A-Z Of Marques No 65: Triumph

The marque: Still revered but long-defunct badge synonymous with style and speed.

The marque: Still revered but long-defunct badge synonymous with style and speed.

The history: Triumph, like many other British marques, started out by making motorcycles, in 1903; cars didn't follow until 1923. In 1934 came the gloriously Art Deco Gloria with an 1100cc four-cylinder engine or a 1500cc six, both made by neighbouring engineers Coventry Climax.

The supercharged Dolomite of the 1930s was inspired by contemporary Alfa Romeos. Triumph cars went bust in 1939. In 1945 the rights were bought by the Standard Motor Company. The small TR series sports cars made the name well known around the world, but it was the popular and simply designed Herald saloon of 1959 that delivered true commercial success.

In 1962 a six-cylinder version named the Vitesse was introduced, followed by the compact executive saloon 2000 model and front-drive 1300 in 1963. By this time, the firm had been taken over by Leyland Motors and eventually Triumph became just one badge in the vast British Leyland empire. Sadly, Triumphs of the 1970s, such as the Stag and the TR7, didn't enjoy the same quality of engineering as some of their predecessors. The last Triumph was launched in 1981, but the Triumph Acclaim was merely a re-badged Honda Ballade. The Triumph factory in Canley, Coventry, ceased production then. The name is still owned by BMW, a legacy of its ownership of Rover Group.

Defining model: Herald of 1959.

They say: "Totally equipped to Triumph."

We say: Totally over.