>Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2001 09:27:55 -0500
>From: David Massey <105671.471@compuserve.com>
>Subject: A Standard Triumph First
>Message text written by Doug Mathews
>>Did you know that the Standard Triumph CO. was the first to introduce
>windshield washer's in autos...in 1935!!
Didn't know that.
>
>Was that Standard or was that Triumph? In 1935 they were two different
>companies.
>On a similar vein, Standard was the first to patent and use a cam chain
>tensioner.
Didn't know that.
>And S-T first introduced the "Targa" (Surrey) top. And front
>disk brakes. And many more, I'm sure.
>Dave
On the disk brakes, no, not exactly. Triumph was the first to offer disk
brakes as standard equipment on a mass produced sports car. (As opposed to
say the Jaguar D-type which had disks but was very limited production).
Citroen beat Triumph as the first to offer disk brakes as standard
equipment on a production car with one of their sedans. The diminutive
Crosley offered front disks as an option about 1949 or 50, but they had
reliability problems and the option was dropped.
As for the targa roof on the surrey top, its a matter of interpretation. A
gifted designer named Gordon Buehrig who worked for Duesenberg, designed
the Cord 812 and later the Lincoln Continental MkII, designed a car called
the Tasco (for The American Sports Car Company) just after the war that
featured removable transparent roof panels, a concept which he patented.
When GM introduced the T-top on the Corvette they found out too late that
theirs was not an original idea and ended up paying Buehrig a royalty for
every T-top car built. The TR Surrey top design is different enough that it
probably can be considered unique for the time and it predated Porsche's
Targa top on the 911.
Cheers,
Kurt Oblinger
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