tr7triumph.com

Hi,

Was at a local show yesterday afternoon / evening, Harpenden Classics On The Common a huge 1200+ midweek show ( will post some pictures later If anyone interested ? )

Anyway I digress, a elder gent asked about my car, David, sorry to say forgot his surname but foreign sounding and we got chatting. He attended L.A. school of art and design stateside after which he moved over here where he got a job with Triumph / BMC in the design offices. It turned out to have worked on the early design team for our cars worked around the wings, bonnet and front panel area. He knew of the vacuum head lights etc. without me saying a word and have no reason to doubt him, obviously knew Harris so had a chat about him. He left BL in the early 70's and went to work at Vauxhall doing the Cavalier, from there to IAD where he could remember the early TRX conversations once again no prompting, final work was a concept for Aston Martin, he had a small picture of it in his wallet of it, that looks very much like the Vantage, DB 7 and 9.

Best part of it is he has over 400 concept drawings at home and a lot of them early TR7 prototype stuff, possibly never seen as his own personal thoughts at the time, homework if you like. Hopefully he is true to his word and will give me a call regarding them.

Always worth chatting to anyone at a show..... you never know who they may be. Oh and got him to sign the inside of my boot lid below Harris signature !

Cheers John

Great story John, I had a chap call to visit me after being informed that I had a TR7. His main goal was to take a few measurements of the car to reproduce a small model he had promised some body. (he made small models at special requests) After he took some measurements he drew some quick drawings which I thought was 'unusually not your average sketcher'.
After chatting with him for quite a while it turns out that he worked in the design shop at BL, he also made the clay models at the factory.
He also did some front and rear design work on one of the cars too. However when the clay models were fast becoming a thing of the past he went on to work for another car maker as a free lance designer, I think it was Rolls Royce (or the company who bought Rolls?) in Germany. Martin is now older and retired and doing models cars as a hobby.........Hmm which reminds me, he still has one of my TR7 models, must get in touch, he don't live to far from me

great story id love to see more concept drawings

Must get that stuff on record before it gets thrown out after passing by some family member who unknowingly things it's just doodlings.

Always interested in seeing pictures of the stuff you get over there in general car shows as a lot of stuff never made it over here.