British registration papers

Chassis no. TS 5202

- Works car
- FIA HTP valid until 2026
- Well documented, known history

Founded by Siegfried Bettmann in 1885, Triumph initially manufactured bicycles at Coventry in England. It was only in 1921 that Triumph took a closer interest in cars, when it bought the car maker Dawson. It produced its first car in 1923. At the end of the Second World War, only the name was left of Triumph, after Coventry had been the target of German bombings. Bought by Sir John Black, managing director of the Standard Motor Company, the English company would go on to see the beginning of the TR - for Triumph Roadster - story.
With a sporty character, but economical to run, the TR2 soon became a benchmark in the market. A private team, moreover, achieved a very respectable 15th place at the Le Mans 24 Hours race. This result encouraged the factory to enter three TR2s officially the following year, at the 1955 Le Mans 24 Hours race. A fourth works car headed for the Sarthe as a spare car; this was the one registered ‘PKV 693’.

Two months before Le Mans, ‘PKV 693’ was entered in a race at Oulton Park organised by the Bentley Drivers’ Club. The same year, the editor of Autosport magazine, Gregor Grant, competed in the 7th Tulip Rally with the Triumph TR2, which was given the number 26. Of the 207 entries, 163 cars reached the finish after driving 3000km (1860 miles) across Europe. The British crew finished 42nd overall. Later, in 1957, Mike Hurn became the owner of the Triumph. An enthusiastic amateur racer, he occasionally drove his old Aston Martin International before this made way for the newer TR2. Driving the Triumph, Hurn regularly competed in minor regional events at the circuits at Aintree, Brands Hatch, Oulton Park and Silverstone. The car also raced at Goodwood in 1958, bearing the number 44, as can be seen from the period photograph in this catalogue. ‘PKV 693’ continued to compete in regional and non-championship races until the end of the decade.
The car’s original ‘continuation book’ enables us to follow its succession of English owners through the 1960s and ‘70s.
The TR2 remained in England and changed hands several times, before turning up during the 2000s at the specialist Fender-Broad Racing, who completely restored the car. In 2008, Neil Fender entered ‘PKV 693’ in the Tulip Rally revival event, 53 years after it first took part! It again formed part of the works team, alongside the TR2 which was registered at the time ‘OVC 276’. Fender continued to enter the car in competition, taking part in the 2012 edition of Le Mans Classic, in grid 2, where it was placed 12th in the index of performance. In 2014, Fender/Broad returned to Le Mans, where they achieved a noteworthy 9th place overall in race 3 for grid 2, outpaced by - among others - the more powerful Jaguar C-Type and XK 120s. That same year, Fender was invited to take part in the Goodwood Road Racing Club (GRRC) Members’ Meeting, and he naturally chose to drive his Triumph TR2.
‘PKV 693’ was then sold to its current owner, a French collector with a particular penchant for competition cars which had raced in period. He competed with it at Le Mans Classic in 2016 and 2018, both times in grid 2. Well documented, this works TR2 will be sold today with an engine specially prepared for motorsport as well as its original engine. Eligible for the most prestigious historic motorsport events and with an HTP valid until 2026, this famous TR2 asks only to have some new results added to its record in competition!

Aguttes – Auction House in Paris
The Autumn Sale 2020 / 13th of December

Public Viewing:
On appointment only

Contact: +33 1 47 45 93 01 / [email protected]

The Auction Sale:
Sunday 13 December: 15:00 PM

Aguttes
164 bis avenue Charles de Gaullle
92 200 Neuilly-sur-Seine

For more information:
Contact: +33 1 47 45 93 01 / +33 6 16 91 42 28 / [email protected]

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