Triumph TR2

Triumph TR2

Specs Mentioned:

Make/ Model – Triumph TR2 (1954)

Engine – 1999cc, Straight-line 4-cylinder, twin SU Carburettors

Power – 90bhp 

Top speed – 107mph

0-60mph – 12 seconds

When Triumph was absorbed by the Standard Motor Company in 1944, the decision was taken to re-establish the marque as a sports car manufacturer, hopefully, to compete with successful sports car designs from rival manufacturers such as MG and Jaguar.

Triumph was right in the thick of it when the British had a stronghold on ‘affordable’ sports cars during the 1950s and 1960s and the long-running TR range of two-seat sports cars began in 1953 with the initial TR2.

Handsome and purposeful, the TR2 was an attractive open   with cutaway doors and a front wing line that flowed gracefully up and over the rear wheels. Equipped with independent coil-sprung front suspension, a live rear axle, and all-round drum brakes, it was powered by a notably torquey twin-carb version of the 2-litre Vanguard ohv engine which produced 90bhp and, fitted with the four-speed gearbox, could propel the little car to 60mph in 11.9 seconds on its way to a top speed of 107mph.

The featured archetypal British classic car’s delightful look in the classic colour combination of Old English White with Oxford Red leather and red carpets was driven by Standard-Vanguard’s Chairman, Sir John Black, who hired BRM development engineer and test driver, Ken Richardson to improve on the TRI’s questionable handling. This early long door model’s previous famous owners included Cyril Fernando (husband of renowned painter, Marie Alles Fernando) and C.I. Gunasekara.