MOTORING with PAUL JOLLY: Cornucopia of Triumphant style and design

Triumph produced the Herald 1200, Herald 1360, Vitesse, Toledo (RWD), 1500 (FWD) 2000, 2.5PI, Spitfire, GT6, TR6 and Stag, all for the 1970 model year. To this list of 11 diverse models, add in the saloon, convertible, estate, two-door, four-door versions and this list increases to 17 very different motor cars. Mostly built in Coventry but some in Liverpool.

Motor shows and dealerships catered for vastly different stock, some with separate chassis, others unitary construction, two, four and five-door variants and five convertibles plus front and rear wheel drive configurations. Imagine the parts department stockholding.

Ford only had the Escort, Cortina, Capri and Zephyr although each model had endless variant options but still just four basic platforms to build on.

Triumph, however, was now part of the behemoth British Leyland under Donald Stokes’s leadership, which had now incorporated Austin, Morris, Wolseley, Vanden Plas, MG, Rover, Jaguar, and related commercial vehicle marques with nearly 40 factories and over 100 businesses. Bitter in-fighting ensued with unhappy bedfellows MG and Triumph and then Rover joining the fray with directly competing two- litre saloons.

Add in the legendary 1970’s industrial strikes and it is a wonder Triumph lasted as long as it did. But they produced some of the most remarkable sporting cars which Britain is, to this day, rightly proud of. Not to mention an outstanding export record.

The 1968 2.5PI was the first high performance family saloon within reach of family budgets at £1,500. Jaguar’s 420 by comparison was half as much again. Ford followed with the Sierra Cosworth but not for another 20 years.

Highlight of any Earls Court Motor Show was a visit to the Triumph stand with its diverse and sporting offerings. Some years, all cars were colour coded white, for additional stunning effect.

Any classic car show today is all the better for the contribution this amazing marque has made to our motoring heritage.

My personal pick has to be the TR6.