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XVIII
THE CAST OF CHARACTERS
1968 TR5, Comm. No. CP2408LO, Owned by TRF, Signal Red
If you own a TR250, you also want to own a TR5 with 150 bhp. The models are
quite identical with the exception that a TR250 was fitted with carburettors, and the
TR5 was fitted with Lucas Mk.II fuel injection and a camshaft to match. The P.I.
system is a completely mechanical set-up based on the MK.I fuel injection fitted to
many grand prix cars in the 1960's. A few TR5 models came into the U.S. as personal
cars of members of the armed services, and that is probably how Charles's car came
eventually into the hands of Allan Moskowitz, a VTR member in Florida. It then went
to a teacher who resided in Wooster, Ohio, where Charles tracked down the car and
phoned the owner to see if the TR5 could be purchased. As it turned out, the new
owner was hoping to pass it on to a good home, and he gave Charles a price on the
phone. The trip to Wooster was a family outing on a Sunday in Autumn, 1985, the
exciting ending of which found the car barely making it back to Pennsylvania as the
result of a very common TR5 problem, vapor lock caused by an overworked electric
fuel pump.
The first thing Charles did upon getting the car home was to disassemble the entire
fuel system from the tank to the injectors and the intake manifolds. Early the following
spring, the car was reassembled with new and rebuilt components. It was powerful and
fun to drive, but the vapor lock problem persisted. In warm weather, the fuel pump
would overheat, and the car would stop running. For a time, Charles solved this
problem by strapping an ice bag to the fuel pump. The spare tire was removed, and the
water from the melting ice ran out through the drain hole in the bottom of the spare tire
compartment.
TR5 Parked Outside The Roadster Factory
