A brief history of Triumph
2nd March, 2021
As a popular first foray into classic car ownership, the Triumph cars of the 1960s and 1970s hold a special place in the hearts of many UK classic car enthusiasts. If you want to find out more about popular classics like the Herald and Spitfire and the company that made them, then read our brief history of the Triumph Motor Company.
However much fun these cars are, you'll always want to make sure you’ve got the best classic car insurance in place to deal with any accidents or mishaps. Give the team at Lancaster Insurance a call today to discuss your insurance needs.
The Triumph Motor Company – a brief history
You might be surprised to hear that the history of the Triumph name has its roots all the way back in the late 19th Century when German businessman Siegfried Bettmann and his partner Moritz Schulte began importing and then building bicycles in Coventry. In 1902 they began producing motorcycles under the name of Triumph (yes, the very same motorcycles we know and love today!).
From the 1920s until 1939, when the Triumph Motor Company went into receivership, the firm also produced upmarket cars. These include the Lea Francis-designed Triumph 10/20 of 1923, and the Triumph Gloria and Triumph Dolomite Straight 8 of 1934.
Just as the Second World War was drawing to a close, what remained of the car company was bought by The Standard Motor Company of Coventry. Standard moved production of Triumph cars to the famous motor works at Canley on the outskirts of the city. Fortunately, for today’s classic car fans the new owners moved away from the rather exclusive pre-war Triumph models and focused on a new generation of mass-produced cars.
After producing the more traditionally-styled Triumph Roadster and the Triumph Renown and Triumph Mayflower saloons, by the 1950s the company began looking at the sportier end of the market. With a top speed in excess of 100mph the Triumph TR2 was launched in 1953, the first of its famous TR range – the golden era of Triumph had arrived.
During the 1960s and 1970s the company thrilled the British motoring public with a series of saloons and sports cars designed by the legendary designer Giovanni Michelotti. Such classic greats as the Herald, the Spitfire, the TR4, the Dolomite and, of course, the Stag.
Unfortunately, by 1984, following a restructure of its then owner British Leyland, the Triumph marque, along with the Austin and Morris marques were retired from production and consigned to the history books.
5 top classics from the golden era of Triumph
Triumph Herald
Years of manufacture: 1959-1971
Price when new: £708
Price now: £500-£10,000
Engine: 1,147cc, 51bhp
Top speed: 80mph
For drivers of a certain age the Triumph Herald holds a particular importance as it was the car in which many of them learned to drive. Light to drive and with great visibility, throughout its 12-year production run it was a very popular choice with driving instructors. However, its main claim to fame was its amazing taxi-like turning circle that made test manoeuvres a doddle.
Built in large numbers, the Herald also made sense as a family car as it was cheap to run and maintain. But with fins and hooded headlamps as well as its cool interior styling it also looks great in photos. Practical and beautiful, what a great combination!
Triumph Stag
Years of manufacture: 1970-1977
Price when new: £2,093
Price now: £1,500-£25,000
Engine: 2,997cc, 145bhp
Top speed: 120mph
By the 1970s, Triumph had a range of successful sports saloons and roadsters under its belt and was in a great position to launch an upmarket grand tourer convertible. With a bespoke 3.0-litre V8 engine under its Italian-styled bonnet, hard and soft-top options and a wealth of gadgetry, it looked set to conquer its European rivals. Unfortunately, the Stag was let down by a whole host of problems including poor engineering, shoddy production and industrial disputes. As a result, only 25,877 were sold worldwide before the Stag ended production in 1977.
Despite all this, the Stag is a highly sought-after collectors’ car today. Fortunately, because the problems first-time Stag owners encountered are so well-known, enthusiasts have put their specialist knowledge to good use and solved many of them.
If you want to keep your Stag in tip-top shape then invest in some decent classic car insurance first.
Triumph TR6
Years of manufacture: 1968-1976
Price when new: £1,333
Price now: £10,000-£30,000
Engine: 2498cc, 150bhp
Top speed: 119mph
No list of Triumph classics would be complete without a member of the illustrious TR range being present. From the early trend-setting TR2 and TR3 models and the Michelotti-designed TR4 there’s plenty to keep car fans happy. For this list however we’ve settled on the TR6 of 1968. The last of the separate chassis TRs, the front and rear of the TR6 had undergone substantial re-styling by Karmann of Germany which gave the car a more contemporary appearance. It also had a fuel injected 2.5-litre engine under the hood and impressive acceleration.
Triumph Dolomite Sprint
Years of manufacture: 1973-1980
Price when new: £1,740
Price now: £7,000-£9,000
Engine: 1,998cc 127bhp
Top speed: 119mph
But it isn’t all about those gorgeous sports cars that Triumph was producing in the 1960s and 1970s. Triumph aficionados also appreciate that the company carved itself a rich niche in the world of sporty saloon cars through its Dolomite range.
In 1972 the first Dolomite version launched, with the revolutionary Dolomite Sprint (the world’s first 16-valve production car) following in 1973. The Dolomite Sprint had 1,998cc under the bonnet and hit 130bhp, with a top speed of 119mph – a significant power increase over the 1972 model.
The Dolomite Sprint can certainly lay claim to being one of the greatest performance saloons of its era and is still hugely coveted.
Triumph Spitfire 1500
Years of manufacture: 1974-1980
Price when new: £3,631
Price now: £2,350-£9,000
Engine: 1493cc 71bhp
Top speed: 101mph
In 1962, to challenge the likes of the Austin-Healey Sprite and the MG Midget in the small sports car market, the Triumph Spitfire was launched. Michelotti, who had already designed the Herald, based the sporty two-seater’s design around the earlier car’s chassis.
It’s important to remember that there were several generations of Spitfire produced over the years with differing specifications. The Mark I and Mark II Spitfires both had a lively 1147cc engine under the bonnet. This was subsequently boosted to 1296cc in the Spitfire Mark III and Mark IV.
While the Spitfire Mark III had some subtle design changes (such as a raised front bumper) to give it a sleeker appearance it wasn’t until the Mark IV in 1970 that more comprehensive design changes were made.
Led again by Michelotti, using design inspiration from the Stag, the Mark IV has a longer, sleeker bonnet and cut-off rear styling. Despite being a re-design rather than an entirely new model the Mark IV looked dramatically different from its predecessors. Even the interior was much changed with the addition of a full-width dashboard.
Just four years later the Spitfire saw another important change, when the Mark IV was replaced by the Spitfire 1500. Outwardly, the Spitfire 1500 was almost identical to the Mark IV but it was under the bonnet that the real changes took place. With a 1493cc (71bhp) engine the Spitfire could now reach a top speed in excess of 100mph. This version would remain in production right through to 1980.
Indeed, the last Spitfire 1500, an Inca yellow hardtop, rolled off the Canley assembly line in August 1980, not long before the factory closed. The last Spitfire was never sold and is now displayed at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon in Warwickshire.
Triumph trivia from the history books
Tantalising design ideas that never made it
Michelotti’s original designs for the Stag had its four headlights hidden behind screens that copied the style of the radiator grille. So, when the lights were switched on, the screens slid back behind the grille and revealed the lights. Unfortunately for design fans, problems with the electric motors burning out and issues with US regulators meant this idea never reached the production line.
Famous siblings
While the Triumph Motor Company may no longer be manufacturing cars, its motorcycling twin Triumph Motorcycles has had better luck. The two companies parted company all the way back in 1936, but despite an eventful history the Triumph name is still being stamped on motorcycles today. Indeed, today Triumph Motorcycles is the largest UK-owned motorcycle manufacturer and the longest continuous production motorcycle manufacturer in the world.
A quirky inspiration
We love quirky cars, and the Hans Trippel-designed Amphicar Model 770 of the 1960s is one of our favourites. Sometimes billed as ‘the fastest car in water, the fastest boat on land’, this amphibious vehicle featured a 1147cc Standard SC engine from the Triumph Herald. Considered state of the art in 1961, the engine provided the perfect combination of performance, weight, cool running, and reliability.
Cars to the stars
John Lennon passed his driving test in a Triumph Herald 1200 convertible, there’s even pictures of him with the other members of the Fab Four on the day he passed. However, he didn’t in fact own the car, it belonged to his friend and ‘Fifth Beatle’ George Martin. Other famous owners include Agnetha Fältskog of Abba fame who owned a white Triumph Spitfire Mark III and actor Nicolas Cage who’s first car was an eye-catching Inca yellow Triumph Spitfire 1500.
The name’s Triumph
With the likes of Aston Martin and BMW vying for the chance to get James Bond behind the wheel of their cars it’s a wonder that Triumph managed to get their cars into any Bond films at all!
In the movie Diamonds Are Forever (1971) Bond is seen early in the film driving a yellow Triumph Stag to Amsterdam while posing as diamond smuggler Peter Franks. There’s also a quick appearance of a 1964 Triumph Herald 1200 driven by a soon-to-be-ex-henchman in Thunderball (1965).
Unfortunately, in the 1964 Bond film Goldfinger the Triumph TR3 convertible driven in the novel by Tilly Masterton was replaced by a Ford Mustang. Money certainly talks when it comes to the movies!
A sad ending
In 1981 production of the Triumph Dolomite came to an end with its replacement the Triumph Acclaim. However, by that time Triumph’s owner British Leyland hadn’t got the funds to develop a suitable replacement from scratch. So, it took advantage of a model collaboration agreement with Honda to find an answer. Badged as the Triumph Acclaim, it was essentially a UK-assembled Honda Ballade. While the Acclaim could boast good reliability and build quality it was a somewhat sad end to this once ubiquitous marque.
Rumours abound
The Triumph trademark is currently owned by BMW who retained the name when it took over and subsequently sold the Rover Group. Rumours have long circulated that BMW could bring a new Triumph to the market, but, for now that is all they are, rumours.
Protect your terrific Triumph with classic car insurance
Whether you long for the fun factor of a Triumph Spitfire or the vintage charm of a Herald, you’ll need classic car insurance to protect it for the future.
As the first choice broker for many thousands of classic car owners, you can rest assured we’ll help you find the right cover, at the right price.
With over 35 years of experience in the classic car insurance market, the team at Lancaster is passionate about all classic cars and keeping them on the road for as long as possible.
Choosing cover from Lancaster entitles you to a range of benefits including:
- Up to 25% Classic Car Club member discounts
- Static show cover
- Historic rally cover
- Limited mileage discounts
You’ll also have 24-hour access to our claims helpline and UK-based call centre.
Get a quote for classic car insurance from Lancaster today.
Share this story, choose your platform
