The Dino was purchased new by my dad from H.R. Owen in South Kensington in early '74. The S/N is 07412, and the car came off the assembly line in November of '73. The story (at least the beginning of it) is that my dad would ride the bus to his London office from my parents' flat every morning. (Alcoa had an office in London as well as the main one in Droitwich, and my folks had a small flat in S.W.10) The bus went right past the H.R.O. showroom, and my father could see the car in there all through the winter. When spring arrived, he decided to take the plunge, and that particular car was available with no waiting, perhaps partly due to its rather unusual color, called Verde Germoglio, which roughly translates as "bud green". So, one could say that the color came to him rather than he to the color.
The 2003 Toyota was an exercise by me to see if a car that is much-maligned in the press as being "bland", could actually be turned into something that's fun to drive. It has the standard 2.4 liter engine (actually quite similar to the new GM engine in the Morgan) and 5-speed gearbox. All that was done to the engine was the addition of a more free-flowing "cat back" exhaust and low-restriction air intake. The suspension received most of the attention. 17" wheels and tires, front strut brace, lower and stiffer springs, stiffer anti-roll bars front and rear, and stiffer gas dampers. The result is a car that handles very well indeed.
Last month, I took a "refresher" advanced driving course at a circuit here in S. Carolina. (Hence the number on the side in the photo.) As the "rust" melted away and I began to go faster and faster, my instructor called the Toyota the "ultimate sleeper". Do you Brits use that term? In case you don't, a sleeper is a car that is much faster than its appearance might suggest.
I wanted to take the Morgan to the track, but its roll-over bar is not tall enough to meet the spec for open cars. It would have been really fast! The Dino is too valuable for such shenanigans.
Thanks again for all the compliments.
Last edited by Dinodan; 11/04/10 08:16 PM.
