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

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      Bettmann was only concerned with his cars’ successes on the showroom floor; he paid little attention to the fact that the Seven was also enjoying competition success. By winning countless speed and endurance challenges across Australia and in the United Kingdom, the little Triumphs were building a reputation as sports cars. Of particular note is the name of one of the most successful drivers, Donald Healey, who later joined the company as Experimental Manager in 1934.

      The success of the Super Seven continued through 1932, when it moved upscale with nicer appointments and became the Super Eight. In 1932, the Super Nine was also introduced; it boasted a new Coventry Climax 1-liter engine capable of 60 mph. Triumph was one of a handful of car manufacturers to survive the Great Depression, during which scores had failed. Lacking funds to design and build a new 4-cylinder engine, it sourced powerplants from Coventry Climax, located just a mile down the road.

      With this car Triumph formally recognized the sports car market with a new body design called Southern Cross. It was an open car featuring a fold-down windshield, wire wheels, and semi-cut-down doors. Under the narrow hood sat a bored-out version of the Climax engine. It was a bit awkward and looked disproportionate, as did all the Seven models because of their short wheelbase. The Southern Cross received its wings when it was made part of the larger Gloria line in 1935.

      The Gloria line of cars was actually quite stylish and attractive at the time. The cars were powered by 1,087- or 1,232-cc 4-cylinders engines or the optional 1,467- or 1,991-cc 6-cylinder Coventry Climax engines. The l Gloria Tourer looked a bit gangly because of the long wheelbase and this was particularly so with the softtop in place.

      To create the sporting two-seat Southern Cross, the wheelbase was cut by a full 12 inches. The lines may not have flowed well, but it was certainly sporty and aggressive looking. Imagine, if you will, a more brutish version of the T-series MG with the notched doors. They were not fully cut-down doors because the downward angle rose again to meet the rear of the car, which appeared more rugged because of the external fuel tank sandwiched between the cockpit and the dual spare tires.

      But credit is due to Donald Healey for making this 1,232-cc-powered underslung car into a sporting success. His Monte Carlo version featured dual down-draft Zenith carburetors delivering 48 bhp.

       From 1934 to 1938 Triumph had a successful run of cars based on the Gloria platform. The platform allowed a variety of bodies to be almost interchangeable on the Super Nine chassis. All models featured conventional semi-elliptic leaf springs on all four corners, along with hydraulic brakes. (Photo Courtesy Simon Goldsworthy/Triumph World)

       The Gloria line featured coupes, open two-seater roadsters, and larger enclosed touring models. This sporting two-seater Southern Cross, named for the constellation, was the result of shortening the 108-inch wheelbase by 12 inches. This created a sportier and more proportional-looking car. The Monte Carlo version used this same cut-door design but the additional length made it less proportional in profile. (Photo Courtesy Simon Goldsworthy/Triumph World)

       The cut-down doors were a common styling element at the time. However, Triumph trademarked an optional hinged flip-up panel to fill in the gap in inclement weather. (Photo Courtesy Simon Goldsworthy/Triumph World)

       This 1,232-cc engine is fitted with dual side-draft carburetors. Donald Healey went on to fit larger 30-mm Zenith down-draft carburetors that boosted horsepower to 48 for competition. (Photo Courtesy Simon Goldsworthy/Triumph World)

       The remarkable 1934 Dolomite Straight Eight. Named for the Italian mountain range, the car was inspired by Alfa-Romeo’s world-beating 8C; it is sometimes referred to as Triumph 8C. When the car was in development, Donald Healey traveled to Italy to meet the designers of the Alfa to ensure he got all the details right. A U.S.-based car collector, who owns several Alfa 8Cs and one of the surviving Dolomites, said that, in his experience, the Triumph was quicker and handled better than its Italian inspiration. (Photo Courtesy Gary Harman)

       The arresting lines of the Dolomite Straight Eight were designed by Walter Belgrove. The body sat on a pressed-steel ladder frame supported by semi-elliptic leaf springs at all four corners. (Photo Courtesy Gary Harman)

      As this was all happening, Bettmann had had enough and retired. Claude Holbrook replaced him. The new management faced great challenges during the early 1930s. The light-car boom was over; Gloria sedans and saloons were not selling, but production costs were rising quickly. Only the motorcycles continued to thrive.

      During this same period, Healey proposed and built Triumph’s first great car, and perhaps its greatest. He was fresh from his success at the Alpine Trial with a bare-bones Southern Cross Monte Carlo that had dominated the competition. He wanted to build a car capable of challenging the big names from Germany and Italy.

      Healey’s creation was the Dolomite Straight Eight, which was modeled directly from the highly successful Alfa-Romeo 2300. In fact, not only did Healey purchase an Alfa for research, he also traveled to Italy to speak directly to the car’s designers to be certain he got it as correct as possible.

       THE REMARKABLE DOLOMITE STRAIGHT EIGHT

      Triumph’s new car, named for the famed mountain range, was like no other it had built before or since. This project was both a brilliant engineering feat and a miraculous financial feat because the company was seriously strapped for cash. This was, unfortunately, a recurring theme throughout Triumph’s history. It was perennially short of financial resources just as it was on the verge of creating a car that could have completely changed the fortunes of the company. The Dolomite was the first of several very special cars.

      Looking similar to the Alfa, it featured a hand-built 1,990-cc double overhead cam (DOHC) 8-cylinder engine boasting 120 hp aided by a Roots supercharger. The engine’s design almost made it appear as if two 4-cylinder engines had been fused inline. This appearance was accentuated by the dual four-pipe intake manifolds feeding each cylinder from two Zenith down-draft carburetors. On the opposite side of the engine were eight individual exhaust pipes that curved down and out through an opening in the hood in the style of the Frazer-Nash. The eight pipes joined a single large muffler running longitudinally just ahead of the passenger-side door. The exhaust was then piped to the rear of the car.

       This on-the-street snapshot captures Donald Healey showing the Straight Eight engine compartment to a group of inquisitive young men while stopped during a road test. The photo is thought to have been taken in Perranporth, Cornwall. (Photo Courtesy Rich Saunders)

      Power was channeled to the rear wheels through an Armstrong Siddeley-Wilson pre-selector gearbox sourced from Siddeley. Pre-selector gearboxes were in vogue at the time, but usually only found in the upper end of the automobile spectrum on vehicles such as Mercedes-Benz, Bugatti, Maybach, and Talbot-Lago.

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