View source for Triumph TR2

{{Short description|British sports car produced between 1953 and 1955}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox automobile
| image = Triumph TR2 (1954) - 20469631965.jpg
| name = Triumph TR2
| production = 1953–1955
| manufacturer = [[Standard Motor Company]]
| class = [[Sports car]]
| successor = [[Triumph TR3]]
| predecessor = [[Triumph 20TS]]
| engine = 1991 cc [[Straight-4]]
| transmission = 4-speed manual<ref name=PracticalMotorist196004/>
| wheelbase = {{cvt|88|in|0}}<ref name=Motor1954/>
| length = {{cvt|151|in|0}}<ref name=Motor1954/>
| width = {{cvt|55|in|0}}<ref name=Motor1954/>
| height = {{cvt|50|in|0}}<ref name=Motor1954/>
| weight = {{cvt|2100|lb|0}}
|sp=uk
}}

The '''Triumph TR2''' is a [[sports car]] produced by the [[Standard Motor Company]] in the United Kingdom from 1953 to 1955. It was most commonly available in [[Roadster (automobile)|open two-seater]] form.

==History==
Standard's [[Triumph Roadster]] was out-dated and under-powered on arrival. Company boss [[John Black (businessman)|Sir John Black]]'s attempt to acquire the [[Morgan Motor Company]] failed, but he still wanted an affordable sports car, so a prototype two-seater was built on a shortened [[Standard Eight]] [[chassis]], powered by the Standard Vanguard's 2-litre straight-4. The resulting [[Triumph 20TS]] prototype was revealed at the 1952 [[London Motor Show]].

Black asked [[British Racing Motors|BRM]] development engineer and test driver Ken Richardson to assess the 20TS. After he declared it a "death trap", a project was undertaken to improve the design; {{r|Trundling}} one year later the TR2 was unveiled. It had better looks; a simple [[Vehicle frame#Ladder frame|ladder chassis]]; a longer body; and a bigger boot. It was loved by American buyers, and became the best earner for Triumph.<ref name="ClassicCars" />

"TR" stands for "Triumph Roadster". Period advertising named the car T.R.2. A total of 8,636<ref name="originaltr"/> TR2s were produced. In 1955 the more powerful [[Triumph TR3|TR3]], with a re-designed grille and a GT package that included a factory hard-top, replaced it.<ref name="ClassicCars"/>

As of 2011 there were approximately 377 licensed and 52 [[SORN]] TR2s registered with the [[DVLA]] in the UK;<ref name="howmany"/><ref name="dft"/> in the United States 1,800 were known to survive.<ref name="hd-jun2011"/>

==Features==
The TR2 has a {{cvt|1991|cc|cuin|1}} [[Standard wet liner inline-four engine]] from the [[Standard Vanguard|Vanguard]], fitted with twin H4 type [[SU Carburettor]]s and tuned to increase its output to {{cvt|90|bhp}}.<ref name=Motor1954/><ref name="ClassicCars"/> The body is mounted on a separate chassis with coil-sprung [[independent suspension]] at the front and a leaf-sprung [[live axle]] at the rear. Either wire or disc wheels could be supplied. The transmission is a four-speed manual unit, with optional top gear [[Overdrive (mechanics)|overdrive]]. [[Automotive Products|Lockheed]] [[drum brakes]] are fitted all round.

==Performance==
An overdrive-equipped car tested by ''[[The Motor (magazine)|The Motor]]'' magazine in 1954 had a top speed of {{cvt|107.3|mph|km/h}}, and could accelerate from 0–{{cvt|60|mph|km/h}} in 12.0&nbsp;seconds. A fuel consumption of {{convert|34.5|mpgimp|L/100 km mpgus}} was recorded. The test car cost £900 including taxes and £56 for overdrive.

The magazine also commented that the TR2 was the lowest price British car able to exceed {{cvt|100|mi/h|km/h}}.<ref name=Motor1954/>

{{Table alignment}}
{| class="wikitable defaultcenter col1left"
|-
! Speed
! Time
! Time (overdrive version)<ref name=Motor1954/>
|-
| 0–{{cvt|30|mph|km/h}}
| 3.6 s
| 4.0 s
|-
| 0–{{cvt|50|mph|km/h}}
| 8.2 s
| 8.2 s
|-
| 0–{{cvt|60|mph|km/h}}
| 11.9 s
| 12.0 s
|-
| 0–{{cvt|90|mph|km/h}}
| 31.5 s
| 30.4 s
|}

==Motorsports==
While concentrating on the lucrative US sports car market, [[Standard Motor Company|Standard-Triumph]] had given little thought to the competitive potential of their new TR2. Two events would address this oversight: the [[Jabbeke]] Tests, and early privateer [[Rallying|rally]] victories.<ref name="Triumph, Chris Harvey 1985"/>

[[File:Triumph TR2 Prototype (1953) Record car (31030189485).jpg|thumb|Jabbeke run streamlined TR2]]
Employing a production TR2 with optional streamlining equipment (Under-shield (Part #502122), Rear-wing spats, Metal cockpit cover),<ref name="originaltr233a"/> Triumph attained a speed of 124.889&nbsp;mph on the closed Jabbeke motorway in Belgium in May 1953.<ref name="Triumph Guide 1959"/> The following March, customer TR2s took 1st, 2nd, and 5th places in the prestigious [[Wales Rally GB|RAC Rally]]. The publicity derived from these accomplishments led the factory to establish a Competition Department under the leadership of [[Ken Richardson (racing driver)|Ken Richardson]], supporting both works and customer cars.<ref name="Triumph, Chris Harvey 1985"/>

Between 1954 and 1955, the TR2 was campaigned in the [[Mille Miglia]], the Ulster TT at [[Dundrod Circuit|Dundrod]], the [[Macau Grand Prix|Grand Prix of Macao]], Lockbourne Races (USA), the [[Alpine Rally|Alpine]], [[Monte Carlo Rally|Monte Carlo]], RAC, Thousand Island (Canada), [[Liège–Rome–Liège|Liege-Rome-Liege]], Nigeria 24-Hour, 3rd ADAG Gruenewaldfahrt, [[Circuit of Ireland Rally|Circuit of Ireland]], Soleil-Cannes, RSAC, and [[Tulip Rally|Tulip]] rallies, among others, earning numerous Outright, Team, and Class awards including the coveted [[Alpine Rally|Coupe des Alpes]].<ref name="Triumph Guide 1959"/>

[[File:1955 Triumph TR2 Le Mans racer 2.0.jpg|thumb|Le Mans TR2]]
In 1955, a Triumph works team of three TR2s modified with disc brakes, larger carburettors, and Jabbeke windscreens were entered in the [[24 Hours of Le Mans]]. Reaching speeds of up to {{cvt|120|mph|km/h|0}} on the Mulsanne Straight, the team completed the race in [[1955 24 Hours of Le Mans|14th, 15th, and 19th]] positions. These cars' Girling disc brakes and uprated carburettors would later appear on the [[Triumph TR3]].<ref name="Triumph, Chris Harvey 1985"/>

[[Doug Whiteford]] won the [[1955 Moomba TT]] at the [[Albert Park Circuit]] in [[Victoria, Australia|Victoria]], Australia driving a Triumph TR2.<ref name="ams-apr1955"/>

==Coupé Francorchamps==
The '''Triumph TR2 Coupé Francorchamps''' is a coupé version of the TR2 built in Belgium.

Belgian car company [[Impéria Automobiles]] resumed production in the post-World War II era by assembling cars from other manufacturers under license. These included [[Adler (cars and motorcycle)|Adler]] and, beginning in 1949, Standard-Triumph, first with the [[Standard Vanguard]], and later the TR2. Impéria eventually built about 500 TR2s from Complete Knock Down (CKD) kits in their factory at [[Nessonvaux]] near [[Liège]].<ref name="cms-jul2016"/> All Belgian-built Triumphs had an "N" suffix added to their commission numbers.<ref name="az-sep2023"/><ref name="cms-jul2016"/>

In 1954 the company obtained Standard's permission to develop a coupé version of the TR2. The new model was designed by Impéria's Frans Pardon. The car, named for the Belgian [[Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps]], debuted at the 1955 Brussels Motor Show. One year later, a Coupé Francorchamps appeared on Triumph's own stand at the same show.<ref name="cms-jul2016"/>

Pardon created a [[Convertible|fixed head coupé]] body with a glass backlite and a large transparent [[Poly(methyl methacrylate)|Perspex]] panel in the roof. The increased amount of side glass, and the clear roof panel made the interior prone to becoming uncomfortably warm.<ref name="piggott-trad"/>

Pardon's revisions extended beyond simply adding the roof. The design added new doors that include wind-down windows and external handles and locks. There is also a locking handle on the boot lid. To ease access to the interior, some cars have the B-pillar moved {{cvt|8|cm|in|1}} rearwards. A mix of long-door and short-door cars were built. Additionally, the steering wheel is moved closer to the car's centreline, and the floor is lowered, both by {{cvt|2|cm|in|1}}.<ref name="piggott-guide"/> All cars are left-hand drive. 
 
Available options included an overdrive, radio, wire wheels, 2-speed windshield wipers, and a wooden steering wheel.<ref name="otw-coupe"/> The overdrive is cable operated rather than electric, resulting in two shift levers in the interior - one for the four-speed manual transmission, and one for the overdrive, which can be engaged in any forward gear.<ref name="cms-jul2016"/>

The changes made the car {{cvt|62|kg|lb|0}} heavier than a TR2 open two-seater.<ref name="az-sep2023"/>

The car was built from mid-1954 to mid-1955 primarily for the Belgian market, with only 22 produced.<ref name="piggott-guide"/><ref name="piggott-trad"/>

Impéria closed their factory in 1958, and Triumph subsequently opened their own Belgian assembly plant.

==References==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=

<ref name=PracticalMotorist196004>{{cite journal |title=Second Hand car guide supplement |journal=[[Practical Motorist]] |volume=6 |number=68 |pages=768, 769 |date=April 1960}}</ref>

<ref name="howmany">{{cite web |url=http://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle/triumph_tr2 |title=How Many Left web site |publisher=howmanyleft.co.uk |accessdate=2 September 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="dft">{{cite web |url=http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/vehicles/licensing/ |title=Vehicle licensing statistics |publisher=Department for Transport |accessdate=2 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110829152645/http://www2.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/vehicles/licensing/ |archivedate=29 August 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name="hd-jun2011">{{cite web |url=https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2011/06/27/calling-all-tr2s/ |title=Calling All TR2s |date=27 June 2011 |last=Lentinello |first=Richard |publisher= |access-date=2024-07-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531004812/https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2011/06/27/calling-all-tr2s/ |archive-date=2019-05-31 }}</ref>

<ref name="originaltr">{{cite book |last=Piggott |first=Bill |author-link= |date=1 September 1991 |title=Original Triumph TR |url= |location= |publisher=  Motorbooks International |page= |isbn=1-870979-24-9 }}</ref>

<ref name="Trundling">{{cite journal |last=Langworth |first=Richard M. |authorlink=Richard M. Langworth |year=1973 |title=Trundling Along With Triumph – The story thus far ... |journal=[[Automobile Quarterly]] |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=116–45 |lccn=62004005}}</ref>

<ref name="ClassicCars">Buckley,Martin. ''The Illustrated Book of Classic Cars''. Anness Publishing, 1997, 2003, pp. 242–3. {{ISBN|1-84215-972-0}}</ref>

<ref name=Motor1954>{{cite magazine |last= |first= |date=7 April 1954 |title=The Triumph Sports 2-seater |url= |magazine=[[The Motor (magazine)|The Motor]] |location= |publisher= |access-date=}}</ref>

<ref name="Triumph, Chris Harvey 1985">{{cite book |last=Harvey |first=Chris |author-link= |date=1 September 1983 |title=TR for Triumph |url= |location= |publisher=Oxford Illustrated Press |page= |isbn=0 902280 94 5 }}</ref>

<ref name="originaltr233a">{{cite book |last=Piggott |first=Bill |author-link= |date=1998 |title=Original Triumph TR2/3/3A |url= |location= |publisher=Bay View Books Ltd |page= |isbn=1 901432 03 3 }}</ref>

<ref name="Triumph Guide 1959">Triumph Guide, Dave Allen and Dick Strome, 1959, Library of Congress 59-9853</ref>

<ref name="cms-jul2016">{{cite magazine |last=De Jager |first=Dirk |date=July 2016 |title=Through the Roof {{!}} The Hardtop Triumph TR2 That Held Promises of the Belgian Auto Industry |url=https://classicmotorsports.com/articles/through-roof-hardtop-triumph-tr2-held-promises-bel/ |magazine=[[Classic Motorsports]] |location= |publisher= |access-date=}}</ref>

<ref name="ams-apr1955">{{cite magazine |last= |first= |date=April 1955 |title=Argus Moomba Motor Races |url= |magazine=Australian Motor Sports |pages=137–142 |location= |publisher= |access-date=}}</ref>

<ref name="otw-coupe">{{cite web |url=https://www.oldtimerweb.nl/oldtimer-verhalen/triumph-tr2-coupe-francorchamps |title=Triumph TR2 Coupé Francorchamps |language=nl |last=Christiane |first=Jacques |date= |website=www.oldtimerweb.nl |publisher= |access-date= }}</ref>

<ref name="piggott-guide">{{cite book |last=Piggott |first=Bill |author-link= |date=2009 |title=Collector's Originality Guide — Triumph TR2 TR3 TR4 TR5 TR6 TR7 TR8 |url= |location= |publisher= Motorbooks International |pages=119, 120 |isbn=978-0760335765 }}</ref>

<ref name="piggott-trad">{{cite book |last=Piggott |first=Bill |author-link= |date=1 January 2003  |title=Triumph Tr: Tr2 to 6: the Last of the Traditional Sports Cars |url= |location= |publisher=Haynes Publications |page=41, 42 |isbn=978-1859609972  }}</ref>

<ref name="az-sep2023">{{cite magazine |last=Rosshuber |first=Klaus |date=2023-09-07 |title=Triumph TR2 Franchorchamps: Classic Cars — Ein Traum wird wahr |trans-title=Triumph TR2 Franchorchamps: Classic Cars — A dream comes true |language=de |url=https://www.autozeitung.de/fahrbericht-triumph-tr2-franchorchamps-69954.html |magazine=[[Autozeitung]] |location= |publisher= |access-date=}}</ref>

}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite magazine |last=Audiau |first=Xavier |date=May 2015 |title=Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955 |url=http://beaulieumotorbe.ares.as35334.website/beaulieumotor/news/fichier/fichier_news_3_10012022161327.PDF |magazine=[[Autoretro]] |language=fr |number=397 |pages=12–19 |location= |publisher= |access-date=}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Triumph TR2}}

{{Triumph_Motor_Company_timeline}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Triumph Motor Company vehicles|TR2]]
[[Category:Cars introduced in 1953]]
[[Category:Roadsters]]
[[Category:Rear-wheel-drive vehicles]]
[[Category:24 Hours of Le Mans race cars]]
[[Category:Cars discontinued in 1955]]