The Triumph Motor Company was a British car and motor manufacturing company. The Triumph marque (trade-name) is owned currently by BMW. The marque had its origins in 1885 when Siegfried Bettmann of Nuremberg formed S. Bettmann & Co and started importing bicycles from Europe and selling them under his own trade name in London. The trade name became “Triumph” the following year, and in 1887 Bettmann was joined by a partner, Moritz Schulte, also from Germany. In 1889, the businessmen started producing their own bicycles in Coventry, England.
History
Triumph Cycle Company
The company was renamed the Triumph Cycle Co. Ltd. in 1897.[1] In 1902 they began producing Triumph motorcycles at their works in Coventry on Much Park Street. At first, they used engines purchased from another company, but the business prospered and they soon started making their own engines. In 1907 they purchased the premises of a spinning mill on Priory Street to develop a new factory. Major orders for the 550 cc Model H were placed by the British Army during the First World War; by 1918 Triumph had become Britain’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles.
In 1921 Bettmann was persuaded by his general manager Claude Holbrook (1886–1979), who had joined the company in 1919, to acquire the assets and Clay Lane premises of the Dawson Car Company and start producing a car and 1.4-litre engine type named the Triumph 10/20 designed for them by Lea-Francis, to whom they paid a royalty for every car sold.[2] Production of this car and its immediate successors was moderate, but this changed with the introduction in 1927 of the Triumph Super 7, which sold in large numbers until 1934.
Triumph Motor Company
In 1930 the company’s name was changed to Triumph Motor Company.[1] Holbrook realized he could not compete with the larger car companies for the mass market, so he decided to produce expensive cars, and introduced the models Southern Cross and Gloria. At first they used engines made by Triumph but designed by Coventry Climax, but in 1937 Triumph started to produce engines to their own designs by Donald Healey, who had become the company’s experimental manager in 1934.
The company encountered financial problems however, and in 1936 the Triumph bicycle and motorcycle businesses were sold, the latter to Jack Sangster of Ariel to become Triumph Engineering Co Ltd.[1] Healey purchased an Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 and developed a new car model with an Alfa inspired straight-8 engine type named the Triumph Dolomite.[3] Three of these cars were made in 1934, one of which was used in competition and destroyed in an accident. The Dolomites manufactured from 1937 to 1940 were unrelated to these prototypes.
In July 1939 the Triumph Motor Company went into receivership and the factory, equipment and goodwill were offered for sale.[2] The Thos W Ward scrapping company purchased Triumph, and placed Healey in charge as general manager, but the effects of the Second World War again stopped the production of cars; the Holbrook Lane works were completely destroyed by bombing in 1940.[4]
Standard Triumph
1946 Triumph 1800 Roadster
In November 1944 what was left of the Triumph Motor Company and the Triumph trade name were bought by the Standard Motor Company[5] and a subsidiary “Triumph Motor Company (1945) Limited” was formed with production transferred to Standard’s factory at Canley, on the outskirts of Coventry. Triumph’s new owners had been supplying engines to Jaguar and its predecessor company since 1938. After an argument between Standard-Triumph Managing Director, Sir John Black, and William Lyons, the creator and owner of Jaguar, Black’s objective in acquiring the rights to the name and the remnants of the bankrupt Triumph business was to build a car to compete with the soon to be launched post-war Jaguars.[6]
The pre-war Triumph models were not revived and in 1946 a new range of Triumphs was announced, starting with the Triumph Roadster. The Roadster had an aluminium body because steel was in short supply and surplus aluminium from aircraft production was plentiful. The same engine was used for the 1800 Town and Country saloon, later named the Triumph Renown, which was notable for the styling chosen by Standard-Triumph’s managing director Sir John Black. A similar style was also used for the subsequent Triumph Mayflower light saloon. All three of these models prominently sported the “globe” badge that had been used on pre-war models. When Sir John was forced to retire from the company this range of cars was discontinued without being replaced directly, sheet aluminium having by now become a prohibitively expensive alternative to sheet steel for most auto-industry purposes.
1950 Triumph Mayflower
1955 Triumph TR2
In the early 1950s it was decided to use the Triumph name for sporting cars and the Standard name for saloons and in 1953 the Triumph TR2 was initiated, the first of the TR series of sports cars that were produced until 1981. Curiously, the TR2 had a Standard badge on its front and the Triumph globe on its hubcaps.
Standard had been making a range of small saloons named the Standard Eight and Ten, and had been working on their replacements. The success of the TR range meant that Triumph was considered a more marketable name than Standard, and the new car was introduced in 1959 as the Triumph Herald. The last Standard car to be made in the UK was replaced in 1963 by the Triumph 2000.
Leyland and beyond
Standard-Triumph was bought by Leyland Motors Ltd. in December 1960; Donald Stokes became chairman of the Standard-Triumph division in 1963. Further mergers resulted in the formation of British Leyland Motor Corporation in 1968.
Triumph set up an assembly facility in Speke, Liverpool in 1959, gradually increasing the size of the company’s most modern factory to the point that it could produce 100,000 cars per year. However, only a maximum of 30,000 cars was ever produced as the plant was never put into full production use, being used largely as an assembly plant.[7] During the 1960s and ’70s Triumph sold a succession of Michelotti-styled saloons and sports cars, including the advanced Dolomite Sprint, which, in 1973, already had a 16-valve four-cylinder engine. It is alleged that many Triumphs of this era were unreliable, especially the 2.5 PI (petrol injection) with its fuel injection problems. In Australia, the summer heat caused petrol in the electric fuel pump to vapourise, resulting in frequent malfunctions. Although the injection system had proven itself in international competition, it lacked altitude compensation to adjust the fuel mixture at altitudes greater than 3,000 feet (910 m) above sea level. The Lucas system proved unpopular: Lucas did not want to develop it further, and Standard-Triumph dealers were reluctant to attend the associated factory and field-based training courses.
For most of its time under Leyland or BL ownership the Triumph marque belonged in the Specialist Division of the company, which went by the names of Rover Triumph and later Jaguar Rover Triumph, except for a brief period during the mid-1970s when all BL’s car marques or brands were grouped together under the name of Leyland Cars.
1973 Triumph Spitfire
The only all-new Triumph model initiated as Rover Triumph was the TR7, which was in production successively at three factories that were closed: Speke, the poorly run Leyland-era Standard-Triumph works in Liverpool,[7] the original Standard works at Canley, Coventry and finally the Rover works in Solihull. Plans for an extended range based on the TR7, including a fastback variant codenamed “Lynx”, were ended when the Speke factory closed. The four-cylinder TR7 and its short-lived eight-cylindered derivative the TR8 were terminated when the road car section of the Solihull plant was closed (the plant continued to build Land Rovers.)
Demise of Triumph cars
The last Triumph model was the Acclaim, introduced in 1981 and essentially a rebadged Honda Ballade built under licence from the Japanese company Honda, at the former Morris Motors works in Cowley, Oxford. The Triumph name disappeared in 1984, when the Acclaim was replaced by the Rover 200, a rebadged version of Honda’s next generation Civic/Ballade model. The BL car division had by then been named the Austin Rover Group, which also ended the Morris marque as well as Triumph.
Personalities
Johnny Hallyday owned a Triumph TR3
Philippe Monnet to own a Triumph Herald 1200 of 1961 that he sold in 2015 in Nice by Machoir
Henri Pescarolo owned a Triumph TR3
Jacques Laffite owned a Triumph TR3
Films with a Triumph[edit]
In Alfred Hitchcock Presents, TV Series, 1955-1962 (Triumph TR3A)
In James Bond 007 against Dr No, Film, 1962 with Sean Connery (Triumph Herald)
In Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez, in 1964 with Louis de Funès and Michel Galabru (Triumph TR3A)
In 1962, Go French ! Triumph Herald 12/50, Triumph Herald 1200, with Jean Lefebvre or Jean Carmet
In Thunderball (1965) is the fourth spy film in the James Bond series starring Sean Connery (Triumph Herald)
In the adventures of Michel Vaillant, TV series, in 1967 (Triumph TR3A) – (Triumph TR4)
In The Great Holidays (movie), 1967 (Triumph TR4A – Triumph Herald Saloon) with Louis de Funès
In Fantômas contre Scotland Yard, Film, 1967 with Jean Marais or Louis de Funès (Triumph Herald 1200 Estate)
In the Globetrotters, TV Series, 1966-1968 (Triumph TR3A)
In The Brain (1969) (Triumph TR4) with Jean-Paul Belmondo, Bourvil, David Niven or Eli Wallach
In Le clan des siciliens, Film, 1969 with Jean Gabin, Lino Ventura or Alain Delon (Triumph Herald 13/60)
In Derrick, TV Series, 1974-1998 (Triumph TR4A) with Horst Tappert, Fritz Wepper
In 1971 “Diamonds are Forever”, James Bond 007, played by Sean Connery, travels to Amsterdam in the Netherlands at the wheel of a Triumph Stag
In The Adventures of Rabbi Jacob (1973), (Triumph TR4) with Louis de Funès, Henri Guybet or Popeck
In Starsky and Hutch, TV series, 1975-1979 (Triumph TR3A)
In Scout still comedy French Gérard Jugnot released in 1985 (Triumph TR4).
In Top Gear, Show TV, 2002-2015 (Triumph Herald 1200)
In Legend, 2015 film featuring Tom Hardy (Triumph Spitfire)
Current ownership[edit]
The trademark is owned currently by BMW, which acquired Triumph when it bought the Rover Group in 1994. When it sold Rover, it kept the Triumph marque. The Phoenix Consortium, which bought Rover, tried to buy the Triumph brand, but BMW refused, saying that if Phoenix insisted, it would break the deal. The Standard marque was transferred to British Motor Heritage Limited. The Standard marque is still retained by British Motor Heritage, who also have the licence to use the Triumph marque in relation to the sale of spares and service of the existing ‘park’ of Triumph cars.
The Triumph name has been retained by BMW along with Riley, and Mini. In late 2007, the magazine Auto Express, after continued rumours that Triumph be revived with BMW ownership, featured a story showing an image of what a new version of the TR4 might look like. BMW has not commented officially on this.
Triumph car models
Pre-war
| Model Name | Engine | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Triumph 10/20 | 1393 cc inline 4 | (1923–1925) |
| Triumph 13/35 or 12.8 | 1872 cc inline 4 | (1927–1927) |
| Triumph 15/50 or Fifteen | 2169 cc inline 4 | (1926–1930) |
| Triumph Super 7 | 747 cc inline 4 | (1928) |
| Triumph Super 8 | 832 cc inline 4 | (1930) |
| Triumph Super 9 | 1018 cc inline 4 | (1931) |
| Triumph Gloria 10 | 1087 cc inline 4 | (1933) |
| Triumph 12-6 Scorpion | 1203 cc inline 6 | (1931–1933) |
| Triumph Southern Cross | 1087/1232 cc inline 4 | (1932) |
| Triumph Gloria (’12’ / ’12’) Four | 1232/1496 cc inline 4 | (1934–1937) |
| Triumph Gloria (‘6’ / ‘6/16’) Six | 1476/1991 cc inline 6 | (1934–1935) |
| Triumph Gloria 14 | 1496/1767 cc inline 4 | (1937–1938) |
| Triumph Dolomite 8 | 1990 cc inline 8 (DOHC) | (1934) |
| Triumph Dolomite Vitesse 14 | 1767/1991 cc inline 4/6 | (1937–1938) |
| Triumph Vitesse | 1767/1991 cc inline 4/6 | (1935–1938) |
| Triumph Dolomite 14/60 | 1767/1991 cc inline 4/6 | (1937–1939) |
| Triumph Dolomite Roadster | 1767/1991 cc inline 4/6 | (1937–1939) |
| Triumph 12 | 1496 cc inline 4 | (1939–1940) |
Post war
| Model name | Engine | Year | Number built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triumph 1800 Saloon | 1776 cc inline 4 | 1946–1949 | |
| Triumph 1800 Roadster | 1776 cc inline 4 | 1946–1948 | |
| Triumph 2000 Saloon | 2088 cc inline 4 | 1949 | |
| Triumph 2000 Roadster | 2088 cc inline 4 | 1948–1949 | |
| Triumph Renown | 2088 cc inline 4 | 1949–1954 | |
| Triumph Mayflower | 1247 cc inline 4 | 1949–1953 | |
| Triumph TR1 / 20TS | 2208 cc inline 4 | 1950 | |
| Triumph TR2 | 1991 cc inline 4 | 1953–1955 | 8,636[8] |
| Triumph TR3 | 1991 cc inline 4 | 1956–1958 | |
| Triumph TR3A | 1991 cc inline 4 | 1958–1962 | |
| Triumph TR3B | 2138 cc inline 4 | 1962 | |
| Triumph Italia | 1991 cc inline 4 | 1959–1962 | |
| Triumph TR4 | 2138 cc inline 4 | 1961–1965 | |
| Triumph TR4A | 2138 cc inline 4 | 1965–1967 | |
| Triumph TR5 | 2498 cc inline 6 | 1967–1969 | |
| Triumph TR250 | 2498 cc inline 6 | 1967–1969 | |
| Triumph Dove GTR4 | 2138 cc inline 4 | 1961–1964 | |
| Triumph TR6 | 2498 cc inline 6 | 1969–1976 | |
| Triumph TR7 | 1998 cc inline 4 | 1975–1981 | |
| Triumph TR8 | 3528 cc V8 | 1978–1981 | |
| Triumph Spitfire 4 (Spitfire Mk I) | 1147 cc inline 4 | 1962–1965 | 45,763[9] |
| Triumph Spitfire Mk II | 1147 cc inline 4 | 1965–1967 | 37,409[9] |
| Triumph Spitfire Mk III | 1296 cc inline 4 | 1967–1970 | 65,320[9] |
| Triumph Spitfire Mk IV | 1296 cc inline 4 | 1970–1974 | 70,021[9] |
| Triumph Spitfire 1500 | 1493 cc inline 4 | 1974–1980 | 95,829[9] |
| Triumph GT6 | 1998 cc inline 6 | 1966–1973 | 40,926[9] |
| Triumph Herald | 948 cc inline 4 | 1959–1964 | |
| Triumph Herald 1200 | 1147 cc inline 4 | 1961–1970 | |
| Triumph Herald 12/50 | 1147 cc inline 4 | 1963–1967 | |
| Triumph Herald 13/60 | 1296 cc inline 4 | 1967–1971 | |
| Triumph Courier | 1147 cc inline 4 | 1962-1966 | |
| Triumph Vitesse 6 | 1596 cc inline 6 | 1962–1966 | |
| Triumph Vitesse Sports 6 (US version of Vitesse 6) | 1596 cc inline 6 | 1962–1964 | |
| Triumph Vitesse 2-litre and Vitesse Mark 2 | 1998 cc inline 6 | 1966–1971 | |
| Triumph 1300 | 1296 cc inline 4 | 1965–1970 | |
| Triumph 1300 TC | 1296 cc inline 4 | 1967–1970 | |
| Triumph 1500 | 1493 cc inline 4 | 1970–1973 | |
| Triumph 1500 TC | 1493 cc inline 4 | 1973–1976 | |
| Triumph Stag | 2997 cc V8 | 1971–1977 | |
| Triumph Toledo | 1296 cc inline 4 | 1970–1978 | |
| Triumph Dolomite 1300 | 1296 cc inline 4 | 1976–1980 | |
| Triumph Dolomite 1500 | 1493 cc inline 4 | 1976–1980 | |
| Triumph Dolomite 1500 HL | 1493 cc inline 4 | 1976–1980 | |
| Triumph Dolomite 1850 | 1850 cc inline 4 | 1972–1976 | |
| Triumph Dolomite 1850 HL | 1850 cc inline 4 | 1976–1980 | |
| Triumph Dolomite Sprint | 1998 cc inline 4 | 1973–1980 | |
| Triumph 2000 Mk1, Mk2, TC | 1998 cc inline 6 | 1963–1977 | |
| Triumph 2.5 PI Mk1, Mk2 | 2498 cc inline 6 | 1968–1975 | |
| Triumph 2500 TC & S | 2498 cc inline 6 | 1974–1977 | |
| Triumph Acclaim | 1335 cc inline 4 | 1981–1984 | 133,625[10] |
Prototypes
BROOKLIN-MODELS – TRIUMPH – MAYFLOWER 2-DOORS SALOON 1951
SPARK-MODEL – TRIUMPH – TR2 SPIDER LONG DOOR 1953
EDICOLA – TRIUMPH – TR3A SPIDER 1955
JOUEF EVOLUTION – TRIUMPH – TR3 A 1955
UNIVERSAL HOBBIES – TRIUMPH – TR3A SPIDER LHD 1955
UNIVERSAL HOBBIES – TRIUMPH – TR3A SPIDER HARD-TOP 1955
SPARK-MODEL – TRIUMPH – TR3 SPIDER HARD-TOP 1956
VANGUARDS – TRIUMPH – TR3 A CLOSED CAPOTE
SPARK-MODEL – TRIUMPH – TR3 SPIDER 1957
SPARK-MODEL – TRIUMPH – TR3A SPIDER 1957
VANGUARDS – TRIUMPH – VICTOR F SERIES
WHITEBOX – TRIUMPH – HERALD 1959
EDICOLA – TRIUMPH – HERALD 1959
PREMIUM-X – TRIUMPH – HERALD SALOON 1959
PREMIUM-X – TRIUMPH – HERALD SALOON BRITISH UK POLICE 1959
MATRIX SCALE MODELS – TRIUMPH – ITALIA COUPE 1959
SPARK-MODEL – TRIUMPH – TR3 A SPIDER 1960
NEO SCALE MODELS – TRIUMPH – 2000 MKI 2.5 PI 4-DOOR 1963
SILAS – TRIUMPH – HERALD 1.2 COUPE 1963
HONGWELL – TRIUMPH – HERALD
VANGUARDS – TRIUMPH – HERALD SALOON
SILAS – TRIUMPH – HERALD 1.2 ESTATE STATION WAGON 1964
BROOKLIN-MODELS – TRIUMPH – HERALD 13/60 ESTATE 1965
SPARK-MODEL – TRIUMPH – TR4 A IRS SPIDER 1965
SPARK-MODEL – TRIUMPH – SPITFIRE GT6 1966
VANGUARDS – TRIUMPH – HERALD 13/60 CONVERTIBLE 1967
VANGUARDS – TRIUMPH – HERALD 13/60 CONVERTIBLE 1967
MINICHAMPS – TRIUMPH – TR6 SPIDER 1968
SPARK-MODEL – TRIUMPH – TR5 SPIDER OPEN 1968
VANGUARDS – TRIUMPH – TR4 SPIDER
ELIGOR – TRIUMPH – TR5 1968 CAPOTE CLOSED
MINICHAMPS – TRIUMPH – TR6 SPIDER 1968
SPARK-MODEL – TRIUMPH – MK6 GT1 1968
SPARK-MODEL – TRIUMPH – SPITFIRE GT6 MK2 COUPE 1968
SOLIDO – TRIUMPH – TR6 CABRIOLET 1969
DETAIL CARS – TRIUMPH TR6 1969 WITH SOFT TOP
DETAIL CARS – TRIUMPH TR6 1969 SPIDER
EDICOLA – TRIUMPH – TR6 SPIDER 1969
NEO SCALE MODELS – TRIUMPH – VITESSE MKII 1969
NEO SCALE MODELS – TRIUMPH – VITESSE 6 SALOON RHD 1969
EDISON GIOCATTOLI – TRIUMPH – TR6 SPIDER 1969
SPARK-MODEL – TRIUMPH – SPITFIRE GT6 MK3 COUPE 1970
VITESSE – TRIUMPH – SPITFIRE MK IV SPIDER OPEN 1970
VITESSE – TRIUMPH – SPITFIRE MK IV SPIDER CLOSE 1970
NOREV – TRIUMPH – TR6 SPIDER 1970
VANGUARDS – TRIUMPH – STAG MKI COUPE 1970
SOLIDO – TRIUMPH – SPITFIRE SPIDER 1970
SPARK-MODEL – TRIUMPH – SPITFIRE MK4 HARD-TOP 1971
SPARK-MODEL – TRIUMPH – SPITFIRE MK4 SPIDER RHD 1971
EDICOLA – TRIUMPH – STAG CABRIOLET 1971 – DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER – UNA CASCATA DI DIAMANTI
VANGUARDS – TRIUMPH – STAG CABRIOLET
NOREV – TRIUMPH – STAG MKI SPIDER 1971
SPARK-MODEL – TRIUMPH – DOLOMITE SPRINT 1973
VANGUARDS – TRIUMPH – DOLOMITE SPRINT 1973
EDICOLA – TRIUMPH – SPITFIRE MKIV SPIDER 1974
EDISON GIOCATTOLI – TRIUMPH – SPITFIRE MK IV SPIDER 1974
MINICHAMPS – TRIUMPH – SPITFIRE MK IV SPIDER 1974
MINICHAMPS – TRIUMPH – SPITFIRE 1500 SPIDER 1975
SPARK-MODEL – TRIUMPH – 1500 SPITFIRE COUPE 1975
TROFEU – TRIUMPH – TR7 COUPE 1975
TROFEU – TRIUMPH – TR7 SPIDER 1975
VANGUARDS – TRIUMPH – 2.5 PI MKII
VANGUARDS – TRIUMPH – 2.5 PI CLEVELAND POLICE
VANGUARDS – TRIUMPH – 2500 S
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