I BOUGHT MY FIRST CLASSIC CAR A FORD ESCORT MK 1 1300 E IN 1983 WHEN IT WAS 8 YEARS OLD AND AN INSURANCE RIGHT OFF,IT WAS NOT THEN A CLASSIC CAR,BUT IT STARTED SOMETHING, EVEN THOUGH WHEN IT WAS REPAIRED AND BACK ON THE ROAD,I SOLD IT BUT I DID KEEP SEEING IT AND WATCHED IT GROW OLD OVER THE YEARS,UNTILL JANUARY 13 TH 2008 WHEN IT'S 81 YEAR OLD OWNER GAVE IT BACK TO ME,IT WAS LIKE GETTING AN OLD LONG LOST FAMILY MEMBER BACK, AND SO COOL HAVING A MK 1 AS THEY ARE THE ONLY ESCORT MODEL EVERYBODY HOLDS RESPECT FOR.
BUT SOME 14 YEARS AFTER SELLING THE ESCORT I BOUGHT MY NEXT CLASSIC CAR A 1980 V REGISTRATION TRIUMPH TR7 FOR £500,THIS CAR I HAD FOR 3 YEARS, BUT NEVER DROVE IT OTHER THAN TO TAKE IT TO AND FROM THE M O T STATION.
IN 1998 AND DIVORCED MY MATE MIKE FROM OKLAHOMA CITY RANG ME TO SAY HE WAS NOW SINGLE AND COULD HE COME AND STAY WITH ME IN ENGLAND FOR SIX MONTHS.
BEING A CHEF HE DECIDED HE WANTED TO OPEN A RESTAURANT ON CANVEY ISLAND,SO WHILE HE WAS AWAITING HIS WORK PERMIT HE TALKED ME INTO LETTING HIM RESTORE THE TR7,ALL WAS GOING WELL UNTIL FOUR MONTHS INTO HIS VISIT HE WAS REFUSED A WORK PERMIT.
HE RAN OUT OF MONEY AND HAD TO RETURN HOME AND LEFT ME WITH A HALF FINISHED TR7,AND A PROMISE THAT HE WOULD RETURN TO ENGLAND TO FINISH MY TR7
JUST OVER 2 YEARS LATER HE DID RETURN TO ENGLAND BUT FOR A TWO WEEKS VISIT,HE WAS IN LOVE AGAIN AND CAR REPAIRS HAD GONE OUT THE WINDOW.
I TOOK THE TR7 OUT OF THE GARAGE AND PUT IT UP FOR SALE,AND IT SOLD ON IT'S 1ST NIGHT IN THE NEWSPAPER FOR £600.
IN THE YEAR 2000 WHILE WALKING MY DOG UP BY CANVEY FOOTBALL CLUB,I SAW A 1978 TRIUMPH TR7 FHC IN YELLOW DUMPED IN A FRONT GARDEN,AFTER PUTTING IN AN OFFER OF £200 AND A FOUR MONTH WAIT, THE OWNER DECIDED TO SELL IT AND THE DAY CAME FOR ME TO PICK IT UP FROM IT'S GRAVE OF FIVE YEARS.
I TOWED IT THE TWO MILES HOME WITH MY TRANSIT VAN, WITH BRAKES LOCKED ON AND TYRES SCREAMING,THE CO DRIVER IN THE TR7 WAS A BIT WHITE WHEN WE GOT TO MY HOUSE.
AFTER A PETROL TANK,BRAKES,CLUTCH AND SOME WELDING IT WAS STREET LEGAL FOR THE FIRST TIME IN NEARLY ELEVEN YEARS,MIKE HELPED ME DO SOME BODY WORK BUT NOT MUCH AT THIS TIME.
SINCE 1997 I HAD BEEN A MEMBER OF THE TRDC MAINLY A CAR CLUB FOR OWNERS OF TRIUMPH TR7 AND TR8S.
NEVER HAVING A TR7 ON THE ROAD I HAD NEVER REALLY BEEN INVOLVED TO BE TRUTHFUL UNTILL THE YEAR 2000 THE CLUB MAG HAD BEEN LIKE WATCHING PAINT DRY, BUT A NEW TEAM WAS MAKING THE TRDC LOOK INTERESTING AGAIN.
AND THEN ON ONE SATURDAY MORNING I HAD A CALL FROM THE ESSEX TRDC REP PHIL HOYLE INVITING ME WITH A FREE TICKET TO THE SEPTEMBER 2000 BATTLESBRIDGE CLASSIC CAR SHOW AND THAT STARTED THE BALL ROLLING.
BY JULY 2002 I HAD STARTED ESSEX 2 AREA TRDC WHICH COVERED THE SOUTHEND ON SEA AREA,DECEMBER 2002 SEE ME BUYING A 1980 V REG MGB GT FOR £600 AND JOINING THE MG OWNERS CLUB,AFTER A MAJOR BANGER RACING CRASH AT ARENA ESSEX RACEWAY I TURNED TO DRIVING THE MGB GT FOR THE REST OF 2003 AND TEAMING UP WITH THE EPPING AREA MGOC BY 2004 I HAD MATES IN BOTH THE MGOC AND THE TRDC ESSEX 2 AREA.
THIS WAS GIVING ME BOOKING PROBLEMS FOR SHOWS,ESSEX HAS ALL SORTS OF TRIUMPH CAR CLUBS AND WE WERE ALWAYS GETTING SENT TO THE WRONG STANDS AT SHOWS,THIS WAS EVEN WORSE FOR THE MG GUYS SAYING THEY WERE ON THE TRDC ESSEX 2 STAND.
IN THE SUMMER OF 2005 MY MATE NOSHER AND BEST MAN AT MY MARRIAGE TO MAGGIE, WHO WAS A MGF OWNER AND EX TR7 OWNER,HAD A TALK ABOUT HOW TO CARRY ON LIFE WITH CLASSIC CARS.
I HAD NOT DRIVEN MY TR7 FOR A YEAR AND NOSHER HAD NOT DRIVEN HIS TR7 GRINNAL V 8 MUCH. PREFERRING HIS OTHER CLASSIC CAR A 1971 ROVER P5B,SO THE SHOW YEAR OF 2006 THE ESSEX REBELS CLASSIC CAR CLUB WAS BORN.
A FREE MEMBERSHIP AREA MAKES ALL WELCOME,IN 2007 WE GOT OUR CLUB SPONSER MARK ALBON FROM ALBON ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING AND AT THE START OF THE SHOW SEASON 2009 YOU CAN SEE WE ARE A WELL TURNED OUT UNIT, 2009 ALSO SEE MYSELF TAKING ON FULL CONTROL OF THE KENT AREA TRDC AND THAT IS WHY YOU WILL SEE US FLYING BOTH FLAGS ON OUR STAND,AND YOU CAN READ OUR REPORTS ALSO IN THE TRDC CLUB MAGAZINE WE IN THE ESSEX REBELS CLASSIC CAR CLUB BELIEVE THAT THE TRDC IS THE BEST TRIUMPH CAR CLUB FOR TR6 TR7 AND TR8 MODELS.
HOPE YOU HAVE ENJOYED READING ABOUT OUR CLUB HISTORY AND ENJOY THE REST OF THE ESSEX REBELS WEB PAGES.
KEV TODD