1955 Triumph TR2
Fewer than 8,700 TR2s were produced between 1953 and 1955, yet the model’s competition record and accessible performance made it one of the most recognized British sports cars of the postwar period.
Factory entries appeared at the Mille Miglia, Monte Carlo Rally, RAC Rally, and Le Mans in 1955, and a modified example fitted with an aerodynamic fairing at the Bonneville Salt Flats was timed at 124.889 mph.
The two-seat body is straightforward and purposeful, distinguished in later production by shorter doors with body sills below them (a design change introduced after approximately the first 4,000 cars, which had long doors that extended down over the sills and were prone to catching high curbs).
Independent front coil spring suspension paired with a live rear axle gave the lightweight car capable handling without sacrificing ride quality. Curb weight was approximately 2,050 pounds (930 kg).
Power comes from a 1,991 cc four-cylinder producing 90 horsepower. Motor magazine recorded 107 mph and a 0-60 time of about 12.0 seconds from a standard example.
Triumph had been reestablished as a sports car manufacturer following its acquisition by the Standard Motor Company in 1945, and the TR2 represented the first convincing realization of that ambition.
Source
