LE BÉBÉ BONNIE
‘With its brilliant performance’, chirped the 1958 brochure, ‘the Triumph Tiger Cub is the popular choice of the lightweight enthusiast today. He appreciates the lively four-stroke OHV engine with its simple dry sump lubrication system and four-speed gearbox built in unit. As for economy of running and value for money, the Cub is really on its own.’
The brochure was talking about the 200cc T20, a direct development of the 149cc Terrier which was first built in 1952. Both were simple and compact machines, styled to match the fashions of the day. The 1958 Cub with its inclined ohv single cylinder engine was capable of 60mph (at a push) and returned around 100mpg. This combination of reasonable performance and fair frugality, together with a dash of Edward Turner’s design panache, kept the Cub in production until 1970 despite some skimping on the
