FOURCYLINDER HINCKLEY TRIUMPHS

RARITY Getting that way

UNUSUAL TECH Triumph dumped the fours quite early on

NOSTALGIA High

On the face of it, the four-cylinder line of Hinckley Triumphs was a bit of a failure. The firm quickly worked out that people loved the triple-cylinder version of the modular engine far more, and the 1,000cc and 1,200cc versions fell away fast. The Daytona 1000 was a heavyweight sports bike, a sort of English sub-par FZR1000, making 100bhp but weighing more than 235kg dry, while the Daytona 1200 was more powerful at 147bhp and a little lighter. The Trophy 1200 supertourer made more sense, but they were all a bit pants compared to the opposition at the time. Now though – they’re a big part of the Hinckley history, and are a rarer sight than an MG Maestro on the road. Indeed, according to DVLA there’s just 46 Daytona 1200s taxed at the moment, with 99 on a SORN plate. There are more Trophy 1200s though – more than 500 on the road, and nearly 400 on a SORN.