Triumph

The Triumph Cycle Co. Ltd.  began producing Triumph motorcycles at their works in Coventry in 1902. At first, they used engines purchased from another company, but the business prospered and they soon started making their own engines. In 1907 they developed a new factory. Major orders for the 550 cc Model H were placed by the British Army during the First World War; by 1918 Triumph had become Britain's largest manufacturer of motorcycles. In 1921 Triumph acquired the assets and  premises of the Dawson Car Company and started producing a car with a 1.4-litre engine, named the Triumph 10/20 which was designed for them by Lea-Francis, to whom they paid a royalty for every car sold. Production of this car and its immediate successors was moderate, but this changed with the introduction in 1927 of the Triumph Super 7, which sold in large numbers until 1934. In 1930 the company's name was changed to Triumph Motor Company. They realized that Triumph could not compete with the larger car companies for the mass market, so Triumph decided to produce expensive cars, and introduced the models Southern Cross and Gloria. At first they used engines designed by Coventry Climax, but in 1937 Triumph started to produce engines to their own designs by Donald Healey, who had become the company's experimental manager in 1934. In November 1944 what was left of the Triumph Motor Company and the Triumph trade name were bought by the Standard Motor Company and a subsidiary "Triumph Motor Company Limited" was formed. Triumph's new owners had been supplying engines to Jaguar and its predecessor company since 1938. After an argument between Standard-Triumph managing director, Sir John Black, and William Lyons, the creator and owner of Jaguar, Black's objective in acquiring the rights of the bankrupt Triumph business was to build a car to compete with the soon to be launched post-war Jaguars. The pre-war Triumph models were no longer produced and in 1946 a new range of Triumphs was announced, starting with the Triumph Roadster. The Roadster had an aluminium body because steel was in short supply and surplus aluminium from aircraft production was plentiful. The same engine was used for the 1800 Town and Country saloon, later named the Triumph Renown, which was notable for the styling chosen by Standard-Triumph's managing director Sir John Black In the early 1950s it was decided to use the Triumph name for sporting cars and the Standard name for saloons In 1953 the Triumph TR2 was initiated, the first of the TR series of sports cars that were produced until 1981. The resulting Triumph TR2 was shown in March 1953 at the Geneva Motor Show. The TR2 would form the basis of the evolution of the TR line up to the TR6. The TR3, introduced in 1955, had a front grille and a more powerful engine. In October 1956, the front brakes of the TR3 were changed from 10 in drums to 11 in discs. The TR3 was restyled in 1957 and was available with a larger 2.2 litre; engine; the restyled car was unofficially known as the TR3A. A further development, with the larger engine as standard and with a fully synchromesh gearbox, was made available in 1962, the final year of TR3 production. This last version of the TR3 was unofficially known as the TR3B. The Triumph Italia 2000 Coupé was built between 1959 and 1962, during which time 330 cars were produced. Designed by Giovanni Michelotti, the TR3 chassis and mechanical components were supplied by the Triumph Motor Company and built by Alfredo Vignale in Turin, Italy. Introduced in 1961, the TR4 had a completely new body designed by Giovanni Michelotti. The TR4 was upgraded to the TR4A in 1965 with the addition of independent rear suspension. In 1967, the TR line was updated with servo-assisted brakes and a 2.5 L version of the straight-six engine that had been used in the Triumph 2000. Two different models were made: the TR250 with two Stromberg carburators for the US market, and the TR5 with Lucas fuel injection for the rest of the world. Both the TR250 and the TR5 were replaced by the TR6 in 1968, with the US version continuing with carburators. The main difference between the TR6 and the TR5 it replaced was its styling. The front and rear ends of the car had been restyled by German coachbuilder Karmann, giving the car a more contemporary appearance. An anti-roll bar was added to the front suspension as well. The Triumph TR7 was introduced in 1974. While all previous TRs were evolutionary designs developed from the TR2, the TR7 was an all-new design owing nothing but its model designation to the earlier TRs. While the TR7's unit body and wedge shape were advertised by Leyland as major improvements, these were offset by the TR7's return to a four-cylinder engine and a live rear axle. The TR7 was initially available as a coupé, with a convertible version being developed after the launch of the coupé. The TR7 convertible was introduced in 1979. Also introduced in 1979 was the Triumph TR8, a premium V8 version of the TR7. Plans for an extended range based on the TR7, including a fastback variant codenamed "Lynx", were ended when the Speke factory closed. The four-cylinder TR7 and its short-lived eight-cylinder brother, the TR8 were terminated when the road car section of the Solihull plant was closed in 1981.

EZ Electric Power Steering and Triumph

EZ Electric Power Steering produces power steering kits for all TR models. The most popular models can be found in our web shop.