A Triumph badged sports car by 2010!!!

[piman]

Hello Ray,

just to pick up on this point, "is no British owned auto company,".

Not entirely true, there are two at least, Bristol car company and the Morgan car company. The latter is still in the same family hands since its inception. Neither are a worry commercially to the mainstream manufacturers but they are British owned auto companies.

Alec

 

[vagt6]

What other manufacturer would you like to create the new Triumph? BMW is <u>perfect</u> for this kind of venture, owing to their tremendous success with the MINI.

BMWs marketing campaign for the MINI Cooper won all kinds of advertising awards, and sold a zillion MINIs worldwide. They'll do the same with the Triumph.

I can't wait to see the design concepts.

Bring it on!

 

[YankeeTR]

I'd like to see a RWD platform and a $25K price tag. At that price point it would be a hit (as long as its styling pays homage to the TRs of yesterday).

As far as being German engineered I really don't have a problem with that. US and British companies can do business quite easliy in Germany...but it's nearly impossible to set up a manufacturing facility in Japan. It's certainly not "fair trade' with Japan.

I certainly hope we never have to worry about buying a TR made by the Chinese...

 

[Tomster]

I wonder if the Honda and Mazda - Miata divisions will take note of this?

 

[roofman]

" Flame surfacing " is the Chris Bangle ( BMW designer ) style of sheet metal work used on sides of the fenders on the Z3 and other models.
" Bustle trunk" is the way the 7 series trunk design ended up that was so contraversial a few years back. AKA the Bangle Butt.
Anyone who reads Motor Trend or one of the other common car mags has heard of these as they were introduced on BMW's over the past 5 or so years. Many thought these design elements would ruin BMW. Not......

 

[IanF]

A Triumph Badged Bimmer! Reliable! Thats first thing that comes to mind.

As someone who has spent a great deal of time under the hood of an E36 M3, all I can say is:

/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wall.gif /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/hammer.gif /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/crazyeyes.gif /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cryin.gif (need that smilie that represents ROFL)

That said, a sub-$30K RWD 2-seater built on the Z4 platform has promise and would be a reasonably inexpensive way of increasing production at the Spartenburg plant...

 

[tomshobby]

When I purchased my TR6 it was because I wanted a car that was reasonably close to the TR4 I had. If I wanted a modern car with Triumph on the deck I could have purchased any modern car and simply glued the Triumph letters and logo on it.

 

[Guest]

I don't ... watch Triumph the Insult Dog

I resent that.

 

[Guest]

I certainly hope we never have to worry about buying a TR made by the Chinese...

That would make me puke.

I recently visited my local Chevy dealership and noticed a cool looking all-aluminum V6 crate motor sitting literally in a crate on the shop floor. Aluminum block and head. Kinda neat looking. Since the dealer was also a Toyota franchise, I assumed that this was some little Toyota engine. Wrong. It was a Chinese engine for the new Chevy Malibu. Hmmmm, Malibu beach is in California, isn't it?

 

[MadRiver]

Given the statement about FWD, I'd have to wager that it will be based on the Mini platform; I recall some chatter about that a while back. Having owned a Z4 for a *very* brief time (got rid of it for my Lotus), I can't imagine BMW doing a ton of work to take the RWD chassis and making it FWD. I'll be the first to admit that I have a general preference for English cars. It strikes me that a Triumph designed in Germany and built in Spartanburg wouldn't be an LBC, just as the new MG won't be (though at least the MGF was initially designed and built in the UK).

But who knows? Michelotti was Italian, after all.

So what makes a British car a British car? Is it just where it's built? Who owns it? Who designed it? My Lotus was designed and built in Hethel, but owned by a Malaysian company and has a Toyota engine. My Tiger's body was penned (as I recall) both by Rootes designers and an American designer who helped them for many years. The body was built by Jensen, but the V8 installation work was based on Carol Shelby's handiwork in LA, and the engine and tranny are American. And by the time the first tigers were coming off the line, Crysler owned a controlling interest in Rootes. Despite these facts, I consider both to be English cars.

My point? I guess I don't really have one. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

 

[tomshobby]

So what makes a British car a British car? Is it just where it's built? Who owns it? Who designed it? My Lotus was designed and built in Hethel, but owned by a Malaysian company and has a Toyota engine. My Tiger's body was penned (as I recall) both by Rootes designers and an American designer who helped them for many years. The body was built by Jensen, but the V8 installation work was based on Carol Shelby's handiwork in LA, and the engine and tranny are American. And by the time the first tigers were coming off the line, Crysler owned a controlling interest in Rootes. Despite these facts, I consider both to be English cars.

And Jaguar is built by Ford. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/sick.gif /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/sick.gif

 

[Guest]

My point? I guess I don't really have one. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

I fully understand....I sometimes forget why I went to the store.


Anyway, what would that make a CKD Triumph assembled in a multitude of other countries? And, does anyone know how many countries assembled Triumphs? I think Belgium, Israel, and a bunch of others.

 

[Geo Hahn]

I don't ... watch Triumph the Insult Dog

I resent that.

I stand corrected.

 

[TR3driver]

I certainly hope we never have to worry about buying a TR made by the Chinese...

That would make me puke.

Today, I'd agree. But remember what a joke Japanese cars were 40 years ago ? Today they are some of the best in the world. The same thing is happening with China, IMO.

 

[Guest]

I certainly hope we never have to worry about buying a TR made by the Chinese...

That would make me puke.

Today, I'd agree. But remember what a joke Japanese cars were 40 years ago ? Today they are some of the best in the world. The same thing is happening with China, IMO.

Without getting political, there are soooo many reasons that I am not fond of the current state of affairs with us (us being US) and China. Nuff said.

 

[Cheapsnake]

If it's fun to drive AND reliable it'll get my attention. If it has a Triumph badge on it, it gets a couple extra points for nostalgia's sake, but it'll never be the same Triumph that we're driving today. With the reliability issues that all LBC's had, BMW would have to be nuts to try to replicate and market the Triumphs we all know and love.

A big part of the love of our Triumphs is the fact that we're all masochists and there just isn't enough of us in the world anymore to justify an unreliable, temperamental, uncomfortable car that requires constant attention and only occasional driving.

 

[TR4nut]

So other than FWD, any design thoughts? I think the Mini really works because it really does remind people of an old Mini, until of course you put two of them side by side.

I'm curious what Triumph body the designers would try to update - maybe a bigger Spit (TR4 size Zest?)

If BMW were successful, it can only help the die hard Triumph gang with their original wheels.

Randy
65 TR4

 

[Guest]

A big part of the love of our Triumphs is the fact that we're all masochists and there just isn't enough of us in the world anymore to justify an unreliable, temperamental, uncomfortable car that requires constant attention and only occasional driving.

When I jump into my wife's Accord for a road trip, sometimes I forget to take my cell phone. Tisk, tisk.

When I jump into my TR6 to take a road trip, I carry a complete set of tools, many spares, all fluids, monitor every gauge routinely, listen to every burp and stumble along the way, and, take a cell phone with my tow service on speed dial.

And love every minute.

 

[Guest]

I briefly lost my Accord in the airport long-term parking lot on Saturday. The guard on duty asked if he could be of any assistance, till I told him it was a silver Accord. He said, "so is every car in this lot".

 

[Andrew Mace]

Anyway, what would that make a CKD Triumph assembled in a multitude of other countries? And, does anyone know how many countries assembled Triumphs? I think Belgium, Israel, and a bunch of others.

Possibly not a complete list, but included are: Belgium, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Malta, India, Eire (Ireland), Phillipines, Peru, Portugal and Israel. Oh, and there was at least one other Standard-Triumph-related manufacturer/assembler in Turkey....