- Name Name Tani Rieben
- Job Air traffic controller
- From Switzerland
- Wheels 1962 Triumph TR3
- In the UAE Five years
Tell us how this beautiful 1962 Triumph TR3 became yours?
When I was a child, my father had the later model Triumph TR6 but I never really liked that shape — it wasn't classical enough for me. But I fell in love with the TR3 which was produced between 1955 and 1962.
In 2008 I managed to find a good deal in Canada on one of the last-produced TR3s with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder twin carburettor engine. They only made 530 of these and mine is number 465. It has a four-speed manual with overdrive. I managed to ship it to the UAE and it arrived here in January 2009. I then decided to restore it to an everyday driver.
Why? Was it in a bad condition?
I wanted to keep the car as original as possible. Sometime in the Eighties, the wide-mouth grille was replaced by an early TR3 small-mouth. This is one of the only non-standard things on the car. After a frame-off respray and new interior in Sharjah, I personally put about 700 hours into restoring and getting it roadworthy again.
Did anyone help you?
Paul Fisher, a good friend from work and former aircraft engineer, taught me amazing things about the mechanics of the car.
He used to own a TR6 as a young lad and was very keen on helping me.
We're guessing it wasn't a straightforwardjob though...
I experienced many ups and downs during the restoration. Most of all it took much longer thanI expected it to.
My car (nicknamed Trudy by my kids) was originally red with a red interior and a white roof. It was produced in these colours on June 20, 1962 and sent to Vancouver from the Standard Triumph Factory in Coventry, England. However, when it arrived here in the UAE from Canada, it was white. I painted it black, with a red interior and a white roof.
I managed to do most of the things myself but the worst job of all was rewiring the control head through the steering shaft. This alone took several days, and I ended up having to do it twice.
Are there any more of these cars around these parts?
I know of three more which exist here. One is in a museum and two others are privately owned.
How do you maintain it?
Keeping a vehicle like this in good shape needs several things. Most importantly love. The car needs to be loved and spending time on polishing, repairing, tuning, and so on should never be a hassle, but a prime pleasure.
Additionally, it is very important to keep them running. Driving Trudy back and forth to work or to JBR for a coffee is not only nice and exciting for me and my kids, it is also great for the car.
Obviously frequent servicing and always checking the fluid levels is of the utmost importance as well.
So, do you drive it around much?
I like to drive it around at least twice a week. However, with the carburettors running quite rich and rough, this can lead to bigger problems — like running out of fuel! When I visited our new ATC facilities in Dubai World Central, I ran out while leaving the new airport. Thankfully, my friends brought me a canister of petrol.
Are parts for this still produced?
Some great companies exist in the US and UK that reproduce almost all the parts for these cars. Tyres are also easily found — however, not in the UAE since 165/80 R15 is not a commonly used size here.
I was very fortunate to find four new tyres at Continental in Dubai. They had been ordered for a classic car rally but became leftovers.
Has it won any awards?
Yes, my car won the public vote prize in its category at the February 2010 Downtown Dubai Classic Car Show.
And, that's a nice-looking Royal Enfield Classic 500 you've got there...
That is my everyday drive to work. I purchased it back in September and love the classic Fifties shape of these bikes.
I've got a rocket version sidecar and my son absolutely loves riding along to the mall or other places in it.
What else would you love to own?
A Chevy Volt or the new Tesla Model S that is being developed. I would love to see these electric hybrids here.
