John Hagen is a writer, producer and director and one of the team behind quirky kids show The Poo Files, weekdays at 3.30pm on TVNZ2 and TVNZ+.
What are you driving?
My fun ride is a 1955 Triumph TR2, lovingly restored over 20 years or so. It’s the number two car in the family, but is a daily driver in the summer months (1955 wasn’t a great year for weatherproofing and the hood is more like a mobile umbrella than a weatherproof travel space. The heater? Yeah, nah…).
Why this model and what do you like about it?
I’ve always loved the flowing lines and simple styling of the early TRs. I got it as a box of bits around the turn of the century, so the jigsaw nature of the project was part of the fun.
It’s the sort of car where you can open the bonnet and completely understand what you’re looking at and how to fix it. And in its day, it was a Le Mans winning, genuine 100mph car. I haven’t tried to hit that 100mph mark (even though I’m reasonably confident it could do it), but it’s very happy on the motorway at 100km/h and with its overdrive clunked in the 2000cc twin SU carb motor purring, it’s competitively economical.
But I think it’s the manual-everything experience of driving a car like this that gets to you.
No locks on the doors (what’s the point?), no electric windows (you lift the sidescreen windows out and store them in the boot), and a handbrake that works the opposite to what you’re used to (pull the lever, push the button to hold – just pull the lever back and let it go and you’re off!) it’s a tactile, quirky, and physical kind of ride. And don’t get me started on the heavy steering when parking in town.
Has anything been modified on it?
I got in trouble with some TR purists for painting the car a non-TR colour (I went with Audi Oyster Grey) but most people who see it agree that -had that colour been available in 1955- Triumph would have used it. I think it suits the lines of the car very well. And I like being a little bit non-conformist.
Other than that, I have transplanted a differential from a TR3 (the original TR2 diff was a notorious weak spot), and I asked Ken Saville, who was instrumental in rebuilding the car, to drop in a mild road cam while the engine was in bits. And it has electronic ignition so it starts first time. A previous owner had upgraded the front brakes from drums (bad) to discs (better) and Ken popped in a power assist so it stops as well as it goes now.
So, from the outside it looks like an old sports car, but just watch me come past on the motorway!
What’s your favourite part about your car?
There are so many things to like. The wind in your hair, the throaty roar (more noise than actual horsepower, but who’s counting?), the dashboard that looks like it’s straight out of a WWII aeroplane, the way the overdrive clunks satisfyingly in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th giving you effectively seven gears… the list goes on and on.
Anything you don’t like about it?
Having to get a WOF every six months. Because the car’s so old, that’s the rules – I get that. But in fact it is, for all intents and purposes, a brand new car, with old on the outside. That, and trying to get a (nameless, but you can guess…) WOF specialist centre to understand that the back brakes will never balance on their machines. And that the steering will always have a level of play you won’t find on a modern car. I could do without that.
Luckily, I’ve found Hyde Automotive in New Lynn who know these cars inside and out. It’s like taking a trip back in time – in a car from the fifties to a service centre with values from a similar era.
What do you always have in your car?
A pair of RAF black leather flying gloves. If they’re good enough to fly a Tornado, they’re good enough to steer a TR2. Seriously, warm hands and a delicate touch are more than just a luxury in an open cockpit at 100km/h. Ask anyone.
What do you think of electric cars?
I like the idea of electric cars, I just don’t like the practicality of them – especially battery usage. Call me old school, but waiting for hours to refill your battery on a trip is not my idea of long-haul fun. So, until there’s a swap-out solution, or we develop roads that charge your car on the go, it’s strictly a commuter option as far as I’m concerned. Besides, I can’t see me driving something called a Leaf, or a Prius. Unless I take up Uber driving in my spare time (nah… not gonna happen).
How long will you be keeping it (ready for it?) in the future?
The TR is a keeper. It’s part toy, part collector’s item, and part exhilarating ride. That’s not something you trade in for a Nissan Leaf.
