Triumph Herald

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Triumph Herald

Manufacturer Standard-Triumph

Production 1959-1971

Predecessor Triumph 8/10

Successor Triumph Dolomite

Body style Two-door saloon, estate,

van and coupe

Engine 948cc OHV I4

1147cc OHV I4 (Herald
1200)
1296cc OHV I4 (13/60)

Transmission Four-speed manual, RWD

Wheelbase 91 inches (2324 mm)

Length 153 inches (3886 mm)

Width 60 inches (1524 mm)

Height 52 inches (1333 mm)

Curb weight 725 kg (1200 convertible)

to 865kg (13/60 estate)

Fuel capacity 41 litres (estate), 32 litres

(others)

Related Triumph Vitesse, Triumph

Spitfire

Similar Ford Anglia

 Designer Michelotti

The Triumph Herald was a small two-door car introduced in 1959 by the Standard-Triumph
Company. Body design was by the Italian stylist Michelotti, and the car was offered in saloon,
convertible, coupé, van and estate variants.

Contents
[hide]
 1 A new experience in motoring
 2 The Herald 1200
 3 The Herald 13/60
 4 Production figures
 5 External links

 6 References

[edit] A new experience in motoring

Towards the end of the 1950s, Standard-Triumph were enjoying great success with their range
of 2-seater Triumph sports cars which they offered alongside their range of Standard saloons.
The small cars in the range were the Standard 8 & 10, powered by a small (803 cc or 948 cc)
4-cylinder engine and competing with the Morris Minor, Ford Popular and Austin A35.
However the plain looking but innovative Standard 8 & 10 models had never been a huge
success, and by the late 1950s were due for an update; Standard-Triumph therefore started
work on the Herald.

Michelotti was commissioned to style the car, and he quickly produced designs for a pretty
two-door saloon with a large glass area. The company decided from the start that the new
small car should have a separate chassis rather than a monocoque construction, even though
this was beginning to look outmoded by the late 1950s. 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 main car. This method of
construction had certain advantages, not least that different body styles could be easily
substituted on the same basic chassis: accordingly, coupé, saloon, convertible and estate
versions were all on offer within two years of the release, at the Royal Albert Hall, London on
22nd April 1959, initially of the coupé and saloon models.

Mechanically, the new Herald was a mixture of traditional and modern. The Standard 10's 4-
cylinder 948 cc OHV engine was used, mated to the same model's 4 speed gearbox with
synchromesh on the top three gears and driving the rear wheels. The excellent steering was by
rack and pinion (affording the car a 25-foot turning circle), with coil and double-wishbone
front suspension. The rear suspension was a brand new departure for Triumph, offering
independent springing via a single transverse leaf spring.

The styling was modern and the interior bright, thanks to the large glass area, which gave
93% all-round visibilty in the Saloon variant. Instruments were confined to a single large
speedo with fuel gauge in the saloon (a temperature gauge was available as an option), and the
dashboard of grey pressed fibreboard. The coupé dashboard was equipped with 3 gauges:
Speedometer, fuel, and temperature gauges, together with the refinement of a lockable
glovebox. The car was well equipped with standard loop-pile carpeting and heater. The Herald
was offered in a variety of bright contemporary colours and number of extras were available,
including twin carburettors, leather seats, a wooden veneered dashboard, Telaflo shock
absorbers and paint options.

Triumph Herald 948 Conv. (1962)

The new car was fairly well-received, but was not an immediate sales success, due to some
extent to the cost approaching £700 (including 45% Purchase Tax) and thus more expensive
than most of its competitors. Additionally, the separate chassis initially resulted in noises from
the flexible structure. In standard single carburettor form the 38 bhp car was no better than
average in terms of performance, with 60 mph coming up in about 31 seconds and a
maximum speed of 70 mph. The new rear suspension was also criticised for leading to tricky
handling on the limit. However, the car was considered easy to drive with light steering and
controls, and excellent visibility, becoming very soon highly popular as a driving-school car,
ease of repair being a strong plus. Owners enjoyed preferential insurance premiums because
of the Herald's perceived inherent safety.[citation needed]

[edit] The Herald 1200

Triumph Herald 1200 (1968)

Standard-Triumph had staked a lot on their new car; the company was experiencing financial
difficulties at the beginning of the 1960s, and was taken over by Leyland Motors Ltd (later to
be British Leyland) in 1961. This released new resources to develop the Herald, and the car
was re-launched with an 1147 cc engine as the Herald 1200. The new model featured
numerous detail improvements, including white rubber bumpers, a wooden laminate
dashboard and improved seating; quality control was also tightened up. The twin carburettors
were no longer fitted to any of the range as standard equipment, however they remained an
option. Standard fitment being a single down-draught Solex carburettor. Disc brakes also
became an option shortly after the 1200 was introduced. The new car was much more pleasant
to drive, and sales picked up, despite growing competition from the BMC Mini and the Ford
Anglia.

The other versions of the Herald were also selling well; the convertible was popular as a
genuine 4-seater with decent weatherproofing, and the estate made a practical alternative to
the Morris Minor Traveller, despite its somewhat boxy styling. The Triumph Courier van,
basically a stripped-down Herald estate with steel side panels, was produced from 1962 until
1964, when it was dropped following poor sales. The coupé was also dropped from the range
in late 1964, by now the Triumph Spitfire had taken away most of its market share. A sportier
version, the Herald 12/50, was offered from 1963-1967 and featured a tuned engine, sliding
(Webasto) vinyl-fabric sunroof and standard front disc brakes.

[edit] The Herald 13/60

A Triumph Herald 13/60 Convertible

In 1967, the range was updated with the introduction of the Herald 13/60. The front end was
restyled using the bonnet of the Triumph Vitesse to give a sleeker, more modern appearance
and the interior substantially revised, though still featuring the traditional wooden dashboard.
A clever space-creation, was by recessing a rear armrest in each side panel. The engine was
enlarged to 1296 cc and fiited with a Stromberg carburettor, offering 61 bhp and much
improved performance; front disc brakes became standard. In this form (though the 1200
saloon was sold alongside it until 1970) the Herald lasted until 1971, by which time it was
severely outdated in style but 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
it no longer had a place among the range of newer cars in the large British Leyland line-up.
Also, due to its labour-intensive method of construction, each car was selling at a loss.

The decision of Triumph to build a new small car in the late 1950s paid off handsomely. Total
Herald sales numbered well over 300,000, thanks in no small part to the number of variants
made possible by its separate chassis design. Saloon, convertible, estate, coupe and van were
only a small part of the Herald's total contribution to the Standard-Triumph range: the
Triumph Vitesse, Triumph GT6 and Triumph Spitfire were all based around modified Herald
chassis with bolt-together bodies and were hugely successful for the company. The Vitesse
front suspension was used as the basis of 1960s Lotus cars

Today, there remain a large number of surviving Heralds in the UK, with keen enthusiast
support. The most common survivors are the saloons and convertibles; estates are now getting
rare, and the coupé is extremely scarce. Rarest of all is the Courier van, with only a handful of
known survivors.
[edit] Production figures
 Herald 948 saloon: 1959–1964, 76,860
 948 convertible: 1960–1961, 8,262
 Herald coupe: 1959–1961, 15,153
 Herald 1200: 1961–1970, 289,575
o saloon: 201,142
o coupe: 5,319
o convertible: 43,295
o estate: 39,819
o van: approx 5,000
 12/50: 1963–1967, 53,267
 13/60: 1967–1971, 82,650

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Triumph Herald
 Triumph Herald Club.com - Blogging community for Herald enthusiasts

 Triumph Register - Herald pages

[edit] References
 Ball, Kenneth (1973). Triumph Herald 1969-1971 Autobook, Second Edition,
Autopress Ltd. ISBN 0-85147-235-4.

Automobiles made by BMC, BL and Rover Group companies

Austin | Austin-Healey | British Leyland | Jaguar | Land Rover | MG | Morris | Riley | Rover | MG
Rover | Triumph | Vanden Plas | Wolseley

Austin models: A40 | Cambridge | Westminster | A35 | Mini | 1100/1300 | Mini Moke | 1800 | 3-
Litre | Maxi | Allegro | Austin Ambassador | Mini Metro | Maestro | Montego
Austin-Healey models: 100 | 3000 | Sprite
British Leyland models: Princess | P76 (Australia only)
Jaguar models: XJ6 | XJ12 | XJS
 Land Rover models: Defender | Range Rover | Discovery | Freelander | Range Rover Sport
Morris models: Minor | Oxford | Cowley | Mini | 1100/1300 | 1800 | Marina | Ital
MG models: MGA | Magnette | Midget | Montego | MGB | MGC | 1100/1300 | MG RV8 | MG F/TF
| MG ZT | MG ZR | MG ZS | MG SV
Riley models: Pathfinder | 2.6 | 1.5 | 4/68 | Elf | Kestrel
Rover models: P3 | P4 | P5 | P6 | SD1 | 25 | 75 (post-P4) | 45 | 400 | 200 | 100 (post-P4) | 800 | 600 |
CityRover | Estoura | Streetwise
Triumph models: Herald | Spitfire | Vitesse | GT6 | Stag | TR7 | Toledo | 1300 |1500 | 2000 | 2.5 &
2500 | Dolomite | Acclaim
Vanden Plas models: Princess | 3-Litre | 1100/1300
Wolseley models: 4/44 | 6/90 | 15/50 | 1500 | 16/60 | 6/99 | 6/110 | Hornet | 1100/1300 | 18/85