Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde (OT)

[Plymouthy Adams]

Mr Hyde was out and about yesterday taking in the dark side of my car junkie habit..(dark side = Lucas) and a host of little British cars. Was a decent turnout given the weather as far as old cars goes but the swap portion, main reason for my venture was a bust..no body was selling parts..none..not sure if the forecasted "day of rain" kept them away or what..I got to see close up about 3 models that I had only seen before in pictures..and the hotrod craze is alive and well over there in the many alternate engine/tranny transplants..some of these cars are just flatout boulevard bombers that I am sure have humbled a few so called mean machines. If I could have driven any of them home..the TR2000 would have been my choice..excellent in Ivory finish..

[oldodge41]

In the motorcycle world, Lucas, was known as "The Prince of Darkness" because he would eventually leave you in the dark as a buddy of mine with a Norton found out numerous times................Tim

[Plymouthy Adams]

Lucas gets a bad rap..sure there are problems..but in the basic wiring scheme of things common to these British cars with their wooden dashes etc etc..grounds are the number one problem and daisy chaining increases the risk of failures..one must stay on top of these connection points if they intend to drive these cars at all..it has always been the joke that you work on the car Monday through Friday so you cand drive it Saturday and Sunday..given all of thet some of the little cars are timeless in design, practical and frugal to the hilt and can be both a great source of happiness and the cause of utter despair at the same time..the LBS are definitely a labor of love and true dedication to the hobby. And by the way, the fact that the most of these cars are convertibles put them in the same exposure brackets most motorcycles are in..if it rains.everything and everybody gonna be wet and unhappy..

[RobertKB]

Tim, any pictures of the cars?

[Plymouthy Adams]

yes..but have not yet downloaded the prictures..I will try to get a few selects later..if no one has ever seen a TR 2000 these things are most unique...a quick look on google images will clue you in on the aspect of these cars..

[greg g]

interesting engines in those cars

neat rumble seat also, although I believe or British cousins call them dickie seats.

Upon further consideration that may not be the engine picture for that car. lets see what Tim thinks...

Edited May 15, 2011 by greg g

[james curl]

Having had both English Sport cars, M G Midget first year 948 cc engine and Triumph TR-4 ,three, a surrey top, an IRS model and a solid rear axle model and an Audi 100 Ls I can attest that Joseph Lucas and Robert Bosch were first cousins, The Prince and the Count of Darkness. Although only the Audi with its capacitor ignition ever left me stranded I did have some voltage regulator problems with one of the TR 4s.

[Flatie46]

I like the styling of the English cars but they're a bit small for me. My wifes doctor has a Morgan. He had a picture of it on his desk (like it was one of his kids) I really impressed him by knowing what it was. I couldn't guess the year though. It was a 57, said he could have bought 2 nice ones for what it cost to fix the one he had.

[Plymouthy Adams]

couple shots of the TR2000 and a minx and a very late model +8