If you’ve ever been abroad, there’s a fair chance a few unfamiliar cars may have caught your eye, and you perhaps may have been tempted to bring one or two back with you. Chances are, like most of us, the realities of life kicked in, leaving your daydreaming self with an unfilled fantasy.
But what if you decided to pursue that dream? Well, then you might end up with a warehouse like that of Vernon Brannan. According to Hagerty’s Tom Cotter, the Barn Find Hunter himself, Brannan is in possession of the most complete collection of Triumphs in North America, all hidden away in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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Among his collection, which includes around 30 Triumphs, is a Triumph Acclaim, better known as an early example of badge engineering courtesy of Honda’s Ballade. This Civic-based front-wheel drive sedan is one of only a handful that has made their way over to the States. It isn’t the only front-wheel drive Triumph in the collection, either. And with only three FWD Triumph models to ever be produced, there’s an example of a 1500 front-wheel drive tucked away, too, making it two out of three.
Other notable members of the collection include an Mk1 Spitfire, a hatchback TR4 converted by Harringtons, and an SCCA championship-winning TR8 that was piloted by Ken Slagle.
It’s not all Triumphs, though, as Brannan is a veritable aficionado of all things wheeled and British. He also has a 1962 998cc Austin Mini Cooper, a Jaguar XJ12 coupe, and a Bond Equipe to name a few.
Perhaps one of the most fascinating aspects of the entire collection is how all these vehicles have been dry-stored, with most seeming to be in remarkable condition. Vernon Brannan is a wealth of information on each car and continues to race some of them, including a triple-Webber’d Triumph Vitesse.