c.1911 Triumph 3½hp
Registration no. XC 733
Frame no. illegible
Engine no. 13065

The first Triumph motorcycle of 1902 used a Belgian Minerva engine but within a few years the Coventry firm building its own power units. 'Triumph' soon became a byword for reliability. The company was soon involved in racing, and the publicity generated by competition success - Jack Marshall won the 1908 Isle of Man TT's single-cylinder class for Triumph having finished 2nd the previous year - greatly stimulated sales. By the outbreak of The Great War, the marque's reputation for quality and reliability was well established, leading to substantial orders for 'Trusty Triumphs' for British and Allied forces. The 3½hp model first appeared in 1907. Originally of 453cc, its sidevalve engine was enlarged to 476cc in 1908 and finally to 499cc in 1910 before being superseded by the 4hp model in 1914. 'XC 733' was acquired for the collection in 1993 and is offered for either restoration or 'oily rag' re-commissioning. The accompanying V5C registration document records the date of original registration as 19th March 1921, this being shortly after the introduction of the Roads Act of 1920, which required local councils to register all vehicles at the time of licensing and to allocate a separate number to each. (Many vehicles, although in existence for several years in some cases, were only registered for the first time after the Act's passing).