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The Triumph Herald is a
small Small means of insignificant size Size in general is the Magnitude (mathematics), magnitude or dimensions of a thing. More specifically, ''geometrical size'' (or ''spatial size'') can refer to three geometrical measures: length, area, or ...
two-door car introduced by Standard-Triumph of
Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...
in 1959 and made through to 1971. The body design was by the Italian stylist
Giovanni Michelotti Giovanni Michelotti (6 October 1921 – 23 January 1980) was one of the most prolific designers of sports cars in the 20th century. His notable contributions were for Ferrari, Lancia, Maserati and Triumph Motor Company, Triumph marques. He was ...
, and the car was offered in saloon,
convertible A convertible or cabriolet () is a Car, passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary across eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air drivin ...
,
coupé A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and typically with two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the Fr ...
, estate and van models, with the latter marketed as the Triumph Courier. Total Herald sales numbered well over half a million. The Triumph Vitesse,
Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the ...
and GT6 models are all based on modified Herald chassis and running gear with bolt-together bodies.


Herald & Herald S (948 cc)

Towards the end of the 1950s Standard-Triumph offered a range of two-seater Triumph
sports car A sports car is a type of automobile that is designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as Automobile handling, handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving, and Auto racing, racing capability. Sports cars originated in ...
s alongside its Standard saloons, the Standard Eight and Standard Ten, powered by a small (803 cc or 948 cc) 4-cylinder engine, which by the late 1950s were due for an update. Standard-Triumph therefore started work on the Herald. The choice of the Herald name suggests that the car was originally intended to be marketed as a Standard, as it fits the model-naming scheme of the time (Ensign, Pennant and Standard itself). But by 1959 it was felt that the Triumph name had more brand equity, and the Standard name was phased out in Britain after 1963.
Giovanni Michelotti Giovanni Michelotti (6 October 1921 – 23 January 1980) was one of the most prolific designers of sports cars in the 20th century. His notable contributions were for Ferrari, Lancia, Maserati and Triumph Motor Company, Triumph marques. He was ...
was commissioned to style the car by the Standard-Triumph board, encouraged by chief engineer Harry Webster, and quickly produced designs for a two-door saloon with a large glass area that gave 93 per cent all-round visibility in the saloon variant and the "razor-edge" looks to which many makers were turning. As Fisher & Ludlow, Standard-Triumph's body suppliers became part of an uncooperative
British Motor Corporation The British Motor Corporation Limited (BMC) was a United Kingdom, UK-based vehicle manufacturer formed in early 1952 to give effect to an agreed merger of the Morris Motors, Morris and Austin Motor Company, Austin businesses.Morris-Austin Merge ...
, it was decided that the car should have a separate chassis rather than adopting the newer
unitary Unitary may refer to: Mathematics * Unitary divisor * Unitary element * Unitary group * Unitary matrix * Unitary morphism * Unitary operator * Unitary transformation * Unitary representation * Unitarity (physics) * ''E''-unitary inverse semigr ...
construction. The main body tub was bolted to the chassis and the whole front end hinged forward to allow access to the engine. Every panel – including the sills and roof – could be unbolted from the car so that different body styles could be easily built on the same chassis. As an addition to the original coupé and saloon models, a convertible was introduced in 1960.Michael Sedgwick & Mark Gillies, A-Z of Cars 1945-1970, page 202 The Standard Pennant's 4-cylinder 948 cc OHV Standard SC engine and 4 speed
manual gearbox A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canadian English, Canada, British English, the United Kingdom and American English, the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed ...
was used with
synchromesh A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission system where gear changes ...
on the top three gears and remote gear shift and driving the rear wheels. Most of the engine parts were previously used in the Standard 8/10. The rack and pinion steering afforded the Herald a tight turning circle. At the front coil and double-wishbone front suspension was fitted which was in time directly copied by such as Lotus, the Bill Thomas Cheetah and Reliant. The rear suspension, in a new departure for Triumph, offered "limited" independent springing via a single transverse leaf-spring bolted to the top of the final drive unit and
swing axle A swing axle is a simple type of independent suspension designed and patented by Edmund Rumpler in 1903 for the rear axle of rear wheel drive vehicles. This was a revolutionary invention in automotive suspension, allowing driven (powered) whee ...
s. Instruments were confined to a single large
speedometer A speedometer or speed meter is a gauge (instrument), gauge that measures and displays the instantaneous speed of a vehicle. Now universally fitted to motor vehicles, they started to be available as options in the early 20th century, and as ...
with fuel gauge in the saloon (a temperature gauge was available as an option) on a dashboard of grey pressed fibreboard. The coupé dashboard was equipped with speedometer, fuel and temperature gauges, together with a lockable glovebox. The car had loop-pile carpeting and heater as standard. A number of extras were available including twin SU
carburettor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor or carburetter) is a device used by a gasoline internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the Vent ...
s, leather seats, a wood-veneered
dashboard A dashboard (also called dash, instrument panel or IP, or fascia) is a control panel (engineering), control panel set within the central console of a vehicle, boat, or cockpit of an aircraft or spacecraft. Usually located directly ahead of the ...
, Telaflo shock absorbers and paint options. In late 1958, prototype cars embarked on a test run from
Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...
to Tangiers. An account of the journey was embellished by PR at the time. However, only minor changes were deemed necessary between the prototype and production cars. The new car was launched at the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
on 22 April 1959 but was not an immediate sales success, partly owing to its relatively high cost, approaching £700 (including 45 per cent Purchase Tax). In standard single-carburettor form the car was no better than average in terms of performance. A saloon tested by ''
The Motor ''The Motor'' (later, just ''Motor'') was a British weekly car magazine founded on 28 January 1903 and published by Temple Press. It was initially launched as ''Motorcycling and Motoring'' in 1902 before the title was shortened. From the 14 ...
'' magazine in 1959 was found to have a top speed of and could accelerate from 0– in 31.1 seconds. A fuel consumption of was recorded. The rear suspension was criticised as yielding poor handling at the extremes of performance though the model was considered easy to drive with its good vision, light steering (smallest turning circle of any production car) and controls, and ease of repair. A Herald S variant was introduced in 1961 with a lower equipment level and less chrome than the Herald. It was offered in saloon form only. The 948 cc Herald Coupé and Convertible models were discontinued in 1961, the 948 cc Herald Saloon in 1962 and the Herald S in 1964. File:1962 Triumph Herald 948cc Conv..jpg, Triumph Herald 948 Convertible (1962) File:Triumph Herald 948cc Coupe.jpg, Triumph Herald 948 Coupé


Herald 1200

Standard-Triumph experienced financial difficulties at the beginning of the 1960s and was taken over by
Leyland Motors Leyland Motors Limited (later known as the Leyland Motor Corporation) was an English vehicle manufacturer of lorries, buses and trolleybuses. The company diversified into car manufacturing with its acquisitions of Triumph and Rover in 1960 a ...
in 1961. This released new resources to develop the Herald and the car was re-launched in April 1961 with an 1147 cc engine as the Herald 1200. The new model featured rubber-covered bumpers, a wooden laminate dashboard and improved seating. Quality control was also tightened up. Twin carburettors were no longer fitted to any of the range as standard although they remained an option, the standard being a single down-draught Solex carburettor. Claimed maximum power of the Herald 1200 was , as against the claimed for the 948 cc model. One month after the release of the Herald 1200, a 3-door estate was added to the range. Disc brakes became an option from 1962. Sales picked up despite growing competition from the
Mini The Mini is a very small two-door, four-seat car, produced for four decades over a single generation, with many names and variants, by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors British Leyland and the Rover Group, and finally ...
and the
Ford Anglia The Ford Anglia is a small family car that was designed and manufactured by Ford UK. It is related to the Ford Prefect and the later Ford Popular. The Anglia name was applied to various models between 1939 and 1967. In total, 1,594,486 Angli ...
. The coupé was dropped from the range in late 1964 as it was by then in direct competition with the Triumph Spitfire. The Herald 1200 remained in production until 1970. File:Triumph Herald 1200 1968.jpg, Triumph Herald 1200 Saloon File:Triumph Herald Coupe License plate 1963.jpg, Triumph Herald 1200 Coupé File:Triumph Herald Cabriolet AE-56-02 pic3.JPG, Triumph Herald 1200 Convertible File:Triumph Herald 1200 Estate car - Flickr - Joost J. Bakker IJmuiden.jpg, Triumph Herald 1200 Estate


Courier van

The Triumph Courier van, a Herald estate with side panels in place of rear side windows, was produced from 1962 until 1966, but was dropped following poor sales. Production in England ceased in mid-1964. CKD assembly by MCA in Malta continued till late 1965, at least. The Courier was powered by the 1147 cc engine. File:Triumph Courier (1962) (49174928207).jpg, Triumph Courier File:Triumph Courier (1962) (49174224018).jpg, Triumph Courier


Herald 12/50

An upmarket version, the Herald 12/50, was offered from 1963 to 1967. It featured a tuned engine with a claimed output of in place of the previous 39, along with a sliding (Weathershield) vinyl-fabric sunroof and front
disc brakes Disc or disk may refer to: * Disk (mathematics), a two dimensional shape, the interior of a circle * Disk storage * Optical disc * Floppy disk Music * Disc (band), an American experimental music band * ''Disk'' (album), a 1995 EP by Moby Other ...
as standard. The 12/50, which was offered only as a 2-door saloon,Michael Sedgwick & Mark Gillies, A-Z of Cars 1945-1970, page 203 was fitted with a fine-barred aluminium grille. The power output of the 1200, which remained in production alongside the 12/50, was subsequently boosted to 48 bhp. File:Triumph Herald 1250.jpg, Triumph Herald 12/50 File:Triumph Herald 1250 (1).jpg, Triumph Herald 12/50 File:Triumph Herald 12-50.jpg, Triumph Herald 12/50 photographed in 2013


Herald 13/60

In October 1967 the range was updated with the introduction at the
London Motor Show London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Thame ...
of the Herald 13/60. The 13/60 was offered in saloon, convertible and estate-bodied versions. The sun-roof remained available for the saloon as an optional extra rather than a standard feature. The front end was restyled using a bonnet similar to the Triumph Vitesse's and the interior substantially revised though still featuring the wooden dashboard. Interior space was improved by recessing a rear armrest in each side panel. The engine was enlarged to 1296 cc, essentially the unit employed since 1965 in the Triumph 1300, fitted with a Stromberg CD150 carburettor, offering and much improved performance. In this form (though the 1200 saloon was sold alongside it until the end of 1970) the Herald Saloon lasted until December 1970 and the Convertible and Estate until May 1971, by which time, severely outdated in style if not performance, it had already outlived the introduction of the Triumph 1300 Saloon, the car designed to replace it and was still selling reasonably well but, because of its labour-intensive method of construction, selling at a loss. File:Triumph 13.60 saloon.jpg, Triumph Herald 13/60 Saloon File:Triumph Herald 13-60 Convertible dutch licence registration DM-70-60 pic1.jpg, Triumph Herald 13/60 Convertible File:Triumph Herald 1360 1296cc March 1971.JPG, Triumph Herald 13/60 Estate


International production

Triumph Heralds were exported and assembled in a number of countries, and the separate chassis used as a jig to assemble kits exported from Coventry. These cars were referred to as CKD – Complete Knock Down cars.


India

In the 1960s Standard Motor Products of
Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...
, India, manufactured Triumph Heralds with the basic 948 cc engine under the name Standard Herald, eventually with additional four-door saloon and five-door estate models exclusively for the Indian market. In 1971 they introduced a restyled four-door saloon based on the Herald called the Standard Gazel, using the same 948 cc engine but with the axle changed to that of the Toledo, as the Herald's "swing-arm" was deemed unable to cope with road conditions in the Indian interior. The Gazel was discontinued in 1977.


Australia

The Herald was produced in Australia by
Australian Motor Industries Australian Motor Industries (AMI) was an automobile assembly firm that was significant in the early history of the automotive industry in Australia. Start of production The origins of Australian Motor Industries can be traced back to 1926 w ...
from 1959 to 1966 with output totalling 14,975 units.A different slant on the Herald
Retrieved from www.vtr.org on 20 January 2010
Production included a 12/50 model, which unlike its British namesake was offered in both saloon and coupé body styles. It featured the bonnet and four angled headlights of the Triumph Vitesse and was marketed as the Triumph 12/50, without Herald badges.


Others

Triumph Heralds were also assembled in South Africa, New Zealand, Ireland, Malta, and at two locations in Peru. The Herald 1200 was also assembled in Italy, at Ducati's
Borgo Panigale Borgo Panigal ...
motorcycle factory.


In popular media

A Triumph Herald was used at the 2012 London Olympic Games during the beginning of the closing ceremony when cars were paraded around the stadium. In the 1960s based TV drama '' Heartbeat'', Dr Kate Rowan drove a cactus green Herald from series 1 until series 5. In the TV comedy series ''
Last of the Summer Wine ''Last of the Summer Wine'' is a British sitcom set in Yorkshire created and written by Roy Clarke and originally broadcast by the BBC from 1973 to 2010. It premiered as an episode of ''Comedy Playhouse'' on 4 January 1973, and the first seri ...
'', Edie drove a red Herald convertible, restored by her husband Wesley. A Herald converted to a sailing boat appeared in 2006 ( series 8, episode 3) and 2007 ( series 10, episode 2) on TV series '' Top Gear''. It was driven and sailed by presenter
James May James Daniel May (born 16 January 1963) is an English television presenter and journalist. He is best known as a co-presenter, alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, of the motoring programme ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear'' fr ...
. A white Herald 1360 convertible was driven by the actor
Paul McGann Paul John McGann ( ; born 14 November 1959) is an English actor. He came to prominence for portraying Percy Toplis in the television serial '' The Monocled Mutineer'' (1986), then starred in the dark comedy '' Withnail and I'' (1987), which wa ...
in the 1990 film '' Paper Mask'', when he played a hospital porter who decided to impersonate a doctor. There is an affectionate portrayal of a Triumph Herald Estate car in the novel ''Room for Us'' by Roger Harvey (2020, ). David Niven drove a beaten-up Herald convertible to escape from terrorists in the 1975 movie ''
Paper Tiger "Paper tiger" is a calque of the Chinese phrase ''zhǐlǎohǔ'' ( zh, s=纸老虎, t=紙老虎). The term refers to something or someone that claims or appears to be powerful or threatening but is actually ineffectual and unable to withstand ch ...
''. In the Luann comic strip, Mrs. DeGroot tells her children that she was first attracted to their father because he drove a blue Triumph Herald convertible

A blue Triumph Herald 13/60 Convertible was one of the main features of the film '' Soft Top Hard Shoulder'' written by and starring
Peter Capaldi Peter Dougan Capaldi (; born 14 April 1958) is a Scottish actor, director, singer and guitarist. He portrayed the Twelfth Doctor, twelfth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction series ''Doctor Who'' (2013–2017) and Malcolm Tucker i ...
, co-starring his wife Elaine Collins and released in the UK in 1993.


Herald-based cars

The Equipe was a car produced by Bond, using the Triumph Herald chassis and components. Having a separate body mounted to a chassis, the Triumph Herald provides a sound basis for a kit car. Examples include: * Sussita 12 – (1968–1970) A car made in Israel, manufactured by Israeli Autocars Company Ltd. The Susita 12 station wagon, and sedan (named Carmel), used the Triumph Herald 12/50 engine. * Sussita 13/60 – (1970–1975) An Israeli made car, manufactured by Israeli Autocars Company Ltd. Manufactured as 2 doors station wagon, sedan (named Carmel Ducas), and pick-up versions. Built on the Triumph Herald's chassis, and used the Herald 13/60 engine and gearbox. *The "T car" by New Zealand company Alternative Cars is a MGTF "replica", which, although not an exact copy of the MGTF, has some of the spirit of the original. About 250 were made and they have a high survival rate. It has its body made of fibreglass with a steel bonnet. *Early versions of the
Marlin Marlins are fish from the family Istiophoridae, which includes between 9 and 11 species, depending on the taxonomic authority. Name The family's common name is thought to derive from their resemblance to a sailor's marlinspike. Taxonomy T ...
used Herald components. * Gentry Cars – again, loosely based on the MG TF. * Spartan Cars – a traditional styled open 2 seater. * Moss cars could be based on either Triumph or Ford components. The German-designed and built amphibious Amphicar used the same 1147cc engine as the Herald, and though not designed by Michelotti, has a strong family resemblance.


Scale models and die-cast

*Meccano Dinky Toys; No. 189 (production 1959–1963), Herald 948 cc, approximately O scale (1/44). The Dinky Triumph Herald was the very first scale model introduced to coincide with an actual car launch. *
Corgi The Welsh Corgi ( or Corgi, plural Corgis, or occasionally the etymologically consistent Corgwn; ) is a small Dog type, type of herding dog that originated in Wales. The name ''corgi'' is thought to be derived from the Welsh language, Welsh w ...
No. 231 (production 1961–1965), Herald Coupé 948 cc, approximately O scale (1/44). *
Airfix Airfix is a British brand and former manufacturing company which produced Injection moulding, injection-moulded plastic model, plastic scale model kits. In the UK, the name 'Airfix' has become practically synonymous with plastic models of this typ ...
; 1/32 scale. Introduced in 1967 as a bagged kit. * Hongwell available in 1/43 scale


References

Notes Citations


Further reading


Triumph Herald original sales brochure from 1964
* {{Authority control
Herald A herald, or a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is commonly applied more broadly to all officers of arms. Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen ...
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Cars introduced in 1959 1960s cars 1970s cars Coupés Convertibles Sedans Vans Station wagons Automobiles with backbone chassis Cars discontinued in 1971