1949 Triumph Grand Prix

Estimate: (£) 15,000 - 20,000


Reg Number: N/A
Frame Number: TF20058R
Engine Number: T10097066R
Body Colour: Black / Silver
Cc: 500
MOT ExpiryDate: N/A
Shortly after the Second World War, well known Irish road racer Ernie Lyons persuaded Edward Turner to provide him with an engine for road racing, a feat that must have required frequent trips to the "Blarney Stone" on Mr Lyons part given Mr Turner's views of road racing! Mr Turner instructed Freddie Clarke to build an engine in the development shop, using his tuning abilities and as far as possible production parts. What emerged, housed in a standard rigid Tiger 100 frame with rear mounted footrests, a sprung hub, experimental eight-inch single sided front brake, narrow mudguards and racing number plates, was a power unit that utilised a Tiger 100 bottom end fitted with the light alloy head and barrel from the wartime generator unit. Mr Clarke employed separate inlet manifolds for two Amal carburettors fed by a common remote float chamber. The valve gear was standard, but like the components in the bottom end, benefited from Mr Clarke's attentions, being lightened and polished. Heavier conrods were employed and roller main bearings were utilised. Full race camshafts, a racing BTH magneto, alloy pushrods, and a rev counter all formed part of the build.

The machine's first outing at the 1946 Ulster Road Race was not a success, but a win in that year's Manx Grand Prix, when Mr Lyons was never headed and a fastest time at Shelsley Walsh all contributed to demands for a "production" version of the machine to be made available to which Mr Turner reluctantly agreed. The production bike made as much use as possible of production parts, although the special pushrods and roller main bearings were carried over from the Ernie Lyons' machine which had effectively become the prototype for what became known as the "Grand Prix". The "production" racers met with some success in Europe and Don Cross...

H and H

Triumph 1940s Models