Triumph TR's? Triumph 2000 Roadster Was the Real Pioneer

Filed in archive British Cars on December 19, 2007

Before the familiar Triumph "TR" series of sports cars appeared in North America a small number of sporting automobiles carrying the iconic UK badge startled a public who'd never seen anything but decidedly unsporting domestic autos. The Triumph 2000 Roadster was, by comparison, low and compact, featured characterful styling that mixed pre-war concepts with the new, and in spite of being a 2-seater included what the Brits called a "dickie seat" and we called a "rumble seat," providing space for two small passengers complete with their own pop-up windshield.

My first exposure to a Triumph 2000 came when an older buddy named Bill Petersen, who'd begun a successful career in advertising, introduced his to the streets of Toronto. Totally new to me for I'd never seen a sports car, had no idea what ad agencies did to make a living. (Years later I'd be racing sports cars and creating TV commercials for agency employers.) Vintage reviews show the 2000 Roadster to be rather slow and not as sporting as one might expect but for me it opened my eyes to another world. Someone else agreed, sufficiently captivated to pay $38,500 at last January's "Barrett-Jackson" auction in Scottsdale. Thanks to Sports Car Market for highlighting this sale as "one of 2007's 10-best-buys".