Triumph TR5

Triumph TR5
Triumph TR5

The Triumph TR5 wis biggit for a 13 month period atween August 1967 an September 1968 bi the Triumph Motor Company in Coventry, Unitit Kinrick.[1]

Visually identical tae the Michelotti styled TR4[2], the TR5 hid the main differences unner the body, an the maist significant o thir wis the ingine. The TR5 boastit a 2.5 litre straucht 6 fuel injectit ingine developin aroond 150 bhp (112 kW. This ingine wis carried forrit tae the TR6.

At the time, fuel injection (or PI petrol injection, as it wis whiles cried back then) wis uncommon in road caurs. Sae muckle sae that Triumph claimed in thair sales brochure that it wis the "First Breetish production sports caur wi petrol injection - PI".[3][4] This ingine coud propel the TR5 frae 0 tae 50 mph (80 km/h) in juist 6.5 seconds, an on tae a tap speed o 125 mph (201 km/h).[3] Road tests at the time got slichtly different performance figures:[5]

  Sports Car Warld
October 1968 		Cars & Car Conversions
September 1968 		Motor
Mey 4, 1968
0-50 mph (80 km/h) 6.2 s 6.4 s 6.3 s
Top Speed 118 mph (190 km/h) 112 mph (180 km/h) 117 mph (188 km/h)

Standard equipment includit front disc brakes, independent rear suspension, rack an pinion steering an a fower speed gearbox. The available optional extras includit overdrive, wire wheels an a haurd tap wi detachable ruif panel - kent as the 'Surrey Tap'.

In 1968, the basic price o the TR5 in the UK wis £1,260 includin taxes, wi wire wheels bein anither £38, owerdrive £60 an a tonneau civer anither £13.[4]

The TR5 wis produced in sma nummers when compared wi the later TR6, wi juist 2,947 units produced - the first caur bein assembled on 29 August 1967 an the last on 19 September 1968. O thir, 1,161 wur destined for the UK mercat[6], the remainder bein LHD TR5s an goin tae Fraunce, Belgium an Germany amangst ithers. In a seemilar period 8,484 TR250s wur biggit for the U.S mercat.[1] At the end o 2007, thare wur approximately 500 TR5s registered in the UK wi the DVLA.[7]

The TR250, biggit durin the same period for the North American mercat, wis nearly identical tae the TR5. But, acause o price pressures an emission regulations the TR250 wis fittit wi twin Zenith-Stromberg carburettors rather than the Lucas fuel injection seestem, an teuk 10.6 seconds tae get tae 60 mph (97 km/h) .[2][8]

A curious featur o the TR5/Lucas petrol injection seestem wis the very frequent occurrence o an intermittent pouer failure when the fuel tank wis nae mair nor a quarter full. In order tae provide fresh fuel at the distributor, free frae owerheatin/soak, unuised fuel wis returned back tae the tank whaur it entered very close tae the heich pressure fuel pump. When the fuel level fell ablo critical (aboot 3 gallons), sloshing wad cause the pump tae pick up a slichtly aerated mixture which wis sent tae the fuel distributor. Unused fuel (still aerated) then passed back tae the tank an wis discharged close tae the pump, a proportion o it bein picked up an recycled tae the distributor. As this cycle wis repeated, gradually the volume o air in the pumped fuel reached a level whaur it began tae affect the running o the ingine. Adding as little as ane gallon tae the tank seemed tae cure the problem which did nae manifest itself on the similarly engined contemporary saloon.

  1. ↑ a b Original Triumph TR, Bill Piggott, ISBN 1-870979-24-9
  2. ↑ a b TR for Triumph, Chris Harvey, ISBN 0-902280-94-5
  3. ↑ a b Original UK sales brochure, 387/168/UK
  4. ↑ a b Motor Magazine, 4 May 1968, Volume 133, Number 3437
  5. ↑ Triumph TR4, TR5, TR250. R.M.Clarke. ISBN 0-948207-53-1
  6. ↑ Triumph TR4,5,6, Michael Richards, ISBN 0-85429-816-9
  7. ↑ "DVLA anonymised data providers". Archived frae the original on 7 Julie 2009. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
  8. ↑ Road and Track Magazine, December 1967