1947 Triumph 1800 Roadster

Description

The first Triumph produced following the takeover by Standard - indeed the first post-war model to wear the badge - was the 1800, released in two versions during 1946. Offered in either saloon or roadster guises, the 1800 came powered by an overhead-valve four-cylinder engine derived from that used in the Standard Twelve and Fourteen models, with a 6.72:1 compression ratio and developing 62.5bhp at 4400rpm. The four-speed manual gearchange with Borg & Beck single dry plate clutch was controlled by a column-mounted lever on the right side and had synchromesh on all but first gear. Brakes were Girling hydraulic, and front suspension was independent via transverse leaf springs and triangular upper links, while a traditional semi-elliptic set-up was employed at the rear. The 1800 roadster featured attractive bodywork made of aluminium (apart from steel front wings) and a dickie seat for rear passengers, with small steps on the bumper to allow access. Interesting details include the triple windscreen wipers and folding windscreen for dickie seat passengers. After the first 2501 cars had been made, Triumph introduced the larger-engined 2000 at the 1948 London Motor Show, making the 1800 Roadster a particularly rare find these days. The Triumph roadster was later made famous by the Television series Bergerac and in 2013 one of the three cars used in filming was sold to a Chinese collector for 20,000 pounds.