Triumph’s TR line of sports cars would last the company through four decades, taking it from the Standard era to the Leyland takeover, the formation of BMH and then enduring the British Leyland years, finally bowing out in 1981 with the final TR7.
Where did it all begin though? Well just like so many iconic classic cars, it’s not as logical as you might think. A TR1 never made it to production, since a poor showing from the first TR prototype sparked a ‘back to the drawing board’ moment which meant that the first production Triumph sports car would bear the name TR2.
Although a strong seller for Triumph and proof that the formula was a successful one, the TR2 would be produced only for three years until it was replaced by the TR3 in 1955. Outwardly similar in appearance the TR3 was heavily revised and would remain in production for seven years, clocking up a production total of 74,800 which massively outclassed the TR2’s total of 8636.
With much of the production exported – crucial in those early postwar years – it’s no surprise that TR2s on American roads outnumber British survivors by some three to one, with less than 500 currently listed by DVLA.
Thanks to Cambridgeshire Triumph specialists TRGB though, we found one and a particularly nice example it is too, giving a perfect opportunity to find out just where the TR legend came from.
