The Triumph Tiger 80 is a British

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

first made by

Triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

from 1937. There was also a 250cc Tiger 70 and a 500cc Tiger 90. Production of the Tiger ended with the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and never resumed after the Triumph works at Priory Street in

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

were completely destroyed during

The Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

in 1940 by heavy

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

bombing.

Development

Triumph had been losing money during the great depression of the 1930s and decided to concentrate on car production. However;

Ariel Motorcycles Ariel Motorcycles was a British maker of bicycles and then motorcycles in Bournbrook, Birmingham. It was an innovator in British motorcycling, part of the Ariel marque. The company was sold to BSA in 1951 but the brand survived until 1967. Inf ...

Managing Director

Jack Sangster John Young Sangster (29 May 1896 – 26 March 1977) was a British industrialist and philanthropist. He was an important figure in the British motorcycle industry, where he was involved with Ariel, BSA and Triumph. Early life Sangster was born ...

had brought his company back into the black with the

Ariel Square Four The Square Four is a motorcycle produced by Ariel between 1931 and 1959, designed by Edward Turner, who devised the Square Four engine in 1928. At this time he was looking for work, showing drawings of his engine design to motorcycle manufactur ...

and was persuaded by its designer Edward Turner to take over Triumph. In 1935, Sangster appointed Turner to run the Triumph motorcycle division. Turner designed a new range of lightweight singles which were marketed as the Tiger 70, 80, and 90, with the model number representing the top speed and they sold well, enabling the company to break even in the first year and making a good profit the next, re-establishing Triumph. The company went on to become one of Britain's most successful motorcycle firms. The pre-war Tigers had distinctive chrome tanks and silver side panels. When

broke out in 1939, the Tiger was developed into the military Triumph 3HW model. The Triumph works was destroyed by German bombers on the night of 14 November 1940 – along with much of the city of

bringing production of the Tiger 80 to an end. When Triumph recovered and began production again at Meriden, only the Tiger 100 survived in the new production line. The historic Tiger name was revived by the new Hinckley Triumph company in 1994.

Maudes Trophy Trial

Harold "Harry" Perrey was a

motorcycle trials Motorcycle trials, also known as observed trials, often called simply trial/s (with or without the plural "s"), is a non-speed event on specialized motorcycles. The sport is most popular in the United Kingdom and Spain, though there are participan ...

rider and the Competitions Manager at Ariel during the 1930s and responsible for sporting events to promote Ariel's motorcycle sales. In 1937, Jack Sangster asked Perrey to create a promotional event for Triumph and he devised a three-hour, high speed race for the three Tiger singles around

Donington Park Donington Park is a motorsport circuit located near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England. The circuit business is now owned by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation, and the surrounding Donington Park Estate, still owned b ...

race track, followed the next day by a maximum speed lap of the

Brooklands Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's first airfields, ...

circuit. The motorcycles used were a Tiger 70, 80, and 90 from local Triumph dealerships and not specially race prepared. The Brooklands results for the Tiger 80, which was ridden by Allan Jefferies was an average speed of 74.68 mph.

Museum exhibits

The

London Motorcycle Museum London Motorcycle Museum displayed a range of over 150 classic and British motorcycles. It closed in October 2019, partly due to inability to meet the running costs. A charitable trust, it opened in May 1999 at Oldfield Lane South, Greenford, ...

has a 1938 Triumph Tiger 80 on display and the

Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum The Solvang Vintage Motorcycle Museum is a 'Collector's Collection' museum in Solvang, California, United States. The museum was founded in March 2000 by Virgil Elings, a local retiree and a collector of motorcycles. The museum's collection inclu ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

has a fully restored 1939 model.

References

External links

1939 Triumph Tiger 80 Factory Brochure

{{Triumph motorcycles Meriden Tiger 80