Tom Tweed wrote:
>
> This got me wondering -- is there a connection somewhere in the
> industrial history of Triumph cars and bikes ?
Yes. "In the leisurely days of 1895, the Triumph Cycle Company began
as a manufacturer of motorcycles. Like Standard, it was located in
Coventry, an English city well known for its industrial capacity"*
"Triumph quickly established a reputation for strong, fast, reliable
two wheelers, and after the [first world] war, Triumph branched out
into the manufacture of automobiles"*
"It had taken quite a while, but in 1931, the Triumph Cycle Company
apparently decided that it was definately in the automobile business
and therefore changed their name to The Triumph Company"*
I had "heard" that Triumph motorcycles became separated from the parent
car company some time in the thirties. Sorry I don't have a quote to
confirm this....
> ISTR that the original
> Triumph company was bombed into oblivion in WWII, but that someone,
> maybe Sir John Black, bought the rights to the name...but Triumph bikes
> were in full production by the late '40s... , how did he launch the car
> name in '52 or '53 and keep it separate from the bikes ?
"The [Triumph motocycle] factory was bought by BSA in 1951, barely
survived the recession of the 1970's as a workers co-operative, and
finally went under in 1983,but was rescued by the Devon businessman
Les Harris, who bought the rights to manufacture the [model] Bonneville
from his Newton Abbot base."^
> The `new' Triumph bikes are made in Hinckley, Leicestershire. Is this
> the same location as in the '70s ?
"Guided by John Bloor, Triumph is once again one of the world's major
motorcycle manufacturers. The 1200 Trophy- the first in a completely
new range of British bikes- was launched in 1991. Today's Tridents,
Tigers, and Daytonas are assembled to the highest standards [I'm guess-
ing there's no pun intended here] in a state-of-the-art plant at Hin-
Liecestershire."^
Just curious.
Just repeatin' what I've read,
JOE IV
TR 250
WALLINGFORD, CT. USA
biblio...
* Road Test magazine Volume Four,Number Two, Febuary, 1968 p.9
^ Encyclopedia Of Motorcyling, by G. Bishop & Shaun Barrington,
C.1995
Tom,
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