A Total Triumph

Triumph is known mostly for its motorcycles these days, and even during their heyday, Triumph cars were not widely popular in the U.S. So, it’s with that in mind when I say that I love to jump into one of their more popular American releases, the Triumph TR6, whenever I get the chance. I happened upon one such opportunity in the PetSmart parking lot thanks to a little Boston Terrier named Snickers and his driver companion, Ed, just the other day.

I was on my weekly cat food run, when I saw the beautiful hunter-green sports car with the immaculate brown leather and wood-grain interior. Inside, there was a matching set of our very own Cocomats, so I knew I had to find the owner and speak to him. Rather than go inside the store as I had planned, I lurked inside my car in the parking lot for about ten minutes until the driver made his way outside and approached the car.

I walked up to him, socially distant and masked-up of course, and asked him if I could take a closer look at his TR6. I explained who I was and who I worked for. Fortunately, he was not at all creeped out, but instead was rather flattered and enthusiastic to show off his pride and joy. He introduced me to Snickers, and I showed him pictures of my wonderful cats and walked him through the Natural Auto Products website and family of products, and then we got to the matter at hand.

He explained that the car was a barn find and that it had taken him about ten years to find all of the parts, wait on some things to be manufactured, and finally fully restore the body and engine to factory specs. He had to build the entire engine from the ground up and have the transmission professionally rebuilt and tuned. He then drove it bone-stock for a number of years before deciding to add a little more power under the hood and a few quality of life improvements to make it truly his own and give it some more comfort and pep. He added a modern stereo, custom seats (he was a rather tall fellow to drive such a tight-fitting vehicle), and a few other bells and whistles as well as a turbo kit for some added kick.

Ed invited me to sit in the driver’s seat, and like I said, I almost always say yes whenever I have the opportunity to hop into such lovely ride, but COVID-19 safety and social distancing meant that I was reluctant to take him up on his offer and ultimately had to pass. Still, it was a great experience getting to know him and the history of his car, and it reminded me that we can still make great, personal connections over shared interests even in such weird and uncertain times.

-Trey Fennell