On September the 18th 1964 the Beatles were playing the Dallas Memorial Auditorium, Goldfinger had just premiered, the NME was running the headline "Elvis is one of the lads" and in the English seaside town of Southend-on-Sea a white Triumph Herald rag top was being registered (BHJ 853B).

In '64 local councils kept car registration records, before the DVLC (Driver Vehicle Licensing Centre) was set up in 1974 (now the DVLA).  Unfortunately the Essex County Council Records Office did not retain its records, so the earliest document is from '76.  

Consequently, this history is constructed mainly from DVLA documents, but also in part from the recollections of previous owners.  

Who originally bought the car, from which showroom and who owned it between '64 and '74 are unfortunately a mystery. 

In 1974 (by owners recollection) the car was bought by Dennis North of Chalfont St Giles (Buckinghamshire), who owned the car until 1978. At the time of purchase it was ten years old and had something in the region of 30,000 miles on the clock...

In 1978, as John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John topped the charts, Dennis sold the car to his brother Robert.  When I spoke to Robert in '98 he said he had liked the car very much, however his wife was not so keen. He also reports that the car gave very little trouble, just a small amount of rust developed but not enough to stop it passing its MOT (Ministry of Transport) test. When he sold the car it had around 40,000 mile on the clock and fetched £500 ($760)...

As the 80s came in the car changed hands again, Janet and Derek Patterson of High Wycombe (Buckinghamshire) bought BHJ 853B from Robert North in the Summer of 1980.  Registered under Janet's name it stayed with them just over a year before they sold it on...

Again in Summer, this time 1981 the car has a new owner, Colin White of Hillingdon (Middlesex), and again this period of ownership lasted just over a year...

Summer 1982 the car was bought by Tanya Bradley of Uxbridge (Greater London).  She bought the car "off some bloke in a pub", paying "fifty quid" (£50 - $76).  She obviously thought this was a good deal, as she declared it a "right result!" in a letter to me.  At that time the car was showing its age (now 18 years), Tanya says it was pretty rusty, but that she enjoyed it and traveled a lot in it.  

Fourteen years later, having had it from "Fame" to the Spice Girls, she sold the car on...

In May 1996 Antonio Fusco bought the car, now in a poor state of mechanical repair but running and structurally sound. He owned it for another year before selling (after buying a Fiat of a similar age)...

In July 1997 it was bought for £1,400 ($2,300) by John Roulston-Bates (me) with around 63,000 miles.

At first this Herald was not an easy child.  When I bought it  I was carried away with enthusiasm, and so consequently got "done".  The £1,400 purchase price was soon surpassed in fees for work carried out.

In the past six years the car has been an ongoing restoration project, culminating in a compete engine rebuild in 2000 and bodywork restoration the following year.

In late 2001 I moved from London to New York City, and BHJ 853B followed in April 2003, now reregistered under New York State plates as 64HERALD.

(A friend - Mary - stepping out for a days golf in New Jersey, April 2003)

In late May, early June 2004 I took the Herald on what was probably its longest single trip, from New York via Pennsylvania, Chicago and on to Des Moines, Iowa.  Half way across America and back, a round trip of around 3,000 miles.  

Leaving New York early Friday evening, at the start of the Memorial Day holiday weekend, I drove down to Interstate 76 for 300 miles, before stopping at a hokey motel for the night.  Though relatively clean and comfortable, not to mention cheap at $35 for the night... the black painted fence post decoration on the walls, left me with the impression of "dungeons and dragons, on a budget".

The following morning I drove the remaining thirty-odd miles to my first destination, the Frank Lloyd Wright house, Falling Water.  

Having only seen photographs of this architectural marvel, suspended above a waterfall in the middle of dense Pennsylvania woodland, I decided that I had to see it for real... but was totally unprepared for the reality. 

The Interior of the house shows the clarity and ingenuity of Lloyd Wright's design, and is well worth the trip on its own.  However, the exterior of the house is simply stunning, one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen, and certainly a rival to other great architectural achievements, such as the Empire State Building, Golden Gate Bridge, Chrysler Building or former World Trade Center.  The view from a short walk down stream (pictured above) is simply stunning.

After a quick stop in the café and gift shop (a British obsession, it is impossible to visit anywhere without coming away with an eraser emblazoned with the logo of the attraction, and having a sit down for a nice cup of tea), I got back into the Herald and started out on the 530 mile journey to Chicago.

Driving into the city on elevated highways (the Chicago Skyway), in the late evening, with the roof down and radio playing as the skyline rose up above the Chicago River, well that was a pretty great introduction to the city.

I only stayed in the city for a couple of days, but did manage to snap this picture (above left) of the Herald, just after a rain storm and in front of a station on the "El" (Chicago's elevated subway).

...more to follow...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Further information, including photographs to follow when a little more age and a few further experiences have been added...