Triumph love affair

Many old car enthusiasts bide their time until they embark on buying the vehicle of their dreams. Very few would start out by buying a classic car as their first mode of transport. Alex Azzopardi is an exception.

It was the beginning of a long and arduous task and the project is still going on

“I was always a little bit different from the rest: most of my friends were into modern cars, while I was ogling old vehicles. While they got their hands onto the gleaming and shiny latest models or nearly new second-hand cars, I could not wait to drive a sturdy sample from days of yore, he said.

His immediate choice was a 1968, white Triumph Herald 13/60 saloon, attracted by the stylish design of the Italian Giovanni Michelotti, who in the late 1950s had been briefed by the Standard Company to come up and breathe some sporting life into their staid stable.

“I saw the Triumph at a second-hand dealer in Mosta and it was love at first sight. I had always been attracted to this type of car, sporty-looking and fun-generating, maybe because in Malta it was widely considered as the car to be in for the xalata (a celebration held after the annual village or town feast),” Mr Azzopardi said.

“It was in a good condition, as expected from a car that was used on a regular basis. There was very little repair to be carried out on it, and I continued to use it as my regular daily transport for many years.”

He also opted to change its colour to British racing green. In order to prolong its life, he then decided to give it a rest and began to harness it on Sundays.

This also gave him the opportunity to work on it more, for Azzopardi belongs to that school of classic car owners who are not purists, but firmly believe that their vehicle can be enhanced by additional parts that, although not part of the intrinsic standard factory issue parts, stem back to that specific manufacturing era.

In line with this perception, Mr Azzopardi installed, among other things, alloy wheels and reclining seats in his Triumph.

Although not technically trained, he himself did all the work on the car. “Although electrical installation was the main subject I studied, I spent a lot of time looking on in the mechanical workshop. Owing to my body bulk, I refrained from playing sports, and so I compensated by learning as much as I could about the nooks and crannies of the four-wheeler.

“The instructors there were very helpful and I learnt the basic needs of the car, like oil changes, plug replacement and other aspects of motor maintenance.”

Mr Azzopardi eventually put all this into practice on his Triumph with a change of wiring and the installation of a new system.

“Initially, I got a Haynes Manual from a stand at the Naxxar Trade Fair. I worked mostly on my own, but where I got stuck, I asked around and friends and acquaintances were very forthcoming with practical tips, advice and guidance,” he added.

Like many old motor enthusiasts, he remembers with nostalgia the first Grand Prix de Malte – now known as the Valletta Grand Prix – which in late 2007 brought to the island an international armada of more than 70 historical racing cars, which were joined by local old cars for a weekend of activities around the Valletta ring road.

“I went there for the whole weekend with my wife and seven-month-old baby in my arms, walking from one area to another, viewing at one time the vehicles in their static state, while trying different vantage points to view them in action on the road,” Azzopardi said.

While making his way through the thousand-strong crowd, he met by chance his old friend Silvio Demicoli, who was participating in the event with his MGB GT. It was Sunday afternoon, when the cars belonging to the members of the Old Motors Club were to make a drive past as the final stage of the event. “Silvio invited me to join him in his vehicle for this march past. I remember immediately handing over the baby to my wife, and jumping into the MGB,” he said with a chuckle.

The Grand Prix experience left an indelible mark on Mr Azzopardi. For him, it was similar to a Damascene conversion. He took a long, hard look at his Triumph, and decided it was time for it to undergo a thorough, nut-and-bolt restoration project.

He dismantled it and started to work on bringing it back as much as possible to its original condition. It was the beginning of a long and arduous task, and since Mr Azzopardi likes to do as much work himself as possible, the project is still an ongoing one.

Aware that he would be without his Triumph saloon for a significant period of time, Azzopardi lost no time in scouring around for another classic car, and his choice fell again on another 1968 Triumph Herald, this time a convertible.

“I got to know from the grapevine that there was a Triumph for sale in St Venera. I went to have a look at it – accompanied by Silvio for the expert advice.

“The white-coloured car was in a very good condition and I lost no time in buying it”. He now uses this car on a regular basis, including participation in OMC events.

That Mr Azzopardi is a strong admirer of the Triumph marquee is a foregone conclusion. The fact that both his cars came off the now defunct Malta Car Assembly in Marsa reinforces his respect for the brand and all that it stands for.

His dream is to add another two Triumphs to the pair he already owns: a Vitesse, the largest in the range, and a coupe, which turns out to be the smallest!

Mr Azzopardi comments favourably on the fact that the number of classic car owners in Malta is on the increase. He laments, however, that many old car enthusiasts view their vehicle as a commercial proposition, whereas he opines that such cars should be there purely for the love and fun of it.

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