Triumph 2500 TC. An affordable classic

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Purchasing classics there

To begin with, the Triumph 2000 a conventional, rear-wheel drive, mid-sized car. This one Triumphs were made between 1963 and 1977. And they were serious cars. You could be seen with it. Also quite often in the garage and with a breakdown by the way. We loved this one Triumph 2500TC.

The six-player of Vanguard

The 2000 used the six-cylinder engine first used in the Standard Vanguard in the late 1960s. The last of the straight-six Vanguards had a compression ratio of 8,0: 1, while Triumph the increasing availability of fuels with a higher octane rating could increase compression. This, and the installation of two Stromberg 150 CD carburettors, made the Triumph 90, instead of the 80 horsepower the Vanguard delivered.

Overdrive as an option

The standard transmission was a four-speed manual gearbox: overdrive and Borg-Warner Type 35 three-speed automatic transmission were options. The self-supporting body had independent coil spring suspension all around. The power-assisted brakes were disc brakes at the front and drums at the rear.
TriumphThe 2000's competed with the Rover P6 2000, which was initially only offered with a four-cylinder engine. That Rover was released in October 1963, just a week before the Triumph.

Design by Michelotti

Designed by Michelotti, the Triumph a slightly longer wheelbase and slightly wider, with a correspondingly more spacious interior than its rival. Together, the Rover and the Triumph a new market in the UK: Affordable automobiles with an impressive level of comfort and luxury previously associated with the larger, more expensive Rover and Jaguar models, but with lower running costs and lower purchase prices.

In October 1968 the 2.5 PI (petrol-injection) was launched, equipped with a Lucas Automotive mechanical fuel injection system. Performance was very good, but the PI models (along with the TR6 models) gained a bad reputation for their unreliability and high fuel consumption.

The Mk 1969 range was launched in October 2. The front of the car had the lines of the Triumph Stag. There were 2000 cc entry-level models, but the rest of the range consisted of 2500, 2500 TC and 2500 PI models. Apart from the PI (petrol injection) models, all had Triumph 2000 and 2500 engines twin Stromberg or SU carburettors. The 'TC' suffix on some models may seem misleading in this regard as it stood for a higher trim level. In June 1975, the 2500S model with 14-inch wheels and anti-roll bar was added: it replaced the 2.5PI that had quietly disappeared from showrooms two months earlier. This marked the end of the fuel injection engines for the car, but improved acceleration was claimed for the twin carburettor 2500S and its slightly cheaper Triumph 2500 TC brother. These new versions were improved on many points (points), the most important of which concerned the wheel suspension.

End of story

For the Mk 2, the last big one Triumphcar, the curtain fell in 1977. It was replaced by the Rover SD1. The last production car, a 2500S station wagon (BOL87V), is kept at the Heritage Motor Center.

The big Triumphs now

There are quite a few of these Triumphs made. There are very few of them left. The teething problems will be resolved with the specimens now offered. But age ailments may have taken its place. It is funny that you do not have to pay a world price for such a rare car. And that there is the Triumph 2500 TC from Zelhem what work is needed? Sander Buitink turns his hands with his palms upwards: “That's what the price is too”. That's how it is.

Also read:
- Rover 2000 P6 S2 convertible
- Triumph TR. Old fashioned tasty sports car fun
- Mid-range saloons of Triumph. The Dolomite and its predecessors
- On the road with the Triumph Dolomite 1850 from Nan Beers
- Law enforcement Triumph TR4 also with the police

 

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9 comments

  1. This is my old car. Unfortunately, someone steered too wide with reversing, so dent. Then an Ahlmann Shovel gave off its color in that same spot, again not with me behind the wheel. There is also a scratch on that same panel from a key from someone with a black Opel Corsa…..
    Unfortunately I had to sell this car because of finances at the time.

    It was my best car ever!

  2. @ coolm.

    It is not the octane number but the 'octane number' that indicates that the fuel behaves in terms of knock resistance as if it were a mixture of iso octane and heptane.
    E.g. a mixing ratio of 95% isooctane and 5% heptane. That was once…. now this is achieved with all kinds of additives and not with the determination of the content of isooctane. Then there is still a difference in the indications MON and RON
    At MON (Motor Octane Number) it is determined in a test engine. At RON (Research Octane Number) the widely used designation, in a laboratory. All in all, the fuels have not become more suitable for the older engines….

  3. I bought a 2500 TC from 1976, registration 1978, new with almost 300.000 km. behind the wheels. It is indeed a very nice car to drive, especially for tall people.
    In 2005, together with a sheet metal worker, I stripped the car, sandblasted it and provided it with a better primer, zinc spray and finally the original color paint.
    I dare say that it is now in much better body condition than when it came out of the factory.
    Engine is still in good condition; the gearbox is not completely silent anymore, but still shifts fine. The only problem is that the gaskets start to sweat a bit. The car is now only sent on the road in good weather. For years he has driven us with our caravan through Europe without any problems.

    • Okay, octane number. Yet another article worth reading. I myself was able to save my GT6 Mk 3 with a donor 2 L engine from one Triumph 2000. Overhaul, convert crankcase and SU carbs and go!

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