THE FIRST TRIUMPH
When an Irish visitor to the factory museum said that he knew where the very first Triumph motorcycle was, and that it was for sale, there was a strong possibility that the guide would think he’d kissed the Blarney Stone and forgotten all about it. But he had the good sense to take his phone number and pass it on to Dick Shepherd.
As anyone who has visited Hinckley will know, most of the motorcycles on display belong to Dick. He never passes on the chance to follow up a lead, never mind how unlikely it might seem, and finding the first Triumph would be a dream come true for the avid collector. But the U.K. was in a Covid lockdown and nipping over to Ireland was out of the question, so this time he asked an Irish contact to check it out.
“When he emailed me photos of the letter from Triumph and the bill of sale, I knew this was the real deal,” says Dick. Mounted in a frame pinholed by wood-worm and displayed alongside the motor-cycle, the letter was dated October 18, 1937, and addressed to Mr. J. Hitchcock, the Triumph agent in Folkstone.
“Dear Sir,
We acknowledge receipt of your letter of this 12th October concerning details of the first
