Triumph’s Missing Link, dating back to a 1901 creation.
Celebrating the 120th anniversary of the British manufacturer, the brand’s biggest collector has revealed the existence of documents that prove the originality of this model a century ago.
Dick Shepherd, the world’s largest collector of Triumph motorcycles, did not want to be left out of the celebration of 120 years of the British brand. For this reason, he made a surprising discovery that rewrote the history books: he found and restored a prototype from 1901. An advertisement and some press reviews are said to have a set production start date. This unit is nothing more than an experiment to study the interests of potential customers. Developed from a standard bike and engine from Belgian manufacturer Minerva, the bike finally cleared all doubts. According to Shepherd, the prototype came to him through a recently disappeared friend: “I was extremely excited as the bike featured some details that had not been seen on early production Triumph Motorcycles units. In addition, this person had in his possession a letter from Triumph, dated 1937, that described the origins of the unit and provided some key details,” said Dick S.
“The fact that the engine number matches Minerva’s records for its first collaboration with Triumph in 1901 gives the prototype undoubted historical significance,” commented the collector. Dick also stated: “As a lifelong enthusiast of the history and achievements of this incredible brand, discovering this true fossil and restoring it to the same condition in which it was first displayed in 1901 gave me immense satisfaction. “.
The 1901 prototype was unveiled at the recent British Motorcycle Live Show, before being moved to the company’s Hinkley Triumph factory. This historic motorcycle is on display in a new room designed to commemorate the brand’s 120th anniversary. There, she was accompanied by the one-millionth Triumph produced since the company’s modern era began in 1983: a Tiger 900 Rally Pro emblazoned to commemorate the moment.
Tiger 900 (1981):
References Text and Photos: noticias.autocosmos.com.mx