which were the cars we were setting our sights on. I’ve got the bug now and I’m sure this won't be the last time we see the Revington TRS racing."

Neil Revington was initially pleased that the TRS he created had been accepted to compete in the Le Mans Classic - and then to perform as it did was a real bonus: “As the rules of entry state that cars must be authentic to the type that raced previously at Le Mans, I was delighted when ours was accepted. It means it is a very close reproduction of the original, which is exactly what we set out to do. Then, for the car to finish without a problem after lapping the Le Mans circuit for over two hours is fantastic. I’m very pleased with the result."

The team are now contemplating their next move and plans are already afoot to replace the engine with a more powerful unit. Now, with the experience of the Le Mans Classic behind them, the team are fired up for more and it’s highly likely the car will be back in action again soon and return to Le Mans again next year to uphold its honour.

Revington TR is currently planning to put its TRS Le Mans into production and is intending to offer cars for sale before the end of the year.

Click here to view the complete Le Mans Classic 2006 photo gallery. Also click on images to enlarge.

The Revington TRS Le Mans race entry was made by the TR Register. Sponsors include: Schering Plough Animal Health, Merial Animal Health, Virbac Animal Health, Fort Dodge Animal Health, Janssen Animal Health, MillHouse Ltd, Kruuse, Royal Canin, Performance Plastics and Revington TR.

We are proud to announce the addition of browse-able electronic versions of the Original Triumph Parts Catalogues, TR2-5, to the Revington TR website. This new section as well as some additional refinements will make buying parts for your TR much easier and quicker then ever before.

To access this new section either click on the picture of the Catalogues on the home page and select your model from the drop down menu or select your model from the Home page and then click ‘Original Triumph Spare Parts Catalogue online’ from the left hand menu of the TR homepage you have selected. This will then take you to a list of Catalogue sections, each containing a list of parts and an accompanying picture relevant to the area of the car you are interested in. From here original parts can be viewed and bought. To make browsing for original triumph parts as easy as possible the sections are split up as the original Spare Parts Catalogues are, so everything will look very familiar for those who already own paper versions of the Spare Parts Catalogue.

Other refinements to the Revington TR website include the addition of ‘All Cars’ to the car selection bar, this will enable you to browse the entire parts range both standard and modified without any sorting. Also the TRS and Italia now have their own Homepages with all relevant sorting. If you browse to a car Homepage you will see some layout changes and also the addition of a button called ‘Development History’, clicking on this will take you to a page with a detailed list of the changes Triumph made to the car during its production life.

Currently we have uploaded electronic versions of the Original Triumph Parts Catalogues for TR2, TR3 (including TR3A and TR3B) TR4,TR4A and TR5. TR250 and TR6 will come next with TR7 and TR8 bringing up the rear.

We hope that these new changes to the Revington TR website will make life easier for you.

If you have any suggestions please do not hesitate to contact us on info@revingtontr.com, thank you.

The memory of a Triumph TRS racing in the Le Mans 24-hour endurance event 45 years ago will be re-lived next weekend, when a Revington TRS Le Mans takes part in this year’s Le Mans Classic.

Piloted by motoring journalist and experienced racing driver, Tony Dron, the Revington TRS Le Mans will make its racing debut in this event. Having recently tested the car, Dron is looking forward to the challenge:

"It's the first time out in competition for the car and pre-race testing has proved very encouraging. Handling, brakes and reliability all seem well up to the mark and the immaculately prepared Revington TRS Le Mans looks very much the part. The Le Mans circuit, however, is so fast and so different from anything we have at home, we won’t be able to tell how competitive the car really is until we get there."

The Revington TRS Le Mans is a recreation of the cars that were built by Standard Triumph’s competition department to contest Le Mans in 1960 and 1961. Spawned out of a passion for Triumph TRs and motorsport, after much research and, calling on his supreme technical knowledge, TR specialist Neil Revington brought the TRS back to life in his Somerset workshops.

“I am delighted we are competing in the Le Mans Classic this year.” said Revington. “We are just about to go into production with this car and therefore entering this race will assist us with our testing and development programme and provide us with great publicity before its launched in a few months time.”

Dron will be driving the first Revington TRS Le Mans to be built, which is now owned by Somerset businessman, Paul Gerring.

The Le Mans Classic takes place on Saturday and Sunday, 8th & 9th July on the full Le Mans 24 hour Circuit 4-hour race held a few weeks ago.

Entries are only accepted for cars of the make and type that raced at Le Mans between 1923 and 1979, a regulation which ensures a truly historic occasion. Lining up for battle will be over 380 cars, which are split into six classes: 1923 – 1939, 1949 – 1956, 1957 – 1961, 1962 – 1965, 1966 – 1971 and 1972 – 1979. Dron and the Revington TRS Le Mans will compete in class four.

Racing commences at 4.00 pm on Saturday and, in true Le Mans tradition, continues until the same time on Sunday. However, because of the age of many of the cars, each of the six classes competes for three, 45min sessions.

To add to the nostalgic nature of the event, drivers will run across the track to their cars to re-live the famous Le Mans start, but in these safety conscious times, this will only be for show and the real racing will commence with a rolling start.

Dron’s Revington TRS Le Mans race entry has been made by the TR Register. Sponsors include: Schering Plough Animal Health, Merial Animal Health, Virbac Animal Health, Fort Dodge Animal Health, Janssen Animal Health, MillHouse Ltd, Kruuse , Royal Canin, Performance Plastics and Revington TR.

Early morning Friday before the rush

The Revington TR stand at the International Historic Motorsport Show 24th-26th Feb. 2006 at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry proved to be an International success. For general information about the show visit please click here.

You could not miss the Revington TR stand as we took pride of place with the Rally Feature stand displaying a recreation of a period service /repair halt along the route of one of the world famous rallies of the day, the Liège-Sofia-Liège.

44 years ago, in August 1962, the works Standard Triumph team contested the Liège-Sofia-Liège Rally with three powder blue TR4s. The arduous nature of the event meant that teams had to make regular service halts, some of them un-scheduled and make-shift affairs at the side of the road.

One such occasion was half way through the event in the Dolomites and the scene depicted at the International Historic Motorsport Show was a snapshot of this ad-hoc maintenance stop.

Of the four Works TR4s registered 3VC, 4VC 5VC and 6VC, three have survived to tell the tale and have been tracked-down and gathered together by Revington TR especially for the show. The feature display scene also included a venerable Atlas van, as used by Standard Triumph's Competition department as the service barge of the day.

The highly successful 4 car TR4 team competed, usually in a team of 3 cars for three seasons, from 1962 to 1964 The cars were variously crewed by: John Sprinzel, Graham Robson, Mike Sutcliffe, Roy Fiddler, Jean-Jacques Thuner, John Gretener, Willy Cave, Tommy Wisdom, Jeff Uren, Vic Elford, David Stone, Don Barrow, Roger Clark, Brian Culcheth, Don GrimShaw, Roy Dixon, Bert Rasmussen, Paul Coombe, Gordon Jennings and Ed Homsey. Of these illustrious names we were delighted to entertain on our stand Graham Robson, Roy Fiddler, John Gretener, Willy Cave, Vic Elford, Don Barrow and Brian Culcheth. This list was swelled by a host of other rallying names from the past including Paddy Hopkirk, John Hopwood, Bill Price, Stuart Turner ,John Waddington, John Wadsworth, Mike Wood, Tony Fall and Gordon Birtwistle who bought 4VC from the factory once the cars were no longer being rallied.

The Revington TRS le Mans

The atlas van stole the show

On the other side of the arch Revington TR proudly unveiled to the general public the TRS le Mans, an aluminium-bodied recreation of the car that was developed to compete in the 24 hours le Mans race, in 1960 and 1961. Developed over the last few years, the Revington TRS le Mans goes on sale in the spring of this year.

The TRS Le Mans will be demonstrated on test days at circuits around the country throughout 2006. To book a test drive and for all information about the TRS le Mans contact Neil at Revington TR: +44(0) 1823 698437

Vic Elford describes to Neil Revington the arduous nature of 60’s rallying.

Typical crowds throughout the day.

Here you can find news items which are no longer current, but may still be of interest.