A brief history of the Triumph Motor Co & the Club

Note - For a full history see: -

1) 'Triumph Cars - The Complete 75 Year History' by Robson & Langworth,
first published by Motor Racing Publications 1979.

2) 'The Story of Triumph Sports Cars' by Robson, published by
Motor Racing Publications 1972.

3) 'Donald Healey - My World of Cars' by Garnier & Healey,
published by Patrick Stephens Ltd. 1989.

4) 'Triumph Motor Cars from Family Photograph Albums' by Graham Shipman.
Published in 2005 this book contains 108 illustrated memories of pre-war Triumphs when they were used as every day transport.
The majority of models are included, from the 1923 10/20 Tourer to the 1939 Twelve Saloon. Available from Graham Shipman - £18.95 plus £4.00 postage.

5) 'Triumph Cars in Australia 1924 to 1939' by John Shepherd & Jon Elbourne.
Released in 2007, this excellent in-depth and well illustrated 136 page book covers all aspects of our Triumphs down under from when they were new to the present day.
Available from Graham Shipman (for UK & European sales) £20 plus £3.50 postage & John Shepherd, NSW, Australia (for Rest of the World sales)
email jsh95062@bigpond.net.au

6) 'Ava Atque Vale' by Dave Cox - with the release of this 178 page book in 2006 Dave has left no room for another on Vales as it contains it all.
The complete social and production history of Vale is covered together with complete production records and what has happened to each car.
For further details on this book and Vales in general have a look at Dave's website www.valespecial.co.uk Available from Dave Cox - £26 plus £5 postage.

The Triumph Motor Company was a logical development of the cycle and motorcycle business started in the late nineteenth century.
The first model produced from the Coventry based premises was the 10/20 announced in April 1923. It was their only car fitted with mechanical brakes and all subsequent models had hydraulic brakes;
indeed Triumph was the first British manufacturer to fit these as standard equipment. The 10/20 model was followed by the 13/35 and the 15/50 that was last made in 1930. Today only four examples of these early models are known to have survived.

In 1927 the Super 7 was announced. This was to become the Company's most successful model; about 18,000 were made up until 1934 and were produced in many body variations including its successor, the Super 8 (same engine). In the early '30's the Scorpion model represented the fashion for small sixes'. This led to the Super 9, which was the first Triumph to be fitted with a Coventry Climax engine.
This power unit was used in various sizes in all models up to and including the '36 range.

In late 1933 Donald Healey joined the Company and this coincided with a change in direction. The successful 7's and 8's had enabled the Company to weather the depression and the aim now was to produce larger more sporting vehicles. The result was the Gloria series. This ran from 1933 to 1937 with around 30 variations based on three chassis lengths, four engine sizes, standard or Vitesse tuned and various bodies.
Success in competitions such as the Monte-Carlo and Alpine Rallies helped promote the new range. Well known models include the Monte-Carlo and Southern Cross sports cars, the Speed and Vitesse Tourers and the Drop-head Coupes by Cross & Ellis. All these cars were built to a high standard of craftsmanship and comprehensively equipped.

The Company constructed the coach-built bodies themselves from designs by Frank Warner and Walter Belgrove. (D.H.C's. were built by Cross & Ellis, Avon and Salmons.). The main features of the Gloria range included a robust crossed-braced and underslung chassis; Lockheed hydraulic brakes; centralised lubrication system; freewheel; leather upholstery; sliding roofs; two colour paint schemes and wire wheels.

For the late '30's the concept of travel changed again. The sportier image was played down and with the exception of the introduction of the Dolomite Roadster in mid 1938, larger faster luxury saloons were developed. These were powered by an o.h.v. engine built by the Company which came in three sizes. The models were Vitesse and Dolomite, the latter having advanced front-end styling.
Rare versions include the Continental and the Royal, both 2-litre saloons.

Triumph finances were never very healthy. Against a background of too many models the motor cycle business was sold off (probably unwisely) in 1936. In the last years of the decade as war loomed, sales declined and competition was fierce, especially after the appearance of Jaguar.
The Company seemed to loose its market niche and in June 1939 the Official Receiver was called in. The Company was sold on 1st September 1939 to Thomas Ward & Co., a Sheffield steel business. It is possible that they oversaw the completion of the last few new Twelve saloons, the Company's last model announced in the spring of '39.
Wards then operated what today we would call an 'asset stripping' policy. A year later, what they had not sold was destroyed by the wartime blitz on Coventry. At the end of the war all that remained of the old company was the name and goodwill.
Sir John Black, Chairman of the Standard Motor Company, purchased this on the first day of 1945.

CLUB SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES

The Club

The first Club for our cars was
The Dolomite Association formed in the mid 1950's but by 1959 it had folded.

In 1960 two enthusiasts, one in Birmingham and the other in Manchester, quite unknown to each other, began making informal contact with owners of pre-war Triumphs in their local areas. Theses two groups amalgamated in 1961 to become known as the Pre-1940 Triumph Owners Club. The main aim was to form a Register of all vehicles built by the Triumph Motor Company between 1923 and 1940. In addition, some specials, notably the Vale Special, were included because they used many Triumph components. The other chief objectives were to encourage the preservation, maintenance and use of these particular cars. These aims of course still hold true today.

Information and spare parts were the things that everyone joining the Club required. Both were very scarce due to the fact that all official documentation was lost during the war and the spare parts department was completely destroyed. In these two areas the Club now provides a unique service based on information and material gathered over 40 years. More details appear under the relative headings later in this brochure.

For many years the total membership level has been about 200 which includes around 30 overseas enthusiasts. Many Triumphs were exported to Australia and New Zealand and there is a strong contingent there. A recent development has been the popularity of our cars in Holland and Belgium. We have or have had members in most countries, but in general real Triumphs are almost unknown on the continent outside the Low Countries.

In recent years the Club has become affiliated to the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs and is also a member of the Triumph Forum, an informal association of the majority of Triumph Clubs. Both these activities produce additional benefits for our Club Members.

The Committee

The Club is run by an elected Committee which consists of three officials: Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer/Membership Secretary; and other elected officers including Registrar, Spares Officer, Re-manufacturing Officer, Librarian, Magazine Editor, Events Co-ordinator, Regalia Officer and Northern Representative plus other members without portfolio.

The Register

The Register contains details of around 1300 cars of which only about 500 are known to survive. From data supplied by Club members and other sources it has been possible to list all the models made (there were over 60 and 24 were listed for 1935 alone!), and by using chassis numbers, establish rough estimates for the production runs of each major model, if not every variation. The current estimate of the total production over the 16-year period is 35,000 cars. Compare this with 140,000 Austin 7's alone, in almost the same time span. Triumph was certainly a small volume manufacturer. The register can help with identification, the history of your model and actual car if known. The Club records can also assist in getting your car registered with the D.V.L.C. in the U.K. if necessary.

The Library

The object of the library is to supply technical and descriptive material for all models. The library has a collection of handbooks, spare parts catalogues and Company sales brochures. Because of their rarity and value, they are not loaned out but can be photocopied if requested, as can all technical and other data culled from contemporary sources. Other items include wiring diagrams, lubrication charts and data from makers such as Lucas and S.U. for most models. There is also a good collection of photos of members cars. A full list of library material and photocopying charges is sent to each new member. Occasionally duplicate material, such as Drivers Handbooks and Spare Parts Catalogues are offered for sale.

The Spares Section

As mentioned above, no company-held spares survived the war. Some stocks remained at the larger distributors such as Basil Roy's and Newham's in London. The Club purchased what remained of these in the early '60s. Parts pertaining to our cars are bought by the Spares Section at autojumbles although this source has now almost dried up. Certain parts, especially those common to several models, are therefore batch manufactured by the Club against advance orders and deposits. These include water pumps and other aluminium castings, suspension pins and bushes, gaskets, rubber parts, handles, pressure plates and friction discs. However a major problem is that as we cater for so many models which only exist in low numbers, it is sometimes difficult to justify the high cost for small runs of re-manufactured items.

Where the Club cannot supply parts direct, the Spares Officer holds the addresses of stockists and manufacturers from where certain items can be obtained. Some parts that were made for post war cars, even current models, are exact or near equivalents to the original design.

The Club also holds a good selection of second hand parts obtained from rescued scrap vehicles, which can often be refurbished or used as patterns to make new one-off items.

All spares held by the Club, whether new or second-hand, feature in a Spares List, which is regularly updated and issued to members.

Regalia

The Club has a good selection of regalia for sale with items ranging from car badges, key fobs, lapel badges, tax disc holders, magazine binders, blazer badges, polo and sweat shirts, caps, mugs etc.

The Magazine

This is the main link between Members. It is issued six times a year in A5 format and is usually at least 16 pages in length. It contains letters and adverts from Members, news of events past and future, technical and descriptive articles, spares and library news etc. The publication and distribution of the Magazine consumes the bulk of the Club's funds and it is in the Members interests to use and contribute to it as much as possible.

Local Meetings and Events

Where possible these are held on a regular basis. However because of the wide scatter of a small membership, local meetings are few and far between but when they do occur they are announced in the magazine. Area Secretaries are always welcomed and encouraged by the Club to organise displays at local events and meetings.

National Meetings and Events

On a Sunday in the middle of each year, the Club's National Annual Rally is held at some suitable venue in the UK. An Annual Dinner usually takes place on the previous evening.
At this event usually between 30 and 40 cars compete for various trophies and around a third of the U.K membership attends. This event has always been very successful.
To coincide with Annual Rally, the Club's Annual General Meeting is also held to conduct the formal business necessary for the running of the Club.

In addition the Club organises stands at around half a dozen selected events within the UK each year, sometimes carried out jointly with other early Triumph clubs, to maximise publicity for our cars within the confines of a relatively small membership and limited budget. Other annual events are also arranged such as a trip with our cars to France and a Christmas Dinner.

CLASSES OF MEMBERSHIP

Membership is on an annual basis as follows:-

FULL UK

Membership is open to those owning a Triumph car manufactured between 1923-1940.

JOINT UK

Membership is open to a couple owning two or more of the above cars.

ASSOCIATE UK

Membership is open to those without an appropriate car.

OVERSEAS EC

Membership is open to those with or without an appropriate car in the European Community.

OVERSEAS NON EC

Membership is open to those with or without an appropriate car in any overseas country other than the European Community.

All Overseas members will receive their Magazines etc. by airmail.

JOINING DETAILS

The Club relies almost entirely on annual subscriptions for income.
These are due on 1st January each year.
(Members joining between 1st Oct. & 31st Dec. prior to this date are not required to pay again for the following year).

On joining the Club a new Member receives a Membership Card, Club Rules, Membership List, Library List, Spares List, Regalia Details and if appropriate details of a special insurance scheme in the UK. A current Club Magazine will also be provided.

To apply for membership please complete the separate Application Form which also contains the current subscription rates and payment details. We look forward to hearing from you.