TR2

 

1953 Triumph TR2 Photo © 2000, Bill Vance

Triumph TR2 (1953-1955)
by Bill Vance

The Triumph Cycle Co. Ltd., of Coventry, England, later the Triumph Motor Co. Ltd., a famous motorcycle builder, went into automobile manufacturing in 1923. The nameplate was relatively unknown in North America, however, until the 1950s.

The name was popularised here by a rather snub-nosed roadster known as the TR2. It was developed on a low budget, and equipped with an engine robust enough to power a farm tractor.

The TR2 originated with Sir John Black, managing director of the Standard Motor Co. Ltd., Triumph's owner. Using corporate parts he had a prototype sports roadster built. Called the Triumph TR1, it was introduced at the 1952 London Motor Show. The TR2 evolved from this car.

The idea had begun in the 1930s when Standard supplied chassis and engines to William Lyons, father of the Jaguar. But Black had still viewed him as a competitor, and his ambition was to compete with Lyons in the sports car field.

He bought the bombed out Triumph factory in 1944, and announced that he would produce a new sports car after the Second World War. Triumph had built such sporty cars as the Southern Cross, Gloria and Dolomite, but Black wanted more.

His first post-war sports car effort, the classically styled 1946 Triumph 1800 Roadster, was powered by the 1.8 litre engine that Black had been selling to Lyons. In 1948 it became the 2000 Roadster with the 2.1 litre overhead-valve four, also used in the Ferguson tractor, Standard Vanguard sedan, and Morgan sports car.

The 1800 and 2000 Roadsters were more touring than sports cars. Performance was modest, and when Jaguar introduced its bombshell XK120 model in 1948, Black knew that he may as well abandon direct competition with Lyons. But he noted the opportunity provided by the gaping chasm in the sports car market between the new Jaguar and the outdated MG T models.

After an abortive attempt with a fully envelope-bodied roadster designated TR-X, Black set to work in earnest on the car that would ultimately become the TR2.

Triumph chief engineer Ted Grinham fitted the Vanguard/Ferguson engine to the chassis of the pre-war Flying Standard. The little knife-edge styled Triumph Mayflower provided the coil-spring-and-A-arm front suspension, and the Vanguard provided the transmission, changed from a 3-speed to a 4-speed, and modified to take Laycock de Normanville electric overdrive.

A meagre 16,000 pounds sterling (about $65,000) was provided for body tooling, giving designer Walter Belgrove little room for imagination. He avoided expensive compound curves with such expedients as splitting the front fenders along the centre line and filling the seams with beading. A chrome strip was later added. The only compound body pressings were the headlamps.

External hinges saved money, and not much was spent on the tiny egg-crate grille. The car looked far better than it should have.

The new car was quite small, with just a 2,235 mm (88 in.) wheelbase and an overall length of 3,835 mm (151 in.). It was introduced at the 1953 Geneva Motor Show as the Triumph TR2.

The TR2's performance was excellent. Engineer Grinham and race driver Ken Richardson modified the sturdy but underpowered (68 horsepower) Vanguard engine. They reduced displacement from 2,088 cc to 1991 to bring it under 2.0 litres. They beefed up such items as the cylinder head mounting studs, added twin SU carburetors, a higher lift cam, and higher compression, and gradually got it up to 90 horsepower.

Richardson fitted a TR2 with a bellypan, metal tonneau cover, small racing windshield, and rear fender skirts and headed for the famous Jabbeke Highway in Belgium.

When Richardson's first run was a very disappointing 169 km/h (104.86 mph) there were long faces, until it was discovered that a spark plug wire had become disconnected; the attempt had been made on three cylinders! Running on all four, Richardson did an excellent 200 km/h (124.095 mph) over the flying mile, and 201 (124.889) over the flying kilometre.

The stock TR2 also demonstrated outstanding performance when it reached North America. Road & Track magazine (4/54) recorded zero to 96 km/h (60 mph) in 12.2 seconds for the 1,093 kg (2,410 lb) roadster ("the TR2 will out-drag any American car"), and a top speed of 166 (103), virtually identical to the more expensive, 2.6-litre-engined Austin Healey 100.

The Triumph TR2 quickly established an enthusiastic following based on its sturdiness, relatively low price, and excellent performance. It won race and rally honours on both sides of the Atlantic, becoming the dominant force in the 2.0-litre sports car class. TR2s were made from 1953 to 1955 during which time 8,636 were built. It laid the foundation for a long line of TR models.

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Bill Vance's book, Reflections on Automotive History by Bill Vance, Volumes I & II, is available from Eramosa Valley Publishing, Box 370, Rockwood, Ont., Canada, N0B 2K0. Soft cover $18.95 ($25.50 with tax and shipping); hard cover $28.95 ($36.50). Please specify Volume(s).

2001, Bill Vance, all rights reserved
(provided with permission, 05/20/2002)

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