Terry Taylor

Dan MacMedan

Gold forum user
CAT Member
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It is with great sadness that I need to pass along that Terry Taylor passed away last night from a heart attack. Not much more is known, but for those of you that knew the Taylors as one of the cornerstones of the Sunbeam Tiger world, this is a giant blow to the community. A charter member of STOA, and C.A.T., and one of the five remaining people who have attended all 44 Tigers United, he was always enthusiastic in sharing his knowledge and chatting about anything Tiger related.

It was only one week ago that we were celebrating with him at Tigers United in Monterey as he won the Lord Rootes trophy for the second time since 1982 with his newly acquired black Tiger, a color which he had always wanted. If the saying is, "at least he went out a winner"...this fits it perfectly.

Please keep his family, Maria, Matthew, Nicole...in you thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely
Dan MacMedan
C.A.T. President
 
I didn't know Terry personally, but had corresponded with Matt and Nicole when running the Victorian club magazine.

always super helpful and passionate Sunbeamers...very sorry for their families loss.
 
Another tough one to swallow. Always enjoyed our chats at TU's. I marveled at him not missing any of the United's, but he would just shrug it off as not a big deal. Pretty incredible when you think about it. My condolences to the family.
 
RIP...

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Such heart-breaking news. I enjoyed talking to Terry and congratulating him at TU44 just two weeks ago. My condolences to his family and many Tiger friends.
 
Awful news. When I joined STOA in late 2016 Terry really made me feel welcome. He was one of the friendliest and most helpful members and I always looked forward to seeing him and Maria at every event. Both were so generous with hosting parties and went above and beyond in their contributions to the club. Terry truly embodied the fun and camaraderie of the Tiger community. You could tell he thoroughly enjoyed the hobby.
 
Wow, very sad. I was just emailing with him last week with questions about the LAT-9 wheels on his Black Tiger. RIP Terry. My condolences to his family and friends.
 
Having owned my Tiger for only a year I attended Tigers United 44 to glean information and learn about Tigers. While at the parts swap I was looking at something and asked the gentleman next to me a question about the part. He sat with my wife and I for almost half and hour talking Tiger. Yes none other than Terry Taylor. He caught us several more times that week just to say Hi. My wife commented to me "You have made Tiger Friend".
My condolences to his family.
RIP "My Tiger Friend"
L.
 
With the passing of Terry Taylor, we have once again lost one of the cornerstones of our Tiger world. (We lost our own Larry Young just a few weeks ago.) Although Terry was a CAT member, and obviously went to as many Tigers Uniteds as any CAT member, (he went to all of them), he was one of the key members of STOA and an STOA guy to the end. I first heard of Terry in the early '80s. The late Howie Shoenfeld used to tell tales of how Terry had a "boatload" of LAT parts in his attic. I would see Terry and Maria at the handfull of TUs I attended in the '80s. But I really first met him and the other STOA guys (Stan Clarke and John Peterson) at a Shelby mini-national event at Sears Point. I don't remember if I was even running on the track or just that I'd driven up to watch my mechanic, Dan Walters. The STOA guys were flying around the track in street cars. In those days, most people didn't have trailers. Hell, some didn't even have roll bars. At some of the tracks, you could have passengers at full speed. Watching Terry and the guys run their Tigers that fast and then use their cars to drive to the event banquet left a major impression on me. I remember seeing Terry and the STOA gang in 1989 at the first SUNY in Snow Mass, Colorado. Again, no trailers. I think I first ate dinner with these guys at another mini Nat event at Laguna Seca. I was sitting between Stan and Terry, not saying a word--just listening to them talking about going back to the Virginia City Hill Climb--and how that was the event to really prove yourself in a Tiger. Sorry, the idea of running a Tiger off the side of a mountain was nuts. I left dinner thinking that these guys were either Tiger Gods, effin' crazy--or both. It was in the last 30 years that I realized how competitive Terry was. When I ran the Monterey Historics in '97 with my red Tiger (it was a Shelby year), Terry and his family were there to roote on the Tigers. He wished me luck, but made sure I knew that he could turn laps three seconds faster than me. When I was helping the late Dick Barker with the LM coupe, Terry would always remind me that he'd had a chance to buy it first. No love lost between those two Tiger legends. It was great to see Terry and Maria a few weeks ago at TU Monterrey; to hear about Terry's new black Tiger and hear the stories behind this year's Lord Rootes winner. However, it was at last year's event that I realized how Tiger-tough Terry and Company were. United was over, and the three Tigers were heading down Big Bear Mountain and up to the Bay area--again no trailers--with everything they needed for a four-day event packed into the Tigers. Except this time I realized that these drivers were all in their late 70s. Just amazing stuff to me!
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With the passing of Terry Taylor, we have once again lost one of the cornerstones of our Tiger world. (We lost our own Larry Young just a few weeks ago.) Although Terry was a CAT member, and obviously went to as many Tigers Uniteds as any CAT member, (he went to all of them), he was one of the key members of STOA and an STOA guy to the end. I first heard of Terry in the early '80s. The late Howie Shoenfeld used to tell tales of how Terry had a "boatload" of LAT parts in his attic. I would see Terry and Maria at the handfull of TUs I attended in the '80s. But I really first met him and the other STOA guys (Stan Clarke and John Peterson) at a Shelby mini-national event at Sears Point. I don't remember if I was even running on the track or just that I'd driven up to watch my mechanic, Dan Walters. The STOA guys were flying around the track in street cars. In those days, most people didn't have trailers. Hell, some didn't even have roll bars. At some of the tracks, you could have passengers at full speed. Watching Terry and the guys run their Tigers that fast and then use their cars to drive to the event banquet left a major impression on me. I remember seeing Terry and the STOA gang in 1989 at the first SUNY in Snow Mass, Colorado. Again, no trailers. I think I first ate dinner with these guys at another mini Nat event at Laguna Seca. I was sitting between Stan and Terry, not saying a word--just listening to them talking about going back to the Virginia City Hill Climb--and how that was the event to really prove yourself in a Tiger. Sorry, the idea of running a Tiger off the side of a mountain was nuts. I left dinner thinking that these guys were either Tiger Gods, effin' crazy--or both. It was in the last 30 years that I realized how competitive Terry was. When I ran the Monterey Historics in '97 with my red Tiger (it was a Shelby year), Terry and his family were there to roote on the Tigers. He wished me luck, but made sure I knew that he could turn laps three seconds faster than me. When I was helping the late Dick Barker with the LM coupe, Terry would always remind me that he'd had a chance to buy it first. No love lost between those two Tiger legends. It was great to see Terry and Maria a few weeks ago at TU Monterrey; to hear about Terry's new black Tiger and hear the stories behind this year's Lord Rootes winner. However, it was at last year's event that I realized how Tiger-tough Terry and Company were. United was over, and the three Tigers were heading down Big Bear Mountain and up to the Bay area--again no trailers--with everything they needed for a four-day event packed into the Tigers. Except this time I realized that these drivers were all in their late 70s. Just amazing stuff to me! View attachment 21327
Our heartfelt condolences to Maria and the Taylor Family--Steven and Jane Alcala
 
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