Category: Automotive Posts

Triumph started as a bicycle dealer manufacturing their own in Coventry and Nuremberg from 1888 and 1896 respectively. The bicycle business was sold to Raleigh in 1932.

Model shown is 1921 Triumph Royal

By 1902, Minerva engines were added; a tricar experiment was made in 1903. By 1907 a larger plant had produced 1,000 machines. WWI was a boost, and “Trusty Triumphs” are seen as th first modern motorycle. The business was sold in 1936.

WWI military model shown

Triumph’s first car, largely designed by Lea-Francis, with a Riccardo-designed engine, body initially by Regent Carriage Co; assembled at former Dawson works in Coventry. First British car with all-round hydraulic brakes.

Those responsible for the design and devlopment included Arthur Sykes (ex-Lea-Francis) and Stanley Edge (ex-Austin 7 draughtsman). Rallied by Donald Healey.

Photo: Wikipedia

For 1929 a new body style was released called the Special Sports with pointed tail and briefly a supercharged version reputedly able to reach 80 mph, as used in the special shown here.

Coventry Climax engine. 12v electrics. Ten got a rear-wheel handbrake. Southern Cross sports models got longer frame and eventually 1122cc.

Photo: Wikipedia

Six cylinder version, usually on longer wheelbase chassis.

Photo: TCdF

Donald Healey’s amazing sportscar, closely modelled on the 2.3-litre Alfa, with their encouragement (a tie-up on motorcycles was mooted). Competed in 1935 Monte Carlo rally. A whole range of straight-8 cars were planned, but stillborn.

Photo: Wikipedia

Lower and more handsome than its predecessors, and designed to be special: “quality before everying else”. Skilfully assembled from parts from around Coventry and the west midlands. Vitesse had 1476cc engine.

Bigger engine and longer bonnet, with an extra set of louvres. Vitesse version was heavily tuned, and the body was lowered and streamlined.

Triumph won the light car class of the 1934 Monte Carlo rally, and celebrated with this sporty tourer.

Proper 2-seater sportscar based on a shortened Monte Carlo.

Walter Belgrove’s contribution to the mid-1930s streamlinging fad. A graceful design but one which didn’t sell. The only survivor was for years mounted on a Bentley chassis but has now been reunited with a period Triumph chassis.

Made alongside Dolomite, with more traditional styling, and on Gloria chassis, but new OHV engine. Vitesse on longer frame. 12 was the 1939 offering, on the shorter frame, and Jaguar-like grille, styling and price.

Design overseen by Donald Healey; styling and radiator grille by Walter Belgrove. Wider and roomier. Marketed as “the finest in all the land” luxury sporting saloons. 1.5-litre and roadster on shorter frame – latter with dickey seats.

Balls spun by jets of steam are ancient; in 1698 Savery sold steam pressure pumps. But Newcomen’s engine produced mechanical work. Gravity pulled up a piston via a beam; vacuum pulled it down as cold water condensed steam.

This one worked from c. 1760 to 1913 in Coventry – now a memorial in Dartmouth

Pickard in 1780 patented a crankshaft and flywheel, but for his updated design with separate condensor, Watt circumvented this with his ‘sun and planet‘ patent. Eventually, improving engineering led to horizontal engines.

Photo: Wikipedia

This example is from Tower Bridge

Cugnot’s steam dray, the world’s first motor vehicle, weighed 2.5 t tare, and 2.8 t gross. The front wheel supported a steam boiler and driving mechanism. It could carry 4 passengers at walking pace.

Assembled in London at the works of William Felton, a horse carriage builder. A coal-burning Trevithick steam engine was fitted to the rear to replace the horse. Trevithick managed to drive 8 people from Leather Lane, Holborn to Paddington. And bring them back the same day!

Photo: Credit

Shown is Tom Brogden’s 1998 replica

An evolution of three earlier locomotives by inventor and mining engineer Richard Trevithick. The first locomotive in the world to haul fare-paying passengers – at a steam circus in London.

Photo: Wikipedia

Robert Stephenson’s clear winner in the locomotive trials for the Liverpool & Manchester Railway. A substantial advance over previous designs, with multi-tube boiler and the blast-pipe.

Built in London, body similar to the Shillabeer horse-drawn Omnibus with passengers sitting facing each other. Started running in 1833, carrying fare paying passengers in London and beyond. Artillery wheels, leaf springs, driven rear axle, steering wheel!

Photo: Credit

Shown is Tom Brogden’s replica

The first iron steamer to cross the Atlantic Ocean, and the largest passenger ship in the world. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Great Western Steamship Company’s service between Bristol and New York City.

Developed by Robert Neville-Grenville and George Jackson Churchward, built around a boiler from a Merryweather fire engine, it could carry 7 people including the driver, steersman and stoker.

The first steam turbine-powered steamship – easily the fastest ship in the world at its launch. Demonstrated dramatically at the Spithead Navy Review in 1897 and set the standard for the next generation of steamships.

Photo: WIkipedia

Marshall’s produced large numbers of steam traction engines, steam rollers, portable engines and agricultural machinery of all types.

Built at the Perseverance Works of Samuel Soame (1837-1918) in the North Norfolk village of Marsham.

Built by the Liquid Fuel Engineering Co of East Cowes, Isle of Wight, who made a variety of steam boats and road vehicles from 1893.

A 4-4-0 steam locomotive built at Swindon Works to a design by George Jackson Churchward. The first locomotive to reach 100 mph.

Built by Turner in Wolverhampton under licence from the Brussels-based company of J. Miesse.

Stanley (of Massachussetts) built cars with twin front-mounted cylinders of simple-expansion type geared directly to the rear axle, differentiating them from earlier rear-boilered cars.

Charles Burrell & Sons were builders of custom steam traction engines, agricultural machinery, steam lorries and steam tram engines, and the biggest employer in Thetford, Norfolk.

As legislation allowed Foden produced traction engines from 1878, and lorries from 1896, and then military vehicles from 1901. Foden went diesel in the early 1930s, acquired by Paccar in 1980 and the brand was retired in 2006.

These later models had aluminium coachwork resembling those of contemporary petrol cars (which provided increasingly difficult competition), but they retained steam-car features by having no transmission, clutch, or driveshaft. They also had a fully sprung tubular steel frame.

Mann made some of the earliest steam carts from about 1898, and had successful ranges of 3 and 5 ton trucks. Eventually taken over by Atkinson, and sold to Scammell.

4-6-0 locomotive; the largest class built by the GWR. Handled the principal GWR expresses on the main line from London to the West of England and on the Chiltern line to Birmingham and Wolverhampton, until 1962.

Sentinel made steam road vehicles from 1905. From 1923, they were assembled in a radical new plant at Shrewsbury, which made 1550 vehicles on a flow line based on the Ford Model T factory in Michigan.

A new and advanced steamer, with a single-acting four-cylinder underfloor engine with longitudinal crankshaft and an overhead worm-drive axle. They became the biggest ever selling steam lorry. Undone by legislation on weight.

A streamlined 4-6-2 (“Pacific”) built at Doncaster Works to a design of Nigel Gresley. Has held the world speed record for steam locomotives at 126 mph since 1938.

Photo: WIkipedia

AC (Auto Carrier) started making 3-wheeled delivery vehicles in 1904; the Sociable was the passenger car.

Photo: Bonhams

4-wheel light car production started just before the war. Several thousand were sold in the 1920s, in an old balloon factory in Thames Ditton.

Photo: Bonhams

The six range included Aceca DHC, and a Six was the first British car to win the Monte Carlo rally in 1926. New models came in 1933 after a brief hiatus.

Photo: Wikipedia

S. F. Edge of Napier fame bought into AC in 1921, and started promoting AC through competition, notably at Brooklands. This continued through the 1930s (car shown is a 16/70 March special).

Photo: Wikipedia

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The TT model, named as a ‘replica’ of the 1922 Isle of Man TT cars, later evolved into the Speed Model. The car shown is on the chassis of a 1921 car raced at Brooklands.

Blue badge for the chassis for formal bodies (often by near neighbours Vanden Plas), red for the Speed Model and rare green badge for Super Sports 100 mph cars. Won Le Mans in 1924 and 1927.

In the winter of 1926/7 the factory’s service department created the first supercharged Bentley when this car had a Roots type blower fitted (2 years ahead of the Birkin supercharged cars).

Uprated chassis to cope with bigger and heavier 4-cylinder version of the new engine. Won Le Mans in 1928.

Vanden-Plas-built Le Mans replica on shorter chassis. Many other 4.5-litre cars have subsequently also been shortened. This one was rebodied in the 1950s and fitted with a supercharged engine.

Example of coachbuilt ‘special’ sportscar. This was was rebodied since the 1960s (which is not uncommon).

Against W. O. Bentley’s wishes (hence the external mounting of the supercharger), driver Tim Birkin organised Villiers superchargers to be fitted for Le Mans homologation (like Mercedes).

Luxury rival to Rolls-Royce with the 6-cylinder version of the new engine. Short- or long-wheelbase.

Open version (by coachbuilders)

Mid-length chassis, high-compression engine, twin carbs. Won Le Mans in 1929 and 1930.

Non-tapering radiator sides vs 6.5-Litre standard. Green badge.

A real competitor to Rolls-Royce, who probably bought Bentley from administration to prevent the car being perpetuated by Napier or another company. 12′ or 13′ wheelbase. Lightweight elektron casting!