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The Motorcycle Tour Specialists
The Triumph of Triumph
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History
sometimes throws up some strange truths, no more so than that which tells
us, that the most British of motorcycles owes its existence to a German. One
Seigfried Bettmann, an immigrant from Nuremberg, began a company named the
‘S.Betmann & Co. Import Export Agency’ in London in 1884. As an ambitious 20
year old, Bettmann bought and sold bicycles and imported sewing machines
from Germany. In 1886, when he changed the name of the company to the
‘Triumph Cycle Company’, a name synonymous with British bikes was born. A
further name change along with financial backing from Dunlop a year later,
saw the birth of the ‘New Triumph Co. Ltd’. Another significant development
of that same year was the arrival of fellow countryman Moritz Schulte.
With encouragement and capital from Schulte, Bettman purchased a site in
Coventry, and in 1889, began building the first bicycles to carry the
Triumph badge, but it wasn’t until 1902 that the marquee was attached to a
motorcycle. This first motorbike was in fact a bicycle fitted with a Belgian
engine. In 1903, as production rose to more than 500 units, Triumph began
building machines in their German factory. At the outset, the company built
motorbikes based on models from other manufacturers, however, in 1904/5
Triumph came up with their own design which reached sales of 250.
When production topped 1,000, the company opened a larger factory and
launched the ‘Gloria’ brand, aimed at the lower end of the market. At this
time, a decision was made to rebrand the German made motorbikes as ‘Orial’.
Unfortunately, ‘Orial’ already existed in France, so the company became ‘TWN’;
‘Triumph Werke Nurnberg’.
As so often happens, conflict brings dividends to some, and Triumph
flourished during the First World War, supplying in excess of 30,000 units
to the allies. It was at this time that the Model H Roadster gained its tag
of ‘The Trusty Triumph’. The irony of two Germans producing the archetypal
British motorbike to fight the Kaiser has been lost on many. After the war,
Bettmann and Schulte couldn’t agree about the issue of car manufacture, and
Schulte decided to leave the company. In 1920, the company bought the former
Hillman car factory in Coventry, and by 1923 had produced the first car
bearing the name of The Triumph Motor Company.
By the middle of the 20’s, the company had grown into one of the leading car
and motorcycle producers in the country, with a capacity of 30,000 cars and
motorcycles annually. However, the good times were about to end with the
arrival of the Great Depression. The German arm became a separate company
and continued producing TWN motorbikes until 1957. The bicycle manufacturing
side of the company was sold to Raleigh in 1932, and Bettmann was under
pressure. He retired in 1933.
In
1936, the car and motorcycle sectors were separated and became independent
companies. The car division had always struggled to make a profit, and went
bankrupt in 1939, finally being purchased by the Standard Motor Company. The
motorcycle division found things easier, and after being acquired by Jack
Sangster, the owner of the rival Ariel Company, began exporting machines to
the USA. Sangster brought his design team with him, including Edward Turner,
the designer of the 500cc Speed Twin, which became the bedrock for all
Triumph twins until the 1980’s. Coventry remained the home of Triumph
motorcycles until the Second World War, however, the city was all but
destroyed by German bombing, and moved to a new plant at Meridan, West
Midlands in 1942.
The post war years were Triumph’s Golden days, and the company received a
huge fillip when Marlon Brando rode a Thunderbird 6T in the film ‘The Wild
One’. In 1951, the company was sold to rivals BSA, with Sangster becoming a
member of the BSA board. Eventually, he rose to the position of Chairman.
After struggling to compete with Japanese imports, the company’s fortunes
declined, and after various changes in ownership, was acquired by former
plasterer John Bloor in 1983. He was determined to keep the company alive,
and preserve the title of ‘ The World’s Longest Continuous Production
Motorcycle Manufacturer’. The new company was initially named ‘Bonneville
Coventry Ltd.’. Spares manufacturer Lee Harris continued with production of
the Triumph Bonneville until 1988. Triumph now produce a range of
motorcycles that preserve the past model names, such as the Bonneville Twin.
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