The Triton Influence

At the 1965 Barcelona 24 Hours race, club racer Dave Degens snatched fame and victory on a home-built Norton Featherbed Special. Powered by a Triumph pre-unit T120 engine, his inspired special continued to beat the top factory teams at their own game, catapulting the Triton onto the world stage. Hailed as one of the best-looking specials ever created, the concept was quickly copied by garden shed builders throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Triton Specials (good and bad) began to appear at pub and cafe car parks up and down the country. Although not quite as common, the TriBSA Special soon followed and gained similar popularity as another facet of the Triton genre.

Successful aftermarket specialists such as Dresda, Unity Equipe and John Tickle Racing Equipment flourished by developing products for both Tritons and TriBSAs... and the Brit Special was here to stay.