East Coaster of the Day: 1965 Triumph Herald 1200 Convertible
This cute example of the quintessential British roadster has a four-cylinder 1147 cc engine mated to a four-speed manual transmission that produces 39 horsepower. It reaches 100 km/h in a blistering 20 seconds.
Triumph Motor Company started out in 1889 building bicycles then motorbikes.
By 1918, because of demand from the British Army, Triumph had become the largest manufacturer of motorcycles in Britain.
Car production began in 1921 but, post-World War II, the small company would not be able to compete with the mass-production of vehicles that was happening after the war. So the Triumph Motor Company turned to expensive cars, like the Alfa-Romeo-inspired Triumph Dolomite.
The successful TR series debuted in 1952 with the TR2. This iconic series lasted until 1981.
The Herald was built from 1959 until 1971. It came in all kinds of styles including a saloon (sedan), a convertible, a coupé, an estate (station wagon) and even a van.
We didn’t catch the owner’s name of this sweet drop-top but he’s in good company… James Bond (Sean Connery) drove a Triumph Herald in the 1962 classic Bond film ‘Dr. No’ and again in Thunderbolt (1965). John Lennon also owned a Triumph Herald, like the good British lad he was.
