Brief History of Triumph Cars

Triumph, as the company that brought us the Herald, Stag and Spitfire sports car, actually started life selling bicycles. It was founded in 1885 by a German man, Siegfried Bettmann, who had emigrated to Coventry and registered his business as S. Bettmann & Co.

The bicycles Bettmann’s company sold were made by other manufactures, but sold under his name. He sold sewing machines too, and by the same system, these being imported from Germany.

A year later, in 1886, Bettmann renamed his business as the Triumph Cycle Company, and a year on from that, and having secured financial backing from Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Company, the name was changed to New Triumph Company Limited. At this time, Bettmann was joined in business by fellow countryman, Moritz Schulte .

By 1894, Triumph Company Limited began manufacturing and selling their own bicycles from a site in Coventry, the money for which had been borrowed from Schulte’s family. Then, in 1896, New Triumph Company Limited opened another factory in Nuremberg, Germany, also for bicycle production.

The First Triumph Motorcycle

In 1902, New Triumph Company Limited produced a motorcycle. This was little more than a bicycle fitted with a Belgian Minerva engine and was not designed by Triumph. However, during the following year, New Triumph Company Limited succeeded in selling as many as 500 motorcycles, on the back of which a second motorcycle factory was opened in Germany.

In 1904, Triumph started producing a motorcycle of its own design, and in 1907, opened a larger production plant in the midlands.

During World War 1, Triumph were commissioned to build motorcycles for the British army, as well as for allied forces, and throughout the Great War produced more than 30,000 machines.

After war was over, Bettmann and Schulte parted on account of a quarrel that had broken out between them. Schulte had wanted the company to build cars instead of bicycles, but Bettmann had disagreed and took his company forward in his own.

The First Triumph Car is Produced

During the early 1920’s Triumph bought a factory premises in Clay Lane, Coventry, which had belonged to Dawson Motor Company. Bettman had been persuaded to take on the premises by his general manager, Claude Holbrook. Triumph produced its first saloon car from there 1923, called the Triumph 10⁄20.

Triumph found there was a demand for its products in Europe and made good money through exports, particularly with motorcycles, which had become very popular. It wasn’t long before Triumph’s exports were providing a significant proportion of the company’s overall income.

The first Triumph cars were designed by Lea–Francis and the deal was that Triumph had to pay a royalty fee for every car built. Business was quite slow in this sector, and profits, after taking out the share due to Lea–Francis, were small.

However, business prospered and by the late 1920’s, Triumph had become one of Britain’s leading manufacturers in cars and motorcycles. The car that put Triumph on the map as a car maker, rather than a manufacturer of motorcycles, was the Triumph Super Seven, and this was launched in 1928. The Triumph Super Seven had an 832cc side valve, four–cylinder engine and sold in large numbers.

A Factory Closure & The Bicycles Division is Sold to Raleigh

Everything looked set for Triumph to become a huge manufacturing empire. Motorcycle sales were booming, car sales were growing, but when the depression hit in 1929, business went sharply into decline.

To help generate some capital, the German based wing of the business was sold off, as well as the bicycle manufacturing business, this being bought up by Raleigh.

In 1930, Triumph changed its name to Triumph Motor Company. Looking for alternative markets, Triumph General Manager, Claude Holbrook, advised Bettmann there was too much competition in the mass manufacturing sector and suggested a plan to make Triumph cars into a more upmarket product.

The Triumph cars produced under this plan were the Southern Cross and Gloria, and these used engines designed by Coventry Climax. However, in 1933, internal unrest broke out within the Triumph Motor Company and Bettmann was dislodged from his position of Chairman, after which he retired.

Donald Healey Begins Work at Triumph

In 1934 Triumph invited onto its team a talented engineer called Donald Healey. As Donald Healey had just sold his garage business in Cornwall, and was looking for a job. He willingly accepted the position at Triumph. He was given the office of experimental projects manager.

Donald Healey had always wanted to design his own racing cars and saw his opportunity to do so through the Triumph Motor Company. Donald Healey saw Alfa Romeo as being the market rival to beat with its 8C 2300 Monza sports coupe. He began is assault by buying an example of the car and pulling its engine to pieces.

From his findings, Donald Healey designed a straight–eight cylinder engine for Triumph, which was basically a copy of the Alfa Romeo design. This caused Triumph Motor Company some embarrassment, as Alfa Romeo was less than impressed. In 1934, the Triumph engine was fitted to a very upmarket and expensive car that Triumph named as the Triumph Dolomite.

Donald Healey Competes in the Monte Carlo Rally

In an attempt to create publicity for the car, Donald Healey entered the Triumph Dolomite into the 1934 Monte Carlo Rally. However, he was forced to retire after being in collision with a train at a railway crossing. Whilst Donald Healey did not sustain serious injury, the car was a total wreck.

Triumph Dolomite orders were just about non–existent. Costing more than a Bentley the car was simply too expensive and Triumph was not even established in the same league. Consequently, only three Triumph Dolomite’s were built.

The Triumph Motorcycle Wing is Sold
and Then the Car Company Goes Bust

In 1936 the motorcycle manufacturing side of Triumph was split from car manufacture and so the two became separate businesses. Triumph had found it difficult to make money from its cars, successful though they were. The Triumph Motorcycle Company, however, was in a healthier condition, but this was sold off in 1936 to Jack Sangster who owned the rival Ariel motorcycle company.

Jack Sangster began exporting Triumph motorcycles to the United States under the name of the Triumph Engineering Company Ltd. where the bikes became hugely popular.

In 1939 the Triumph Motor Company, as in the car manufacturer, went into receivership and the company, including its assets, were offered for sale. The new owners placed Donald Healey in charge as general manager, but after World War Two broke out, and the Triumph factory was destroyed by German bombing, it seemed as though it was all over.

The Triumph Name is Bought by Standard

In 1944 the Triumph brand name was bought by the Standard Motor Company and used to set up a subsidiary company called, Standard–Triumph, based at Standard’s factory at Canley, near Coventry.

The acquisition of the Triumph name, and using it to set up of a car manufacturing business, caused a monumental row between Sir John Black of Standard Motor Company and William Lyons of Jaguar.

The problem here was that before Sir John Black obtained the Triumph name, Standard Motor Company had been supplying engines to Jaguar. Sir John Black, with the Triumph name, was intending to go head to head with Jaguar by producing cars that would be marketed in direct competition to Jaguar.

The Triumph Roadster is launched

In 1946, Triumph launched the all new Triumph Roadster. The body of this car was constructed completely from aluminium on account of the post–war steel shortage and it remained in production until 1949. Shortly after the Triumph Roadster there followed the Triumph Renown and the Triumph Mayflower saloons, but when Sir John Black retired in 1953, due to injuries sustained in a road collision, the two Triumph saloon cars were discontinued.

That same year the successor to the Triumph Roadster was launched, albeit after a gap of some 4–years, and was simply called the Triumph TR2. This car had Standard–Triumph badges, but with the famous Triumph globe emblem on its wheel hubs.

The TR2 was the first in a succession of Triumph TR’s, the last of which became discontinued in 1981.

Standard Decide That all New Models Would Carry the Triumph Name

Standard–Triumph needed a replacement for their Standard 8 and Standard 10 saloon cars, and buoyed by the resounding success of the TR2, it was decided the Triumph name was more saleable than that of Standard. Therefore, all future cars would be produced under the Triumph name.

The first of the Triumph saloon cars was the Triumph Herald, launched in 1959. The car was designed by the famous Italian designer, Giovanni Michelotti, and marked the beginning of his long–lasting and close relationship between Giovanni Michelotti and the Triumph badge.

The Triumph Herald broke new ground in technological advancement for a small car. With 93% all–round visibility, 25–foot turning circle and all–round independent suspension it was given a lot of publicity.

However, all this creativity came at a price and at the time of its launch, the Triumph Herald was quite a bit more expensive than its market rivals of the day. Despite this, and following a slow start, the stylish little car gained in popularity and sold well until its demise in 1971.

Standard–Triumph is Bought up by Leyland Motors Ltd.

In December 1960, Standard–Triumph was bought by Leyland Motors Ltd. In 1962, Leyland Motors Ltd. Changed its name to Leyland Motor Corporation and Donald Stokes was made Chairman of the Triumph wing in 1963.

In 1963 the Triumph 2000 was launched. This car delivered luxury and refinement to the ordinary family car sector and was seen as a direct competitor to the Rover 2000.

Trumping the Rover’s 4–cylinder 2–litre engine the Triumph 2000 was powered by a 2–litre 6–cylinder engine, as previously fitted to the Standard Vanguard, but now with a higher compression ratio and fitted with twin Stromberg carburetors.

The car also had independent all–round coil spring suspension and offered brisk performance as well as a smooth ride and good road manners.

British Leyland Motor Corporation is Formed

In 1967, Rover was also taken over by Leyland Motor Corporation, and then in 1968, British Leyland Motor Corporation was formed as a result of a merger between Leyland Motor Corporation and British Motor Holdings (formerly BMC).

For most of its ownership period under British Leyland, Triumph was segregated from the rest of the company as part of British Leyland’s specialist division.

The Triumph Name Disappears

The last Triumph model to be sold was the Acclaim, but this was no more than a rebadged Honda Ballade and built under license at the former Morris works at Cowley in Oxfordshire

The Triumph Acclaim survived in production until 1984, after which the Triumph name disappeared completely. Future British Leyland and Honda Cooperative productions were marketed under the Rover badge

The Triumph trademark is currently owned by German car maker, BMW, which it acquired in 1994 when BMW bought out the Rover Group. The Standard trademark is currently owned by British Motor Heritage.

Triumph Motorcycles Live On

Triumph as a manufacturer of motorcycles, on the other hand, is still going strong today. Since being sold off by Triumph the car manufacturer in 1936, Triumph as a motorcycle manufacturer has changed ownership several times and limped from one financial crisis through another.

However, the company has now grown into a successful business and trades under the name of Triumph Motorcycles (Hinckley) Ltd.

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Thursday, 27-Jan-2011

The History of Triumph Cars Through the Years