August 2008 �

Volume 21, Issue 8, August 2008

Hope you and your families survived the Hurricane this month without

mishaps. Most of us had much needed rain, but nothing else. The rain didn’t hurt our “July Picnic Run”. The fellowship was great as always, the food was excellent, and we only lost one member to over heating problems. Bill Waller was on his way to meet us in Jonestown when he had a bout with overheating. He called

safe and sound from home to let us know he was alright. We left 620 and 2222 at �0:30 AM. Our first pit stop was at Bob and Barbara Kramer’s. Bob was a great host, and gave Greg West some very useful information on his TR6 ignition which is under renovation. Since Greg’s TR6 was under the weather, he rode with me on our tour across the Texas Hill Country around Travis Lake. It didn’t take us long to reach the Picnic site in Jonestown next

to Lake Travis. There was a great covered Picnic area there. The view was wonderful, and the temperature was cool. Greg was a great navigator, and fixed lunch for us on this trip. There was a choice of wine, assorted soft drinks, and water. I chose the luncheon plate with exotic cheese, ham and sesame crackers. Greg had what looked to me like a gourmet club

by Steve Johnson, President

“Welcome To The Club”

The RAGTOP 2

sandwich with chips. After lunch we were off again. On our way back, we took yet another interesting winding road next to Lake Travis, and then back to the start of our adventure at 2222, arriving at around 2:00 PM. It did seem a little warmer as Duke rolled into the parking area, but overall it was a cool trip in more ways than one.

CLUB UPDATES –

Bob and Barbara Kramer have everything ready for the All British Car Day scheduled for September 27th and 28th. If you are attending, they may need your help, so drop them a note or call. Here’s the ABCD website for more

information http://www.txabcd.org/. Bill Waller and Dean Mericas are working on the “Rolling Art Show” that is scheduled for early October. More news on this show will be coming soon I’m sure. Carol Pennington is planning a tour to “Yoakum,Texas” for food and fun in November. Please plan on attending the club meeting this month. We’ll enjoy seeing you and catching up on the latest upcoming events. You don’t have to drive your car to experience the excitement. Triumphantly Yours,

Steve

To.

Hill Country Triumph Club Members

Post Card

“NEW MEMBER” Phillip McKenzieSpitfire 1979 Red

104 Riverview CoveGeorgetown, TX 78628

pngmck@suddenlink.net

August 2008 3

I was not at the July meeting, so the fol-lowing was compiled from notes gratefully taken by Steve Johnson and Bill Waller . . .

El Presidente brought us up to date on plan-ning for the 2009 Regional meet in Marble Falls: Ralph Herter spoke with Christina Lane of the City Council in Marble Falls, regarding the use of main street for concours on Saturday. She said it could be done, however there would be a series of hoops to jump through. John-son Park the park is being used for the Citywide Garage Sale that day. The Chamber has made a few suggestions for us and I think that in the near future we should check them out. Steve Johnson will work with Ralph so that we can tour some of the locations and make selections after the All British Car Day. Don Couch will be heading up the Auto-cross. He’s working on timing units. VTR has promised to provide each Region with a timing setup. We are in the process of firming that promise now to insure we have time for a fall back plan if needed. Barbara Kramer and Nel McPhail will

help with Registration and the Hospitality room. Steve is working with the Kramer’s to generate a list of the events and items that need covering/doing before the VTR Regional. He hopes to have a draft of that based on past history by the next meeting. At the meeting Bill Waller recommended that a nice driving event would be a visit to the new facility of Lost Creek Winery at Sunrise Beach. Other business included a discussion of ALL BRITISH CAR DAY - Major progress is be-ing made by Bob and Barbara Kramer and the entire committee. They will have a better under-standing of what event-day volunteer help will be needed from the HCTC at our August and September meetings. There was a discussion of the Mike McPhail / Art Graves story in our last newslet-ter concerning their annual trip to the ROAD-STER FACTORY’S “LAST” SUMMER PARTY. I personally wish that the Party would last until I retire and can join these intrepid lads on their yearly quest! A PICNIC RUN was organized by the group for July 26th. Thumbing their noses at the brutal Texas Heat, the plan was to make a

by Bob Skewis |Bob’s Your Uncle

July Meeting

The RAGTOP �

by Mike McPhail

short 23 mile run from 620 and 2222 bringing a picnic lunch to the Jones Brother’s Park in Jonestown. Bill Waller gave an update on Dean Meri-cas’ Rolling Sculpture Car Show that will be held at the Hill Country Galleria some time in Octo-ber. This show is open to all cars and will have a separate section especially for “art cars”. Bill Waller is helping organize the event which will take place after the Texas ABCD. Nel McPhail is working on getting regular meeting locations to cut down on the confusion about where the monthly meeting will be held. The idea is to have one meeting place North and one South with meetings alternating between the two. Uncle Bob would like to point out that this will eliminate the only responsibility of the Vice President – so, everyone be thinking of what we could saddle Bob Baker with when he returns

from Colorado! Finally -- Phil Taylor, Don Couch, Bill Waller, Bob Kramer, Mike Jankowski and new member Philip McKenzie stayed a bit longer to ponder why Phil Taylor’s Guinness had a ball rolling around inside. It apparently took a couple of rounds and an autopsy of an empty can to verify the existence of the ball. The mystery ball can be explained from this information obtained from the internet: That little plastic thing is called a widget. It’s filled with liquid nitrogen under pressure. When the can is cracked, the nitrogen vaporizes and helps the beer re-lease carbon dioxide. This is crucial to the creamy head that makes Guiness so wonder-ful. It mimics the process of pouring it from the tap. The club welcomes Philip McKenzie and his 79 Spitfire . . . I’ll see you on the road!

HCTC News

Cover Photoby Dave Smith of TR3 at Road America’s CanAm Reunion

in Elkhart Lake Wisconsin.

The 6-Pack Trials We are having the 6-Pack Trials on September 11-13,

2008 in Townsend, TN, and plan to ride the Dragon on Friday Morning, the 12th.

6-Pack is a national club dedicated to the Triumph TR-6 and TR-250.

We have members coming from as far away as Texas and New York.

The ride of the Dragon is our featured event this year. More information:www.6-pack.org

August 2008 �

WhencontactedafterthelocalneighborhoodIndependenceDayparade,WileyChristal

confirmed that the white TR-6 with red and blue decorations belonged to him. That little Brit-

ish car led the parade – it was immediately behind the mandatory City of Round Rock fire truck.

“What a thrill following that fire engine with the screaming siren,” Christal said while rubbing

his ears after the parade.

Christal’s seven-year-old granddaughter accompanied him in the passenger seat of the TR-6.

“She really enjoyed the ride and thought it was funny waving to the spectators,” he said. It

was discovered that Christal’s granddaughter, daughter, and wife put the American decor on

the British car the night before the big event. “Our neighborhood has had a July 4th parade

for as long as we have lived here,” Christal said while munching on a hot dog at the picnic that

followed the parade. The kids were certainly enjoying themselves with water pistol fights on

this hot July day.

Little British Car Spotted in July 4th Parade

The RAGTOP 6

B efore moving to Texas, I was

involved putting on an annual

classic car show in Ann Arbor that brings

out hundreds of cars and thousands of

people that make Main Street of this Mid-

western college town a destination for the

evening. The show was started by Bob

Elton, a local automotive historian who’s

spent most of his life in the auto indus-

try. Bob’s vision was an everyman’s show

to celebrate all aspects of the car hobby,

with a focus on fun and a common pas-

sion for all things automotive, and as little

brand snobbery as possible.

This is no concours d’elegance.

You’re as likely to see a nicely preserved

Olds Vista Cruiser stationwagon as you

are a lineup of restored Thunderbirds, an

ancient Fiat micro-car, a new Ferrari, or

a cluster of LBCs. Because its held in the

heart of downtown, the crowds linger for

hours enjoying the cars, grabbing dinner

at one of the many restaurants, and hang-

ing out in the bars. This show has turned

into one of the city’s largest events. Here

are a few URLs that describe this show

from various perspectives (including Eliz-

abeth’s!):

www.mainstreetannarbor.com/newsde-

tail.asp?id=20

www.automobilemag.com/features/col-

umns/0410_rolling_sculpture/index.html

www.arborweb.com/reviews/0307.roll-

ingsculp-review.html

So, why would a Ragtop reader be

interested in a car show in some Midwest-

Hill Country Rolling Sculpture Car Show

by Dean Mericas

August 2008 7

ern college town? Because this October

12th, the Texas Hill Country will host its

first Rolling Sculpture Car Show. More

than 200 collector cars, modern classics,

hot rods, art cars, and other motorized

eye candy will be parked along the main

street of the Hill Country Galleria on Route

71 in Bee Cave ( http://www.hillcoun-

trygalleria.com/location.aspx ). Live mu-

sic, restaurants, shops, and even a mul-

tiplex theatre add to the experience, and

provide lots of options for family mem-

bers who may need a break from strolling

among the show cars. Trophies will be

awarded, and there are even rumors of an

Elvis appearance.

The planning committee for the

show consists of myself, our own ex-

“leader” Bill Waller, a friend from the local

Alfa Romeo community who recently kick-

started a monthly Cars & Coffee event

here in Austin, a local automotive journal-

ist, and a father/son pair who own a res-

toration shop in Lakeway. We cover the

gamut in automotive interests and “car

guy” networks, which should guarantee a

good turn out and a very diverse field.

One of my goals is to have a larger

representation of foreign cars than typi-

cally turn up at local car shows. I’m hop-

ing that this article will pique your interest

enough to put the date on your calendar

and start planning to bring your own roll-

ing sculpture to the show.

The RAGTOP 8

Classy Classifieds

To One & All:I have been contacted by an individual rep-

resenting his wife in the sale of her inherited

TR3. It was grandma’s car and was driven un-

til 1993. The car is in Kingsland, TX and they

want it to go to someone who will preserve

it. No dollar amount has been discussed and

it show some basic needs. It will take a clos-

er inspection to arrive at a true value. I am

enclosing photos sent to me and will provide

contact info to seriously interested parties.

That’s all, folks.

Michael Connally

2800 N. E. Loop 410 (Connally Loop)

Suite 307

San Antonio, TX 78218

210-823-0903

mcfoto@swbell.net

August 2008 9

a Name :

a Address :

a City / State : a Zip :

a Home Phone :

a Work Phone :

a E-mail address :

a Car Make : a Model : a Year : a Color :

a Car Make : a Model : a Year : a Color :

:: Please circle which method you would like the newsletter delivered : E-mail Snail Mail

:: How did you hear about the Hill Country Triumph Club?

:: Please mail application and check payable HCTC to :

Nel McPhail, 1105 N. Canyonwood Dr., Dripping Springs, TX, 78260

OfficersPresidentSteve Johnson2�8.�3�0stevenjohnson7@sbcglobal.net

Vice-PresidentBob Baker��8.0093bcbaker@austin.rr.com

TreasurerEarl McGlothlin292.3387conniemcg@austin.rr.com

SecretaryBob Skewis892.�068skewistx@msn.com

MembershipNel Mcphail6�6.���6mncphail@austin.rr.com

Ragtop EditorWarren Cole92�.0939frankwarrencole@gmail.com

WebmasterDan Julien���.3�02dan.julien@alumni.utexas.net

The Hill Country Triumph Club, the 50th Chapter of the Vintage Triumph Register (VTR), was founded in 1990 to bring together the owners of Triumph automobiles in the Central Texas area surrounding Austin. In 1991, the membership decided to include other British car fans as associates due to lack of other clubs in our area that represent some of the other marques. As owners and lovers of our unique types of cars, we have a special kinship, which draws us together. Membership is open to anyone who is a British car enthusiast, with or without a car.

Annual dues are just $15.00 per family group or address per year. We have dinner meetings on the 2nd Tuesday of each month and at least one other event each month. We encourage you to join and support us, even if you don’t drive your car regularly. We also offer technical assistance if needed. One goal of the club is to help its members keep their cars on the road. Please call one of the club officers listed in the newsletter for more information about club benefits and spread the word about our club to others.

The Hill Country Club is a local chapter of the Vintage Triumph Register (VTR)/Tri-umph Sports Owners Association, which is open to all drivers of Triumph motorcars; a chapter of the Triumph Register of America, exclusively for TR2 through TR4A sports cars; and a chapter of the 6-PACK, dedicated to the enjoyment, preservation, and restora-tion of the Triumph TR250 and TR6 sports cars. Membership in these national organiza-tions is encouraged. Visit their websites at www.vtr.org, www.triumphregister.com, and www.6-pack.org.

The RAGTOP is published monthly by the Hill Country Triumph Club. Material with-in may be freely reproduced providing Ragtop and the authors are credited. Any and all newsletter contributions are welcome. Deadline for submissions is the end of each month. Submissions may be sent to: Warren Cole; 8290 FM 1322; Lockhart, TX 78644 or E-mailed to frankwarrencole@gmail.com. Photos in jpeg format are always welcome. Car related classified ads are free to members and will run for three months unless other-wise instructed. Contact editor for other ads.

Membership Application

The RAGTOP �0

August 2008 12 Club meeting, Pok-e-jo’s BBQ 15-17 All Triumph Drive-In Richland, Washington Registration-magdah@comcst.net

September 2008 9 Club meeting, TBA 11-13 The 6-Pack Trials in Townsend, TN 13 Brits In The Ozarks

October 2008 12 The Alamo MG Club will be hosting an All British Car Gathering in Gruene, Texas from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. For more information please contact Larry Rogers at mgrollers@yahoo.com 18 Houston British Motor Expo

��0� N. Canyonwood Dr.Dripping Springs, TX 78620address change requested

The August meeting will be held Tuesday, August 12, 7 PM, Pok-e-jo’s BBQ in the Brodie Oaks shopping center, Northwest corner of South Lamar and Ben White/Capitol of Texas Highway/Loop 360,

Phone 512 440-0447.

Hill Country Triumph Club Events

“If it says July 08 or earlier, your dues are past due.”