From a private Southeastern collection
1961 Triumph TR6 Trophy
Frame no. TR6 D10557
Engine no. TR6 D10557
While 500cc may have been quite enough for the tight two-lane roads of England, America's lightly patrolled wide open spaces called for a little more oomph. For 1950 Triumph's iron-barreled twin was bored and stroked to arrive at the 649cc Thunderbird, then in 1956 the now-familiar 'Delta' alloy cylinder head was added to the package to aid in cooling. In that form the engine was installed in the new-for-'56 Trophy TR6 chassis, a dual-purpose mount inspired by American desert racers. Decidedly good looking, the Trophy was the performance leader of Triumph's lineup.
Street riders with no off-road pretensions or Steve McQueen film credits wanted in on the TR6 action too, so a low-piped, street-tired version soon became available. By 1961, the penultimate year of the pre-unit 650, this had become the TR6R Trophy Roadster, more akin to a single-carburetor Bonneville than a gulley-jumping cow-trailer.
Built December 13, 1960 and dispatched to Johnson Motors a few days later, the TR6 Roadster offered here was acquired just as it had been ridden, with the minor alterations popular at the time, so we see a bobbed rear fender, chromed shock covers, aftermarket mufflers, finned oil manifold and valve inspection caps, a recovered seat and even a brass Harley-Davidson kickstart pedal!
Saleroom notices
- Please note that the correct frame and engine numbers for this bike are for D18557 and TR6RD10557 respectively. And it is titled under its engine number.
