TRIUMPH HERALD 13/60 CONVERTIBLE
ENGINE 1296cc/4-cyl/OHV POWER 61bhp@5000rpm TORQUE 73lb ft@3000rpm MAXIMUM SPEED 85mph 0-60MPH 17sec FUEL CONSUMPTION 24-33mpg TRANSMISSION RWD, four-speed manual MoT 12 months on sale ODOMETER 23,028 miles
WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE?
Cold start up demands little choke and the clutch is light with a bite at just over half travel. Gear selection is exact with no play in the linkage. It feels tight throughout with great steering feedback and a rattle-free ride. Performance has no sporting pretentions but it sits well with little body roll. The vendor chose to replace the brakes – including the calipers – that had yet to ‘bed in’ and proved to be more than adequate.
BODYWORK CHECK
The Royal Blue body has straight panels with precise gaps. The bonnet fits better than most, the mechanism tight and easy to lock into place. The hub caps are original Triumph 2000 items and the wheels sit on new tyres. There’s a tiny scratch and a small stone chip to the nearside front of the bonnet but the original chrome has survived well, showing minimal age with the original rubber inserts gleaming white on the bumpers. A small decal on the window shows the underside was finished in Carseal from new, offering a lifetime
guarantee in 1969. This appears to have performed well with no sign of corrosion or repair.
HOW’S THE INTERIOR?
The carpets may have lost a little colour over the decades but show negligible wear, courtesy of factory rubber mats. The seat covers and door cards are clean, damagefree and ready to serve for many more years to come. The veneer dash is as it left the showroom and a Moto-Lita style steering wheel blends in nicely, unlike the modern JVC stereo and electric aerial. Every switch, dial and gauge operates correctly and the condition of the soft top suggests that the black hood fabric may be a recent addition.
UNDER THE BONNET
The engine bay is clean and free of any fluid leaks; the previous owner ensured that this area was to show standard. The history file details a most interesting life, beginning with RF Green at the High Commission in British Guyana from 1969. Returning to the UK in 1971, Mr Green kept the car in Hampshire until 1996, from when it spent time in Bradford before moving to Hove. The file contains fuel receipts from Guyana and invoices from 1972, plus the service book and owner’s manual. Service history and 26 old MoT certificates confirm the mileage.
THE CCW VIEW
Clearly this is a special example of a classic favourite, proving that low-mileage gems are still out there. It belies its 52 years visually and on the road and has a great story to tell. The lack of use contributed to the seized brakes plus the odd leak, the latter having been corrected by the vendor. It looks like great value, too. All it needs now are some miles on the odometer.
PROS Price, interesting history, requires nothing
CONS Minor paint blemish, modern radio
BUY IT FROM Orchard Classics, Orchard Business Park, Arundel, West Sussex BN18 0GA. 01243 555595, orchardclassics.co.uk