Standard Triumph

Part 2 1945 - 1968

Post War Austerity to the Swinging Sixties

A FRESH START AFTER THE WAR

In the aftermath of World War Two, Britain’s Ministry of Information was busy telling the country to export or die. British pre-war automotive manufacturing prowess meant the motor industry should lead the charge for exports and across the board car companies responded, prioritising development of models for the lucrative North American market. Austin, Morris, Standard Triumph and many more were looking across the Atlantic.

As war ended, the Standard Motor Company’s managing director Sir John Black wasted no time getting back into car production and making use of his recently acquired Triumph name, badging his organisation as ‘Standard Triumph’. While its small economy saloons were known as the Standard 8 and 10, and the larger Vanguard also badged as a Standard, the Triumph name was intended to grace the company’s more sporting or luxurious products. The first new Triumph car after the war was the 1800 saloon, later called the Renown, showing off distinctive flat-sided or razor edge bodies from Mulliners of Birmingham. The 1800 grew to two litres and the final Renown was made in 1954. The Triumph Roadster drophead was launched alongside the 1800 saloon in 1946, complete with glamourous curves penned by Walter Belgrove, Triumph’s pre-war head of design. Though stylish, even in later 2-litre form the Roadster was no sports car, and when production ceased after just three years a mere 4,500 Roadsters had been made. A smaller razor edge saloon joined the Triumph range and was called the Mayflower; as Sir John’s son Nick recalls, ‘the name was chosen by my mother, after the hedgerow flower not the pilgrim ship to America’.

Black wanted much more from the Triumph marque, demanding a sports car to rival MG and grow export sales. A sports car prototype designated 20TS was built on a modified Standard Eight chassis and powered by a 1991cc engine. After showing the 20TS at