1962 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 was based on the chassis and drivetrain of the previous TR sportscars, but with a modern Michelotti styled body. Image File history File links Triumph TR4 62 This work is copyrighted. ... Image File history File links Triumph TR4 62 This work is copyrighted. ... Honda NSX sports car TVR Tuscan sports car New style 2005 Ford Mustang Ruf RGT Vector W8 A sports car is a type of automobile designed for sporting performance. ... 1961 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Giovanni Michelotti (1921-1980) was one of the most prolific designers of sports cars in the 20th century. ...

The new TR4 body style did away with the classical cutaway door design of the previous TRs to allow for roll-up windows (in place of less convenient side-curtains), and the angular rear allowed a boot (trunk) with considerable capacity for a sports car. Other key improvements included wider track front and rear, slightly larger standard engine displacement, full synchromesh on all forward gears, and rack & pinion steering.

Advanced features included the first use of adjustable fascia ventilation in a production car and the option of a unique hard top that consisted of a fixed glass rear window (called a backlight) with an integral rollbar and a detachable, steel centre panel (aluminum for the first 500 units). This was the first such roof system on a production car and preceded by 5 years the Porsche 911/912 Targa, which has since become a generic name for this style of top. Confusingly, fascia is used for two completely different things in the automotive world. ... A 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS A 1977 Porsche 911s Targa The Porsche 911 is a famous and distinctive sportscar made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. ... Targa top body style Targa top, or targa for short, is a semi-convertible car body style with a removable roof section and a full width roll bar behind the seats. ...

On TR4 the rigid roof panel was replaceable with an easily folded and stowed vinyl insert and supporting frame called a Surrey Top. The entire hard top assembly is often mistakenly referred to as a "Surrey Top". In original factory parts catalogs the rigid top and backlight assembly is listed as the "Hard Top" kit. The vinyl insert and frame are offered separately as a "Surrey Top".

Features such as roll-up windows were seen as a necessary step forward to meet competition and achieve good sales in the important US market, where the vast majority of TR4s were eventually sold. But dealers had concerns buyers might not fully appreciate the new amenities. So a special short run of TR3A (often called TR3"B") were produced in 1961 and '62.

Despite dealer concerns, the TR4 proved very successful and continued the rugged, hairy-chested image that the previous TRs had enjoyed. It became a celebrated rally car in Europe and the UK during early to mid-sixties. In America, TR4 also saw a number of racing successes, even winning an SCCA class championship as late as 1991.

In 1965, the TR4A with IRS or independent rear suspension superseded the TR4. The Triumph TR4A was built between 1965 and 1968 by the Triumph Motor Company in the United Kingdom. ... An Independent Suspension is an automobile suspension system that allows the wheels on an axle to move independent of each other. ...