Triumph Cars & Triumph Tr2, 3 & 3A In Detail

Experience the entire history of Triumph sports cars in this comprehensive volume featuring stunning studio photography, rare archival images, and period advertising.

Triumph Cars chronicles the company and its remarkable vehicles, from the first 10/20 through a string of automobiles sought after by collectors, from the early Supers and Glorias through the entire TR and Spitfire ranges, and on to the legendary GT6 and the latter-day 1300, 1500, and Dolomite sedans—filled with images, history, and in-depth analyses of players, tech, and styling.

With roots extending to a London bicycle importer established in 1885, Triumph built its first car in 1923: the Triumph 10/20. By 1930, the Triumph Cycle Co. had become Triumph Motor Company and was on its way to establishing seven decades of automotive heritage.

Author Ross Alkureishi showcases how company visionaries developed the brand—and how the brand changed hands—in the trying economic times of the 1930s and during the war years. The Standard years beginning in 1944 are also examined, along with associations with Jaguar and the range of roadsters and saloons developed, arguably peaking with the introduction of the TR2 sports car in 1953.

Alkureishi proceeds through the stylish 1950s cars and on to the Leyland years beginning in 1960, and associated engine and styling developments. The story ends with the last Triumph model, the Acclaim introduced in 1981, and the marque’s subsequent mothballing. Along the way, Alkureishi also highlights Triumph motorsport exploits, particularly in the realm of rally cars.

From the 1923 steel-paneled 10/20 through a range of roadsters, saloons, and sports cars, Triumph Cars offers a definitive review of an iconic British marque. The book is illustrated with hundreds of historic, contemporary, and racing photographs, as well as detailed text. This is the one volume no sports car enthusiast can be without. As the 1950s progressed the British motor industry offered an ever more exciting range of sports cars. At the beginning of the decade the sporting motorist could buy a Morgan, an MG TD or a Jaguar XK120, to name the principal models - two of them stalwartly traditional in character and appearance, one of them outstandingly modern in looks and performance. Then, in 1953, the Austin-Healey 100 arrived, sleek and low, followed shortly by the TR2. Both found a ready market at home and, particularly, in the United States, and both were the ancestors of long-lived families of sports cars. The subject of this book is the TR2 and the "sidescreen" TRs that were directly related to it, the TR3 and the TR3A. These cars were powered by versions of Standard-Triumph's wonderfully robust wet-liner Standard Vanguard engine. Designed to propel a large and heavy saloon, when tuned and dropped into the light chassis and minimal bodywork of the TR this unit provided excellent acceleration and unmatched durability, while also endowing the TR with very long legs - particularly in overdrive - and surprisingly modest fuel consumption. In character the TR was classically a sports car: the cockpit was well laid out, the bucket seats supportive in corners, the dashboard fully instrumented, the gearlever stubby, the weather equipment rudimentary. The exhaust had the right burble and the ride was hard. The recipe was right, and the car was also cheap and practical. The TR2 was an instant success, and with the improved TR3 and TR3A versions the model went on selling strongly until 1962. Today, of course, all these TRs are among the most desirable classic sports cars of their era. The author opens with an exposition of the back-ground to the creation of the TR2 via the unsatisfactory TS20 model exhibited at the 1952 London motor show. Then comes a detailed technical description and analysis of the TR2, covering all aspects of the chassis, running gear, engine and transmission. This sets the scene for subsequent chapters on the TR3 and TR3A, each of which receives comprehensive treatment. Also provided is extensive coverage of the TRs' successful participation in motor sport, including Le Mans and international rallies, and comparisons are drawn between the TR2s and 3s and rival models like the Austin-Healey 100 and the MGA. Finally there is advice on the practicalities of owning and using the cars today. Outstanding examples of each model have been specially photographed for this book, and these pictures feature alongside approximately 250 illustrations drawn from the archives and from sales and publicity material. In its in-depth examination of these splendid sports cars this book offers an unrivalled store of knowledge for the many owners and enthusiasts who cars passionately about them, and serves as a tribute to the men who made them. About the Author A life-long sports car enthusiast, Bill Piggott has been Registrar and Archivist of the TR Register since 1978. A TR owner since 1970, he has owned examples of virtually every model, although he is particularly fond of the TR2, especially the long-door cars. Although a lawyer by profession, he now devotes most of his time to writing, particularly on classic car subjects, with TRs being his specialty. Bill Piggott?s other interests include steam railways, good food and wine, and ?almost anything from the 1950s?.