To tell the tale of the Triumph Vitesse one has to first start with the Triumph Herald.

The story starts in 1959 when the Herald went on sale to the British public for the first time. However, the car was not the angular shaped little four-seater that many perhaps are familiar with, but a 2+2 coupe and with a rear seat, such as it was, that came as an optional extra. The car was equipped with a four-speed manual transmission and a four-cylinder 948cc Triumph engine, fitted with twin SU carburettors, producing a power output of 42.5bhp.

Some features of the new car were quite modern for that era. There was independent front and rear suspension and that incredibly tight turning circle of 25 feet for which it became so famous. Other features consisted of a collapsible and adjustable steering column and the use of nylon and rubber bushes that virtually eliminated grease-fittings and maintenance on the chassis.

The Coupé was soon joined by a saloon version, which provided rather more passenger room with a proper rear seat. Like the coupe the saloon started life powered by the same 948cc engine, but with a single Solex carburettor, producing a power output of 38.5bhp, with the twin-carburettor kit being offered later. In March 1960, the two Herald models were joined by a Convertible, which offered a soft-top that folded almost completely out of sight, a full (though a little cramped) rear seat and the twin-carburettor set up for the engine. The initial coupe only survived until 1964 when it was discontinued.

1961 saw the introduction of the 1200cc engine for the Herald range, which was still being offered with the same selection of body styles. The performance of the slightly larger engine was further enhanced by a more relaxed final drive gear ratio, but it still wasn’t anywhere near exciting. Not long after that an estate version of the car was added to the range and the short- lived Courier van, a commercial version of the estate with panels in the sides instead of glass.

All through the entire production of the car, Triumph had been working on a new engine project based upon the Herald four-cylinder unit, but with an extra two cylinders. In 1960, as part of the project, Triumph engineers shoehorned a 2-litre version of this straight six lump into a modified Herald Coupé. No one expected sales to be exceptional, but as the cost of bringing the car into production was fairly low, the future seemed potentially profitable.

In 1962, and with the influence of the famous Italian car designer Giovanni.Michelotti, a new Herald derivative was launched. This car was the Triumph Vitesse 6 and was offered in both saloon and convertible body types.

The external appearance, although being similar to the Herald in every other respect, featured a re-worked bonnet that was both flatter and sloped up at the sides.

The new shape also gained a second set of headlights giving it a somewhat slant-eyed look. The all-new Triumph six-cylinder engine was used to drive the car, not in the 2-litre form as originally planned, but a 1600cc unit instead.

In 1965, the fitment of the Stromberg side-draft carburettors and accompanying manifold as used on the 2000 saloon was added, replacing the original Solex setup. This resulted in a significant gain of horsepower, acceleration and fuel economy.

In 1966, due to increasing competition, the Vitesse was significantly upgraded with the fitment of the 2-litre Triumph 95bhp six-cylinder engine, which it now shared with the recently launched Triumph GT6 sports coupe. Also it received the all-synchromesh gearbox that had been originally developed for factory Spitfire rally cars. A sturdier axle and differential, larger front disc brakes, and the four-and-a-half inch width wheels as used on the GT6 and 2000 models were fitted giving the Vitesse a more mean and purposeful look.

It wasn’t until 1968 that the Herald received its own version of the slant-eyed bonnet, albeit with a single pair of headlights, bringing a family appearance to the two cars. It also was given the free-revving Mk3 Triumph Spitfire 1296cc engine, but in single carburettor form instead of twins.

By this time the limitations of the swing-axle rear suspension, on the Vitesse and the GT6 in particular, were really starting to have an effect on the reputation of the car. The motoring press seemed to delight in taking photographs of them in hedges and ditches, with slogans such as, “Hark the Herald axle swings” being commonplace. These incidents were the end result of rear wheel tuck-under, a condition synonymous with this type of rear suspension design. In reality the cars’ were very stable and provocation for them to misbehave to this extent had to be quite brutal.

Even though the solution to the swing-axle problem had been around since the beginning of Herald production in1959, it was not rectified until 1971, and then it was only given to the Spitfire. The remedy was a double-jointed half axle set up utilising the same transverse leaf-spring as before, but now adding a lower wishbone and roto-flex couplings to the drive shafts. The shock absorbers, now the lever-arm type on the Vitesse, and the tailing arms were relocated making for far better road manners.

Late in 1968 the Vitesse 2-litre Mk2 was introduced and with a further increase in horsepower, thanks to a re-styled camshaft and the use of a full-width cylinder head. As good as the car had become it was again a familiar case of that era in British car manufacture of being a little too late to save the day. Sales tailed off steadily and in May 1971 the last Vitesse left the Triumph factory, just weeks before production began of the Triumph Dolomite.