Triumph Renown TDB Saloon

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The first car to carry the Triumph badge following the company’s takeover by the Standard Motor Company, the Triumph Renown was rushed out within months of the end of the war to cash in on the booming post-war export market.

The cars were coachbuilt by Mulliner of Birmingham in the ‘Razor Edge’ style that was all the rage on prestigious models of the late 1930s/early 1940s from makes like Bentley and Rolls-Royce. Due to post-war steel shortages, most of the body panels were in lightweight aluminium over a traditional ash frame.

In 1949 the original 1.8-litre engine was replaced by the excellent Standard 2,088cc unit and three-speed column-change gearbox which literally transformed the car, giving 75mph performance. In 1950 things got better still with the launch of the TDB which had a new lengthened Standard Vanguard chassis with much-improved coil spring front suspension and the option of overdrive.

Only 6,501 Renown TDB models were produced in total between 1950 and 1952 of which fewer than 10 are believed to survive worldwide, making this a very rare car indeed.

First registered in May 1951, this Renown TDB has been in the Stondon Museum Collection since 2004 and comes with details of all five previous owners. Said to be in good running order, it is showing some 33,341 miles on the clock although this cannot be warranted. It comes with a fair amount of documentation including Razor Edge Owner’s Club literature, service invoices from 1999 to 2003, three old tax discs from 2001-03, nine old MOTs from 1989 to 2003, an old style V5 plus an owner’s handbook.

An exceedingly rare and quirky machine with a wonderfully original interior, it is sure to be of interest to any razor edge collector.