Pat Lobdell's 1963 TR4

The calendar picture was taken at the British Boots and Bonnets Car Show. The antique plane in the background is a Cessna AT8, a multi-engine trainer from WWII. If it looks familiar, it was also the plane Sky King flew in the 50's TV series. It has always been one of my favorites. By the way, at the end of the day, I got a ride in it!

My 1963 TR4 was purchased by my uncle, Melvin Lobdell, on a rainy June night in '63. He had looked at and drove both the TR3B and the TR4. I remember him saying he did not like the steering on the TR3 and the rack and pinion on the TR4 was much better. He also pointed out that the TR4 had roll-up windows and a top that did not leak. My first ride in the TR4 was when I was about 13 years old. My Dad and Uncle were in front and can you believe it, I rode in the back on the shelf! This was my first ride in a "Real Sports Car."

Now, let's roll the clock forward 25 years. My Uncle is 75 years old, has a bad hip and can't get in and out of the car anymore. He told me he was thinking about selling the car. My Uncle and I worked out a deal where I would purchase the car when I got back to work since I was still recovering from back surgery. In the meantime, I could work on the car and get it ready to go back on the road. It hadn't been driven in four years.

So there I was cleaning the car, draining the gas, oil and coolant, and changing the plugs, points and condenser. We had talked about market price for the car which was about $5,000, but Uncle Mel said he would give me a substantial discount after seeing how hard I worked. In June 1988, I met with my Uncle and he set the price at $1000. Can you believe it! This car is totally original. The top, the tires, and everything else was as it left the dealer. The car had 29,000 miles and it was 25 years old. The Commission # is CT19596 which makes it mid-production (40,000 built). It has flat glass on the gauges with white dash and a black vinyl covered central gauge panel. The front wishbones have the later TR6 type balljoint. The seats are the type that were fitted to only 5,000 cars (#15,000 to 20,000) where the seat frame is the same as the TR3 but the upholstery is different in that the pleats run vertically and not horizontally. Later in 1990 I changed to wire wheels, in '96 the car was painted after an accident, '98 saw an engine rebuild, in '99 a rebuilt overdrive was installed, in 2000 new carpet and seat upholstery were installed and in 2001 new chrome wire wheels and new splined hubs and knockoffs replaced worn painted wires.

In the years I've owned the car, I've enjoyed driving it immensely. ISOA has had a lot to do with that. Last summer the odometer turned over 90,000 miles on the way home from Potato Fest.

by Pat "Power Bulge" Lobdell