The Last Triumph

Triumph is one of the great names in British motoring history, yet the marque failed so many times to make anything really good.

Handling was never a strong point of the TR’s,, but from the TR4, they got the IRS rear end which helped a little.  Heralds, Vitesses or Spitfires had a swinging axle rear end which when coupled with the tight steering lock made them outright dangerous in fast tight turns. The Spitfire Mk IV got a revised rear axle which improved handling greatly.

Triumph engines often let the cars down too.

1. The TR5 PI was the fastest TR in a straight line, but the PI part was unreliable and affected all Triumphs with the PI nomenclature.
2. Dolomite Sprints were fast, but had a very weak top end, leading to camshaft and valve failure
3. The ‘1500’ engine in the Spitfire could power the car to 100mph, but the three main bearing crankshaft meant that oil and filter changes were critical if you wanted to take the ‘Spit’ to 100mph often.
4. The Stag got a Triumph special V8, special in that it was two four cylinder engines, essentially welded together, possibly the worst engine ever in any Triumph. It could have had the Rover V8, but Triumph wanted to go it alone and spoiled what could have been the best Triumph ever.

And so we come to the last Triumph.

At the time, it was the most reliable mass produced car to ever roll off a British car assembly track. It started every morning which meant that for the first time, a Triumph owner did not have to live close to a Triumph dealer. In CD attire, it was very well equipped indeed. The twin carburettor 1335cc engine gave it good performance, and the handling was good too.

If the description above does not sound like a classic Triumph, it is because the car was NOT a classic Triumph. It was a rebadged Honda Ballade with just enough local content to be a ‘British’ car. The car was called the  ‘Triumph‘Acclaim’ and was the last  to ever bear the Triumph name.

The trouble is that it wasn’t a real Triumph. It didn’t look like a Triumph, and it had qualities which Triumph owners were not used to having. It was actually a good car.

This is an employee booklet for the car and makes for interesting reading..

http://www.hargreave-mawson.demon.co.uk/emphand.jpg

The Acclaim was not a sporting car in the sense that many Triumphs were, and I always got the impression that it was bought by older people. It was finally eclipsed by new Rovers, also made in collaboration with Honda, and looking a little less like Japanese cars.

I think that the last Triumph should have been a sports car, a convertible at the very least, but the Triumph Fury story says it all.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumph_Fury

If anyone is to be blamed, it has to be Triumph management. The convertible Triumphs were popular cars despite their shortcomings, but they all lacked proper development. When safety laws were introduced for convertibles, Triumph dropped them from the ranges rather than do what it would take to address the issues.

I once owned a Triumph Spitfire 1500, and apart from a 1293 Mini, it was the most fun I had ever had in an easily affordable sports car.

More on Triumphs here..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumph_Motor_Company