"No Respect"
Tyee Triumph Club - Washington State
by Michael Farris
It was unofficially dubbed the "No Respect" tour by
wedge enthusiasts in the
Tyee Triumph Club. As a participant, I can say there was no end
of pride as a dozen wedges showed up for a 9 AM run in Auburn WA.  Cars
ranged from a well appointed '77 Coupe to an '81 PI from the last months
of production. Almost half were original TR8s or TR7s converted to V8
power. One TR7 Spider had tallied 180,000 miles and sported a remarkable
and easily visible 1/8 inch end play in the thrust bearings! It was
ready to run. Another member had converted his left-hand drive TR7 to
V8 AND right-hand drive along with full UK spec bumpers. He does remember
to stay on the right side of the road! We're not sure what the neighbors
thought about 12 sportcars starting up in the street on a quiet Saturday
morning. For us it was a symphony.
The procession wound its way up a local valley past a salmon hatchery
and several wooded lakes toward Black Diamond WA. Long sloping curves
gave everyone a chance to take in the sight of nothing but wedges behind
and ahead as far as the eye could see. Organizers Larry Ingersoll and
Tom Wadell drove the lead and chase cars keeping in touch by CB radio
for the sake of any navigationally challenged drivers. At our first
rest stop at the
Black Diamond Bakery a stray
red Miata [MX5/Eunos] happened into the mix. Utterly confused by the
surrounding British hoard, she yipped away to a safer parking area.
We wound through a series of small towns out of Enumclaw and Buckley,
culminating in a curvy stretch of road that doubled as a "Volcano Evacuation
Route." It was good to know in the event of a real emergency all those
bloated SUVs would never make the curves thus ensuring the survival
of nimble cars like the TR7/8. Thank you Mr. Darwin. We gathered at
a scenic overlook for the group shot of all the cars. The group shot
of the people was fine too but most agreed the cars were much better
looking and, for the most part, better preserved.
The return leg of the tour brought us to the L&M Firehouse where we
all ate the western Washington equivalent of pub-grub -- micro-brews
and platters of things entirely deep fried. All in all, we did better
mechanically than gastrically. No [serious] breakdowns occurred and
though we joked about our Lucas electrics, Ibelieve everyone's turn
signals functioned. True, we did put those Federal battering ram bumpers
to good use once to push a misfiring spider
into a shady spot for some work on the plugs and a few drivers watched
the temp gauge as closely as they did theroad. But the day was tremendous
and full credit goes to the Tyee club for organizing a great event.
Michael Farris
Seattle
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