AUTO HISTORY
Triumph’s heart-thumping 1800 Roadster was both gorgeous and shortlived, its bloom obliterated by Jaguar’s iconic XK120.
The Triumph Motor Co., was already famous for its motorcycles when it decided to enter the car making business in 1923. Like many others it suffered during the Depression, finally falling into receivership just before the Second World War. That would have been the end if the Standard Motor Car Co., under managing director Sir John Black, had not bought Triumph 1944.
Triumph had been making some interesting sporting cars before the war, such as the Dolomite and the Southern Cross, but once it came under Standard's control its products would be based on Standard heritage.
Black was eager to get into the post-Second World War sports car business with a competitor for the SS100 Jaguar which William Lyons had been building before the war. If Black had known that Lyons was busy preparing the fabulous Jaguar XK120 as the post-war SS100 successor, he might have given up right there.
Triumph produced two new cars after the war, a roadster and a sedan both based on the same running gear. Black had asked Triumph stylists to design his personal car in 1944, and this was used as the model for the production roadster.
The Triumph 1800 Roadster, as it was called in spite of its wind-up windows, was heavily influenced by 1930s design. This gave it a classic attractiveness that was still quite appealing. The front was dominated by large bulbous fenders, big free-standing headlamps with the horns underneath, a vertical bar grille and a classically long hood.
Three individually controlled wipers swept the narrow, one-piece windshield but the lack of a tachometer suggested it was more sporty car than sports car. A lavish wooden dashboard and wood-capped window sills added class to the interior.
The doors were of the "suicide" type (hinged at the rear) and the trunk contained the car's most interesting feature: rumble seats. Called "dickey seats" in Britain, the two small separate seats mounted on the trunk floor folded forward when not required and rested behind the bench-type front seat, leaving a generous amount of cargo space.
The trunk lid was divided horizontally and spare tire was mounted inside the rearhinged lower part. The forward-hinged front part contained two windows, and when it was folded up these formed a windshield for the dickey seat passengers. It was an ingenious arrangement. The Triumph Roadster would be the last production car with a rumble seat.
Power came from the 1,776 cc, 65 horsepower overhead valve four cylinder engine that Standard had supplied to Jaguar before the war, and would continue to sell to them for a while after.
Front suspension was independent using a transverse multi-leaf spring, while the rear was longitudinal leaf springs and a solid axle. The frame was tubular steel, and the aluminum body panels (front fenders were steel) were supported by ash framing, a common British roadster construction method.
The 1800 Roadster was introduced to the public in March, 1946 to a mixed reception, in part because of its relatively high price. It would stay in production until 1948 when it became the 2000 Roadster through the fitting of the modern and sturdy 2,088 cc, 68 horsepower overhead-valve Standard Vanguard engine.
This engine would prove very versatile, powering not only the Roadster but the Triumph sedan, Ferguson tractor and Morgan and Triumph sports cars. It had good power potential and the engineers were able to modify it to produce 90 horsepower for the Triumph TR2.
In the 2000 the four-speed transmission was replaced by an all-synchromesh three-speed, still with column shift to facilitate three-abreast seating.
With its modest power and almost 1,134 kg (2,500 lb) weight, the Roadster was a leisurely tourer. The Autocar magazine tested a 2000 in February, 1949 and reported a stately "from-rest-through-the-gears" time of 27.9 seconds to 97 km/h (60 mph), and top speed of 77 mph (124 km/h).
Sir John's aspiration to compete with Jaguar must have been completely dashed when the stunning XK120 roadster appeared late in 1948. Here was a moderately priced car whose 160 horsepower, doubleoverhead cam six propelled it to 97 km/h (60 mph) in 10 seconds and to a top speed of 193 km/h (120 mph). All that, and modern, sensuously stunning styling that made the 2000 Roadster look baroque and old fashioned.
Production of the Triumph Roadster continued into 1949 with a total of 4,500 being built - 2,500 of the 1800s, and 2,000 of the 2000s. All except 300 export 2000s had right-hand drive.
The Triumph Roadster was an interesting and unusual car, but it was too little (performance), too late (styling), and too expensive ($3,000 + range), to really catch on. But for British traditionalists it makes a very eye-catching collectible today.