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Revision as of 18:00, 2 December 2008 by RGCorris (talk | contribs) (comments on styling)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) Motor vehicle| Triumph Mayflower | |
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| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Triumph Motor Company |
| Production | 1949–1953. 35,000 made |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | 2 door saloon, drophead coupé, pick-up. |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 1247 cc Straight-4 side valve |
| Transmission | 3 speed manual |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 84 inches (2134 mm) |
| Length | 156 in (4,000 mm) |
| Width | 62 in (1,600 mm) |
| Height | 60 in (1,500 mm) |
| Chronology | |
| Successor | Standard 8/Triumph Herald |
The Triumph Mayflower was a small car from Britain's Triumph Motor Company and was produced from 1949 to 1953.
The car was the first small car to be built by Triumph under their new owners the Standard Motor Company and used a version of the pre-war Standard 10 side valve engine updated by having an aluminium cylinder head and single Solex carburettor. The engine developed 38 bhp (28 kW) at 4200 rpm. The 3 speed gearbox, with column shift, came from the Standard Vanguard and had synchromesh on all the forward ratios. There was independent suspension at the front using coil springs but a solid back axle and half elliptic leaf springs, also based on the one used on the Vanguard, was at the rear. The front suspension design went on to be used on the Triumph TR2. Lockheed hydraulic brakes were fitted.
A car tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1950 had a top speed of 62.9 mph (101.2 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-50 mph (80 km/h) in 26.6 seconds. A fuel consumption of 28.3 miles per imperial gallon (10.0 L/100 km; 23.6 mpg‑US) was recorded. The test car cost £505 including taxes.
The Mayflower had traditional "razor edge" styling similar to its larger brother, the Triumph Renown and apeing the looks of the upmarket Bentley and Rolls-Royce cars. It was hoped this would be specially appealing to the American market. The car was of unitary construction with steel body panels and was built by Fischer and Ludlow at Castle Bromwich, Birmingham to a design by Leslie Moore, Chief Body Designer of Mulliners of Birmingham with input from Triumph's Walter Belgrove.
As well as the saloons, approximately ten drophead coupés were made, plus 150 pick-up versions in Australia.
The styling, created at the behest of Standard's Managing Director Sir John Black, proved controversial and tends to polarise opinion. Although it has many admirers, others share the opinion of Top Gear's James May who called it the ugliest car of all time in one of his columns.
The Mayflower was an attempt to create a small car with an upmarket image, and failed to meet its sales targets. Standard-Triumph's next small car, the Standard 8, was launched with a very basic specification and aimed at a different type of buyer. From the ending of Mayflower production in 1953 there was no small Triumph saloon available in the UK until the launch of the Triumph Herald in 1959, although in some overseas markets derivatives of the Standard 8 were sold as Triumphs.
Die-Cast Models
- Mikansue modelled the Mayflower in the 1980s (?)
- Lansdowne modelled the Mayflower in the 2000s.
- Oxford Diecast produced a 00 scale model in 2008.
References
- Sedgwick, M. (1986). A-Z of Cars 1945-1970. Devon, UK: Bay View Books. ISBN 1-870979-39-7.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Culshaw (1974). Complete Catalogue of British Cars. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-16689-2.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Triumph Mayflower". The Motor. December 6 1950.
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