Triumph TR4A
Encyclopedia
The Triumph TR4A was built between 1965 and 1968 by the Triumph Motor Company
in the United Kingdom
.
The TR4A was an evolution of the TR4
, updated with a new chassis. It was hoped the new, but more complex independent rear suspension
would address the buying publics' desire for more comfortable riding sports cars. This version has an "IRS" badge on the rear. It has been estimated that 75 percent of TR4A were built with IRS. In 1965 the TR4A IRS sold in the UK for approximately £968, with wire wheels being another £36, overdrive £
51, heater £13 and seat belts £4each; it sold for just under $2500 in the US
.
In response to dealer requests, about 25 percent of TR4As were produced with a solid rear axle option (also called a live axle
), similar to the earlier TR4. The TR4A was the first vehicle to offer an option for axle type.
The new suspension eventually proved itself with the buying public and in racing, with three TR4A IRS models posting a team win and finishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd in class at the Sebring 12-hour race
of 1966.
In 1968 the TR4A was replaced by the 6-cylinder TR5
(Europe
an model with fuel injection
) and TR250
(US model with twin carburetors), both of which used the same body design.
In Q1 2011 there were approximately 789 licensed and 153 SORN
TR4A's registered with the DVLA.
cars.
Triumph Motor Company
The Triumph Motor Company was a British car and motor manufacturing company. The Triumph marque is owned currently by BMW. The marque had its origins in 1885 when Siegfried Bettmann of Nuremberg initiated S. Bettmann & Co and started importing bicycles from Europe and selling them with his own...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
The TR4A was an evolution of the TR4
Triumph TR4
The Triumph TR4 was a sports car built in the United Kingdom by the Standard Triumph Motor Company and introduced in 1961. Code named "Zest" during development, the car was based on the chassis and drivetrain of the previous TR sports cars, but with a modern Michelotti styled body. 40,253 cars...
, updated with a new chassis. It was hoped the new, but more complex independent rear suspension
Independent suspension
Independent suspension is a broad term for any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically independently of each other. This is contrasted with a beam axle, live axle or deDion axle system in which the wheels are linked – movement on one side affects...
would address the buying publics' desire for more comfortable riding sports cars. This version has an "IRS" badge on the rear. It has been estimated that 75 percent of TR4A were built with IRS. In 1965 the TR4A IRS sold in the UK for approximately £968, with wire wheels being another £36, overdrive £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
51, heater £13 and seat belts £4each; it sold for just under $2500 in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In response to dealer requests, about 25 percent of TR4As were produced with a solid rear axle option (also called a live axle
Live axle
A live axle, sometimes called a solid axle, is a type of beam axle suspension system that uses the driveshafts that transmit power to the wheels to connect the wheels laterally so that they move together as a unit....
), similar to the earlier TR4. The TR4A was the first vehicle to offer an option for axle type.
The new suspension eventually proved itself with the buying public and in racing, with three TR4A IRS models posting a team win and finishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd in class at the Sebring 12-hour race
12 Hours of Sebring
The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, a former Army Air Force base in Sebring, Florida...
of 1966.
In 1968 the TR4A was replaced by the 6-cylinder TR5
Triumph TR5
The Triumph TR5 was built for a 13 month period between August 1967 and September 1968 by the Triumph Motor Company in Coventry, England....
(Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an model with fuel injection
Fuel injection
Fuel injection is a system for admitting fuel into an internal combustion engine. It has become the primary fuel delivery system used in automotive petrol engines, having almost completely replaced carburetors in the late 1980s....
) and TR250
Triumph TR250
The Triumph TR250 was built between 1967 and 1968 for 15 months by the Triumph Motor Company in the United Kingdom, during which time approximately 8,480 cars were built, all of which were for the American market. Many can now be found outside the United States, primarily in Europe...
(US model with twin carburetors), both of which used the same body design.
In Q1 2011 there were approximately 789 licensed and 153 SORN
Sorn
Sorn is a small village in East Ayrshire, Scotland. It is situated on the River Ayr. It has a population of roughly 350. Local services include: a pub, a church, a general store, a motorbike shop and a television shop. There is also a village hall and a bowling green and primary school...
TR4A's registered with the DVLA.
Coachwork
Like the TR4, the TR4A was also available with the "Surrey Top" hard top system; a weather protection system with rigid rear section including the rear window and removable fabric section over the driver and passenger's heads. This aesthetically foreshadowed the silhouette of Targa topTarga top
Targa top, targa for short, is a semi-convertible car body style with a removable roof section and a full width roll bar behind the seats. The term was first used on the 1966 Porsche 911 Targa, and it remains a registered trademark of Porsche AG....
cars.
Specifications
- Engine: 2138 cc, 4-cylinder, 86 mm bore, 92 mm stroke, 9:1 compression ratio, 104 bhp. The long stroke give this engine much of its torque. Standard inline-four engine wikipedia linkStandard inline-four engineThe Standard Motor Company 2,088 cc straight-4 engine was a petrol engine widely used for their passenger cars of the 1950s, most notably the Standard Vanguard. It was originally developed as an engine for Ferguson tractors....
- Turning circle: 10.1 m (33 ft)
- Capacities:
- Fuel tank: 53.4 l (112.85 US pt)
- Engine sump: 6.2 l (13.1 US pt)
- GearboxManual transmissionA manual transmission, also known as a manual gearbox or standard transmission is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...
: 0.85 l (1.8 US pt)- Acceleration in top:
- 30 mile per hour: 8 s
- 40 mile per hour: 8 s
- 60 mile per hour: 11 s