History question - Standard-Triumph of Belgium

[Sherlock]

Just trying to pick your brains a bit...

Via that article in the Triumph World I previously mentioned here I'm now curious about the history of Imperia, in particular their history of assembling Standard and Triumph cars as CKD kits.

Here's what I know via that article:

- Imperia started assembling Standard's in 1946, and the Vanguard in 1948
- One interesting offspring of their Vanguard assembly was a 2-door convertible version that they designed
- They assembled a small number of Triumph sports cars but mostly Standard sedan models
- They designed the aforementioned Triumph TR2 Francorps coupe (about 22 or 25 built)
- Around 1956 they started having troubles and assembly slowed down, by 1958 they were out of business

Anyone else have any information that would either support what is stated above, perhaps correct some information, or provide additional information.

Reason... thought it would be a great idea for an article if I can find the suitable resources and information to back it up. And of course I will do the standard Google search tonight, in the meantime...

Thanks!

 

[Trevor Triumph]

Two things... Is that an AMC AMX in the picture? There must have been as assembly plant in Belgium in the sixties because I have a 1966 Spitfire MkII with a number that denotes a Belgian car. I had read in a Spitfire history book that some factories in Europe were used to satisfy the continental demand and some cars were sent to America. I looked at the speedometer off and on for years before I realized that it was marked in kilometers! T.T.

 

[Sherlock]

Yes... that is an AMC AMX in my signature, a neat picture I took at a recent car show, was able to get a different angle on it... (just one of many pictures in my collection of pictures).

Spitfire, Belgium... According to that same article (in a sidebar) after Imperia went out of business in 1958, there was Belgian assembly of Standard-Triumph products into the 1970's, but it didn't say much about that as the focus of the article was the TR2 Francorchamps.

 

[Francorchamps]

Hello,
Apart from producing Standards, triumphs, they also assemled Alfa Romeo 1900 4dr coupe and concertibles. Furthermore they build Büssing trucks and busses. All this because the Imperia make was not surviving after the 2nd WW, all these make were just there to fill up the gap in the production capacity of the factory. In the end they only assembled (CKD) vanguard and Triumphs. The factory
slosed down in 1957. In 1958, Triumph opened their own
new factory in Mechelen. TR3A , 4,4A,5,6 until 1974 ,
Then Leyland moved to Seneffe, towards an new modern plant
where they produced the uglyest and worst cars they ever made, like morris marina, and others.