Is it Time to Give the TR7 Another Look?

How do you replace a Johnny Carson or Walter Cronkite or a deeply-loved sports car model? The simple answer is: it ain't easy.  We still have a "Tonight Show" and a "CBS Evening News" but we do not have a Triumph TR. While the television shows mentioned came out OK after their changes, the car-buying American public (and automotive press) was torn over the replacement for Triumph's much loved TR6 roadster - the Triumph TR7.

American auto safety regulations were running somewhat ahead of current auto technology in the 1970s. A raft of new standards put forward by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) meant that car makers were legislated into inventing equipment and systems that never before existed in order to be compliant. 

British automakers in the form of British Leyland gamely kept up the "make do and mend" approach so finely honed by the British people during postwar austerity. Make do with larger rubber bumpers, "tamper proof" carburetors and complex fuel systems to keep the product in the American market and keep US dollars coming in. But a stiff upper lip wasn't enough to keep old deigns compliant and BL bet the rent money on a new sports car, but it wasn't a roadster.

"Bullet" Prototype aronline.co.uk

"Lynx" Prototype aronline.co.uk

In 1970 BL launched a sports car committee to create guidelines for a new "corporate" sports car designed to meet current and anticipated European and American safety standards. At the time, NHTSA  had proposed rollover standards that were restrictive enough to effectively outlaw open top cars. The BL sports car committee moved forward with that understanding of American regulations and one of the new sports car's requirements was that it be a closed designed or minimally open hence, the Jaguar XJ-S and the TR7 were closed roof vehicles.
 
BL moved forward with an internal competition to create the new sports car. The winning proposal would be sold under both the Triumph and MG badges. 

"Magna" Prototype aronline.co.uk

Triumph proposed two vehicles: a "Targa" roofed sports car code named "Bullet" and a slightly stretched four place version code named "Lynx". Both cars were attractive designs- the Lynx looking somewhat Italian in appearance and the Bullet looking similar to Porsche's 914. 


Meanwhile, MG (through Austin Motors in Longbridge), having had a pretty mid-engine MGB/MG Midget replacement proposal rejected by BL management in 1970, put forward a two seat, hard top wedge shaped vehicle styled by Harris Mann that was internally named "Magna"- a harkening back to MG's prewar sports cars. It was this design that formed the basis of the TR7 at the decision of BL Chairman Donald Stokes. 

The Shape of Things to Come

It was a radical departure for a Triumph sports car in that it was a unit body design, a first for a small Triumph sports car, but dimensionally it was fairly close to the TR6 it was to replace, almost identical in height and length. Inside, the new TR provided more shoulder room (3") and leg room (7") than the outgoing TR6. 

TR7 Roadster   pistonheads.com

Meanwhile, Chrysler Corporation took NHTSA to court over the proposed rollover standards and the court rejected them in 1972 stating that people who buy open top cars accept the risk inherent in driving

TR7 in Java  triumphtr7.com

without a roof. This not only opened the door for a convertible TR7, but saved the rest of BL's sports car line in America. 

BL called in Italian styling house Michelotti to handle the design and development of the TR7 roadster model. Michelotti had a long relationship with British automakers having designed the foldaway convertible top for the MGB and redesigned the Triumph TR3 body to make the TR4 series.

The roadster was exactly what this last of the TR line needed, helping the TR7 to become the best selling TR ever.

Tartan Plaid Interior Trim   mossmotors.com

Being a product of a huge firm run by marginally competent managers dealing with government meddling and a militant workforce, the TR7 had its problems. Poor build quality haunted the TR all through its life. US owners were not forgiving of nagging reliability problems and eventually the TR7 became a "throwaway" sports car. As their reputation for problems grew, resale values fell until keeping one in good repair became a losing proposition. 

I think its time to give this best selling Triumph (and the last Triumph sold in America) another look. The TR7's design has aged well. The low nose and high tail give it  a look of speed even while standing still and the side creases pioneered on the TR7 can be found on cars on sale today. The interior is comfortable for those of us who are buying belts by the yard these days and the dashboard could even be considered modern. The tartan upholstery may not be to everyone's taste but it was a product of its time and hey, even high end Lotus sports cars wore tartan, too. 

Restoring a TR7 is not impossible if the project car isn't too derelict. Parts are available from the usual sources such as Moss Motors and Victoria British, but be warned, there are a lot of "N/A"s in the catalogs. There are also independent keepers of the TR7 flame that can help, too. Of course, a wise restorer will have a parts car or three on hand.

It's a bit sad that we don't see many TR7s at Gulf Coast British car shows. I think they deserve better.
 

Shut It!

It’s something of a tradition at US car shows that the entrants raise the hoods (or in our case, and from here on out, the bonnets) of their cars to display the engine compartment.

Courtesy 4pphotography

Some owners even raise the trunk (ahem, boot) lid while on the show field.

Our cousins across the pond normally show their cars with the bonnets firmly latched, according to the photos I’ve seen of British events over the years and I think they could be on to something.

When our cars were designed, they were drawn so that they were at their most attractive with all panels closed: boot lids, bonnets, doors – everything. It would follow, then that when we display our cars, we would want to show them to their best advantage with everything in the closed and stowed position. 

Naturally, when cars as uncommon as the ones we enjoy are displayed, other enthusiasts would like to see how a well turned out model looks under the bonnet and perhaps in the boot area, too. Maybe they’ve got one in restoration and want to pick up a few tips on how everything should look.  We’ve all been the beneficiaries of a peek at other similar cars with me, gratefully included. 

Courtesy jec.co.uk

Maybe we, as participants and organizers of British car shows could pick up an idea from our U.K. friends and do at least a portion of our day-long shows with the opening panels closed. Let our cars speak for themselves as the unique vehicles they are.  Then, when the popular choice ballots are given out, invite the owners to open them up for inspection inside and out. 

What do you think?

Going Topless

A large number of classic British cars on the road today are open cars. Call them roadsters, drophead coupes, tourers or convertibles, open cars offer joys behind the wheel that closed cars simply cannot.

Courtesy Hellahulla 

While there isn’t a thing wrong with closed British classics (I do own a tintop Mini, after all), the open cars are the ones that Americans remember most from the so-called golden age of the British motor industry. Heck, America took more British car exports than any nation on earth and a large number of them were ragtops.

Here on the central Gulf Coast of the USA, we can drive our classics year-round without too much inconvenience from the weather, but the prime driving times of year are March through early May and mid-September through mid-November. We get a lot of sunny days in the summer, but temperatures in the ninety-degree Fahrenheit range and humidity percentages to match make a top down drive a sweaty experience.

Next time you drive your open top car, spare a thought for those around you in their sealed cocoons. They’ve probably never noticed that roadside flowers add a distinctive fragrance to the air or that crossing a bridge over a creek or river brings a noticeable drop in temperature. The distinctive sound of a tuned British four or six cylinder engine is enjoyed all the more when the exhaust note is played for your pleasure with no windows or roof to stifle it.

I need to drive the MGB now.

Compressed Air and PVC - A Deadly Combination

There aren't many subjects that get me on my soapbox but PVC compressed air piping is certainly one of them. I am surprised by the number of otherwise competent people who choose PVC thermoplastic pipe to  convey compressed air around their shop or garage. Take it from me - don't do it. PVC in compressed air service can explode like a bomb, sending shards of the pipe in all directions.

Some people believe that utilizing heavy wall PVC (or schedule 80, in pipe parlance) is the answer. Others think CPVC (a higher temperature thermoplastic) is a viable option. Neither are an acceptable alternative to proper compressed air piping. 

The reason that PVC is dangerous in compressed air is that the material undergoes a "rubber to glass" transition at low room temperatures. As the term implies, PVC material exhibits rubber-like characteristics that makes it useful as low pressure liquid piping. At lower temps, PVC starts to exhibit glass-like characteristics where it becomes brittle and, well, glass-like.

The shock of a compressor kicking on or even starting or stopping an air tool can sometimes be all that it takes to cause catastrophic failure of the PVC piping. 

I've seen the aftermath of a PVC pipe failure and it isn't pretty. A friend ran a line of PVC around the perimeter of his home shop and one winter evening about a year later it exploded. Sharp shards of PVC pipe were embedded in wall studs, roof decking and one even broke a window. Thankfully, no one was in the shop at the time.  

If you want compressed air piping, budget for a qualified plumber to install the system. They can guide you on material and layout (hose connections, valves, condensate legs, etc.) The peace of mind that a correctly-installed system brings is priceless.

Compressed air is an invaluable tool for your shop, but it does demand your respect. Pass the word and maybe save a life.

Scaring Away the Next Generation

Are we, as owners of classic cars, alienating the next generation of automotive enthusiasts? It may just be possible that we are.

Classic car shows and informal cruise-ins are perfect family outings. They are usually free of charge, conducted in a pleasant setting and give young people an opportunity to see the cars that their parents and grandparents owned or perhaps lusted for. Teens may find that an older car suits their image of being unique among their peers and younger children enjoy a "making memories" outing.

Like the wide variety of cars to see in a show, classic car owners also come in a similar range of tastes and ideas as to what they want from the old car hobby. Many owners have lavished impressive sums in restoration and maintenance and show stunningly perfect cars. Other owners invest just as much pride, but maybe fewer greenbacks on their driver quality rides. And in between lies the vast majority of automotive enthusiasts.

My cars are in the driver quality end of the spectrum. While I haven't invested tons of money in them, they have some real value (they are insured against loss) and I do the best I can to maintain them in a safe and presentable condition. They are special to me but they aren't precious.

That's why I find it easy to engage young people  - especially pre-teens - and let them know it's OK to look closer and invite them to take the driver's seat (with the parent's permission) so they can get an idea of what lies within. The classic Mini is an absolute magnet for kids that are five or six years old. I can't begin to count how many young people have had their photo made behind the wheel of the little car. Their smiles are more than fair compensation for a couple of fingerprints or wrinkled floor mat. Of course, I understand that this isn't for every classic owner and I will let kids know that they won't be able to do the same with all the cars at the event.

All children need to be taught respect for the property of others and I've found that families who attend these shows normally keep their kids in control. Parents usually caution little ones to not touch and keep some distance from the cars. It is a rare circumstance when I have to intervene. But some kids are exposed to some not-so-patient owners who, in the name of protecting their car, could make the show event a bitter memory for a child.

One incident at a British car show I attended some years ago had an owner of an MGB GT literally screaming at a four year old that had the audacity to rest his elbows on the windowsill while he admired the inside of the car. The boy's father was a half step away from the lad, reaching out to remove him when the harpy screech was loosed upon the crowd. Not surprisingly, the family left immediately and a few other visitors followed looking over their shoulders at the woman who was furiously rubbing away two elbow prints from her maroon paint. That was probably the last car show that family ever attended.

"Good riddance," some may say and maybe they are correct. But when they are through carrying their perfect car in a velvet-lined trailer, they or their heirs may wish to sell it on. Will those targets of car show venom want to take up the hobby? Probably not. 

What can we do to engage these future classic car owners? If you are concerned about fingerprints on your paint you can always bring stands and rope to secure your area. If that is a bit much, then stay near your car and try to scope out the ones that may not quite understand the whole distance thing. Be open and engaging and chat with those who took the time to come to the event and bring a family. The positive impact of calm conversation and a gentle "Look but don't touch,"  reminder just might win your special car some new - and younger - fans.             

An Answer to a Question No One Asked

MGB/GT. The successful "closing" of the MGB roadster by legendary Italian deign house Pininfarina has been declared the inspiration for a new MG SUV concept called Icon rolled out at the Beijing Auto Show over the weekend. A toned-down version of the four door concept is likely headed to production at some point in the future with build taking place either in China or the UK Longbridge assembly site.

The concept uses an almost perfect re-creation of the chrome MGB grille and similar angles of the rear roofline as carefully pointed out in the press releases and presentation at the unveiling. The most jarring aspect of the concept is the use of the older car's bumper overriders as inspiration for the running and fog lights.

A Pox on Idiot Drivers

A Sad Circumstance

Anyone driving a classic car these days has to deal with a lot of highway issues, not the least among them are tailgating drivers. This point was driven home through an accident that involved a fellow Mini owner in Birmingham, Alabama. He was enjoying the fine spring weather when he was stupidly rear ended by an idiot in a pick up truck who may or may not be insured - he had no proof of it, anyway. The mini driver came away with a bent boot lid.

I can certainly sympathize with him. It's an unusual ride in my Mini when I don't have a tailgater or three during the outing. And by tailgater I mean following so closely that my rear view mirror is full of bumper and grille. I appreciate the fact that people may want a little closer look at a classic car, but driving stupidly is certainly no way to do it. Rather than resorting to rude (but effective) hand gestures, I'll gradually slow down to the point that the following driver will tire of the game and pass me. If that doesn't work, I've been known pull off the road. 

A Tasteful and Effective Third Brakelight

What to do? Other than the above you can drive even more defensively by anticipating other driver's moves and expect the unexpected, to use a couple of well-worn cliches.Keep an eye on the other driver's face if possible. You might be able to guess what their next move will be. Are they on a cell phone or - God help us - texting while driving? Regard them with the same caution as you would with an impaired driver.    

As far as our tailgaiting friends are concerned, a third brake light might be handy - especially if your taillights and brake lights aren't separated as is the rule these days. Some younger drivers have never seen a brake/tail combo or a car without a center brake light before. That third light may save your sheetmetal and possibly your life.

Showstoppers in Their Own Right

As mentioned elsewhere in these scribblings, the 21st edition of British Car Festival was a resounding success in the numbers of cars in attendance as well as the new downtown Fairhope venue. We had a wide variety of truly stunning cars on the field along with some solid drivers and what the editors at Hemmings Motor News would call Drivable Dreams - cars that deserve our admiration because they are loved just as they are - scruffy, scabby or a bit down at the heels, but on the road and enjoyed as they were intended.  

When my '76 MGB came into my life, it was a great driving car that didn't look much like it had just been loaded on the transporter at Abingdon. No, it had a number of rust holes in the front fenders and at the "dog legs" behind the doors and it had been afflicted with a velour interior - probably better than duct tape upholstery, I'm sure. Rusty or not, I was proud of the old girl. My MG was a survivor and I was going to do all I could to keep it in driving condition. With the help of many South Alabama British Car Club members, a few good friends and a little pocket money, I was able to renovate it with better body panels, paint and original-style upholstery. While not a concours queen (and never will be) it looks better and is more reliable.

With that said I doubt I will ever forget the snickers and less than kind remarks made by a few enthusiasts who either didn't know of my connection to the mangy little car on the show field or just didn't care. Yes, the remarks hurt, but they didn't diminish my pride in my first MG - pride that allowed me to drive the car to the show instead of locking it up in a trailer to be hauled.

No one appreciates a perfectly restored car more than me. I am in absolute awe of the effort and craftsmanship of the restorer. These cars are truly a view into the past and inspire others to reach the same heights. We probably won't see any of our local cars at Pebble Beach, but they can and do win judged events in the southeast. They are show stoppers in our area and clubs consider themselves fortunate to attract vehicles of this class.

A Well-Loved MGB

I was excited to have two very special cars on the British Car Festival show field this year that -in my opinion - captured the spirit of the automotive hobby. One was a Jaguar E-Type and the other one was an MGB. Both were driven by owners significantly younger than the average age of the rest of the show entrants.

The MGB was owned by a young man from Perdido Key, Florida who acquired it just a couple of months prior to the event. He spent evenings and weekends getting the car running reliably and polishing out the Tahiti Blue paint until it gleamed. Proudly pointing out the dealer installed air conditioning to me he said it was one of the few MGBs in the area that still had the original smog gear and Zenith-Stromberg carburetor. He was right. We chatted about serial numbers, date of manufacture, original equipment and nearly anything that came to his enthusiastic mind. I can't imagine many young drivers in a car 18 years older than they are and being as proud as he was. And his family was obviously proud of him.

The Future Wedding Car

The Jaguar E-Type was the subject of a "reawakening" by a young man who documented his efforts on a blog that has become a favorite of mine. The 1969 E-Type roadster was owned by his father who drove it for many years until it was parked with the intention of renovating it one day -one day many years later, it turned out. The father and son found SABCC and attended one of our meetings where they met other E-Type owners who were able to provide advice and assistance. Getting the E-Type ready for the show was his immediate goal, but he intends to have the car in condition to drive his bride away from their wedding ceremony in the spring. In my opinion, he's good to go.

Maybe my simple view of the world is not as sophisticated as others, but I (and a lot of people in the hobby that I've come to know) tend to take a "big tent" approach to the British car hobby. Shiny or not, if its classic, British and still on the road it's welcome to our events and we try to make sure everyone knows it.

The show attendees were spot on in voting the newly-purchased MGB a second in class and awarding the reawakened E-Type the "Diamond in the Rough" trophy.

Well done, lads - well done. 

The Cost to Ship is Part of the Price As Well

In an earlier post about the ongoing saga of the MGB's run of lousy luck, I mentioned that I needed to order a new choke cable. Now MGB owners are really spoiled for choice when it comes time to order parts. There are many good choices of parts suppliers ranging from the small-fry to some truly international operations. For most of us, it comes down to who has it and how much.

Being of a thrifty nature (as opposed to just a cheapskate), I check for selling prices from several suppliers and usually go with the lowest one. This time, however, I checked the prices of a new-to-me vendor to add them to the mix. They did have the lowest selling price, but the shipping charges added to the total were staggering. Here's what I found in my search for an MGB tee handle choke cable:

• Supplier A  - Selling price: $18.00.   Shipping and handling: $14.69.   Total: $32.69
• Supplier B  - Selling price: $19.95.   Shipping and handling: $7.75.     Total: $27.70

As you can see, the difference is over 15%. And the choke cable will fit in a medium-sized envelope.

The lesson here is the check the complete cost. Don't be too quick to enter your payment information if you're buying on the Internet or when ordering over the phone, get the customer service rep to quote the freight and handling as a separate item and if it sounds high ask for a cut rate. You might get it. 

A 'Fee' or Shakedown?

South Alabama British Car Club's British Car Festival has been a fixture at Fairhope Beach Park since 1999. Every October (or November some years) we made arrangements with the City of Fairhope to use the park for the public event. Note, I said "public", not "private". 

This event has been carried on the city's events calendar on their visitors web site almost since the city had such a presence. Our out of town visitors spend money with the merchants of the city and the event is almost always covered by the local news media. Should be a win for Fairhope - right?

Last year, our club representative for affairs with the city received  a letter stating that ALL requests for use of the park by any entity - non profit or otherwise - will be subject to a use fee for the facility. The only exemption was for schools located in the city. While I personally do not oppose reasonable charges for the use of a lovely facility like this, I believe that the city has gone overboard with this ordinance.

As it stands, the fees that the city wants to extract from the day's proceeds approach $500.00. On a shoestring budgeted event like ours, that is a real impact. Bear in mind that over the years the Festival has been conducted there, SABCC raised nearly $10,000.00 for a diverse group of charities. Early on, the club invited the local fire department and, later, Fairhope High's band to serve lunch at the show to help them in their fundraising efforts.

Fairhope is under financial duress (as are many other cities) to the point that they've instituted a city sales tax - the first in the city's history. However, an event that brings money-spending visitors to the city should not be forced to bear the burden of the results of questionable government actions that brought this beautiful village on the bay to this condition, in my opinion. 

Stay tuned for more developments on this subject.

What British Marque is Named After a River in Ohio?

Yeah, that's a tough one but if you hate a mystery, I'll spell it out for you: Lagonda. Most British car enthusiasts know of the Lagonda marque as part of the Aston Martin concern. Lagonda, however predates Aston Martin by a few years. 

Founded in 1906 by an Ohio-born son of a preacher named Wilbur Gunn as a motorcycle builder in Staines, Middlesex, UK, Lagonda was successful almost right out of the starting gate. Gunn's Lagonda motorcycle won the 1905 London-Edinburgh trial. By 1907, Gunn took the path that many other motorcycle builders were following and launched an automobile in an effort to capitalize on the public's demand. As with his motorcycle, his Lagonda automobile was a racing success, winning the 1910 Moscow-St Petersburg trial. 

At Gunn's death in 1920, the firm was taken over by its senior management team and the offerings were taken upmarket. Technical advances such as twin overhead cams, hemispherical combustion chambers and superchargers were part and parcel to the Lagonda name. Other models utilized bought-in engines (a common practice at the time) from Crossley and Meadows along with license-built pre-selector gearboxes from Maybach.

1938 Lagonda Rapide

Upmarket was not where the company needed to be when the Great Depression hit the world. By 1935, the firm was in the hands of a receiver and bids were solicited for its assets. Competing bids from Rolls-Royce and an investor named Alan Good were considered with Good becoming the owner of Lagonda. 

Once Good took over the firm, he persuaded none other than W O Bentley to leave Rolls-Royce and join the company as a designer and competitions manager. Bentley worked his magic by adding higher-power engine options, torsion bar suspension and hydraulic brakes. The lower slung cars looked the part of high performance motoring. Bentley's crowning achievement was the 4.5 liter, 180 bhp, V12 engine in the 1937 Rapide model.

Once again, financial clouds gathered after World War Two and the firm became the property of David Brown - owner of Aston Martin and the two companies were merged under single management. Lagonda produced gentlemen's sporting transportation after the David Brown acquisition, but the marque later became known as a builder of sporting saloon cars (that's a sedan, cowboy) not unlike the offerings of Jaguar. 

Eventually, Lagonda became a model name for Aston Martin saloon cars with the last one being a very wedge-shaped design from the pen of William Towns. Now, a rather hideous SUV-crossover-station wagon thingy is planned to wear the Lagonda badge in the near future. I've ranted about that in earlier posts here.

By the way, don't look for Lagonda Creek in Ohio - it has been renamed Buck Creek and it runs through Springfield. There are a number of areas there named Lagonda after the original name of the creek which was a native word meaning buck horn or crooked horn.     

Nurburgring Threatened

The future of the storied Nurburgring race course is under threat.

An expensive theme park was constructed on the site of the racetrack, funded primarily by the German government and operated by a private consortium. While the theme park construction raised a few eyebrows, it has been discovered that the park is a financial black hole for German taxpayers. Now the private operators are seeking control of the complete Nurburgring complex in an effort to shift some of the operating revenue from the track to the theme park operation. In fact, a significant increase in fees for tourists to drive the 'Ring as well higher fees for automakers to test cars there have been proposed.

A number of non-racing events have been produced at the track site including music festivals and celebrity concerts. The events have been branded with the "Ring-Kultur" name which has infuriated Nurburgring enthusiasts.

A grassroots effort has been launched in Germany to prevent the historic track from further encroachment. Check out the Save the Nurburgring web site set up to spread the word and keep pressure on German politicians. Sign the on-line petition and tell a friend. 

Car Show Overload?

I've been assigned the task of publicity for the last couple of British Car Festivals and with help from several other club members, we've been able to get our message on the airwaves and into some respectable print media. This year, however, it was a bit more challenging.  We did get our event listed in the usual enthusiast publications and web sites and other British car clubs in the southeast placed us on their activity calendars.  

Photo credit: Lise Gagne

I could not get the story included in the events calendars of several regional magazines (Mobile Bay Monthly being one) although we did get some print coverage in the local newspapers. Not being able to get the word out in a wide reaching form makes it difficult to keep the general public attendance numbers up and reach out to prospective British car enthusiasts. 


As with most blowhards with a keyboard and high speed Internet, I've got a theory as to the root of the problem: saturation.

It seems like every volunteer fire department, church with a parking lot or restaurant with a need to generate traffic has a car show or cruise in of some sort. There's hardly a week that passes that a notice of a car show with a worthy fund raising cause doesn't pop up in my email in box. I cannot imagine how many badly-worded 'press releases' get out to the local print and broadcast media. I think we might be getting lost in the crowd.

British Car Festival is one of the area's oldest car shows with twenty years of history under its belt. I can think of only two or three others in the area that have had a longer run than our humble show. How can we set ourselves apart from the show and shines and make our event worthy of mention? 

I'm open to ideas and we need volunteers with contacts. We've got about a year before the next BCF. That's plenty of time to develop a battle plan!    

Oh God - They're Actually Going to Build it

Some of you long time readers may remember the post about Aston Martin's Lagonda concept unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 2009. If you didn't catch the post, it's here under Women Fainted - Strong Men Wept. If you don't want to be bothered with making the clicking action on the link above, here's a photo to show you how gruesome ugly can be.


Press reports today indicate that Aston Martin will indeed build this mutant. It's difficult to understand how this storied firm could build cars as beautiful as the DB series and seriously consider adding this smear to their CV.

Wasn't the Cygnet bad enough?

Alcohol & Gasoline Don't Mix

At least that's what the old drinking and driving PSAs on TV used to say.

I am pleased to see that Wilson's Service Center at the top of Spanish Fort Hill on US 31 is selling uncut, honest to goodness gasoline - no ethanol added. Wilson's is a full-service gas station so don't be surprised when an employee fills your tank, washes your windshield and offers to check your oil.

You may have to explain this to your children.

E15 Fuels Are on the Way

By now you've probably read the stories about the effects of running 10% ethanol in our classic cars. There have been several studies that indicate that E10 will affect the rubber fuel lines, gaskets and other components that contain fuel. A leak in a fuel-containing component is not a happy thought. Neither is the idea of water dropping out of solution and creating a puddle in the bottom of the fuel tank.

The EPA has announced that gasoline with 15% ethanol will be in pumps in a matter months. This move is bound to make large farming companies (Archer Daniels Midland, for one) even larger. Political payback or farsighted energy policy - that's for you to decide.

Bet this will make your morning bowl of corn flakes more pricey, too.

Update - The nice folks over at the Hemmings blog put up a link to Pure-Gas.org - -a web site listing gas stations dispensing uncut, pure gasoline. Check out this post at Hemmings for more details.