New sports model
Noting the success of the Jaguar XK 120 and MG TC on the North American market, the directors decided to develop a new sports roadster to fill the gap between the large Jaguar and the tiny MG. Borrowing from the company parts bin the new roadster used the Mayflower’s independent front suspension and live rear axle, the Standard Vanguard’s engine and a chassis frame previously used by the Standard Flying Eight.

It had a sporty body, with cut-away doors and a rear mounted spare wheel on a petite curved tail. Although it was announced at the 1952 Earls Court Motor Show, hasty development meant that it was not ready for production. Ride and handling were not up to expectations, so a development team led by Ken Richardson quickly got to work sorting the problems and in March of 1953 the revised model, known as the Triumph TR2 made its public debut.

TR2
The new TR2 was built on an entirely new and stiffer frame, the body was extended at the rear into a shapely box that enclosed the spare wheel and provided lockable luggage accommodation, while the engine was refined to produce more power making the TR2 a genuine 100 mph sports car. Not only that, it turned out to be a surprisingly economical one as well. It was not uncommon to hear of owners claiming 30 plus mpg at sports car driving speeds.

Ken Richardson took a TR2 to the Jabekke Highway in Belgium and recorded an average two way speed of 124 mph! That was sensational for a car of this size and type at the time.

Laycock de Normanville overdrive, operating on third and top gears, was offered as an optional extra as were wire spooked wheels. Initial difficulties with road holding and braking were cured by fitting bigger rear brakes and Michelin X radial tires were added to the options list. Triumph were well ahead of their rivals in fitting these superior tires at the time. In the autumn of 1954 the doors were shortened to give a stiffer body and to make it easier to open them without catching the curbside. Triumph then became one of the first sports car manufacturers to offer an optional extra detachable hard top. This beautifully styled item was made in glass reinforced plastic (grp). The company, however, took a strange approach with the hardtop. If you ordered the optional extra hardtop they assumed you wanted a coupe rather than a roadster and the car was supplied without the folding roof. If you wanted a folding roof, so the full benefits of the detachable nature of the hardtop could be enjoyed, you had to pay extra for the folding top!

The TR2 took its first rally success in a Welsh event with its first international success coming in the 1954 RAC Rally. There followed a string of successes in the Mille Miglia and Alpine rallies. One of the Triumph drivers in those days was a Belgian by the name of Gatsonides, who later earned infamy for his development of the Gatso speed trapping camera. Other drivers were proving the cars performance at LeMans and in the Ulster Tourist Trophy.

It appears that the first two production cars were largely hand built. The first, TS1, was left hand drive and was sent to Canada where it appeared at the 1953 Canadian Motor show. It still survives in North America where it is currently undergoing a complete restoration.

The second car, TS2, was right hand drive and arrived in Dublin in September 1953. It is believed that it was used as a demonstrator by Standard Triumph (Eire) Ltd, before being registered to a buyer in County Offaly in March 1954. It too still survives and is also undergoing a complete restoration. Triumph TR2 and TR3 models were very popular in Irish motoring sporting circles and many highly respected Irish rally drivers used these cars to good effect in local, national and international events.

TR3
In the autumn of 1955 the TR2 was superseded by the similar looking TR3. The immediate point of identification was the egg-crate grille that now adorned the nose of the car. Engine power initially improved to 70 Kw, up from 67 Kw, but further refinements boosted this to 74 Kw during the life of this model. The following autumn Triumph again left the competition standing by becoming the first sports car in its class to fit disc brakes at the front as standard. This also coincided with the fitting of a more robust rear axle from the Vanguard mark three saloon.

TR3A
Officially there was never a TR3A model although it is known throughout the sports car world by this designation. Mechanically it was identical to the TR3, but it had a new wider grille that extended below the headlamps and incorporated the side lights. Personally I found it to be a very stylish treatment of the front end and greatly prefer it to its predecessor. Other identifying features were external door and boot handles, a feature that was decried by dyed in the wool enthusiasts at the time.

A larger 2.2 liter engine was offered as an optional extra, but there seem to have been few takers for this option. From 1957 the optional extra hardtop was made in steel. TR2/3/3A models were upholstered in Vynide cloth and the fascia panel was covered in a matching material. Two large round instruments directly in front of the driver housed the speedometer and tachometer. A panel in the center of the fascia accommodated the switches, warning lights and four smaller gauges for fuel level, engine temperature, oil pressure and ammeter. A large glove box and a grab handle were provided in front of the passenger.

For the 1959 LeMans Race special grp versions of the TR3A were built on modified chassis, with longer bodies and housing a twin cam engine under the bonnet. Annoying mechanical troubles that year led to all three works cars retiring.

In the late fifties Italian designer Micholetti had been commissioned to produce a new body style for the popular TR roadster. One of his early experiments in 1958 was code named Zest and incorporated many features that were to form the essentials of the next production car. Zest was built on the existing TR3A chassis. Further elements were tried out in later experiments under the Zoom code name using a modified chassis.

TRS
The competition department took features from both Zest and Zoom to produce a new body for their 1960 LeMans cars. These used a wider track and longer wheelbase, full height doors and the twin cam engines from the previous year. Success eluded them in 1960, although all three cars finished and the fastest lapped at 102 mph. The following year all three finished and Triumph won the team prize and came in ninth overall.

TR4
In 1961 the TR4 arrived to replace the TR3A. It was built with wider tracks and rack and pinion steering. The larger 2.1 liter engine was fitted as standard as were a new all synchromesh gearbox. The body styling was entirely new, based largely on the Zest experiments. It incorporated a number of important refinements like wind-up windows, through-flow ventilation and a uniquely designed hardtop. In this hardtop the rear window was a rigid structure bolted to the body. The roof section between the windscreen and the rear window was detachable for open air motoring. A fabric roof option for this section was called the "Surrey top".

Vynide was still the upholstery material, but this was no longer used as a covering for the fascia. The metal fascia was painted white and incorporated two large outlet vents at either end for the through-flow ventilation system. The two main instruments were still directly in front of the driver with the smaller instruments in a black panel in the centre of the facia. Switches were positioned in a separate panel below the smaller instruments while the warning lights were placed between the two main instruments.

The North American distributors were hesitant about accepting the new model, so they ordered a supply of the old model which became known as the TR3B. This used the old body and chassis but incorporated the new gearbox and offered the choice of either the 2.0 or 2.1 litre engine. This version was only supplied to the North American market.

The Leyland Motor Corporation took over Triumph around this time and they were unenthusiastic about competition, so the LeMans cars were sold. A racing coupe had been designed by Micholetti and built by Conrero, a respected Italian tuning expert, and this project was cancelled.

The Triumph management were obviously very persuasive as the following year a works team was re-established and four TR4s were prepared for competition. These cars were fast, light and possessed excellent road holding. They distinguished themselves in the 1962 Alpine Rally and proved their reliability in events as diverse as the Tulip Rally, RAC Rally and the Canadian Shell 4000. Their last outing was in 1964.

TR4A
By 1965 potential buyers were complaining that the TR4 had a very hard ride compared to competitors like the MGB and Sunbeam Alpine. To cater for these views the company introduced the TR4A version. It had a new frame with a coil sprung independent rear suspension. The body and styling remained almost identical to the TR4 model. The most notable change was the grille which now consisted of plain, horizontal slats, in place of the egg-crate design used for so many years previously. The side lights were moved from their former position in the top corners of the grille and placed in chrome plated plinths on the front wings, which also incorporated side repeaters for the direction indicators. A chrome flash ran back from these plinths to the door handles.

As with the original TR4 five years before, the North American distributors demanded a live axle version in case buyers did not take to the irs model. (The North American market was beginning to get troublesome around this time.) Performances were improving all round and it was necessary for Triumph to take steps to stay ahead of the competition. However, exhaust emissions regulations in the US were starting to strangle the output of all but the largest capacity engines.

TR5
Triumph responded in 1967 with a six cylinder model called the TR5. This continued the basic body styling and mechanical layout of the TR4A but used a new six cylinder engine with mechanical fuel injection. The TR5 continued the frontal styling introduced with the TR4A model, except that on the bonnet the Triumph badge was replaced by a plain plaque that simply read TR5.

The origins of the six cylinder engine go back to the early fifties when a new four cylinder was developed for the Standard Ten and Triumph Pennant saloons. It was enlarged to six cylinders to power the Vanguard Six and subsequently for the new Triumph 2000 saloon. It was also used in the Herald based Vitesse and GT6 models. In its four cylinder form it remained in production until the Spitfire was discontinued in 1980. The six cylinder gave the car a fast performance at the expense of reliability, due mainly to the mechanical fuel injection system..

TR250
North American models were designated the 250 and had twin Stromberg carburetors instead of the mechanical fuel injection, plus a whole lot of exhaust detoxing equipment.

TR6
Although they were constantly being improved and refined, Triumph TR roadsters tended to remain in production for a long time. The basic TR2/3 shape was in production from early 1953 to 1961. Its successor the TR4/5 ran for a further eight years from 1961 to 1969. To the casual observer the TR6 looked like a completely new car. However, looks can be deceiving.

Mechanically the TR6 was identical to the TR5 on which it was based. Karmann Coachbuilders of Germany carried out a skillful restyling exercise that built a completely different looking nose and tail onto the existing middle section of the body. The transformation was amazing. The TR5 looked the archetypal British sports car, while its TR6 successor looked a refined and expensive continental machine. In the case of the optional hardtop this returned to a one piece unit without the Targa-style lift-off center section.

The TR6 proved to be the most popular version of all and during its seven year life it notched up sales of over 94,000 units. North American specification cars differed in that they continued to use carburetors in place of the fuel injection used elsewhere. The TR6 proved to be both more economical and faster in acceleration than the rare TR5 on which it was so largely based.

TR7/8
The TR7 and TR8 models are from an entirely different line and have nothing other than the Triumph name in common with their illustrious predecessors, although the TR7 did use a Triumph four cylinder engine, while the TR8 used the Rover V8. Because of this they are outside the scope of this article. Giving them the TR initials was a major mistake and they should have been called something else.

Manufacturing
The Triumph Motor Company had its headquarters at Canley in Coventry. Triumph was taken over by the Leyland Motors Corporation in 1961 and in 1967 Leyland added Rover and Alvis to their group. Shortly afterwards Leyland merged with British Motor Holdings (Austin, Morris, MG, Wolseley, Riley and Jaguar) to form the British Leyland Motor Corporation. Triumph TR2/3 models were built at Canley, using bodies built by Mulliners in Birmingham, chassis frames supplied by outside contractors and mechanical units made at other Triumph factories.

For the TR4/5/6 assembly still took place at Canley but the bodies were supplied from Triumph’s Liverpool factory. This should not be confused with the new factory located in Speke. The TR7/8 models are from an entirely different origin and being of the monocoque type were entirely built in the new Triumph Speke factory. A protracted strike in Speke in 1977/78 resulted in the factory being closed down and production being moved to Pressed Steel Fisher with final assembly reverting to Canley. The final models in the TR7/8 range came from Rover in Solihull.

Specials
Right from the start Triumphs proved to be popular with continental coach builders. The Belgian importers had 22 TR2 roadsters altered to take a distinctive hardtop, with revised doors, wind-up windows and a completely different window profile. These were known as the Francorchamps model.

Micholetti designed a really stylish coupe model on the TR3A chassis and Vignale built around 300 for sale as the Triumph Italia. Triumph dealers, Dove of Wimbledon, got Harrington Coachbuilders to design and build an attractive fastback coupe on the TR4 body and sold this as the Dove GTR4.

Around 1965 Triumph themselves produced an attractive prototype code named Fury. This used a monocoque body, all independent suspension and the Triumph 2000 six cylinder engine. It bore a very strong resemblance to the smaller Triumph Spitfire.

Triumph power
Morgan were one of the first independent sports car manufacturers to recognise the potential of the Vanguard 2.0 litre engine. The Morgan Plus Four used the 2088 cc unit from 1950 to 1954. They then used the 1991 cc unit converting to the 2138 cc engine in 1962. Swallow Doretti, a product of Swallow Coachbuilders, formerly part of Jaguar, used Triumph TR engines for their brief excursion into the sports car business. Much later Marcos used the six cylinder engine in their Mantis model.

Peerless and Warwick, two cars with different names and built in different factories, but using a common design, produced a four seater coupe model based around the mechanical units of the TR3A