Triumph 1800/2000 Roadster
Standard’s Sir John Black rescued the moribund Triumph car company during the war and introduced new models in 1946. The staple product was the 1800 saloon, a staid but handsome device with razor- edge styling, independent front suspension and hydraulic brakes.
The Roadster, introduced the same year, followed a similar pattern. Its chassis was the same as the saloon’s, retaining the transverse leaf-spring independent front suspension and leaf-sprung live axle rear. The engine was the same, too, a long-stroke 1776cc four derived from the Standard 14 unit, delivering 65bhp. The difference was all in the bodywork, which was an attractive two-door drophead hiding a ‘dickey seat’ in the tail, its flip-forward cover incorporating a windscreen for passengers.
In 1948 both the saloon and the Roadster adopted the 2088cc Standard Vanguard engine (which, in tuned form, would power Triumph TR sports cars in the 1950s and 1960s). The result was a little more power, but unfortunately the Vanguard engine came with a decidedly unsporting three-speed gearbox, so even in its later form the Roadster had little sporting appeal.
What it did have was handsome styling – the front end, with its big chrome headlamps, imposing grille and curvaceous wings was especially attractive – and luxurious accommodation, with a wide cabin offering space for three in the front.
Production of the Roadster ended in 1949, though the saloon continued until 1954, latterly sharing the Standard Vanguard chassis.
Much later the Roadster became familiar to TV audiences in Britain as the car of choice for Jersey-based detective Bergerac, played by John Nettles.
1949 Triumph 200 Roadster
• Engine : 2088cc in-line four
• Bore x stroke : 85 x 97 mm
• Valvegear : Pushrod-operated overhead valve
• Fuel System : Solex carburetor
• Power : 68bhp at 4200rpm
• Suspension : Front : wishbones and transverse leaf spring; rear: live axle with semi-elliptic springs and anti-roll bar
• Wheels : 16in steel-disc wheels
• Brakes : Hydraulic drum brakes all round
• Top Speed : 82mph (132km/h)