TR history
TR for Triumph Roadster
The name stands for Triumph Roadster, a generic term for a series of sports cars from TR1 to TR8, built in the years from 1952 to 1981.
The reason was that the Standard Triumph factory had been aware of the booming market for open sports cars, especially in the U.S. where there was a market, which mainly MG profited from, but if you could now produce a sports car with better sports performance than MG, and at roughly the same price, there might be an unexplored market?
Against this background, the førsteTR1 built in 1951. It was only a prototype. It reminded a lot about its predecessor, the Triumph 2000 Roadster, and did still have a "pre-war style" look. It was soon taken off the drawing board for a vastly improved and more modern TR2, which was an early success, when it was introduced in the 1952.
The top speed was 90 miles per hour, 10 miles more than MG, but one of the prototypes reached on a test drive in Belgium a top speed of 124 miles per hour or 200 kmh. It was something that echoed and could be used in advertising by U.S. car dealers, and in a 3 years period from 1953-1955, approximately 8,000 TR2's were produced. The popularity rose further as did sales figures from 1955-1957 were nearly 17,000 TR3's were sold and from 1958-1960 nearly 60,000 TR3A's which had undergone cosmetic improvements, but still with the same body shape.
But competition was intensified, with both MG and Healey having new models out, something had to be done, and the factory turned the eye to Italy to design a more comfortable and up-to-date body style. Michelotti solved the task, and in 1961 the TR4 was born and presented to the public. It was a more comfortable TR with retractable side windows and the characteristic bulge on the bonnet, which was doing to make room for the 2 SU carburetors. From 1961 to 1967 were produced and sold nearly 70,000 copies, the overwhelming majority to the USA. Some enthusiasts claim that it was here Standard Triumph definitively ceased to produce genuine sports cars, called 'side-screens', where the side windows were strapped in and the windshield could be removed in favor of the small breeds screens also known as "Brooklands". A new improved model came in 1965 with independent rear suspension and named TR4A IRS, which became the last TR4 model.
This summit was still the original 4-cylinder Vanguard engine which was also used in the Ferguson tractor. But even though it eventually was drilled up from just less than 2 liters to 2.2 liters, the 4 cylinder engine had too much weight to carry around. The estimated engine power was too weak against rivals. The TR4A had only 104 hp. This problem was solved by using the 6-cylinder engine from the Vanguard III, which with petrol injection (PI) could make 150 hp. With small changes to the chassis from TR4A used, the body was retained, and TR5 were introduced in october1967, still with the now unnecessary bulge on the bonnet. America's strict environmental regulations did, however, that it was necessary to develop a 6-cylinder carburetor model for the U.S. market. This model became known as the TR250, but it suffered greatly from not having more horses than TR4A model. Sales figures also began to decline. TR5 was made in approx. 2,800 samples and TR250 in approx. 8,000 samples.
To keep up with new trends Standard-Triumph asked Karman in Germany to design completely new bodywork in stead of Michelottis. This was a lot squarer in the lines. The 6-cylinder engine with an improved fuel injection was retained, but still with carburetors in the U.S., and the new model was not so strange baptized TR6. Enthusiasts argue that the TR6 was the last "real" TR and the last of them rolled off the assembly line in 1976. TR6 reached a production of over 94,000 samples.
Meanwhile, Standard Triumph bought by British Leyland, started to develop a brand new sports car that would replace both the MG and the old TR series. This became the TR7 project and was along with other factors the beginning of the group's death. TR7 was a modern wedge shaped closed 2-seater with a monocoque body, based on the Triumph Dolomite and standard parts from here incl. the engine. The factory spent enormous sums on TR7, but it was never very popular, nevertheless it was the TR sports car sold in most copies, 112,000. Further attempts with open models, TR7 convertible and also with greater thrust Rovers legendary V8 engine and the model designation TR8, but equally it helped. TR7-8 remained a marketing failure and had contributed to British Leyland closure in 1981.
