1952 Triumph 500cc Tiger 100
Registration no. VYS 601
Frame no. 32513 (see text)
Engine no. T100C 32513 (see text)

The Tiger 100 sports version of Triumph's trend-setting Speed Twin was launched in 1938, reappearing in 1946 with telescopic forks in place of the original girders, and separate dynamo and magneto instead of the original's magdyno. A die-cast alloy cylinder head and barrel were adopted for 1951, these and other engine improvements boosting power to 32bhp. For Tiger owners who wished to go racing, Triumph offered a kit of performance parts that included high-compression pistons, 'hot' cams, up-rated valve springs, twin carburettors, megaphone exhausts, etc. For 1953 the kit was dropped but most of the parts found their way onto a new competition-orientated production model: the T100C, produced for that year only. According to the VMCC's records, Tiger 100 with frame/engine number '32513' was despatched from the factory on 10th September 1952 but there is no indication on the records that this was a T100C model. It should also be noted that both the frame and engine numbers appear to have been over-stamped. Originally supplied by W L Handley Ltd of Birmingham, 'VYS 601' has been owned by the vendor's late father since December 1996 and was last MoT'd/taxed for the road in 2005, since when it has been in storage. Offered in need of re-commissioning, the machine comes with purchase receipt, various old MoTs, tax discs and SORNs, and old/current Swansea V5/V5C documents. Also on file is what appears to be an engine specification sheet listing such items as E3134 cams, 'R' followers, lightened cam wheels, etc but it is not known whether the engine was actually built to this specification.