Triumph Herald

The Triumph Herald was a two-door subcompact car that was introduced in 1959 by the Standard - Triumph Company. The body was designed by the Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti, which was available as a saloon ( " saloon " ), convertible ( "convertible " ), coupe and station wagon available in different variants.

A new small car

In the late 1950s, Standard Triumph great success enjoyed by their wide range of sporty two -seaters, which complemented the models offered in addition to standard sedans. In this range was the standard 8/10, that of a small (803 cc or 948 cc ) four-cylinder engine has been driven, in its home market in competition with Morris Minor, Ford Popular and Austin A35. In Germany, he represented the same vehicle class as VW Beetle, Lloyd Arabella, DKW Junior or Renault Dauphine. Nevertheless, the plain -looking standard were 8 and 10 is not a big production success. In the late 1950s a model change was necessary and standard Triumph began in 1956 under the leadership of the former director Alick Dick with the development of the Herald.

At the suggestion of the then technical director Henry George Webster, the Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti was commissioned in September 1957 to develop design proposals for the " Zobo " project. This set just before Christmas 1957 present a model in the form of the Herald coupe. The one-piece bonnet can be tilted in unity with the wheel arches forward, was realized by standard deviation triumph for Ur - concept by Michelotti. With a modern design, the Herald stood out from the contemporary cars both in the UK and on the continent. The company opted for a separate chassis rather than a monocoque body, since standard triumph decreed at this time not have their own body presses. The former body supplier Fisher & Ludlow had already been taken over in 1953 by rival British Motor Corporation (BMC ), and with the outlet of the contracts in 1959 ended the delivery obligation to standard triumph. Since you could only smaller body parts in order on the open market, you had to hold on to the double tube frame on which the vehicle was screwed together from various body parts. Each body part, including the door sills and the roof was bolted to the rest of the body and could be removed individually. This construction method offered several advantages: convertible and wagon version was only two years after the appearance of the model on April 22, 1959 offer, the coupe and the sedan version was published as the first models.

The new Herald was a combination of traditional and modern technology. He was the prime mover of the standard 10, a four-cylinder engine with 948 cc with lower camshaft, whose four-speed gearbox powered the rear axle and the first gear was not synchronized. Upon request, an overdrive could be ordered. The rack and pinion steering and double wishbone front suspension resulted in an exceptionally small turning circle of 7.60 meters. The length-adjustable steering column, which gave also in frontal crashes, was new for its time. The rear independent suspension with a swing half-axle with longitudinal thrust struts and an overhead transverse leaf spring was a new development of triumph. However, this axis led to problems in handling. Front and rear drum brakes had the Herald. , Only with the Model 13/60 front disc brakes were standard equipment. The design was edgy and modern, in the style of the time the body had pointed tail fins, while the interior thanks to the large windows seemed unusually bright and spacious. In the sedan, the instrument displays were limited to a speedometer and a fuel gauge (optional cooling water temperature gauge was available ), which were inserted into a gray plastic dashboard. The dashboard of the coupe was fitted as standard with a tachometer, a fuel and coolant temperature indicator and a lockable glove compartment. The funds circuit was adopted by the previous models. The vehicle was equipped with carpeted floors and heating. The Herald was offered with a wide range of contemporary color finishes, as extras were among other twin carburettors, leather seats, a wooden dashboard, Telaflo shock absorbers and front disc brakes available.

The new car was fairly well received by the public, but was not an immediate sales success, possibly strength due to the high price of £ 700, including a 45% purchase tax, so it was more expensive than most competing models. The separate chassis initially led to much criticism of the fragile structure of the vehicle. The engine accelerated the vehicle from 0 to 100 km / h in about 31 seconds. The top speed was 112 km / h The rear suspension on swing axles with variable camber was (all except MKII ) criticized for their sometimes surprising reactions in the border area especially with the more powerful engine variants as well as the model Vitesse. On the positive side, the light steering was considered as well as the excellent visibility, which made the Herald became a popular vehicle for driving schools. Also easy repairability were a buying incentive. The holders enjoyed beyond cheaper insurance premiums because of the security conferred that was due to the rigid double pipe frame.

The Herald 1200

Standard - Triumph combined high expectations with the new car; the company put at the beginning of the 1960s in serious financial trouble and were taken over in 1961 by Leyland Motors. This opened up new development resources for the Herald, which was positioned with a 1147 cc engine again on the market. The new version was surprised with a number of detail changes, including white rubber bumpers, a wooden dashboard and improved seats. Quality control has been improved. The dual carburetors were no longer available for the standard version, but remained as an extra on offer. The standard was a single Stromberg carburetor used. Disc brakes were shortly after the introduction of the Herald in 1200 as an extra choice. The revised vehicle had improved driveability, and the registrations rose in spite of growing competition with the BMC Mini and the Ford Anglia.

The other versions of the Herald sold well; the convertible with a fully retractable soft top became popular as a genuine four-seater, and the combination was a practical alternative to the Morris Minor Traveller. The Triumph Courier van - a modified version of the Herald combined with steel side walls - was manufactured from 1962 to 1964 until he was removed from the model program again due to low numbers. The coupe was also taken towards the end of 1964 from the offer, as the Triumph Spitfire had taken its niche market largely. A sportier version, the 12/50, was offered from 1963 to 1967, which had one, in the performance tuned engine, a Webasto roof and vinyl as standard with disc brakes.

The Herald 13/60

1967, the Herald was the 13/60 again revised with the introduction. However, the front underwent a retouching by taking over the front hood of the Triumph Vitesse, while retaining two headlights, which gave him a sleek and modern appearance. The interior has been thoroughly revised, a further wooden dashboard was fitted with a new switch assembly. A clever space enlargement was made for the rear passengers by the transfer of arms to the side panel of the doors. The engine has been drilled to 1296 cc, and combined with a Stromberg carburetor, resulting in an increase in power. Front disc brakes were standard. In this version (although the 1200 sedan was still sold until 1970), the Herald was produced until 1971, with its design certainly overtaken acting, but not what concerned the performance. He has been the introduction of the Triumph 1300 survived, which was conceived as his successor, and sold relatively well. In the newer model range BLMC, but he had no more room, not least because the production was very labor intensive and he eventually sold only at a loss.

The decision by Standard - Triumph to build a new small car in the late 1950s, proved to be a useful strategy. The total number of all Herald models was 510 614 copies. Thanks to the chassis no restriction on the number of model variants to ensure high numbers per press tool was required. Sedan, convertible, wagon, coupe and vans were only part of the Herald - concept of standard Triumph: The Triumph Vitesse, which outwardly from the Herald in addition to its higher engine with a 1.6 liter and later 2-liter six-cylinder engine with its slanted twin headlights difference, also the Triumph GT6 and Triumph Spitfire, they all were all based on a modified Herald chassis and contributed to the great success of the company.

These days there are in the UK still a large number of Herald - models who survived thanks to many lovers and a very good supply of spare parts. Are widely used sedans and convertible versions, station wagons are only rare to find coupes extremely rare. The rarest version is the Courier vans, of which there are only a handful of known copies. When driving schools becoming popular, the vehicles awaken still nostalgia among a large number of people who have learned to drive in the Herald or using it daily. Although standard Triumph did not survive as an independent car manufacturer, the Triumph Herald wrote an important chapter in British automotive history.

Production figures

Herald 948 Saloon and S / 1959-1962: 76 860 copies
Herald Coupe / 1959-1961: 15,153 copies
Herald Convertible 948 / 1960 to 1961: 8,262 copies
Herald 1200 Saloon / 1961-1970: 201 142 copies
Herald Coupe 1200 / 1961 to 1970: 5,319 copies
Herald 1200 Convertible / 1961-1968: 43 295 copies
Herald 1200 Estate / 1961-1968: 39 819 copies
Herald 12/50 Saloon / 1962-1967: 53 267 copies
Herald 13/60 Saloon / 1966-1971: 38 886 copies
Herald 13/60 " Sunroof " Saloon / 1966-1971: 1,547 copies
Herald 13/60 Estate / 1966 to 1971: 15,476 copies
Herald 13/60 Convertible / 1966 to 1971: 11,772 copies
Herald 13/60 CKD / 1966 to 1971: 14,978 copies

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