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The TRA National
Committee chose a very scenic venue in the heart of the Blue Ridge
Mountains for the 2012 TRA National Meet. The
host hotel was the Switzerland Inn in Little Switzerland, North
Carolina. The Inn has a total of 72 available rooms, many had beautiful
mountain views. The official dates were Thursday, June 21st
through Sunday, June 24th, 2012
The meet started with
a trip early Thursday morning to Asheville for a tour of the Biltmore
Estate. Most members will tell you that the driving in this area
of North Carolina is superb! Right out of the hotel parking lot,
you were treated to driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway or NC 226A, the
Diamondback Loop. The weather was perfect, the hotel and grounds
were beautiful, even had the car show on the front lawn overlooking the
scenic mountain valley view.
Here are some of the
meet highlights:
Thursday morning: Guided tour
to the Biltmore, which is billed as “America’s Largest Home”.
Built in 1895 by George Vanderbilt, this 250 room home sits on 8,000
acres. It is truly one of America’s castles! When we
arrived, we had preferred parking by the house for photos.
Friday
morning: The Concours d’ Elegance and Participant’s Choice car
shows took place on the Inn grounds overlooking a scenic valley.
Friday
evening: The always lively parts auction took place at the Inn
with a “bid stimulating session” (free beer in the back) prior to the
first part being offered.
Saturday
Morning and Afternoon Tours:
There were plenty of
awesome local attractions to take in prior to the awards ceremony and
dinner Saturday evening. Here are a few...
• DIAMONDBACK NC226A
Get ready to test your driving skills! The Diamondback, 226A, is one of
the last great stretches of back woods, mountain roads. The entrance to
this paved route is less than 100 yards from the Hotel! This 12
mile loop has 190 curves and switchbacks, some 360 degrees, with climbs
and drops through the forest. It’s a loop that brings you right
back to the hotel.
• GRANDFATHER
MOUNTAIN
Only 25 miles from Little Switzerland is Grandfather Mountain, the
2nd highest peak east of the Mississippi at 5,946 feet. Almost all of
the drive is on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
• SHOPPING IN
BAKERSVILLE
• MOUNT MITCHELL STATE PARK
This is the HIGHEST POINT EAST OF THE
MISSISSIPPI – 6.684 FEET! The drive there provided many opportunities to
pull off at lookouts for photo ops. Once at the park, we enjoyed the
trails and forest and of course, the spectacular view.
•
TS1 LO ON HOTEL GROUNDS
Recently, past TRA President, Joe Richards,
informed us that the first production TR2 (TS1LO) has returned to the
mainland from Hawaii. Joe had painstakingly restored TS1 to the
level at which it was first shown. Subsequently, Joe sold TS1 to a
collector in Hawaii, who recently sold it to a gentleman in Utah, Dr.
Phillip Hoops and the car was on display during the entire meet for all
to enjoy.
TRA 2012 SHOW RESULTS
Concours
Preservation Class
Jeff & Nancy Kelly
TS778L, 1954 TR2 99.7pts
Gold Certificate
Chris & Kathy Kresser
TS 46439 L, 1959 TR3A 98.6 pts
Gold Certificate
Pat Davis
TS 5043LO, 1954 TR2, 97.2 pts
Gold Certificate
Jack & Carol
Schmelyun
TS 2616LO, 1954 TR2, 97.1 pts.
Gold Certificate
Darrell & Beverly
Floyd
CT 5521 LO, 1962 TR4, 95.9 pts.
Gold Certificate
Jay Holekamp
CT38895LO, 1964 TR4, 95.1 pts.
Gold Certificate
Concours d'Elegance Car Show Results
TR4 Class:
Bob Streepy
Gold Certificate, 1st Place
TR3B Class:
Marty &
Pat Jones, Gold Certificate,
1st Place
TR3A Class:
Don & Helen
Cumberland, Gold Certificate,
Second Place
TR3A Class:
Frank Angelini &
Brian Schlorff, Gold
Certificate, First Place
TR2 Class:
Lou Metelko &
Priscilla Creaven, Gold
Certificate, First Place
2012 TRA Best of
Show:
Frank Angelini & Brian Schlorff,
TR3A, 98.0 pts.
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