The Illustrated History of Triumph Sports and Racing Cars. G. William Krause
Triumph’s first motorized vehicle was created in 1902 when a 2¼-hp Minerva engine from Belgium was fitted into a reinforced bicycle frame. Siegfried Bettmann also experimented with a variety of power units before creating his own 5-hp units in 1905. Throughout the early part of the century, Triumph motorcycles looked similar to this 1909 version. The bicycle origins are clearly evident with the pedal chain drive and the belt drive. Triumph was known for quality and excellence, which can be seen in all of the controls, fittings, and fuel lines. (Photo Courtesy Geert Versleyen/Yesterdays Antique Motorcycles)
Triumph’s automotive history does not begin with a car or even a pre-turn-of-the-century cycle car. In fact Triumph’s genealogy did not even start with a motorized vehicle. The first automobile came about late in the company’s timeline, some 38 years after the company’s founding. But the pre-history of the car deserves some attention because of its evolution and the equally famous cycle company of the same name. Yes, they are related.
The birth of the marque dates back to the 19th Century and a transplanted German living in London. Siegfried Bettmann started his no-name bicycle business in London in 1885. A few years later, he moved his facility 100 miles northwest of the city to Coventry. It is doubtful that Bettmann foresaw Coventry as the home to as many as 20 different carmakers 50 years down the road.
In the 1890s, all sorts of experimentation was being conducted about how a person could travel faster than on foot. Bicycles were the newest and most popular form of travel and the bicycle business was therefore booming. Bettmann’s brand-less bikes were enjoying brisk sales both domestically and internationally. Bettmann knew that he needed a name that would translate all over the world to ensure success so he chose the name Triumph. And thus the marque was born.
The company continued to prosper until the turn of the century when the market became saturated and the frenzied popularity of bicycles had begun to wane. Bettmann was looking for an innovation to keep his Triumph company going. He only needed to look as far as his closest competitors.
TRIUMPH’S FIRST MOTORIZED VEHICLE
At that time, most of Bettmann’s competitors were experimenting with mounting small internal combustion engines on their bicycles. Adding an engine to a Triumph was as inevitable as it was natural.
In 1902, a Belgian Minerva 2.25-hp engine was fitted to a reinforced Triumph bicycle frame. This experimental unit was effectively the first Triumph motorcycle. The little Minerva was successful at propelling the bicycle, but Bettmann had plenty of other engines to test, including the locally sourced J. A. Prestwich (known today as JAP) 3-bhp units. A good engineer is always looking for more power.
After years of experimenting with JAP and a variety of other off-the-shelf engines, Triumph finally developed its own 3-hp powerplant in 1905. The new 300-cc, side-valve engines were capable of cruising at a very respectable 30 mph and sold for a not insignificant £45. It was a reasonable price for the day but edged toward expensive. This was when things really began to take off for Triumph. In 1906, the company produced slightly more than 550 motorcycles; by 1909, the company was producing 3,000 motorcycles annually.
STANDARD MOTOR COMPANY IS BORN
As the new Triumph motorcycles were enjoying this early success, it is important to note some of the other names and developments in Coventry at the time. In early 1903, Reginald Maudslay founded the Standard Motor Company; he was hard at work on his first car, the Victoria. Maudslay began the company with the idea that all parts for all cars would be interchangeable, hence the sensible name “Standard.” Rapid growth and heavy competition caused this charter to be dropped, but the cars continued to be built under the Standard name. Just as the first motorcycles were motorized bicycles, the first cars were essentially motorized horse carriages. Standards were available as either open or closed models.
Standard’s engineering reputation grew quickly and by 1906 it had joined the ranks of Rolls-Royce and Napier as the only manufacturers producing a 6-cylinder engine. The 1910 line of Standard coupes and saloons was considered as elegant and fashionable as the higher-ranking competition from Rolls-Royce and others.
Like Maudslay, Bettmann had also built a reputation for high quality and craftsmanship, thanks to his Triumph motorcycles. The adoring public called the motorcycles “frisky” because of their performance. Bettmann also enjoyed great personal prosperity and popularity in that period; he was elected mayor of Coventry, an odd office to be held by a German, especially in 1913. However, more important to his story is his first involvement with automobiles, which began a year earlier.
In 1912, Maudslay needed cash to buy out his partner and keep the Standard Motor Company running. Bettmann was among those offering capital. From 1912 until the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Bettmann was Chairman of the Standard Motor Company while also maintaining his leadership role at Triumph.
The war helped to further cement Triumph’s reputation for quality and reliability. Approximately 30,000 of the 550-cc motorcycles were shipped to France during the war and by the end of hostilities, the military referred to them as “Trusty Triumphs.” By 1920, Bettmann’s motorcycles were the most popular motorbikes in Great Britain.
By this point, nearly all of Triumph’s two-wheeled competitors had begun experimenting with four wheels. William Morris, also of Coventry, began building bicycles and motorcycles in 1901. By 1912, he had introduced his first car, the Morris Oxford. In 1914, the Morris Chummy debuted; it was very well received with good reviews and brisk sales. Others, including Austin, Singer, Standard, and Crosley, had evolved in a similar manner and were riding the wave of these popular new little, or “light” cars, as they were known.
TRIUMPH’S FIRST CAR
Bettmann had no choice but to follow suit. In 1921, Triumph acquired the Dawson Car Company and announced plans to produce the first Triumph automobile. Because this development was fully expected and anticipated, the announcement went virtually unnoticed by the newspapers or public. It was only a matter of when the car would be announced.
Finally, in 1923, Triumph debuted its first car called the 10/20, which was named for its Royal Automobile Club (RAC) horsepower rating of 10 and its actual horsepower of 20. The 102-inch wheelbase was nearly 20 inches longer than the other “light” cars of 1916 but was right in line with its postwar contemporaries. It was powered by a 1,393-cc 4-cylinder side-valve engine capable of 45 mph. Three body styles were available: two-seat and four-seat standard bodies and a four-seat Weymann sedan. Each was set on a typical box frame with semi-elliptic leaf springs placed longitudinally front and rear. The 10/20 stood on 21-inch tires mounted on 10-spoke steel rims that were just 3⅕ inches wide.
Triumph debuted its first four-wheeled vehicle in 1923. The model 10/20 was named for its Royal Automobile Club (RAC) horsepower rating of 10 and actual horsepower output of 20. The 1,393-cc 4-cylinder engine was capable of propeling the car to a top speed of 45 mph. Brakes were fitted to the rear wheels only. The high quality of fit and finish set the Triumph cars apart from the others of the day. (Photo Courtesy British Motor Industry Heritage Trust)
Triumph did not set any design trends with the first car; most cars of the period looked very similar. The difference was in the final product. All of the cars were finished to the same high-quality standards as its motorcycles and aimed at the upmarket consumer who would be attracted to a car that was a level above Morris and Austin. As with the motorcycles, the cars had brakes on the rear wheels only.
The two- and four-seat bodies were priced at £430 and the Weymann body was priced at £460, which was twice that of the Morris and Austin cars. The Standard Nine models were priced at £250.
Despite rave reviews for the new Triumph cars, sales were sluggish.
In 1928, Triumph introduced the 13/30 and, one year later, its successor, the 15. Each model was larger than its predecessor in every way. The wheelbase had grown to 112 inches, the engine to 2 liters, and speeds to 55 mph. Triumph’s same high