I'm a Coventry kid. This takes me back and fills me with pride. It is so said what happened to our car industry. It is such a pity what happened to British Leyland.
The Death sentence was agreed by Donald Stokes the small Leyland Motor Ltd when he capitulated to The British Government coercion into joining the dying monster called British Motor Holdings in 1967 at the stroke of a pen.. He knew he had made a grave mistake shortly after. Water under the bridge now
I had an Australian delivery 2500S manual o/d.... It was a brilliant car... Did over 300,000km in it and never had the head off... Slid off the road in it once in a storm.. Flash flood filled a normally dry creek bed. Luckily the air cleaner stayed above water and none got into the engine. Had it hauled out with a crane on the back of a truck, pulled out the rubber bungs in the floor pan to let water drain out and drive it home. Took me ages to clean it. The biggest problem I had with it was when I fitted an aftermarket air con kit... The alternator couldn't take the extra load.. Had to replace it with a higher rated alternator. It was easy to work on used to do almost all my own service and maintenance.
That 2500S would have been assembled by Australian Motor Industries (AMI) in Port Melbourne; it's external identification is the AMI badge, mounted on either flank, between the front wheelarch and the door. The AMI-built Triumphs were better-built than the Canley ones, as confirmed by Canley's visiting Quality Audit Team - much to Canley's surprise and embarrassment! Having previously worked at Triumph's Gearbox (Radford) plant I had some insight as to production standards in both locations.
@@chrisweeks6973 While that may have been true.... well I know it was as I remember seeing the AMI badge on many earlier models... mine was never badged AMI... The colour I do remember was a Toyota colour from when I had some work done.
These were the most beautifully designed motors of their era. I am proud to say that I've owned quite a few since the 1980's. Although I never could afford to buy one from new,I did manage to own top condition models. I started with a Toledo, then a Dolomite 1500HL, then a pristine barn find of a 1964 Herald (I loved that one), then a spitfire. In 1991 I bought a Dolomite 1500HL in Glusteshire with just 22k on the clock. My last Triumph was an immaculate Triumph 2.5 PI (1969) from North Berwick (an ex police car) what a beauty! I'm really saddened to see such a brilliant motor company gone. What potential there was in true British engineering and exquisite design. We'll forget the Acclaim and the TR7 AS they had nothing in common with their predecessor, the Dolomite Sprint (beautiful) and the timeless design of the wonderful TR6. I wish they could start building these real motors again. The documentary was fascinating to me, what with such detail and expertise the work was carried out. Japanese cars may be reliable but lack the heritage and are just utilitarian and boring.
My dad the Triumph 1500 FWD with the engine mounted longitude but driving the front wheels.Was always his favourite car I remember how comtifull those big padded seats were!
Thanks for the video, have owned 7 Triumphs from MK 1 2000, Stag, TR5 and currently TR6. Never had problems with any of them even the Stag. I get sick of "experts" bagging British cars. I get the same old boring lecture wherever I go. How unreliable they are and how they all leak oil. The fact that so many have survived says it all.
thanks for this quality vid....these rides were way ahead of their time... they had the rack and pinion, and c.v. joints when we (u.s.) were still building clunky old a- arm and spring front ends
My friend had a Triumph Herald with its hilarious turning circle. You could practically turn it round in its own space. Fun little car that. The front bumper trim had deteriorated over the years and had turned into chalk, lumps would fall off it.
True, but later versions had a poorer quality Spanish steel and less paint coats than previously, all to save money of course. The earlier MK2's or the MK1's were much better built.
@@2000mk1 they were well built until the end in Australia. They were assembled alongside Toyotas and therefore shared the same paint colours. I’m biased being an Aussie but I’ve heard many times that the assembly here on late model cars was better. Beautiful cars nonetheless.
Thanks very much; I live opposite that sculpture on that beautifully kept island and I often wonder what it was and who did it ! Alan (timed served apprentice and 30 years service at S-T )
It wasn't atrocious - aluminium heads were relatively uncommon amongst mechanics used to all iron engines and mistakes were made in the aftermarket. Build quality had issues at times also. All these problems have been fixed long ago.
Thanks for posting this superb video. I owned a Dolomite Sprint for a while and great fun. OK, not quick or comfortable by todays expectations but beautiful styling and so characteristic of Triumph of the time.
@@JohnSmith-ei2pz A ford? No, never wanted a Ford and no desire to ever own one. Granted the early Capri and mk3 Cortina had style but, for the money, there was better available.
My brother had a Healy 3000 back in the 60’s. I now have a Triumph TR6 and am now restoring a TR3 .The TR6 I restored back in 05. Still running great today with no problems. Great little time machines.
I used to live in Coventry and I used to work for Jaguar Whitley. I left to emigrate to the USA because the UK doesn't really produce in volume now. Really odd/interesting to hear the words "This is the centre of a thriving British motor industry". Ironic...and sad
Aye your right there, I would love to see that. I would definitely buy one, a dolomite. Not the Honda version the proper one. Obviously a newer version, also a TR7 or the V8 version the TR8.
@Merv Stent That BMW would rather sit on an asset that makes them no money rather than sell it seems strange. Introducing a modern Triumph at risk cannibalizing BMW seems to be the issue based on various reports over the years, so why not sell it? JLR doesn't have the money to make such a deal, as has been suggested in other comments here. Pretending JLR had both the desire and finances to purchase the marquee from BMW, they certainly don't have money to design, engineer and build new Triumph models from scratch.
We are leaving the EU...the time is ripe to for a Branson type to reinvent a British car brand....with the backing of the government the worlds parts bin would make it very easy....it wasn’t just the unions or the government of the day that ruined the British car industry... the EU made sure we were uncompetitive also...?
Coventry was a fabulous place in the 60s - a very prosperous city, with almost full employment, and well paid jobs in the various car manufacturers and component factories. Fast forward 40 years, and sadly most of this industry was gone, and with it most of the jobs and prosperity. Triumph, to me was one of the jewels in the crown - in their heyday Triumph, along with Rover and Jaguar made some of the finest cars in the world.
Very environmentally friendly cars. You didn't had to scrap one of these after their lifespan. After six years, when the steel body had completely dissappeared into thin air, you just had to roll the tires down the hill and to throw the glass windows after it and the car was completely gone...
My first car was a Spitfire. Second a TR3 third a TR4 Fourth another TR3 fifth an XKE and sixth another TR3. That was many years ago. But I shall get another some day. Thank you for this great video.
I own a !975 Dolly sprint previously owned by my Gt uncle whom used to race all the triumph ranges ,my old girls engine is clean as a whistle not a sign of leaking oil or tin worm, Fine Example
Great engineering and R&D. The engineers were let down by the unions and incompetent management. If you do a factory tour of the Triumph motorcycle factory in Hinckley you will see the same high quality work but this time the workforce and management work together to build perhaps some of the best motorcycles in the world. So it can be done..
I bought a 1967 ( I think ) in powder blue with black seats and grey carpets. At 140.000 miles the engine and gearbox plus the diff were all stripped and rebuilt, I also managed to located a gearbix with the electric overdrive. Used to get close to 40 MPG back then, and the body work was repainted when the motor and gearbox were out. It still runs today as my everyday car, but with an aftermarket airconditioner installed to cope with the Australian heat. Is more comfortable then some of these new SUV cars.
@@JohnSmith-ei2pz You are entertaining yourself with a wind up. The only Mk 2 escort that could match a Sprint was the RS1800. I am not playing anymore.
Chris Wilkerson is spot on. BMW copied Triumph's engineering, from its semi-trailing arms, front struts and inline 6 engine. Ironic that BMW now own the name and have mothballed it. Great pity.
Basil Fawlty (John Cleese) replies " The British Leyland Violin Concerto Played in five movements all of them slow with ahalf hour tea break in between".........
Using the correct strength antifreeze (30-40%) and making sure there was no residual casting sand in the cylinder heads might've helped... I've had no overheating problems with my Dolomite 1850 in the 6 years I've had it and it has a similar engine to the Stag.
+Parknest Why should the purchaser of a new car, which, we're told through this film has been thoughtfully designed, carefully made and sold in a nice shiney showroom need to check whether there is any residue casting sand left in the engine cooling system? Perhaps, then, we should check the brinell hardness of the crankshaft forging and blue the final drive gears for correct mesh just to make sure!!
+jerseybean59 You're right. That shouldn't have been the case when the cars were new but that's what happened. I'm on about owning a stag in the present day. I also clocked up 5000 trouble free miles in a Dolomite Sprint with the only modifications being elctronic ignition (improves reliability no end) and a stainless steel exhaust.
+jerseybean59 The Stag was originally intended to be a fuel-injected car. The start date for the Triumph V8 actually goes back before the formation of British Leyland, and the intense difficulties Triumph engineers would face (in their attempts to get the necessary funding to finish the fuel injection system) weren't foreseen. The Stag was due out for the 1970 model year, but no fuel injection system was ready. So to get the model out on time, the cylinder bore was increased to provide the expected power using a carburation fuel system. The result of this was the water galleries between the cylinders were a tad narrower than intended. That's really the only thing "wrong" with the Triumph V8's engine design. It's major troubles were all caused by external parts, like the radiator reservoir location BELOW the level of the water pump.
Had 34 Triumph Heralds, 12 2000/2500 TC's & 1 P.I. all MKII's, 1 Standard Eight, 1 Standard Ten, 1 Phase III Vanguard, Currently driving Wolseley 15/60, can't leave the olde British stuff alone......!!!!!!
Well, with BMW now owning the Triumph rights, it will be interestng to see if that marque is reborn...it happened with another English car that BMW owns and it is doing great. Would love to see Triumph (BMW owned) and MG (Indian owned) make a come back.
In 1972 I was in the Navy at NAS Pt. Mugu. A guy I worked with had a new TR-6. Beautiful car but not all that reliable. the last straw was the day he pulled into a parking space, rolled up his window and it fell onto the ground and shattered.
I am very Bearish on British Motors... My Dad (God rest his soul) owned 2 Austin Healeys ... A 1966 Sprite and The larger Healey 3000... They looked great the styling was superb, but they were both plagued with a plethora of various reliability factors... I would rather take my chances busting my ass on a skateboard......But any convertible is great fun to drive!
BL should have expanded Triumph to replace the Austin/Morris ranges at the bottom end while taking the whole group up market. Would have solved the duplication issues and allowed more money to be spent developing better, newer cars.
when this was made "british leyland" ran / ran in to the ground triumph etc "standard triumph" was a top line car, name becomes shortened but it was still up there. while the mk2 2000's and 2500's where produced british leyland takes over thins metal for bodywork along with other sub standard practices and the decline was started.
We had a Dolomite 1850 I believe. I loved it as a child. But my father did not like the quality image of British cars and he got rid of it soon. 10 years later he had a TR7 and the quality of that thing was truly horrendous. I think I never saw it drive. Which was a shame. I wanted that car badly.
Passed my test in a Herald 12/50 coupe. Cherry Tree, school of motoring £1.00 per hour, £2.00 for an hour lesson plus the test! I've owned, a 12/50 convertible, 3 Vitesses, one 2 litre Mk 1, 2 2litre Mk2s, (one steering lock saloon), and 1 Mk 2 GT6. However, I now have 2 Cortina 1600Es. ......
Obviously the biggest problem that the cars from England was their reputation for being unreliable and quality issues well anything built back in the day was that same way that quality & reliability was questionable be it foreign or domestic but nowadays it’s different era. Although I still have a love for the British cars of the past because they each had a look and style all their own
At 22.41 the control inspector had one small missed detail considering his grin the steering wheel isn't straight on a straight road and still out of line when he writes his report.
Had loads of Triumphs and Rovers in my time but I'm always puzzled how a few items passed these destructive tests. Like the head gasket problems and short timing chain life with the slant 4 (sorted with the Sprint engine with a duplex) Although I never had any issues with any of mine as we kept on top of them with preventative maintenance. My Stag engine was stripped at 10k miles and block waterways were flushed out to reveal swarf and cast moulding sand !!! Larger fans and radiators were futile in Stag engines which had restricted water galleries ! My Stag never overheated for years after and still had the standard pump, fan and radiator fitted . Just poor quality control really rather than bad design in many cases Some Stag engine failed within 5k miles in USA apparently which is a real shame
Terrific documentary. I created the only sculpture to mark the first centenary of the British car industry in 1996, celebrating the communities of Coventry and the midlands that created this and the Triumph name. Its called Gloria after the Triumph 2 seater sports car, based on a wheeling machine, and stands on the main roundabout, Canley Business Park, formerly Triumphs. Check out Gloria on google robert erskine sculptor
Yeah, between government and unions fighting the workers never stood a chance as they lost everything and those that caused it moved on leaving it all behind them.
You could always tell the workers from the managers. Directors have long sleeve shirts and jackets. Managers have long sleeve shirts. Engineers roll up their sleeves, manual workers have short sleeve shirts. Even if you are wearing overalls you still apply the same rules. Simple when you understand the code.
I will never understand why the Stag was fitted with an unproven hastily developed homegrown V8 engine instead of using the dependable Rover V8 . Rover and Triumph both belonged to BL!
Lots of time was spent by triumph redesigning this and rover could not produce enough to supply the expected demand of triumph, I suspect also triumph design wanted to keep it in house. Most of that team would design the SD1 a rover ironically
It's too bad that British Leyland dissolved with the rest of the British motor industry. Most of the British cars are owned by other car companies from other countries. Why do you reckon that is the case?
Gyll Devlin actually, rust forming under vinyl roofs was a big issue with all vehicles regardless of manufacture. The primer wasn't thick enough, and water would get trapped under it
jerseybean59 convertibles of the time were deemed unsafe. Manufacturers would need to completely redesign their vehicles to add the required structural support, which they would do eventually. Convertibles were already the more expensive body style, and to have a car converted to one would be even more expensive, thus they became more of a status symbol. Vinyl tops gave the illusion that you had a convertible, when it was simply a plain old coupe. This is also when t tops and other styling became fashionable.
@@UmmYeahOk primer is porous so it wasn't the amount of primer that was a problem, more no topcoat to seal it before gluing on the vinyl. That was the problem.
All gone with the wind...what a shame...i really do not understand!Pitty, the days dolomites racing side by side with 2002 s in the touring championships are gone for ever.. nice film though, greetings from germany
The water ingress testing was laughable "Testing the seals" , the majority of british cars just had to stand still and the water leaked in.The unforgettable smell of damp,mill dew and rotting carpets.Turning the heater on in winter turned the inside into a damp swampy environment,misting the windows.The use of fiberboard for door panels and trim was disastrous as it acted like a sponge,then fell apart.Oh the joy!
What was their obsession with fiberboard? I have a 1967 GT6, which predates BL. The transmission tunnel, glovebox/parcel shelf, and engine bay and radiator shroud covers were basically cardboard! Did they not think these cars would be driven in the rain? Did they not consider humidity? I live in a land locked city hundreds of miles from the coast. Still humid as hell! I made my own hatch floor coverings out of MDF, and they are already warped by the differences in elevation the pieces rest on.
9min and 40 secs..."Triumph engines have earned a great reputation for reliabilty etc"...I do believe that may be a 'reliable" stag engine being tested in the film clip!....maybe the engine testers went to the pub when that particular test was being carried out! lol. ( i own (and cherish) 2 stags before anyone gives me too hard a rebuke :-)....
I owned a GT6 mk3 and a Dolomite Sprint, both excellent and well built cars, but both spoilt by the quality of steel being used in the mid 70’s plus the quality of paint used. It’s a shame that the modern paint technology and the treatment of steel we have now wasn’t available in the 70’s.
Thank you for clarifying that Sanjay. I thought the material was more from the sixties, before BL took over. Never mind. Nice archive material anyway.. Regards Harry
I'm a Coventry kid. This takes me back and fills me with pride. It is so said what happened to our car industry. It is such a pity what happened to British Leyland.
The Death sentence was agreed by Donald Stokes the small Leyland Motor Ltd when he capitulated to The British Government coercion into joining the dying monster called British Motor Holdings in 1967 at the stroke of a pen.. He knew he had made a grave mistake shortly after. Water under the bridge now
@aristotie358. The lazy militant workers at British Leyland brought it on themselves.
My dad was a senior trim buyer at Triumph in the 70s, and I worked across the road at Covrad, happy days
I still love my 1974 Triumph TR6 after more than 30 years of faithful service. What a great car.
How many times did you have to weld the IRS? And fix the Lucas injection? Come on... ;)
Old fashioned junkers, for their day, 1940/1950's technology!
Thanks for sharing. Glad we could clear up the neighborhood mystery of the statue. cheers, Michael
Really marvelous. I'll have to visit next time I'm in the UK. Thanks for sharing.
What a cracking vid - thanks for sharing it with us....
I had an Australian delivery 2500S manual o/d.... It was a brilliant car... Did over 300,000km in it and never had the head off... Slid off the road in it once in a storm.. Flash flood filled a normally dry creek bed. Luckily the air cleaner stayed above water and none got into the engine. Had it hauled out with a crane on the back of a truck, pulled out the rubber bungs in the floor pan to let water drain out and drive it home. Took me ages to clean it. The biggest problem I had with it was when I fitted an aftermarket air con kit... The alternator couldn't take the extra load.. Had to replace it with a higher rated alternator.
It was easy to work on used to do almost all my own service and maintenance.
That 2500S would have been assembled by Australian Motor Industries (AMI) in Port Melbourne; it's external identification is the AMI badge, mounted on either flank, between the front wheelarch and the door. The AMI-built Triumphs were better-built than the Canley ones, as confirmed by Canley's visiting Quality Audit Team - much to Canley's surprise and embarrassment! Having previously worked at Triumph's Gearbox (Radford) plant I had some insight as to production standards in both locations.
@@chrisweeks6973 While that may have been true.... well I know it was as I remember seeing the AMI badge on many earlier models... mine was never badged AMI... The colour I do remember was a Toyota colour from when I had some work done.
These were the most beautifully designed motors of their era. I am proud to say that I've owned quite a few since the 1980's. Although I never could afford to buy one from new,I did manage to own top condition models. I started with a Toledo, then a Dolomite 1500HL, then a pristine barn find of a 1964 Herald (I loved that one), then a spitfire. In 1991 I bought a Dolomite 1500HL in Glusteshire with just 22k on the clock. My last Triumph was an immaculate Triumph 2.5 PI (1969) from North Berwick (an ex police car) what a beauty!
I'm really saddened to see such a brilliant motor company gone. What potential there was in true British engineering and exquisite design. We'll forget the Acclaim and the TR7 AS they had nothing in common with their predecessor, the Dolomite Sprint (beautiful) and the timeless design of the wonderful TR6.
I wish they could start building these real motors again. The documentary was fascinating to me, what with such detail and expertise the work was carried out. Japanese cars may be reliable but lack the heritage and are just utilitarian and boring.
My dad the Triumph 1500 FWD with the engine mounted longitude but driving the front wheels.Was always his favourite car I remember how comtifull those big padded seats were!
Thanks for the video, have owned 7 Triumphs from MK 1 2000, Stag, TR5 and currently TR6. Never had problems with any of them even the Stag. I get sick of "experts" bagging British cars. I get the same old boring lecture wherever I go. How unreliable they are and how they all leak oil. The fact that so many have survived says it all.
I never had problems too, British cars were good as long the owner was not an ignorant idiot missing oil changes or service intervalls....
They were crap and not a patch on Ford's of the time! Totally deluded! No value or demand for them!
New favorite phrase: British Leyland, Quality Control with a Vengeance.
i had a 1973 mk 2 triumph 2000 great car shame the bodies were not galvanised.
Excellent Video, showing dedication and attention to detail of past times at Triumph before the BL era.
Fantastic !!!!! thank you
thanks for this quality vid....these rides were way ahead of their time... they had the rack and pinion, and c.v. joints when we (u.s.) were still building clunky old a- arm and spring front ends
My friend had a Triumph Herald with its hilarious turning circle. You could practically turn it round in its own space. Fun little car that. The front bumper trim had deteriorated over the years and had turned into chalk, lumps would fall off it.
Oddly enough even though B.L. was going downhill in the '70's; the quality of the Triumph 2000/2.5/2500 range never deteriorated......
True, but later versions had a poorer quality Spanish steel and less paint coats than previously, all to save money of course. The earlier MK2's or the MK1's were much better built.
@@2000mk1 they were well built until the end in Australia.
They were assembled alongside Toyotas and therefore shared the same paint colours. I’m biased being an Aussie but I’ve heard many times that the assembly here on late model cars was better. Beautiful cars nonetheless.
Well said.
Thanks very much; I live opposite that sculpture on that beautifully kept island and I often wonder what it was and who did it !
Alan (timed served apprentice and 30 years service at S-T )
I know the stag had some issues but it's a fantastic drivers car and looks excellent .
7:51 Very naughty trick gave me quite a start going straight from the race track to the crash test like that.
loved the way the dolomites lifted the inner front wheel when taking sharp corners on the racetrack!
So thats why overheating problems weren't detected in the Stag, the road tests were carried out in sub zero temperatures
Yeah, but maybe the heaters worked pretty good.............
It wasn't atrocious - aluminium heads were relatively uncommon amongst mechanics used to all iron engines and mistakes were made in the aftermarket. Build quality had issues at times also. All these problems have been fixed long ago.
triumph snag!
Thanks for posting this superb video. I owned a Dolomite Sprint for a while and great fun. OK, not quick or comfortable by todays expectations but beautiful styling and so characteristic of Triumph of the time.
It was old and out of date! Should have bought a Ford!!!!
@@JohnSmith-ei2pz A ford? No, never wanted a Ford and no desire to ever own one. Granted the early Capri and mk3 Cortina had style but, for the money, there was better available.
2:02 - Look at the white thing going on the truck, it's got a bit of trim dangling off it already!
no thats sticky protective tape,not trim.
My brother had a Healy 3000 back in the 60’s. I now have a Triumph TR6 and am now restoring a TR3 .The TR6 I restored back in 05. Still running great today with no problems. Great little time machines.
I used to live in Coventry and I used to work for Jaguar Whitley. I left to emigrate to the USA because the UK doesn't really produce in volume now. Really odd/interesting to hear the words "This is the centre of a thriving British motor industry". Ironic...and sad
Would like to see jaguar landrover take a punt and revive the triumph marque as a sporty feather in their cap
Aye your right there, I would love to see that. I would definitely buy one, a dolomite. Not the Honda version the proper one. Obviously a newer version, also a TR7 or the V8 version the TR8.
GWLAD great idea. But who has the trademark now ?
@Merv Stent That BMW would rather sit on an asset that makes them no money rather than sell it seems strange. Introducing a modern Triumph at risk cannibalizing BMW seems to be the issue based on various reports over the years, so why not sell it? JLR doesn't have the money to make such a deal, as has been suggested in other comments here. Pretending JLR had both the desire and finances to purchase the marquee from BMW, they certainly don't have money to design, engineer and build new Triumph models from scratch.
We are leaving the EU...the time is ripe to for a Branson type to reinvent a British car brand....with the backing of the government the worlds parts bin would make it very easy....it wasn’t just the unions or the government of the day that ruined the British car industry... the EU made sure we were uncompetitive also...?
Wouldn't fly, Triumph motorcycles would take precedent over the name.
Coventry was a fabulous place in the 60s - a very prosperous city, with almost full employment, and well paid jobs in the various car manufacturers and component factories. Fast forward 40 years, and sadly most of this industry was gone, and with it most of the jobs and prosperity. Triumph, to me was one of the jewels in the crown - in their heyday Triumph, along with Rover and Jaguar made some of the finest cars in the world.
Well said - government let us all down bigtime
I worked at Standard-Triumph until I emigrated in 1973.
Such an irony for all those research, development and testing, ended up being built by a bunch of workforce who were on strike 6 days a week.
Закат "Золотой эпохи" британского автопрома.
Very environmentally friendly cars. You didn't had to scrap one of these after their lifespan. After six years, when the steel body had completely dissappeared into thin air, you just had to roll the tires down the hill and to throw the glass windows after it and the car was completely gone...
Made me chuckle!
Bad news for the landfill and junkyard businesses..............
Ever noticed the rust on a 10 yo Merc?
@@cccetomacrogol Don't forget BMW
"Worldwide reputation for reliability"
Triumph Stag: Allow me to introduce myself.
All the Stag needed was better cooling. They released it too soon.
They should have used the Rover 3500 engine in the Stag.
The 2 litre and the 25 pi straight six engine is absolutely superb
With hindsight; Leyland Motor corp in 1966 should have shunned the merger with Rover and bought Lucas! and concentrated on Engine development
Apart from the massively succesful of the then conservative govt. investment in RR aeroengines...?
My first car was a Spitfire. Second a TR3 third a TR4 Fourth another TR3 fifth an XKE and sixth another TR3. That was many years ago. But I shall get another some day. Thank you for this great video.
I own a !975 Dolly sprint previously owned by my Gt uncle whom used to race all the triumph ranges ,my old girls engine is clean as a whistle not a sign of leaking oil or tin worm, Fine Example
Great engineering and R&D. The engineers were let down by the unions and incompetent management. If you do a factory tour of the Triumph motorcycle factory in Hinckley you will see the same high quality work but this time the workforce and management work together to build perhaps some of the best motorcycles in the world. So it can be done..
I've got 2012 Street Triple and 2017 Thruxton. Brilliant bikes but both made in Thailand unfortunately.
Any more information on the 1300 FWD at 6:19 as its a 2 door and triumph never offered a 2 door triumph 1300 fwd
Looks like a 1300 FWD front end on a Toledo shell, so probably a Toledo prototype i would imagine.
Quite like the precision machine used to test the seat foam, the Indentometer. Presumably the machine to check circularity is called the Roundometer.
"Minor faults are rectified on the spot"... well he can straighten that steering wheel up for a start. It's bloody miles out!
Hillarious, considering what became of them and how they were built and lasted.
I bought a 1967 ( I think ) in powder blue with black seats and grey carpets. At 140.000 miles the engine and gearbox plus the diff were all stripped and rebuilt, I also managed to located a gearbix with the electric overdrive. Used to get close to 40 MPG back then, and the body work was repainted when the motor and gearbox were out. It still runs today as my everyday car, but with an aftermarket airconditioner installed to cope with the Australian heat. Is more comfortable then some of these new SUV cars.
I had 3 Dolomite Sprints, all great fun. Very very fast.
Classics.
Slow as come be! Should have bought a proper car!
@@JohnSmith-ei2pz Not in there day.
@@PaulBriden They were not fast! Incredibly slow against RS2000's and proper cars! They were shopping carts! Please do not promote untruths!
@@JohnSmith-ei2pz You are entertaining yourself with a wind up. The only Mk 2 escort that could match a Sprint was the RS1800. I am not playing anymore.
Great designs and engineering - a superb marque destroyed by lack of investment and managerial incompetence.
Chris Wilkerson is spot on. BMW copied Triumph's engineering, from its semi-trailing arms, front struts and inline 6 engine. Ironic that BMW now own the name and have mothballed it. Great pity.
Francis Powell rover were shite not even close to BMW quality that's the reality
Basil Fawlty (John Cleese) replies " The British Leyland Violin Concerto Played in five movements all of them slow with ahalf hour tea break in between".........
And the communists running the trade unions.
I had a 1968 1300 FWD Saloon. Awesome car 👍
Junker!
Raymond Baxter Spitfire pilot during WW2 he did allot of voice overs and motoring reviews. Distinctive voice.
I'd like to see what the retro designers of today would do with the Triumph Stag
Smelt the rubbish down?
Very Cool Vid Thanks!
“ management must make the right decision”! When this was about British cars I didn’t realise it was going to be a comedy😮🎉😂
3:00 Is that a drawing of a Rover SD1 on the wall?
The Triumph Stag's overheating problems can be rectified with aftermarket retrofits that make it into the car it was designed to be.
Using the correct strength antifreeze (30-40%) and making sure there was no residual casting sand in the cylinder heads might've helped... I've had no overheating problems with my Dolomite 1850 in the 6 years I've had it and it has a similar engine to the Stag.
+Parknest Why should the purchaser of a new car, which, we're told through this film has been thoughtfully designed, carefully made and sold in a nice shiney showroom need to check whether there is any residue casting sand left in the engine cooling system? Perhaps, then, we should check the brinell hardness of the crankshaft forging and blue the final drive gears for correct mesh just to make sure!!
+jerseybean59 You're right. That shouldn't have been the case when the cars were new but that's what happened. I'm on about owning a stag in the present day. I also clocked up 5000 trouble free miles in a Dolomite Sprint with the only modifications being elctronic ignition (improves reliability no end) and a stainless steel exhaust.
+jerseybean59 The Stag was originally intended to be a fuel-injected car. The start date for the Triumph V8 actually goes back before the formation of British Leyland, and the intense difficulties Triumph engineers would face (in their attempts to get the necessary funding to finish the fuel injection system) weren't foreseen. The Stag was due out for the 1970 model year, but no fuel injection system was ready. So to get the model out on time, the cylinder bore was increased to provide the expected power using a carburation fuel system. The result of this was the water galleries between the cylinders were a tad narrower than intended. That's really the only thing "wrong" with the Triumph V8's engine design. It's major troubles were all caused by external parts, like the radiator reservoir location BELOW the level of the water pump.
rover v8, done.
Standard Triumph used to make engines for Saab in the 1960's
Chop that old v8 in half and you've nearly got a Saab 99 engine
22:52 I wonder if the tester is noting down that the flipping steering wheel is pointing at 2 o'clock when the wheels are dead ahead 😅
My Vitesse is 54 years old and still going 😊
I loved my Triumphs but all of them rusted like hell, amazing to see that 'rust treatment', shame it didnt work!
My 1980 Dolomite still doesn't rust (2018)
That was industry-standard back in the day. Exactly the same was methodology was used by Ford and GMH in Australia.
Had 34 Triumph Heralds, 12 2000/2500 TC's & 1 P.I. all MKII's, 1 Standard Eight, 1 Standard Ten, 1 Phase III Vanguard, Currently driving Wolseley 15/60, can't leave the olde British stuff alone......!!!!!!
My dad had a standard 8. that thing was built like a brick shithouse, but slower than snot.
Well, with BMW now owning the Triumph rights, it will be interestng to see if that marque is reborn...it happened with another English car that BMW owns and it is doing great. Would love to see Triumph (BMW owned) and MG (Indian owned) make a come back.
Steve Adams MG is Chinese owned not Indian
Thanks for the correction. I believe I confused MG with Jaguar.
In 1972 I was in the Navy at NAS Pt. Mugu. A guy I worked with had a new TR-6. Beautiful car but not all that reliable. the last straw was the day he pulled into a parking space, rolled up his window and it fell onto the ground and shattered.
With hindsight you gotta lol at some of those statements (especially quality)!!
I am very Bearish on British Motors... My Dad (God rest his soul) owned 2 Austin Healeys ... A 1966 Sprite and The larger Healey 3000... They looked great the styling was superb, but they were both plagued with a plethora of various reliability factors... I would rather take my chances busting my ass on a skateboard......But any convertible is great fun to drive!
BL should have expanded Triumph to replace the Austin/Morris ranges at the bottom end while taking the whole group up market. Would have solved the duplication issues and allowed more money to be spent developing better, newer cars.
"If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster.
And treat those two imposters just the same".
(Kipling)
That's exactly what Triumph did.
They forgot to put eggs on the head lining on the bump test . Tut tut
when this was made "british leyland" ran / ran in to the ground triumph etc "standard triumph" was a top line car, name becomes shortened but it was still up there. while the mk2 2000's and 2500's where produced british leyland takes over thins metal for bodywork along with other sub standard practices and the decline was started.
+davejohnpowell Short term move that become disasters. The American car companies were on the same path. It just took longer for them to collapse.
my granddad had a toledo and a dolimite ,i remember the flashing fasten seatbelts flashing light
We had a Dolomite 1850 I believe. I loved it as a child. But my father did not like the quality image of British cars and he got rid of it soon. 10 years later he had a TR7 and the quality of that thing was truly horrendous. I think I never saw it drive. Which was a shame. I wanted that car badly.
hanging off the GT6 was in fact protective material this car was destined for export.
Triumph made some very good looking cars.
Passed my test in a Herald 12/50 coupe. Cherry Tree, school of motoring £1.00 per hour, £2.00 for an hour lesson plus the test!
I've owned, a 12/50 convertible, 3 Vitesses, one 2 litre Mk 1, 2 2litre Mk2s, (one steering lock saloon), and 1 Mk 2 GT6.
However, I now have 2 Cortina 1600Es. ......
Obviously the biggest problem that the cars from England was their reputation for being unreliable and quality issues well anything built back in the day was that same way that quality & reliability was questionable be it foreign or domestic but nowadays it’s different era. Although I still have a love for the British cars of the past because they each had a look and style all their own
I had several Triumphs and Leyland Princess and Rovers...they were not worse than German Audi 100 or French Peugeot
And much better than the Japanese cars at the time.
Audi means Auto Union Duetchland Italia.....That should say it all.........
Except the Japanese, French and German cars kept improving as the Brit auto industry was treading water and falling behind.
@@michaellincoln9631 Not quite right there.
@@michaellincoln9631AUDI is Auto Union Deutsland Inglostadt. Nothing to do with Italy.
I recall those drive cycles, hahaha
At 22.41 the control inspector had one small missed detail considering his grin the steering wheel isn't straight on a straight road and still out of line when he writes his report.
Triumph made some great cars and should really have been the "Porsche-BMW" of Leyland in the 70s.
Must of been the early 70's then they stopped making the gt6 mid 73
Had loads of Triumphs and Rovers in my time but I'm always puzzled how a few items passed these destructive tests.
Like the head gasket problems and short timing chain life with the slant 4
(sorted with the Sprint engine with a duplex)
Although I never had any issues with any of mine as we kept on top of them with preventative maintenance.
My Stag engine was stripped at 10k miles and block waterways were flushed out to reveal swarf and cast moulding sand !!!
Larger fans and radiators were futile in Stag engines which had restricted water galleries !
My Stag never overheated for years after and still had the standard pump, fan and radiator fitted .
Just poor quality control really rather than bad design in many cases
Some Stag engine failed within 5k miles in USA apparently which is a real shame
Exactly
is that Peter Woods on the mic?
Yes.
'Triumph engines have earned a reputation for reliability' whilst looking at presumably a Stag V8 which was renowned in period for it's unreliability.
Terrific documentary.
I created the only sculpture to mark the first centenary of the British car industry in 1996, celebrating the communities of Coventry and the midlands that created this and the Triumph name. Its called Gloria after the Triumph 2 seater sports car, based on a wheeling machine, and stands on the main roundabout, Canley Business Park, formerly Triumphs.
Check out Gloria on google robert erskine sculptor
My dad was the catering manager at there , he said the commies destroyed the business red ken in particular, took 14 men to change a fuse
Yeah, between government and unions fighting the workers never stood a chance as they lost everything and those that caused it moved on leaving it all behind them.
Good video
You could always tell the workers from the managers. Directors have long sleeve shirts and jackets. Managers have long sleeve shirts. Engineers roll up their sleeves, manual workers have short sleeve shirts. Even if you are wearing overalls you still apply the same rules. Simple when you understand the code.
Good Lord, are these guys hiring?
This is great!
I used to weld the IFS Brackets for Trumph 168 Pairs a shift in British Steel Gorseinon Press works South Wales UK
I will never understand why the Stag was fitted with an unproven hastily developed homegrown V8 engine instead of using the dependable Rover V8 . Rover and Triumph both belonged to BL!
Lots of time was spent by triumph redesigning this and rover could not produce enough to supply the expected demand of triumph, I suspect also triumph design wanted to keep it in house. Most of that team would design the SD1 a rover ironically
It's too bad that British Leyland dissolved with the rest of the British motor industry. Most of the British cars are owned by other car companies from other countries. Why do you reckon that is the case?
***** Who the hell is this Pratt, and what part did he have in all this?
Amazing all the work and effort put into designing and building these cars and they were still crap!
Why the facsination with vinyl roofs in the 70s?
jerseybean59 less exposed metal to rot...lol
And vinyl siding......Oh well.. I guess that they used to keep the roofers and the carpenters very busy..........
Gyll Devlin actually, rust forming under vinyl roofs was a big issue with all vehicles regardless of manufacture. The primer wasn't thick enough, and water would get trapped under it
jerseybean59 convertibles of the time were deemed unsafe. Manufacturers would need to completely redesign their vehicles to add the required structural support, which they would do eventually. Convertibles were already the more expensive body style, and to have a car converted to one would be even more expensive, thus they became more of a status symbol. Vinyl tops gave the illusion that you had a convertible, when it was simply a plain old coupe. This is also when t tops and other styling became fashionable.
@@UmmYeahOk primer is porous so it wasn't the amount of primer that was a problem, more no topcoat to seal it before gluing on the vinyl. That was the problem.
All gone with the wind...what a shame...i really do not understand!Pitty, the days dolomites racing side by side with 2002 s in the touring championships are gone for ever.. nice film though, greetings from germany
The water ingress testing was laughable "Testing the seals" , the majority of british cars just had to stand still and the water leaked in.The unforgettable smell of damp,mill dew and rotting carpets.Turning the heater on in winter turned the inside into a damp swampy environment,misting the windows.The use of fiberboard for door panels and trim was disastrous as it acted like a sponge,then fell apart.Oh the joy!
What was their obsession with fiberboard? I have a 1967 GT6, which predates BL. The transmission tunnel, glovebox/parcel shelf, and engine bay and radiator shroud covers were basically cardboard! Did they not think these cars would be driven in the rain? Did they not consider humidity? I live in a land locked city hundreds of miles from the coast. Still humid as hell! I made my own hatch floor coverings out of MDF, and they are already warped by the differences in elevation the pieces rest on.
RIP Triumph cars
i was more impressed with the machinery
So wish I,d kept my Dolomite
9min and 40 secs..."Triumph engines have earned a great reputation for reliabilty etc"...I do believe that may be a 'reliable" stag engine being tested in the film clip!....maybe the engine testers went to the pub when that particular test was being carried out! lol. ( i own (and cherish) 2 stags before anyone gives me too hard a rebuke :-)....
As a kid in 1970s triumphs were highly sought after
No they were shunned!
What was the two wheel connection
motorbikes tard!
@@somervillearron And bicycles
Wow back when jobs were plentyfull.
+Tampa0123456789 and then, theacher came, major followed, ando now, cameron.
I owned a GT6 mk3 and a Dolomite Sprint, both excellent and well built cars, but both spoilt by the quality of steel being used in the mid 70’s plus the quality of paint used. It’s a shame that the modern paint technology and the treatment of steel we have now wasn’t available in the 70’s.
Thank you for clarifying that Sanjay.
I thought the material was more from the sixties, before BL took over.
Never mind.
Nice archive material anyway..
Regards Harry