Triumph TR4

triumph
TR 4
Production period:	1961-1967
Class :	Sports car
Body versions :	Roadster
Engines:	Otto engine : 2.2 liters (74 kW)
Length:	3962 mm
Width:	1460 mm
Height:	1270 mm
Wheelbase :	2235 mm
Empty weight :	1010 kg
Previous model	Triumph TR3A
successor	Triumph TR5

The Triumph TR 4 was a roadster produced by the British car manufacturer Triumph from 1961 to 1965 , which initially largely corresponded technically to the previous model TR 3A . Significant improvements compared to its predecessor were introduced with the TR 4A 1965. By the end of production on August 2, 1967 and the replacement by the TR 5 , a total of 68,717 vehicles were built in the TR4 series, 40,253 of which were TR 4 and 28,465 TR 4A.

history

The TR 4 with a body designed by the Italian automobile designer Giovanni Michelotti was presented in 1961. The box frame with cross bracing, the chassis with double wishbones at the front and rigid axle on leaf springs at the rear, as well as the engine with a displacement increased to 2138 cm³ and an output of 100 PS (74 kW) were taken over from the TR 3 slightly modified. There was also a through hole for a crank handle in the radiator grille. The transmission had four gears and was fully synchronized. The significantly widened track and interior as well as rack and pinion steering instead of the earlier worm- roller steering were new . Furthermore, the cumbersome plug-in windows of the predecessor gave way to crank windows. In addition, the TR 4 was the first production vehicle to have adjustable ventilation ducts in the dashboard.

At an affordable price, the TR 4 offered performance that was only a little inferior to other sports cars. It accelerated from zero to 100 km / h in 12 seconds and reached a top speed of 174 km / h.

A two-part hardtop, available at an additional cost of DM 1,100, turned the classic roadster into an attractive coupé. It was called "Surrey Top" by Triumph; it consists of a firmly screwed panoramic rear window and two interchangeable roof parts made of metal or soft top fabric. Porsche took up this idea in 1965 and implemented it with the Porsche 911 Targa . Wire-spoke wheels with central locking instead of the standard pressed steel disc wheels were also available at an additional cost.

The TR 4A

Triumph TR4A

Front of the Triumph TR 4A

The "Surrey Top" (here on a TR 250)

The body of the TR 4A was based on its predecessor, the TR 4. In 1965, new approval regulations in the USA, the most important market for the TR 4, forced the company to install front direction indicators and position lights on the side of the fenders. They were integrated into chrome-plated attachments, each with a decorative strip that ran over the doors to the rear. Smaller bumper horns at the front and a modified hood emblem in the form of a globe rounded off the external changes.

A new chassis with rear independent wheel suspension on semi-trailing arms, similar to the one in the Triumph 2000 sedan, was hidden under the body instead of the rigid axle. The coil springs at the rear were designed to be softer than the leaf springs before. The unsprung masses were lower, which made driving a little more comfortable. The addition IRS on some TR 4A indicates the rear independent wheel suspension or independent rear suspension . At the request of the then US importer, part of the TR4A production was still built with the rigid axle of the TR 4 in order not to let the price of the sports car rise. Of the total of 28,465 TR 4A built, an estimated 10,000 units with the rigid axle were delivered in the USA.

Smaller changes to the engine and exhaust system made it possible to increase the output to 104 hp (76 kW). The weight increased to 1035 kg. The top speed remained at around 175 km / h.

The TR 4A got new seats, a now standard wooden dashboard, the operation of the handbrake was relocated to the transmission tunnel between the seats. The new convertible top, which was modified from the Triumph Herald, was screwed tightly at the rear and made it much easier and faster to operate, brought a further improvement.

Conversions Dové GTR 4

Around 50 copies of the TR 4 and TR 4A were converted in spring 1963 by Thomas Harrington Coach Builders into hatchback coupés with a large tailgate. They were similar to the Harrington Alpine coupes that Harrington had been making since 1961 on the basis of the Sunbeam Alpine . The modifications of the TR 4 were based on an order from the London Triumph dealer Dové, who sold them as the Dové GTR 4 Coupé and GTR 4A Coupé.

Motorsport

Triumph TR 4 - Triumph Competition

The TR 4 was used in international rallying as well as in many national racing events. Triumph itself fielded four TR4 factory rally cars between 1962 and 1964 in major international rallies such as the Coupe des Alpes, the Tulip Rally, Liége-Sofia-Liége, RAC Rally, Rallye Monte Carlo and Shell 4000 with varying degrees of success. At national racing events in England, but above all in the USA, the TR 4 also showed its potential as a racing car. Its neutral driving behavior and a very favorable weight distribution regularly ensured the win of the production classes in the USA.

The Triumph TR 4 is still used successfully in motorsport today.

Technical specifications

Steering wheel and dashboard of the TR 4A

engine

Triumph TR 4A

Parameters	TR 4	TR 4A
engine	4-cylinder four-stroke in- line engine at the front
Displacement	2138 cc
Bore × stroke	86 × 92 mm
compression	9.0: 1
power	74 kW (100 PS) at 4600 rpm	76 kW (104 PS) at 4700 rpm
Max. Torque	172 Nm at 3350 rpm
Valve control	side camshaft (chain driven), bumpers and rocker arms
cooling	Water cooling
Carburetor	2 Zenith Stromberg carburettors (Ø 44 mm)
transmission	4-speed gearbox (with overdrive on request ), fully synchronized, center shift; Rear wheel drive
Front suspension	Triangular wishbones with coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers and anti-roll bar
Rear suspension	Rigid axle on semi-elliptical leaf springs, piston shock absorbers	Semi-trailing arm with coil springs, lever damper
body	Sheet steel body and box frame with cross bracing (screwed to the body)
steering	Rack and pinion steering
brake	Front disc brake, rear drum brake, hydraulically operated
wheelbase	2235 mm	2240 mm
Front  track	1245 mm
Rear  track	1220 mm	1232 mm
wheel size	5.90-15
Dimensions L × W × H	3960 × 1460 × 1270 mm	3960 × 1470 × 1270 mm
Empty weight (without driver)	1010 kg	1035 kg
maximum weight allowed	1400 kg
Top speed	approx. 175 km / h

Web links

Commons : Triumph TR4  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Tr-Freun.de
• TR4 rally side
• Article by Dave Selby about Triumph TR 4 / 4A

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://www.autogericke.de/sportwagen/167/triumph_tr4_tr_4.html
2. ↑ http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z7304/Triumph_TR4/default.aspx
3. ↑ Price in Die Automodelle 1963/64 , Vereinigte Motorverlage: 11,990 DM (Porsche 1600 SC, 75 PS, 175 km / h: 14,950 DM)
4. ↑ Measurement of auto, motor and sport
5. ↑ ateupwithmotor.com/model-histories/triumph-2000-mk1/2/
6. ↑ http://www.tr-register.at/tr4tr5tr250.html