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Jim Giordano
Seattle WA USA

E-mail:
Web page: none
phone: 425.603.9612

1965 Triumph TR4 V8

TR4-V8 - There's a stealthy monster lurking in the soggy streets of Seattle. Funny things happen when British car nuts happen upon old British cars in unusual places. A sort of ""karmic"" connection sometimes occurs, that if not careful, may result in a title in your pocket and the car parked in your driveway. That's exactly what happened to me and my 1965 Buick aluminum V8 powered TR4. This fall I waiting for my Volvo wagon to be serviced at a funky Volvo repair shop on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle, when I spotted a nice looking white, TR4 sitting amidst a lot of old Volvos. Tell me, wouldn't this raise your eyebrow and interest? Always looking for another project, I started poking around the car, climbing underneath looking for the usual cancerous body and floorpans, and was surprised to see the car had a nearly rust-free, straight body and nice interior, and large dual exhausts? A fellow in overalls sauntered over and explained that he recently bought the car from a friend, and proceeded to pop the hood. Expecting to see the usual solid, 4 cylinder prime mover, I was shocked to see a shiny, Buick all aluminum V8 sitting well back in the engine bay, with a big 'ole Holley 4 barrel sitting in the middle, and a Ford Toploader ""rockcrusher"" 4spd with hurst shifter. I asked him how in the world he got this kind of power to terra firma with the TR4's skinny, aged Michelin X radials and stock wire wheels? He casually offered that although he could spin the tires in all gears, it was a very manageable and fun car to drive. Before my good sense could intervene, we were talking price, and we struck a deal. On the way over to buy and pickup the car the following day, my cell phone rings and its the Volvo guy. He explained that friend and fellow Volvo mechanic made an offer significantly higher than mine, and the car was sold. Instead of telling the fellow off, I calmly thanked him hung up. Fast forward a couple months, a couple days after Christmas, and the Volvo technician, a wonderful mechanic and nice guy to boot, called me up and said he needed cash asap, and that his friend who purchased the car did not have the funds available to complete the sale. It turns out he did a lot of work on the car, and upon inspection, it was better than when I first saw it. This proves my theory that you never give up hope when a car seems out of your grasp of ownership, and never cuss out a seller when they welch on a deal. The V8 conversion is nicely done, and we believe the conversion occured in the seventies, when V8 conversions were the rage.  I have always had a ""thing"" for the Buick, all-aluminum 213cu.in.V8. The car I learned to drive on as a car crazed 16 year old was a former grandmother's 1962 Buick Special, a timid looking 4 door that produced smiles when you tromped on the gas pedal. The fact the British Leyland bought the tooling and still use this fine Buick/Rover engine adds to my love for this engine. The steering conversion is expecially elegant and stout, and the car abounds with wonderful examples of little mechanical ""triumphs"" required to properly achieve this conversion. The car looks dead stock except for the seats, rollbar, shifter and dual exhaust system--which could easily be overlooked as a hop-up item for the standard powerplant. One would hope this story would go on with years of happy ownership, memorable drives, and stories of lesser-powered cars and their bewildered drivers being left in the TR4-V8s rearview mirror..with a question on their lips...""what was that thing?"" Reality has set in,however. There are too many cars sitting under blue tarps in my driveway, and the neighbors and spouse are getting upset. They simply don't appreciate what the the TR4 V8 is!  The car deserves better than to slowly mold under a blue tarp and rainy Seattle skies. Maybe there's someone out there with a less crowded driveway and more understanding spouse who needs this car? I may change my mind, but the car is for sale. You can email me at gio@sprynet.com or call me at 425-603-9612.

(Click for a larger image)

(Click for a larger image)