MOVING TO THE FOUR

It was a rebodied Triumph TR that brought Michelotti to the attention of Triumph after an introduction by businessman Raymond Flower. The TR3-based ‘Dream Car’ of 1957 was not exactly what Triumph management was looking for, but it was certainly much more cutting-edge than the TR3 and was built both quickly and for surprisingly little cost – £3000 at the time.

Standard-Triumph was so impressed that Michelotti was immediately signed up to tweak the Standard Vanguard’s styling, before penning the Herald’s distinctive lines. Then Michelotti could return to the sports car theme, producing the Zest and Zoom prototypes – all of which hinted at the future TR4.

Under the skin, there were tweaks rather than massive changes. Poor Michelotti had to wait in limbo for decisions about what these changes would be, however.

Would the chassis be stretched to include the twin-cam Sabrina engine? In the end, management opted to keep the same basic dimensions as the TR3, though with a four-inch (10cm) wider track front and rear and the adoption of rack-and-pinion steering. The engine was stretched to 2138cc, though a 1991cc option