The Budget T-BIRD

Given its head in 1963, a Triumph Thunderbird swept Bob Currie to 102mph, oozing a deceptively laidback power delivery that was ‘so smooth as to be nigh-on liquid. No kick in the pants feeling, but an all the way push which sends the speedometer needle up in to the nines before you know it.’

One minute, Bob was noodling along at 30mph in top gear. Just 13 seconds later he’d accelerated cleanly to 80mph without swapping a single cog. That’s why the unit construction 6T was so popular with police forces across the UK and municipal fleets worldwide, to the extent that the scuffers’ bikes gained a special nickname – The Saint. It’s also one reason why the Thunderbird of the mid-60s is such an attractive classic rider’s machine today.

There’s another very good reason for the 6T’s modern popularity: price. Unlike pre-unit Triumphs from the 1950s which will set you back a solid five-figure sum, their 1960s successors can be had