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1957 TRIDEN (Ex.Driscoll/Tonkin)

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Published on 26 January 2012

In February 2011 I Obtained An Aussie Special Sports Race Car That My Father Ron Tonkin Built 50+ Years Ago. It's A 1957 'TRIDEN', Built Up From A 1949 Triumph Chassis With 1957 Era Holden Running Gear. The Car Was Fully Restored Some 10 Years Ago & Is Still Looking & Running Fantastic. The Car Is Now Currently Conditional / Historic Registered In NSW... In 1962 This Car Was Sold By My Dad & Has Travelled From SA To WA, To Coffs Harbour & Was, Until Recently, Located Unbelievably Only 30 Minutes From Home. It Was Owned By A Gentleman Who Used This Car To Race @ Historic Meetings (Class Lb) & Was Really Surprised When I Contacted Him About The Car. My Family & I Went Out To 'Check Out Dads Handy Work' When Disscussions Turned In To Negotiating A $$$ To Buy It. Anyways, I Felt It Was Uncanny That It Had Travelled Halfway Around The Country Over The Last 50+ Years & Ended Up Only 30 Minutes From Where I Live, Amazing Really!!! So, I Bought It, Ha Ha... My Father Used To Make Fibreglass Bodies For The Early Elfin Clubman's & Alongside Some Big Names In The Day Used To Race Elfin Catalina's & Mono's. You Can See Some Elfin Influence In This Car I Think. It's A Pretty Amazing Story That I Love Telling, It Makes The Car Worth So Much More For Me Personally & My Family... In My Research Over The Last Few Months, I've Been Amazed With The Amount Of Interest People Have Had With Dads Elfin's & This Car & The Amount Of 'Do Tell' Emails I've Received Has Been Overwhelming... Anyways, There Are Still Many Untold Stories About This Car & Unfortunately I Can't Ask Dad As He Passed Away Some 15 Years Ago... Anyways, Maybe There Are Some Readers Here That May Have Some Comments & Or Photos That May Fill In A Few Gaps. Cheers, Wayne Tonkin... :)