There are many ways to get the Triumph of your dreams, and three very different routes are demonstrated in the main features this month. First of all, there is the Spitfire of Joe Racca and Louise Killingback. They took a gamble on an unfinished restoration project, carried it through to completion on a modest budget and set off for a touring holiday in France. Now the Triumph has become a permanent fixture in their garage. Philip Hill had a very different approach when he first took the plunge into classic car ownership and paid top money for a top TR6. That was back in 2002, and some TW readers may remember an initial interview with Philip that appeared in June, 2004. We thought it was about time we checked up on the man and his car to see how he was coping with classic car ownership over the long haul, to find out whether the reality was still living up to the dream now that the honeymoon period was over. You'll find that story in this months issue of Triumph World and it makes very interesting reading indeed.
Somewhere between these two extremes sits Steve Buxton and his Stag. Steve is himself a very capable restorer, but in this instance he drew up a detailed specification list and then commissioned his brother, David, to build it for him. Anybody who saw the car on the Stag Owners' Club stand at the most recent NEC Classic Car Show would have been wowed by the quality of the finished article – as indeed enthusiasts have been since the Stag won its first concours in 2003.
So three very different routes into Triumph ownership, and I don't think it is giving too much away to say that they are three very happy owners. And, of course, they are only scratching the surface of the ownership options for vehicles associated with Standard-Triumph. Other options include stumbling across the marque almost by accident, restoring a car over many years when many other people would have scrapped it and even buying one specifically to take part in ploughing competitions as a retirement project.
And that last example serves as one final reminder that just as there are many ways of getting into Standard-Triumph ownership (or Bond, Peerless, Swallow etc etc), so there are a huge number of vehicles to choose from and which TW is happy to celebrate. With so much choice, there is simply no excuse not to!

Simon Goldsworthy