1. Triumph Super Seven saloon.
The three stud wheels, the shape of the radiator, and the angular lines of the bonnet confirm this car as being a Triumph Super Seven, the firm's rival in the small-car market to the ever-popular Austin 7, and the pre-war Morris Minor. This particular Super Seven was registered in the Hastings area. A note on the back reads: "This was our first effort in the car line". A pair of non-standard badges adorn the radiator, and curiously despite being a saloon, the road tax disc is housed externally, in a motorcycle-style holder, rather than behind the screen. As with many Super Sevens, the front registration plate is square, surrounding the starter hole, rather than the usual rectangular affair.
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The Triumph Super Seven was launched in 1927, fitted with a 7.9hp 832cc sidevalve engine and three speed gearbox. Unlike the small Austin, the Triumph featured hydraulic brakes. During the Super Seven's production run, a number of visual changes were introduced, helping to date cars such as that shown in the photo above. Until late 1929 the cars featured a rad surround similar in style to the larger models in the range, whereas from late '29 to late '31 they came as standard with the "ribbon" style of radiator, as on the car here. The final cars had a radiator that incorporated a fluted design, as can be seen on this preserved Super Seven tourer, seen at Tatton Park show. In 1933 the car underwent a series of revisions, and the Super Seven became the Super Eight.
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2. Super Seven tourer.
Now, three original photographs from my own collection, all featuring an early Triumph Super Seven tourer of 1927, or thereabouts. First photograph in this trio dates to 2nd August 1931. A less-than-ecstatic lady is stood to the rear of the car, while a young child can be seen behind the wheel. At first glance I didn't spot the large black dog sat in the back, but his tongue is a giveaway. This particular Triumph sports an interesting radiator mascot - not unlike animated character Betty Boop, who first made her appearance in August 1930.
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Photograph number 2 in this set was again taken on August 2nd, at the same location, but this time presumably the photographer was the lady shown above. A dapper gent, wearing appropriate headgear for a 1920s motorist, stands proudly alongside his diminutive Triumph. Note how the nearside sidescreens are in position, while the offside have been removed - presumably for the photograph.
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The last of these three images is perhaps the most interesting. It was taken a few days later, on August 6th 1931, en route to - or in - Queensferry. Which Queensferry though isn't clear - perhaps the Queensferry close to Edinburgh, or maybe the town of that name in Clwyd, North Wales? Two ladies are seated in the Triumph's rear compartment, no doubt relieved to have a break from hanging on to their hats. The car's roof is folded, and the dog has been promoted to the front passenger seating area.
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In the background, daubed in camouflage, is a WW1-era aircraft hangar. I wonder where this photograph was taken?
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3. An 8hp Triumph saloon.
This next shot, taken from an old album, is titled "Going home - Bruce's 8hp Triumph", as technically the Super 7 was actually rated at 7.9HP so nearer being an 8hp than a 7hp. The final cars - produced in 1933 and 1934 - were actually re-named as Super 8s. The style of radiator on the Triumph shown below ties in with cars produced between late 1929 to late 1931. As with the first car on this page, it features a square number plate, with the starting handle hole passing through the centre. Also note, the small petrol can shaped to fit on the offside front wing as it drops down to the running board.
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The second photo on this page includes a lady looking slightly down-in-the-mouth, and the lady stood to the right in this next picture is hardly beaming from ear-to-ear either. Parked behind the Triumph, a Liverpool-registered Lea-Francis tourer.
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4. Super 7 tourer.
Occasionally interesting old photos get posted to OCC's Facebook page, and the following is one of them. Llewelyn posted this photo belonging to a friend of his, in the hope that the compact two-seater might be identified. Enough clues were present to confirm that it's a Triumph, most likely another example of a Super 7. Having sought permission to include this old snap on the site, it now joins the previously-posted original photos, featuring both tourer and saloon-car versions.
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This was clearly a well-used example, and was looking particularly grimy at the time of this photo being taken. Perhaps it had just completed a particularly long and/or arduous journey, and its owner wished to make a souvenir of the trip by grabbing his trusty film camera, and recorded the moment for posterity.
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This fine old photo also records that motorists were a hardy bunch in those days, many of whom had started out their life on wheels with motorcycles, perhaps with a sidecar attached, before upgrading to one of the low-cost (relatively), small-engined motor-cars that the likes of Austin, Morris, Singer, Triumph and others had put on the market during the 1920s and 1930s, in a bid to claim their slice of this lively corner of the market. No satellite navigation, self-parking, air-conditioning, or other in-car fripperies for them, just a draughty (usually leaky) folding hood, one or two add-on rear view mirror(s), and if you were lucky, pop-up semaphore turn signals. A heater would have been luxury motoring indeed for the 7hp/8hp car owner back then, many of whom were obliged to drain their car's coolant (water) every evening during winter months to prevent icing up of the engine's waterways, in the days before the mass uptake of anti-freeze. Starting by handle was often the norm, and roadside "get you home" repairs were familiar territory to most motorists.
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Return to Old Car Photos section, Page No. 10.
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