What's a Tui?

"In '76 I was covering the Atlantic series for Autoweek, not getting expenses for travel, so I grabbed transportation wherever I could.

Part of my travel that year was provided by McCall, as I helped his mechanic Peter Marshall chauffeur the Tui van around North America.

On one occasion we had stopped to get gas somewhere in the middle of nowhere USA. In those days one wasn't allowed to pump one's own gas, the attendant had to do it.

The attendant, who looked like he might have been an extra in the movie "Deliverance" noticed the only signage on the van. A tasteful sticker that said simply "Tui".

Attached to the van was the trailer, which had to have once been a horse trailer, Wooden sides and some plasticized canvas covering the top.

"What's a Tui?" asked the attendant.

"A bird," I answered.

"What's in the trailer?" was the next question.

"A Tui" I said and walked away.

I didn't look back as I walked away.

As I said above, I"m just not a nice guy. "

~ Marc Sproule

1973 Tui BH3