 began in 1953, with a domestic price of £1,063 and the respected Bolster thought it shattered 'all previous concepts of value for money in this field'. The Austin-Healey and the Triumph looked far more contemporary than the MG TD with its pre-war lines. Most importantly, from a distance of 70 years, it is hard to appreciate the incredulous public reaction to any vehicle capable of 'The Ton'; the Morris Minor, the UK's most popular car at that time, ran out of steam at 62mph and accelerated from 0-50mph in 28.6 seconds. By comparison, the 107mph TR2 appeared to be a road-going rocket. The Austin-Healey brand lasted until 1971, its demise the result of British Leyland corporate politics. However, the so-called 'Big Healeys' had established a global reputation in less than two decades. As for the 20TS, the redeveloped TR2 established a sports car dynasty and almost certainly saved Triumph. The famous badge would probably not have lasted beyond the 1950s were it not for the TR series.){kind=link}
Austin-Healey and Triumph TR roadsters launched in 1952 thrilled war-weary Britons – although the affluent US export market was the prize
One of the many pleasures of automotive history is the archive of British Movietone newsreels. Its coverage of the opening of the 1952 London Motor Show encompasses the regulation Received Pronunciation voiceover, chaps wearing several gallons of Brylcreem, along with the new Wolseley 4/44, Humber Super Snipe MkIV and Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire 346.
There was also the latest offering from Triumph, and this paper reported its stand was “a centre of overseas, and especially American, interest”. Standard Motors had bought the marque in 1945 and the 20TS was the company’s first post-war mass-market open two-seater, powered by the 2.0-litre Vanguard engine in twin carburettor form. Motor Sport was intrigued by its performance capabilities, although dismissive of its appearance: “From the driving-seat of a car you are unaware of what it looks like.”
Unfortunately, when Standard-Triumph’s chairman Sir John Black asked the former BRM racer Ken Richardson to evaluate the 20TS, his response was not positive: “Frankly, I think it’s the most bloody awful car I’ve ever driven in my life.” The top speed was only 80mph, the chassis flexed severely and proved unstable when cornering.
As a result, the Triumph factory at Canley, to the south-west Coventry, undertook a vast amount of work before the highly revised (and renamed TR2) sports car made its bow at the Geneva motor show on 9 March 1953. On 20 May that year, Richardson established a 2.0-litre production sports car record when his TR2 achieved 124.783mph along the Jabbeke highway in Belgium, a route often used for record attempts.