After a miserable Saturday, weather-wise, I was planning to get out to the swap meet Sunday morning , help get the display organised and head off home . Thankfully the day started off fine and warm and once I’d settled in didn’t feel too much pressure to head off home ! As it was, we decamped about 3 o’clock just as that southerly started to whip through.
Our stand on both days looked fantastic with a good selection of Triumphs , a striking new banner a new ezy-up gazebo, and lo and behold our own club barbeque which was put to good use. With the equipment the club now has, it really looks like we’re getting our act together for these events.
We always seem to attract a good number of visitors to our display during the swap meet . Of course everyone wants to talk Triumphs. These are people who have got one and are keen to join the club. One young lady was telling us about a Herald coupe which she had acquired with the help of her Aunt. A lovely original looking little coupe it was too, and it was great to see the obvious pride she had for it and the small touches which she had done to personalise it. A new member there I’d say!
It’s very evident that the brand has an appeal to a new generation of drivers who are looking for a car that’s sporty but different. Others are the owners of project cars and may be looking for leads on parts or just after advice. There are those who have had one and are keen to regale you with Triumph stories. This brings to mind a particular gentleman I had met at a previous swap meet who had previously owned my Vitesse and was telling me stories about the performance of the car which I barely thought it was capable of ! Others have decided they want one and see a Triumph as the ideal starter classic!
As usual the car displays are great with enough cars and relics of a bygone age to carry you back in time. The same could be said of the of the stalls which don’t seem to have changed over the years I’ve been going ! The Swap meet is a proven formula which attracts the crowds year after year. For this reason it’s a great venue to display our Triumphs and spend some time checking out what’s available. I did manage to get a decarb set this time, thanks for the tip on that one Peter Edmonds.
Thanks to members who volunteered their time and their cars . All in all, despite the particularly bleak Saturday, it was a weekend well spent. Peter MacDiarmid
