Triumph 20TS | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Manufacturer | Triumph Motor Company (1945) |
Also called | Triumph Renown sports version [1] Triumph TR1 |
Production | 1952; one prototype |
Body and chassis | |
Class | sports car |
Body style | roadster |
Layout | FR |
Related | Triumph TR2 |
Powertrain | |
Engine | 1991 cc [2] Standard wet liner inline-four engine [1] with two SU carburettors; 75 hp (56 kW) at 4500 rpm [2] |
Dimensions | |
Wheelbase | 2,311 mm (91 in) [2] |
Length | 3,581 mm (141 in) [2] |
Width | 1,410 mm (55.5 in) [2] |
Kerb weight | 775 kg (1,708 lb) [2] |
Chronology | |
Predecessor | Triumph Roadster, Triumph TR-X |
Successor | Triumph TR2 |
The Triumph 20TS was a prototype sports car shown by Standard-Triumph in October 1952 at the London Motor Show. Extensive development of the 20TS led to the introduction of the Triumph TR2 in March 1953 at the Geneva Motor Show, after which the 20TS was unofficially referred to as the Triumph TR1. Only one example of this car was ever made by Triumph.
The 20TS was built using existing components: its engine came from the Standard Vanguard, its suspension from the Triumph Mayflower, and its chassis from the Standard 8 hp, itself based on the pre-war Standard Flying Nine. [1] [3] The body was designed to be built economically, with no panels requiring double-action presswork. Economy of design was considered vital, as the company did not expect high sales figures and had targeted a price of £500 before sales tax. The rear of the car was short and curved and had the spare tyre bolted to it. [1]
The 20TS was shown to the public in October 1952 at the London Motor Show at Earls Court. [4] [5] Reactions to the 20TS were mixed. Criticisms included a tight interior and lack of boot space.
To get an opinion of the car's performance and handling at speed, Standard-Triumph chairman Sir John Black invited BRM development engineer and test driver Ken Richardson to drive it. [6] Richardson had a low opinion of the 20TS's performance and handling, describing it as a "death-trap" with poor handling and a top speed of 80 mph (129 km/h), [3] short of Black's target of 90 mph (145 km/h):
Frankly, I think it's the most bloody awful car I've ever driven.
Upon hearing Richardson's assessment, Black asked him to help redesign the car. [6] Richardson tuned and modified the engine and worked with Triumph engineers to increase the brake size, modify the front suspension, and experiment with rear springs and shocks. A stronger frame with improved torsional rigidity was designed. Meanwhile, the stylists widened and lengthened the car for more interior room and boot space, mounting the spare wheel inside the boot. The result was the Triumph TR2, introduced in March 1953 at the Geneva Motor Show. [6]
The 20TS was the origin of the Triumph TR sports car line, [5] and was referred to unofficially as the TR1 after the introduction of the TR2. [1]
It is unknown whether the 20TS exists today. According to Bill Piggott, the car might have been scrapped to provide parts for a TR2 prototype. [7]
The Triumph Motor Company was a British car and motor manufacturing company in the 19th and 20th centuries. The marque had its origins in 1885 when Siegfried Bettmann of Nuremberg formed S. Bettmann & Co. and started importing bicycles from Europe and selling them under his own trade name in London. The trade name became "Triumph" the following year, and in 1887 Bettmann was joined by a partner, Moritz Schulte, also from Germany. In 1889, the businessmen started producing their own bicycles in Coventry, England.
The Standard Motor Company Limited was a motor vehicle manufacturer, founded in Coventry, England, in 1903 by Reginald Walter Maudslay. For many years, it manufactured Ferguson TE20 tractors powered by its Vanguard engine. All Standard's tractor assets were sold to Massey Ferguson in 1959. Standard purchased Triumph in 1945 and in 1959 officially changed its name to Standard-Triumph International and began to put the Triumph brand name on all its products. A new subsidiary took the name The Standard Motor Company Limited and took over the manufacture of the group's products.
The Triumph TR8 is a sports car built by the British Triumph Motor Company from 1978 until 1981. It is an eight-cylinder version of the "wedge-shaped" Triumph TR7 which was designed by Harris Mann and manufactured by British Leyland (BL), through its Jaguar/Rover/Triumph (JRT) division. Because of its outstanding performance, the TR8 was often dubbed the "English Corvette". The majority of TR8s were sold in the United States and Canada.
The Triumph TR4 is a sports car produced by the Triumph Motor Company from 1961 to 1965. Successor to the TR3A, the TR4's chassis and drivetrain are closely related to those of its predecessor, but with an updated body designed by Michelotti.
Gilbern, Gilbern Sports Cars (Components) Ltd , was a Welsh car manufacturer from 1959 to 1973, based in Llantwit Fardre, Pontypridd, Glamorgan, Wales.
The Swallow Doretti is a British sports car built on Swallow's own custom chassis using Triumph TR2 mechanicals, made between 1954 and 1955. It was intended for the US market, as a more refined two-seater than what was available there at that time.
The Austin 3-Litre is a British saloon car that was introduced by Austin at the London Motor Show in 1967. Codenamed ADO61, the car was intended to be BMC's offering in the 3-litre executive class and was originally designed in the early 1960s, before the British Leyland era. Unlike the visually similar front-wheel drive Morris 1800 range, the 125 bhp 3-litre engine drove the rear wheels through a conventional 4-speed gearbox.
The Triumph TR3 is a British sports car produced between 1955 and 1962 by the Standard Motor Company of Coventry, England. A traditional open two-seater, the TR3 is an evolution of the company's earlier TR2 model, with greater power and improved braking. Updated variants, popularly but unofficially known as the "TR3A" and "TR3B", entered production in 1957 and 1962 respectively. The TR3 was succeeded by the mechanically similar, Michelotti-styled Triumph TR4.
The Triumph TR2 is a sports car produced by the Standard Motor Company in the United Kingdom between 1953 and 1955. It was most commonly available in open two-seater form.
The Triumph TR range of cars was built between 1953 and 1981 by the Triumph Motor Company in the United Kingdom. Changes from the TR2 to the TR6 were mostly evolutionary, with a change from a live axle to independent rear suspension in 1965 and a change from a four-cylinder engine to a six-cylinder engine in 1967. An all-new TR7, with a unit body, an overhead camshaft four-cylinder engine, and a live rear axle, was introduced in late 1974. The TR8, a development of the TR7 with a Rover V8 engine, was introduced in 1979 and was sold alongside the TR7 until TR production ended.
The Triumph Roadster is a roadster produced by Britain's Standard Motor Company from 1946 until 1949. It was first available as the Triumph 1800 Roadster (18TR) from 1946 to 1948 and then as the Triumph 2000 Roadster (TRA) from 1948 to 1949.
The Bond Equipe is an English 2+2 sports car, manufactured by Bond Cars Ltd from 1963 to 1970. It was the first 4-wheeled vehicle from Bond Cars.
The Standard Vanguard is a car which was produced by the Standard Motor Company in Coventry, England, from 1947 until 1963.
The Triumph Dolomite is a car that was produced by Triumph Motor Company from 1934 to 1940. It first appeared in 1934 as a sports car and the name was also used from 1937 on a series of sporting saloons and open cars until 1939 when the company went into receivership. A number were still sold and registered in 1940, though it is uncertain whether the receiver or new owner turned out cars from spare parts, or sold off completed cars. All except the Straight 8 featured a "waterfall" grille styled by Walter Belgrove, versions of the saloons with conventional grilles were sold as Continental models.
The Triumph Mayflower is a small, upscale family car built from 1949 until 1953 by the British Standard Motor Company and sold by their Triumph Motor Company subsidiary. It has a 1+1⁄4-litre engine and was noted for its razor-edge styling. It was announced at the October 1949 British International Motor Show, but deliveries did not commence until the middle of 1950.
The Standard Eight is a small car produced by the British Standard Motor Company from 1938 to 1959.
The Standard Ten was a model name given to several small cars produced by the British Standard Motor Company between 1906 and 1961. The name was a reference to the car's fiscal horsepower or tax horsepower, a function of the surface area of the pistons. This system quickly became obsolete as an estimate of the power produced by the engine, but it continued to be relevant as a way to classify cars for tax purposes. Like other manufacturers, Standard continued to use the name to define the approximate size of their 'Ten' model long after the origins of the name had, in Britain, become inapplicable.
The Triumph Six Cylinder or Triumph I6 engine is a cast-iron overhead valve straight-six engine produced by Standard Triumph. It is an evolution of the Standard Motor Company's inline-4 Standard Eight, with the addition of two cylinders and a larger displacement.
The Standard wet liner inline-four engine was an inline four cylinder petrol engine produced by the Standard Motor Company. Originally developed concurrently for passenger car use and for the Ferguson TE20 tractor, it was widely used for Standard passenger cars of the 1950s, most notably the Vanguard. Later it was successfully used in Standard's popular early generation Triumph TR series sports cars.
The GinettaG15 is a two-seater, rear-engined sports car designed by Ivor Walklett and built by Ginetta Cars Limited in Witham, Essex between 1968 and 1974.