Triumph TR4
The Triumph TR4 was a 1961 to 1965 roadster produced by the British car manufacturer Triumph. Improvements that were badly needed in the Roadster series were introduced with the TR4A 1965. By the end of production on August 1967 and the replacement by TR5 2 Total 68 717 copies were made of the TR4 series, of which 40 253 copies from the TR4 and TR4A from 28,465 copies.
History
The TR4 was introduced in 1961. The body was designed by the Italian car designer Giovanni Michelotti; were taken only slightly changed from the TR3A box frame with cross bracing, the chassis with double wishbones at the front and rigid axle with leaf springs in the back and the engine. This had a displacement of 2138 cubic centimeters and developed a maximum of 100 hp ( 74 kW). The gearbox had four courses and was fully synchronized. The TR4 reached at a favorable price performance that sports cars only slightly inferior, and a top speed of about 177 km / h
The option of a two-piece hardtop made from the classic roadster an attractive coupe. It was named by Triumph " Surrey Top"; it consists of a tightly bolted panoramic rear window and two removable roof parts made of metal or soft top fabric. Porsche seized in 1965 this idea and implemented it with the Porsche 911 Targa.
The previous series was, although inconvenient and provided with some disadvantages, very popular. With the TR4 but you wanted to gain especially new buyers. The cumbersome plug- window of its predecessor gave way modern crank windows. A broad interior space allowed a reorganization and better placement of the controls. Additionally, the TR4 was the first production car adjustable ventilation ducts in the dashboard.
The TR4A
The body of the TR4 A based on its predecessor, the TR4. New licensing requirements in the United States, the most important market for the TR4, forced the company in 1965 to the side to attach front direction indicators and position lights on the fender. They were integrated into chrome essays that have leaked, each with a decorative strip to the back of the doors down. This was accompanied by a slightly different front grille. Smaller front bumper horns and a modified hood emblem in the form of a globe rounded off the external changes.
Under the body, a new chassis with rear independent suspension on lateral links hid similar to the Triumph 2000 sedan, instead of the rigid axle. The rear coil springs were softer than the hard designed leaf springs before and the unsprung masses low, thereby driving was a bit more comfortable. This meant that some TR4A were also sold as TR4A IRS. The IRS stands for Independent Rear Suspension. At the request of the former U.S. importer, a part of the TR4A production was, however, still built with the rigid axle of TR4 in order not to let the price of the sports car rise. Of the total of 28,465 built TR4A estimated 10,000 units with the rigid axle in the U.S. were delivered.
Minor changes to the engine and exhaust tract enabled a power boost to 104 hp ( 76 kW). The weight increased to 1016 kg. The maximum speed remained at about 175 km / h
The TR4A got new seats, a now standard mounted wooden dashboard, the operation of the handbrake has been moved to the transmission tunnel between the seats. A further improvement also brought the new hood, modified from the Triumph Herald that originated, was screwed back tight and a much lighter and faster operation allowed.
Conversions Dové GTR4
Approximately 50 copies of the TR4 and TR4A were rebuilt by the company Thomas Harrington Coachbuilders in fastback coupe with a large hatch in the spring of 1963. They resembled conceptually the Harrington Alpine coupé, which established Harrington since 1961 on the basis of the Sunbeam Alpine. The conversions of the TR4 went back to an order of the London Triumph Händers Dové. The vehicles were sold under the name Dové GTR4 Coupe and Coupe GTR4A.
Motorsport
The TR4 was used both in international rallying as well as in many national racing events. Triumph TR4 himself sat four rally works cars between 1962 and 1964 in major international rallies such as the Coupe des Alpes, the Tulpenrallye, Liége -Sofia - Liège, RAC Rally, Monte Carlo Rally and Shell 4000 with varying degrees of success one. For national racing events in England, but above all in the USA, the TR4 also showed his potential as a racing car. Its neutral handling and a rather favorable weight distribution ensured in the U.S. regularly for winning the production class.
Even today, the Triumph TR4 is successfully used in motorsport.