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This car was spotted recently by a TR friend, Dave, in the Philadelphia area. He posted this in the BritishCarForum.

 

Has anyone who frequents this forum seen one of these interiors in the UK, elsewhere?

wicker.jpg

 

My response:

 

Dave: If that is an original interior it is quite rare indeed. Known as "wicker" or "metric" pattern and available only on TR-2 and 3 when gray leather was specified for the seats.

 

quoting from Bill Piggott's, "Original Triumph TR2/3/3A",

page 39:

. . . .mention needs to be made of the rare 'wicker' or 'metric' trim material used on some very early TR2's and again on some of the first 2000 or so TR3's. This was a vynide-type material with a curious cross-hatched pattern in relief. . . .

 

and again from Bill Piggotts's, "TRIUMPH TR2,3,&3A In Detail"

page 54:

. . . . a strange quirk on 1956 model year TR3's ordered with optional grey leather trim was that the Vynide that came with this trim was finished with a strange "wicker" style pattern, quite unlike the surface of the trim in any other colour. This patternhad been seen before on a handful of the very earliest TR2's - it was almost as if the trim shop had discovered in a corner a few rolls of this odd fabric and had been determined to use it up on early TR3's. . .

 

 

It would be nice to know more about this car!

 

Frank_________________________

FJA

Downingtown, PA

TR3A TS58476LO (under restoration)

TR250 CD1510LO

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Wow! That's a really interesting photograph. So typically mid 1950s style - trying to get away from the dark and sombre. Rates right up there along with wall paper designs of salt and pepper shakers by onions, coffee tables with wire legs and (bless me) gingham skirts. The first TR3 I owned in 1975 had wicker trim.

 

Unfortunately by the time I got it, the body on TS9252 was like many, nearing the end of it's useful life. In fact I still have it, though it is more of a box of spares now. The dashboard and cockpit surround had been retrimmed in black vynide and the seats painted with black upholstery paint to match. As time went on, the paint wore off the seats to show the leather as grey. Until I obtained a factory trace I was puzzled by the fact that it had leather seats - I had not come across leather in a TR before. Furthermore it was not your every day connelly soft stuff, but sturdy and more like shoe leather! The leather was only on the front of the seat - the backs were "wicker" trimmed. I managed to find some original unpainted trim in the footwells and supplied a bit to Bill Piggott, though similarly trimmed cars turned up later that yielded bigger and better samples.

 

One might have supposed that this sort of thing might have been to special order, but the factory trace on my TR3 showed that it had been allocated to home reserve (i.e. home market specs but no specific dealer). This can be attributed to the slump in UK sales due to the Suez crisis. Or perhaps it was the popularity of the trim with the curious combination of grey and cream colors...

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Don, Nick: Thanks for the reply and insight. Hopefully we can track down this car and interrogate the owner.

 

I wonder if Bill P reaqds this forum?

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Hi Frank,

 

there was some interesting TR trim about still in the 70s, and some eccentric upholstery paint jobs reaching the end of their shelf lives . . .

 

Mind you, some of the owners were just as much dedicated followers of fashion . . . I remember the early days of TR Register competition, one bloke driving a TR3 in a race suit, which had formerly seen service in a Cold War tank, it looked like it had been made to withstand the First Strike, nuclear version. Overall image a bit like Star Wars meets Bondage Monthly :rolleyes:

 

Just the thing to go with wicker trim and black painted leather ;)

 

I wonder if anyone has a picture, as in early Goodwood ?

 

Cheers,

 

Alec

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Mind you, some of the owners were just as much dedicated followers of fashion . . . I remember the early days of TR Register competition, one bloke driving a TR3 in a race suit, which had formerly seen service in a Cold War tank, it looked like it had been made to withstand the First Strike, nuclear version. Overall image a bit like Star Wars meets Bondage Monthly :rolleyes:

 

Just the thing to go with wicker trim and black painted leather ;)

 

I wonder if anyone has a picture, as in early Goodwood ?

 

 

 

You mean something like this? :P

 

Nick

 

 

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Guys

 

Sorry to rain down and all that but;

 

 

 

Surely that is a "Blue Peter"job. I can't believe that the factory, even on a Friday afternoon, allowed a dash out with bits of vynil hanging loose like those at the bottom right hand corner or under the speedometer. Or did they?

 

Regards

 

Tim

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Tim,

 

50+ year old glue perhaps isn't quite as sticky now as when it was originally used.

 

David

 

 

David: I have to agree with Tim. After 50+ years, my own glue is a little loose.

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Right, back to the subject in hand. Alec and I were having a little "Haven't seen you in 25 years" moment which we will resume elsewhere.

 

Looking at the published photo of metric trim I did wonder if it was original. I am prepared to think that the tatty bits are due to 50 year old glue, but it all looks very clean if it is that old. Samples I have are very yellowed. I also wondered a bit about the scale of the pattern, which looks a bit large, though it is very difficult to tell from a photo. Really you need a good close shot.

 

You can still buy a particular vinyl that from a distance looks very like the metric pattern, but on closer inspection the pattern is just colour and there is no embossing. Furthermore it has no backing fabric and is therefore prone to peeling off. Hmm...

 

However I think we have answered the original question which was have these interiors ever been seen in UK, which is yes. In fact I'd wager that it was not as rare as one might think.

 

I'd like to see more photos of the car please.

 

Nick

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I'm not convinced the trim in the photo is original, either. In fact I'm pretty sure it isn't, it just doesn't look quite right.

 

When Diane was running a textile business, in the early 90s, I came across several similar vinyl patterns, originating from the USA and Germany, which struck me as remarkably close to the oddball 'metric' trim.

 

Nor am I convinced that it was necessarily that rare - I can well imagine a new owner buying a secondhand TR trimmed in that ghastly stuff, and promptly changing it for something more 'sporting'.

 

Standard had some funny moments when it came to trim, the 8/10 range and the Vanguard line both occasionally featured trims that weren't listed in their brochures . . . I've no idea if these were 'special editions' or what, but I've seen anomalous (and supposedly original) interiors in Companions, Pennants and Ensigns.

 

Cheers,

 

Alec

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Hi Frank,

 

That basket weave or hounds-tooth trim was used on most if not all of the circa 108 CKD TR3's assembled in Melbourne in 1956. It was available in two colours being a pale green with off white and red with black.

 

The first of those CKD TR3's was rebuilt a few years back, and its original trim was replicated by screen printing onto white vynil. The exact pattern was obtained from a tiny section of original trim found beneath the dash on another mate's Oz assembled TR3.

 

The result can be seen at http://www.tr-register.com.au/Files/sextong.htm with Gary's car at one stage being fitted with an unusually thick wood rimmed steering wheel which was soon replaced by a Motalita.

 

It's been speculated that the hounds-tooth trim was a fizzer, so the factory's stock was shipped off down here, knowing it wouldn't be returned.

 

Regards,

 

Viv.

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Hi Frank,

 

That basket weave or hounds-tooth trim was used on most if not all of the circa 108 CKD TR3's assembled in Melbourne in 1956. It was available in two colours being a pale green with off white and red with black.

 

The first of those CKD TR3's was rebuilt a few years back, and its original trim was replicated by screen printing onto white vynil. The exact pattern was obtained from a tiny section of original trim found beneath the dash on another mate's Oz assembled TR3.

 

The result can be seen at http://www.tr-register.com.au/Files/sextong.htm with Gary's car at one stage being fitted with an unusually thick wood rimmed steering wheel which was soon replaced by a Motalita.

 

It's been speculated that the hounds-tooth trim was a fizzer, so the factory's stock was shipped off down here, knowing it wouldn't be returned.

 

Regards,

 

Viv.

 

Viv: This is becoming an interesting story. Bill Piggott never said anything about a "hounds tooth" trim, only "metric". I must admit that although Gary's car is beautiful, my eyes kind of went buggy when I tried to focus on the interior pattern. Not my cup of tea, but that's why ice cream comes in more than one flavour.

 

Cheers,

 

Frank

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The words cat, pigeons and among come to mind. I have never, ever seen a TR with trim like this before, though I do have memories stirring that I may have seen it in a saloon - not necessarily Standard Triumph. (Who bought the trim fabric in from ICI anyway).

 

Now there is another thing bugging me. I could never quite understand why one pattern (as illustrated in one of Bill Piggott's books) apparently had two names i.e. "metric or wicker trim". Could it be that this thread is now illustrating an example of both metric and wicker?

 

Nick

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Guest colinTR2

Hi

There is one TR2 with this trim still very active in Kent, belongs to Wes Keely and as far as I remember the car has never been rebuilt, just enough work to keep it legal and running. I will try to get a photo when I next see it. This current example looks far too good and bright to be original. There was also a TR3 as I remember some years ago that also had the "wicker trim", belonged to Greg Trip down in the east of the county. I don't know what happened to this car, other than Greg sold it when family beckoned, maybe 12-15 years ago. This car was red as I think Wes's also is.

cheers

Colin

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Viv: This is becoming an interesting story. Bill Piggott never said anything about a "hounds tooth" trim, only "metric". I must admit that although Gary's car is beautiful, my eyes kind of went buggy when I tried to focus on the interior pattern. Not my cup of tea, but that's why ice cream comes in more than one flavour.

 

Cheers,

 

Frank

Frank I quite agree the trim would make you go cross eyed after a while! Image that first thing in the morning with a hangover :( . Come to that anyone that suffers from migranes would really have a hard time!

Stuart.

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I agree with Alec, Nick etc. who expressed doubt about it being original. The wicker I saw in 1988 at Uxbridge was a much finer or smaller grid pattern than anything shown here. The pattern was not printed on. It seemed to have been embossed or moulded onto the surface. It was definitely original as it had become faded where an older interior usually fades.

 

I suppose that the already coloured vinyl was fed in sheets or rolls through rollers that impressed the texture with this pattern into the vinyl surface.

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I agree with Alec, Nick etc. who expressed doubt about it being original. The wicker I saw in 1988 at Uxbridge was a much finer or smaller grid pattern than anything shown here. The pattern was not printed on. It seemed to have been embossed or moulded onto the surface. It was definitely original as it had become faded where an older interior usually fades.

 

I suppose that the already coloured vinyl was fed in sheets or rolls through rollers that impressed the texture with this pattern into the vinyl surface.

 

Brooklands needs to locate the owner! I'll ask him again.

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  • 10 years later...

It has been 5 years since I posted here perhaps, I can't remember, but  I had a lot of trouble with my health, had to put away my projects, fortunately I'm doing better and  are back to work on one of my projects, which by the way is a Winchester blue/ gray leather authentic  "METRIC"  interior trim. If some of you are still active and want to resume on the subject I will be glad to chat and post pictures. Complete metric  survivor. Working on body as I write. Some interior parts  finish restored so far. Please reply. Would be interested on reviving the conversation and research. Thanks

 

Joe form Miami

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

Yewe? Looks like ethnic knitting, perhaps a female influence? Was this used in the geranium pink cars?

Ok, I accept historically it was done but a fashion choice, naaah!

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