1938 Triumph Vitesse Two Seater Sports

Lot details
Registration No: EVM 795
Chassis No: 12/2/2034
Mot Expiry: None

The 1937 Triumphs saw the Triumph-built overhead valve engines designed by Donald Healey being employed in three capacities with 1496cc and 1767cc four-cylinder or 1991cc six-cylinder options in the Vitesse and Dolomite. Coventry Climax engines continued to power the cheaper 1.2 or 1.5-litre Gloria range.
Triumph went into receivership in 1939 and was bought by steel makers Thomas Ward but one Coventry factory, rented to Armstrong-Whitworth, was destroyed by bombs in the blitz. Postwar, Sir John Black of Standard acquired the rights to the name and built a new range of Triumphs at his Canley works. British Leyland, in turn, took over the marque and, after Dolomite saloon and Spitfire production ended in 1980 and the TR7/8 was killed off in 1981, what is likely to have been the final Triumph, the Acclaim, was built in 1984.
This particular Triumph sports started life as a standard 1938 manufactured Vitesse and was rebodied with the present and very attractive open two-seater sports bodywork in aluminium around an ash frame in the 1950's. More recently, the 1767cc engine has been rebuilt, the car rewired, both steering and brakes overhauled, the petrol tank renewed and a pair of new tyres fitted. The vendor describes the overall condition of this very period looking pre-war sportscar to be good and the EVM 795 registration is believed to be the original and the indicated 83,928 mileage genuine. Looks fun.