Triumph Roadster

Triumph Roadster
Triumph 1800 Roadster
Overview
Manufacturer	Standard Motor Company
Production	1800: 1946–1948, 2501 made[1] 2000: 1948–1949, 2000 made[1][2]
Body and chassis
Class	Sports car
Powertrain
Engine	1800: 1776 cc[3][4] 2000: 2088 cc OHV Straight-4
Transmission	1800: 4-speed manual 2000: 3-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	100 in (2,540 mm)[3][4]
Length	168.4 in (4,277 mm)[3]
Width	64 in (1,626 mm)[3]
Curb weight	1800: 2540 pounds (1150 kg) 2000: 2460 pounds (1115 kg)
Chronology
Successor	Triumph TR2

The Triumph Roadster is an automobile which was produced by Britain's Standard Motor Company from 1946 to 1949. It was first available as the Triumph 1800 Roadster (18TR) from 1946 to 1948 and then as the Triumph 2000 Roadster (TRA) from 1948 to 1949.

Triumph 1800 Roadster (18TR)

The 1800 Roadster, model number 18TR,^[1] was designed in the closing days of World War II.^[5] Triumph had been bought by the Standard Motor Company in 1944,^[5] and the managing director of Standard, Sir John Black, wanted a sports car to take on Jaguar, who had used Standard engines in the pre-war period.^[5][6] Frank Callaby was selected to style the new car. After getting Black's approval for the general shape, Callaby worked with Arthur Ballard to design the details of the body.^[7] Design of the rolling chassis was by Ray Turner. Walter Belgrove, who had styled the pre-war Triumphs and was employed as Chief Body Engineer, had no part in the design.^[4]

Early post-war steel shortages meant that the body was built from aluminium, using rubber press tools that had been used making panels^[7] for the largely wooden bodied Mosquito bomber that had been built by Standard during the war. The frame was hand welded up from steel tube.^[4] The engine was a version of Standard's 1.5-litre, four-cylinder side-valve design that had been converted to overhead valves by Harry Weslake and built by Standard exclusively for SS-Jaguar before World War II.^[8] The Triumph version differed from the Jaguar version in having a 6.7:1 compression ratio instead of the Jaguar's 7.6:1 and a downdraught Solex carburettor instead of the Jaguar's side-draught SU.^[4] A four-speed gearbox^[4] with synchromesh on the top three ratios was used.^[9]

The tubular steel chassis was a short-wheelbase version of the 1800 saloon, featuring transverse leaf sprung independent suspension at the front and a live axle with semi-elliptic springs at the rear.^[4] The rear track was wider than the front by some 4 inches. Brakes were hydraulic.

The body design was anachronistic. A journalist old enough to remember the pre-war Dolomite Roadster that had inspired the car felt that the elegant proportions of the earlier model had been abandoned in favour of a committee-based compromise, "a plump Christmas turkey to set against that dainty peacock ... [more] Toadster [than Roadster]".^[3] The front had large separate headlamps and the radiator was well back from the front between large "coal scuttle" wings. Passenger accommodation was on a bench seat that was claimed to seat three: the car's 64 inch width helped make a reality of the three-abreast seating, and the approach meant a column gear change was required. The car's unusual width also made it necessary to fit three screen wipers in a row, an example followed by early shallow windscreen Jaguar E Types.^[3] Additional room for two was provided at the rear in a dickey seat with its own folding windscreen: this was outside the hood that could be erected to cover the front seat.^[7] Entry and exit to the dickey seat was never easy and a step was provided on the rear bumper.^[10] The Roadster was the last production car with a dickey seat.^[1][7][10]

On test by Autocar magazine in 1947 top speed was found to be 75 mph (121 km/h) and 0–60 mph (0–96 km/h) took 34.4 seconds. Evidently keen to be positive without misleading their readers, the magazine described the maximum speed as "satisfying but not startlingly high".^[3]

• 

  Triumph 1800 Roadster with dickey seat occupied

• 

  Triumph 1800 Roadster with hood up

Triumph 2000 Roadster (TRA)

The only significant update in the Roadster's production came in September 1948 for the 1949 models, when the 2088 cc Vanguard engine, transmission, and rear axle were fitted.^[2][11] A retrograde step was the fitting of a three-speed gearbox even though it now had synchromesh on bottom gear.^[12] Apart from minor modifications to the mounting points, the chassis, suspension and steering were unaltered. This later version of the Roadster was given the model designation TRA.^[1]

On test the changes resulted in the top speed increasing marginally to 77 mph (124 km/h) but the 0-60 mph time was much better at 27.9 seconds.

The car was never made in large numbers and was mainly hand built. 2501 examples of the 1800^[1] and 2000 of the larger-engined version were made.^[1][2] Production ended in October 1949.^[2]

Today, surviving examples are keenly sought and change hands for high prices.

• 

  Triumph 2000 Roadster dickey seat with folding windscreen

• 

  Triple windscreen wipers on a Roadster

• 

  Triumph 2000 Roadster

Notes

References

• Barker, Ronald (18 January 1968). Smith, Maurice A., ed. "Were those the days? 1946–9 Triumph Roadsters". Autocar 128 (3753): 71–74. 
• Cook, Michael (2001). "Chapter 2 The Long Buildup to the TR". Triumph Cars in America. St. Paul, MN USA: MBI Publishing. ISBN 0-7603-0165-4. LCCN 2001031231. Retrieved 2013-07-17. 
• Hingston, Peter (2007). The Enthusiasts' Guide to Buying a Classic British Sports Car. Eaton Bishop, Hereford, UK: Hingston Publishing. p. 164. ISBN 978-0-906555-25-5. Retrieved 2014-09-09. 
• Langworth, Richard M. (1973). "Trundling Along With Triumph – The story thus far...". Automobile Quarterly (Automobile Quarterly) 11 (2 (Second Quarter)): 116–145. LCCN 62004005. 
• Lawrence, Mike (1996) [1991]. "Triumph (GB)". A to Z of Sports Cars 1945-1990 (Paperback ed.). Osceola, WI US: MBI Publishing. ISBN 1-870979-81-8. Retrieved 2014-09-09. 
• Robson, Graham (May 2011). The Book of the Standard Motor Company. Poundbury, Dorchester, UK: Veloce Publishing. ISBN 978-1-845843-43-4. Retrieved 2013-06-11. 
• Robson, Graham (1972). The Story of Triumph Sports Cars. Motor Racing Publications. ISBN 0-900549-23-8. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Triumph Roadster.

• The Triumph Roadster Club Limited
• http://www.westendclassics.co.uk/ Triumph Roadster Specialist
• http://www.triumph-roadster.de / Restoring of a Triumph Roadster 1800