The Illustrated History of Triumph Sports and Racing Cars. G. William Krause

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       The rear view illustrates how fully enveloped the all-aluminum body was, right down to the skirts on the rear wheels and diminutive door handles. Three working prototypes were completed but suffered from frequent system failures. It was highly ambitious and forward thinking, but it’s doubtful that production versions would have been sustainable. (Photo Courtesy Moss Motors)

      The demise of the TR-X was one-third of a triple blow to Black and Standard. Not only was he left without a sports car, but William Lyons had just brought out his enormously well-received XK120. In addition, Morgan had rejected Black’s bid to acquire his company just as the promising new Plus 4 model (powered by the same Vanguard 2,088-cc engine) was coming out.

      The never-say-die Sir John Black was not to be denied. He demanded that Belgrove and his designers come up with a simple, inexpensive sports car to go head-to-head with MG and Morgan. His directive dictated off-the-shelf parts, the 1,991-cc Vanguard engine, a £500 price tag, and a 90-mph top speed. The body would need to be new, but also as inexpensive as possible to produce. At the time an MG TD went for £530; £565 would buy a Morgan Plus 4. A new Donald Healey creation, the “100,” was debuting at £750.

       BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD: THE FIRST TR

      A prototype was built in just eight weeks and the public had its first look at the new 20TS (later known as TR1) at the Earls Court Motor Show in 1952. Reviews were mixed, but all agreed on three things: high potential performance, the striking front end and radiator opening, and something had to be done about the stubby rear end and exposed spare tire.

      The simple nose with recessed radiator opening was the most popular design element of the car. This could be termed a happy accident because it was a result of cost-saving measures. A true grille would cost extra to produce, but a hole was cheap. A coarse-grate screen was eventually added to the back of the opening.

      The cutaway doors (later nicknamed “kidney coolers” in some circles) were sporty (in the style of MG T-Series and Jaguar) and a cost-saving measure. Attaching the fenders with nuts and bolts was the least expensive route. The seams between the body and fenders were covered with a metal bead that was originally body color, but later changed to chrome, which gave the car a distinctive look. The no-nonsense cockpit featured two bucket seats and a full array of gauges to emphasize the seriousness of the sportiness.

      The directive for a small and light car meant minimal overhang at the front and rear, which is why the tail of the car cuts off so abruptly. The exposed spare tire was an effort to blend an element of MG and Morgan into the car.

      The stubby form was bolted to an out-of-the-parts-bin Standard Flying Nine chassis. The 7-foot 4-inch wheelbase was well-suited for the sports prototype, but the frame itself was limiting, to say the least. It wasn’t terribly stout by sports car standards of the day and rear suspension travel was limited by the side rails. The rear axle was held in place by half-elliptic leaf springs, but the rear axle sat on top of the main frame rails. The rails limited travel severely and rendered the lever-arm shock absorbers nearly useless.

      At the other end, the more modern tubular shock absorbers used in the Mayflower were the obvious choice for the front suspension. Additional reinforcements were necessary at all mounting points.

      The mandated Vanguard power unit was nestled low in the front of the frame. It was counter-balanced at the rear by the fuel tank and spare tire. The 20TS had a very low center of gravity that eliminated the need for anti-roll bars. More cost savings!

      Again, the cosmetics of the new car were thoroughly analyzed in the press, but no one could comment on performance because no one had driven the car.

      BRM team driver Ken Richardson had recently joined Standard-Triumph and was asked to test the 20TS only a few days after the show. Richardson had a long affiliation with Standard during the war years and, after the war, Standard was doing machining work on the BRM V-16 engines.

      In an interview with Triumph Over Triumph magazine in 1997, Richardson said that he found the car to be an accident on wheels after only a few minutes on the road. Specifically, he noted that the car wallowed, shook, and even jumped sideways. The front suspension flexed under load, steering was imprecise and unpredictable at speed, and the brakes locked easily. “This caused several moments for me that can only be described as very unpleasant adrenaline cocktails,” Richardson said. In summary, he went on to describe the prototype as “a complete dog’s breakfast.”

      When writing up his evaluation for Sir John, Richardson thought to himself that it was going to be the end of his job at Standard-Triumph. Instead, Richardson played a key role in polishing the diamond-in-the-rough into a real production sports car. Of course, there was no time to spare because Black demanded the revised car be ready for the Geneva show, a mere four months later.

      As feared, the Flying Nine chassis was the root of the prototype’s shortcomings. Richardson’s team went to work building a new frame. Dimensions from the original form were retained, but an all-new chassis was designed with stronger steel, greater boxing, and relocated cross braces with additional gussets. Richardson road-tested the prototype tirelessly with every change until he was satisfied that it would pass as a production car.

      Meanwhile, Belgrove was busy re-styling the 20TS. The front portion of the car was left intact except for relocating the indicator lights into the front apron. The tail of the car was completely redesigned. It was lengthened by 10 inches and given a normal trunk with a proper closing lid. Belgrove came up with the nifty idea of locating the spare wheel in its own compartment below the trunk floor with an access door on the rear panel. He also designed a stylish, removable hardtop using the revolutionary new glass fiber material. However, it was deemed too expensive and tabled until 1954.

      Optimism at Standard-Triumph grew with each improvement, but the pressure was on as word of a new MG TF came from Abingdon, and Healey was already in production with the Austin-Healey 100. Then a shot rang out that startled them all. Rootes announced that its new Sunbeam Alpine had broken the 100-mph barrier. The official top speed of 120 mph was achieved by noted rally driver Sheila Van Damm. Focus immediately moved to the Vanguard powerplant; 71 bhp would never do. The edict was power with reliability.

      Compression was raised to 8.6:1 from 7:1, which had immediate results of delivering 80 bhp. Intake valve size was increased by 5 percent, valve lift was increased, and camshaft timing was changed for 10 degrees of greater overlap at Top Dead Center. These tweaks yielded an additional 4 bhp. Finally, the twin 1½-inch constant-vacuum down-draft SU carburetors were fitted with new needles that resulted in 90-bhp output.

      With each engine upgrade, СКАЧАТЬ