Triumph Sports Cars
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About this ebook
Illustrated throughout and written by acclaimed motoring writer and historian Graham Robson, this book guides the reader through the history of this classic British marque from its heyday in the 1960s and 1970s through to its eventual demise in the 1980s.
Graham Robson
Graham Robson, a motoring writer and historian with many awards to his credit, has always been close to the Healey family. He has published numerous motoring titles and commentates at leading events. He wrote The Ford Cortina, Austin-Healey and Jaguar for Shire
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Book preview
Triumph Sports Cars - Graham Robson
CONTENTS
TRIUMPH – THE FIRST DECADES
THE 1800 AND 2000 ROADSTERS
FROM THE TR2 TO THE TR6
THE SPITFIRE AND THE GT6
THE STAG
THE TR7 AND THE TR8
RACING, RALLYING AND RECORD-BREAKING
FURTHER READING
PLACES TO VISIT
TRIUMPH – THE FIRST DECADES
ALTHOUGH BEFORE THE Second World War there were many famous Triumphs – Glorias, Vitesses, Southern Crosses and Dolomites – which sold in modest numbers, it wasn’t until the TR2 came along that the marque truly prospered. Triumph’s story began in Coventry in the 1880s, when German-born Siegfried Bettman set himself up as a maker of pedal cycles.
As soon as reliable engines were available, starting in 1902 Bettman’s Triumph Cycle Co. Ltd began building motorcycles. This proved so successful that by the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 Triumph had become a major player in the industry; during the war the company supplied 30,000 machines to the British Army.
Triumph’s links with the War Office were made through a young army officer; Colonel Claude Holbrook later joined Triumph in Coventry as general manager. From that point he became a dominant personality in the thriving business.
In the boom that followed the First World War Triumph was finally tempted to design its first car, but its factory in Priory Street was less than ideal: not only was it busy with the production of motorcycles, but it was an old seven-level building, totally unsuitable for building bulky four-wheelers.
Bettman was unconcerned. First he dabbled with the idea of buying up Hillman, and was even asked if he wanted to buy Morris Motors; then he watched as most other new and under-capitalised car-making projects foundered. Finally, in December 1921 he bought up a factory in Clay Lane, Coventry, where Dawson cars had been produced from 1919.
It took sixteen more months to get the first Triumph car ready for sale. Much of that time was spent in finding experts to design it. In the end a trio from Lea-Francis – Arthur Alderson, Alan Lea and Arthur Sykes – were hired, while the noted consultant Harry Ricardo was employed to design a side-valve 1,393cc engine. The very first Triumph car, the 10/20 hp model, was revealed in April 1923.
Except for adopting newfangled hydraulic brakes in 1924, Triumph built ordinary, but relatively expensive, middle-class machines for some years. Chassis frames had channel section side members, the suspension was by stiff half-elliptic leaf springs, the engines had side-valve cylinder heads, and the vehicles’ performance was pedestrian, to say the least. It was years before Triumph built its own bodies.
Triumph noted the success of the Seven, made by Austin, and soon set about matching it. Stanley Edge, who had already drawn up the Austin Seven to Herbert Austin’s wishes, joined Triumph to repeat the trick, this time working for chief draughtsman A. A. Sykes. The first truly small Triumph, the Super Seven, was unveiled in September 1927. It was perfect timing for the company.
The first Triumph car, the 10/20 model, was introduced in 1923, and this roadster was the first sporty version to be put on sale.
Walter Belgrove, who eventually became Triumph’s chief body design engineer, arrived on the scene at the same time as Edge, but recalls a lack of strategy: ‘The company lacked a positive design section in those days. The models, like Topsy in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, just growed
…’
However, the Super Seven proved a worthy competitor of the Austin Seven, and a great success. Despite its very conventional engineering and a tiny 832cc side-valve engine it boasted all the best characteristics of its rival. Priced at the same level as the Austin, it was a 50-mph machine with a