1. Triumph Renown.
The "Razor edge"-styled Renown actually began life, in 1946, as the Triumph 1800 Town and Country saloon, powered by a 1776cc four-cylinder engine, one that buyers of the pre-war Standard Flying Fourteen were very familiar with. The 1800 was produced until 1949, before undergoing a modest re-vamp that saw the Vanguard's 2088cc engine find a place under the car's bonnet, the car now being referred to as the TDA-series Triumph 2000.
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The 2000 was but a stop-gap until the new Renown, model code TDB, was fully ready for production. Although visually very similar to the previous model, matters beneath the Renown Mk1's skin were very different. A new chassis featured, based heavily on the Vanguard's, and coil springing up front improved the ride for the car's occupants. All in, including Purchase Tax, the 75mph Renown would cost its owner 991 GBP to buy. The car sold in this guise until an update in 1952. The car shown below, registration MCD 32, is a 1952 car, first registered in Brighton.
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1952 would see the introduction of the Mk2 TDC variant, benefiting from the longer (+3 inches) wheelbase that hitherto had only been available to buyers of the (1951 - 1954) Limousine version. The first three photographs to appear on this page were all sent over by Gregor Murbach, they turned up in a collection of photographs that he's inherited, and date to 1953, so the car shown was only a year or so old at the time of being captured on film. The car positively glistens in all the photographs. In the first pair, the Triumph is shown parked in a suburban driveway, note the glistening RAC members' badge, fitted to the grille, and the stylish radiator mascot. The presence of a roof-mounted aerial points to the car's owner enjoying music on the move, perhaps the latest numbers by Frankie Laine, Bing Crosby, or Doris Day for example, all artists who enjoyed great success in the year of this car's registration, 1952.
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The second photo was quite likely taken at the same time as that shown before, although here it was taken from a low-down vantage point. Clearly this was a cherished motor-car. While the 1949-on Triumph Mayflower looks a little gawky from some angles, to my eyes the larger Renown is a very handsome machine and carries off its "razor edge" styling very well, echoing as it does contemporary designs seen exiting many a coachbuilder's premises in the post-war years. The Renown's distinctive bodywork was a product of coachbuilder Mulliner's of Birmingham.
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The last of Gregor's photographs sees the car parked at the side of a rural road, possibly during a trip to France in 1953. Not for this motorist sitting on a blanket, munching on a Spam sandwich. Evidently the taking of food was to be done as comfortably as possible, utilising proper cutlery and crockery for the job. While seating at luncheon would have been preferable, I'm not sure that folding chairs would have fitted into the Triumph's modestly-sized boot area. The thought of dining whilst sat in the car, and the attendant risk of spreading crumbs around the no-doubt cared-for interior that this would have introduced, most likely did not sit well with this careful owner's approach to car ownership.
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Note the sturdy construction of the bootlid - did it incorporate a toolkit I wonder? This rear three-quarter view also affords a better glimpse at the Renown's unusual combination of curved and angular lines.
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I'm grateful to Gregor for allowing me to share these photographs on the site. Does anyone know what became of MCD 32?
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2. A different "razor edge" Triumph.
I've had this photograph for many years, and while in itself it's hardly a top-drawer photo, I think it's sufficiently interesting to include here. Evidently it's another example of the "razor edge" look, but quite which model it is I can't be 100% sure. There are no notes to shed light on where this 1950s' scene was photographed. Note the style of radiator cap fitted to this example, quite plain when compared to that shown in Gregor's photographs, and indeed fitted to the Renown featured below.
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Overall though, an interesting picture although it's a shame about the tree!
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3. A Renown "en France".
Adrian kindly emailed over a selection of pre- and post-war motoring photographs, all found in family albums. Included was this, a snapshot taken in France, a regular destination of his Grandparents, during a holiday there in 1951. The car is in truly immaculate condition. Beneath the nearside windscreen wiper is a sheet of paper with a number on it. Is it an entrant's number, and if so for what - a parade? or perhaps a concours d'elegance? It could well explain the car's gleaming coachwork. The LXV 827 registration plate confirms that it was registered early in 1951, so was quite young when pressed into service for this continental road trip.
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The car sports early examples of both AA and RAC member's badges. Above the car's registration plate is an emblem for Niagara Falls, while on the radiator grille there resides a badge for the AAA, or American Automobile Association. Great photo Adrian, thanks for passing it over.
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Visit page 17 in the vintage gallery, or return to the gallery's main index page.
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