A Triumph of My Memory

It was only a few seconds, but my evening was ruined. I was watching an episode of Father Brown, a television series loosely based on the Father Brown short stories by G. K. Chesterton.

With no warning, there it was on my screen – a Triumph TR3 sports car.
I would have expected a simple content warning – This show contains scenes that some viewers may find disturbing.

I had given up many things when I made aliya back in 1970, but the hardest of all was selling my TR3. This car, admittedly a little rusty, was my pride and joy. The hole in the exhaust gave it a roar that could be heard from miles away. (This was before we were forced to convert to kilometers.) With the top open, I was the subject of admiring glances from drivers in modern cars, cars with no personality brought in by the thousand from the Far East.
There were no mobile phones, but I had no need of a phone to tell my girlfriend that I was on my way, she could hear me with plenty of time to finish her make-up and wait by the front door.

The TR3 had a top speed of 105.3 mph (169.5 km/h) and could accelerate from 0–60 mph in just 10.8 seconds.

Today, even a Ford Focus can manage 0–60 mph in well under 10 seconds.

Of the original 58,000 TR3s only 9,500 survive today. Sadly, mine is not among them.

Fortunately my girlfriend was suitably impressed by my TR3. We are still happily married more than 50 years later.