Any member own one of these and do any survive?

[boxofbits]

Hi All

I’d be interested to know if any Triumph TR1/ TS20 models, created for the 1952 London Motor Show survive to this day, and moreover if any member has owned, driven or worked on one of these rare prototypes?

The roots of the TR2 are clear, but by all accounts the car was described as a ‘death-trap’ by Triumph test drivers, so I assume the car needed quite a lot of work prior to it being launched as the TR2!

Apart from the shape of the rear wings and boot area I wonder what redevelopments were carried out to the mechanical structure of it, prior to it being marketed by Standard-Triumph as the TR2?

Regards

Kevin

 

 

 

[RogerH]

Quite lucky that they considered it as a death TRap otherwise we could have ended up with that rear end in production - bl**dy awful

 

Roger

[iain]

You need a Triumph historian to answer that question.....Bill P or Graham R I would suggest.

I totally agree with Roger, thank heavens it was a terrible car according to Ken R and also that the rear end was redesigned. 
Nobody would have bought that Noddy car surely?

Iain

[pfenlon]

Rogers comments regarding the rear end are accurate, it reminds me of TS2

 

with its appalling rear wheel spats, (correct me if I'm wrong) that nobody likes.

 

Why the powers that be keep them, is a mystery.

Edited February 24, 2021 by pfenlon
shpellin

[boxofbits]

16 minutes ago, RogerH said:

Quite lucky that they considered it as a death TRap otherwise we could have ended up with that rear end in production - bl**dy awful

 

Roger

 

7 minutes ago, iain said:

You need a Triumph historian to answer that question.....Bill P or Graham R I would suggest.

I totally agree with Roger, thank heavens it was a terrible car according to Ken R and also that the rear end was redesigned. 
Nobody would have bought that Noddy car surely?

Iain

True but I suppose you have to remember how far back it goes and to be fair to Triumph more experimentation was taking place with curved monocoque bodies as opposed to the squareness of the MG TF for instance. The MGA arrived shortly after and cars like the Denzel 1500 but maybe Triumph were one of the first for this evolutionary curved monostructure design?

 

[iain]

The Triumph prototypes were not a monocoque, neither the MGA , the Denzil  I believe is based on VW Beetle underpinnings so a monocoque.

Do you have a copy of Bill P’s sidescreen compendium? That will help answer your query.

Iain

[boxofbits]

9 minutes ago, iain said:

The Triumph prototypes were not a monocoque, neither the MGA , the Denzil  I believe is based on VW Beetle underpinnings so a monocoque.

Do you have a copy of Bill P’s sidescreen compendium? That will help answer your query.

Iain

Yes you’re right Iain they weren’t true monocoque as in an integral chassis but were slowly evolving that way. It’s quite surprising that the TR4 still had a separate chassis I suppose bearing in mind the MGB was monocoque and of the same era.

I haven’t seen Bill Piggot’s Sidescreen Compendium.

Kevin

[RobH]

57 minutes ago, boxofbits said:

Apart from the shape of the rear wings and boot area I wonder what redevelopments were carried out to the mechanical structure of it, prior to it being marketed by Standard-Triumph as the TR2?

A very quick web search finds this from a number of sources:

Upon hearing Richardon's assessment, Black asked him to help redesign the car. 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.

[mike ellis]

34 minutes ago, boxofbits said:

 

I haven’t seen Bill Piggot’s Sidescreen Compendium.

Kevin

Usually several on eBay at varying prices

[boxofbits]

42 minutes ago, RobH said:

A very quick web search finds this from a number of sources:

Upon hearing Richardon's assessment, Black asked him to help redesign the car. 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.

Thanks Rob

Sounded like they virtually trashed it and started again!

On the other hand it was a prototype and is only a starting point of a new concept. 

Kevin

[Dic Doretti]

          An early Swallow Doretti design produced as a scale model. A picture sent to Ken Yankey by one of the design team. The trend for exposed spare wheels was coming to an end, although that news never reached Malvern.

          Cheers Richard

[iain]

11 hours ago, boxofbits said:

Yes you’re right Iain they weren’t true monocoque as in an integral chassis but were slowly evolving that way. It’s quite surprising that the TR4 still had a separate chassis I suppose bearing in mind the MGB was monocoque and of the same era.

I haven’t seen Bill Piggot’s Sidescreen Compendium.

Kevin

“Slowly evolving that way”........glacial would be a better description, the first  marketed Tr to be a monocoque was the Tr7 launched in Jan 75 of the US and May 76 in the UK :-)

Iain