The Triumph TR Series Of Sports Cars

The Triumph Motor Company – a Brief (and unofficial) History

The Triumph Motor Company can trace its roots back to 1885, when Siegfried Bettmann and Moritz Schulte created a company called Bettmann & Co which started out selling Triumph bicycles, and from 1889 began making their own bicycles. In 1897 the company was re-named The Triumph Cycle Company and in 1902 began making Triumph motorcycles. During the First World War they were Britain's largest motorcycle manufacturers.

In 1921 they began producing a car called the Triumph 10/20, and in 1927 they brought out the Triumph Super 7 which was a big seller through to 1934. In 1930 the company name was changed again, this time to The Triumph Motor Company and the new company began chasing the luxury sedan market. However the new company ran into financial problems, and in 1936 the Triumph bicycle and motorcycle divisions were sold off. In 1939 the company went into receivership, and was sold to T.W. Ward, lock stock and barrel. However production had to be halted during the Second World War, and in fact one of the factories was destroyed by German bombs in 1940.

After the war ended, Standard Motor Company bought what was left of the Triumph Motor Company, and formed a subsidiary called 'The Triumph Motor Company (1945) Limited' and a completely new range of cars was produced, starting with the Triumph 1800 which was available in sedan and roadster formats – because steel was in short supply and aircraft-grade aluminium plentiful, it was decided to make the bodies out of the lighter aluminium. In the early 1950s a decision was made to use the Standard name on sedans and the Triumph name on a new range of sports cars, and so the now famous Triumph TR range of sports cars was born.

Then in 1960 the company was bought by Leyland Motors, and the British Leyland Motor Corporation was formed, with the Triumph Motor Company becoming a subsidiary. The Triumph name is now owned by the BMW Group, who bought what was left of BLMC in 1994, but no Triumph badged cars have been produced since 1984.

Contrary to popular opinion, the Triumph TR2 was NOT the first in the new range, that honour went to the Triumph Roadster, also known as the Triumph TRX, which was announced, and displayed, at various motor shows in 1950 – Triumph Roadster – TR! Unfortunately, they never went into production, and only three were ever made. Two were road registered, and as I understand it, both are still running around! The other prototype which is often referred to as the Triumph TR1 was code-named the 20TS and was shown at the Earls Court Motor Show in October 1952. As far as I know, no photos of the 20TS remain, but it was very similar to the Triumph TR2 which was released in 1953 except for the rear end, which was rounded  in the style of the day, with the spare tyre on the back.

 

Recent Additions to the website

Here you will find any new additions to the website, such as new resources, etc. Feel free to send us any Triumph TR-related resources that you have laying around -- that way they will benefit all enthusiasts.

Note: Due to numerous requests, we have expanded the original concept of just showcasing the Triumph TR series of sports cars, and have now added a separate section for the 'orphaned' Triumph sports cars -- i.e. the Spitfire, Stag and GT6. These cars are now listed under the Triumph Sports link. Under NO circumstances will we entertain including the Triumph Herald Convertible as a sports car, though!  :-)

 

International Calendar

start date     finish date     event                                 venue                         contact         code

23 Mar 2007     24 Mar 2007         New Orleans British Car Day                                                         BMCNO                 AB

30 Mar 2007     01 Apr 2007         All British Car & Cycle                 Florida                                         CFTR                     AB

20 Apr 2007     22 Apr 2007         The Gathering                                                                                     TCC                       AB

26 Apr 2007     29 Apr 2007         VTR Regional Trials                                                                           TTR                      TO