Governing is looking ahead, the local pub owner always says in my hometown. And there is no pin in between. Yet every year we let ourselves be surprised by, for example, the summer or the winter. We only buy winter tires when it is winter and therefore at the highest price. And we buy a boat when the sun shines, at the highest price. But why would you want to pay the top prize? Jurjen Groot (39) had his roadster photographed by us last week for sale. Bad timing? Not for the buyer. And not for Jurjen either. He bought his car himself at an impossible moment, but then also turned it into trouble and virtue. A few questions to him about this tough Brit.
Why did you choose, now 10 years ago, one Triumph TR6?
I've always found that a great car. The small, angular body with large wheels. The rear-wheel drive. The sound. My father used to have an MGB, so I grew up with this type of car. Such a MG drives very well, but I find the appearance of it too shabby, too polished. I love the raw and tough of the Triumph TR6 with its nice 6 in-line engine. Top Gear's James May calls it: “the blokiest bloke's car”. And so it is!
How did you find this car at the time?
Via the Internet. Of these, I particularly liked the rare combination of white paint, black, genuine leather and the double exhausts. And then those little flags on his ass, the bullet mirror and the tough big fuel cap. After starting, I was struck by the sound and after pressing the accelerator pedal there was no turning back. I bought it 3 weeks before I moved to Shanghai with my girlfriend for 3 years, a very practical timing so haha. But I didn't want to let him walk. In the meantime, I was able to have the engine overhauled, so when I got back it was boarding and accelerating.
But "having the case"?
"Was the beginning of the fun"! Although, the first ride I immediately took my girlfriend with me for 3 months now. She was already a bit skeptical about my boyhood dream from 1973. Just overhauled for a solid penny and yes, he stopped on the way. 2 hours later I saw my Triumph leave on a car ambulance, back to the specialist. It turned out to be novelty of the ignition, but I immediately had an electric 1-2-3 ignition installed after which I never had any starting problems again. From a classic rally through the Ardennes to summer evenings through the woods alone. Or with my son on a booster seat next to me. Ultimate enjoyment with this car. Because you drive so open you also have a lot of interaction with people around you. You are checked (or begging for a wedding in Amsterdam) and at the traffic light the windows of the lease boxes next to you go down a bit for the wonderful sound that the Triumph TR6 produces.
And why auction now?
My daily transport is a beautifull Volvo 480 and there is now a beautiful original orange Volvo 1800 Es next to it. The latter is currently better suited to our current phase of life with 2 children. In addition, I started my own art dealership since 1 January. I would the Triumph I would like to keep track of it, but that is not financially convenient now. So he literally goes “for the right cause”.
Would you buy it back 5 years later if you could?
Yes, absolutely and I secretly hope so too! There is a Post-It with my number in the maintenance book.
What kind of buyer do you want? Triumph TR6?
To someone who is going to tour through the Dutch (and foreign) country with it. An enthusiast who, with the small steering wheel with a short steering wheel angle, also occasionally drives him through the curves just as he was meant to do by the English. And I hope the new owner just keeps it that way, not restored over the top. This is a driver's car.
