The Triumph Herald & Vitesse cars of 1959 - 1971

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The Michelotti-styled Triumph Herald and Vitesse of 1959 through to 1971 is the focus of this Old Classic Car compilation. These now-classic Triumphs proved to be a great sales success for the Standard-Triumph Motor Company, finding favour with families looking for a compact four-seat saloon, convertible or estate. The six-cylinder Vitesse would introduce an extra frisson of excitement to the original Herald design, and even more opportunity to expose the inherent weaknesses of these cars' independent rear suspension traits. As a former Spitfire owner, itself based around the Herald's chassis and running gear, I remember these intriguing handling characteristics well ...
The collection of classic Triumph photographs featured here are a mix of cars I've seen at shows and in museums, plus several original old photos sourced from both my own collection and also from visitors to Old Classic Car who have been kind enough to send over various images from their own albums.
The Triumph Herald is represented through photo(s) of the regular saloon version (1200, 12/50 and 13/60), the estate, the convertible, coupe, and the Triumph Courier van. Oddballs include a couple of home-made pickup conversions (one in the UK, another in New Zealand), a fastback Herald prototype, and an Indian-market four-door car. The "Top Gear" Herald also makes an appearance.
Various examples of the smooth-sounding Triumph Vitesse, both standard dealer offerings and one-off oddballs, are mixed in too.
Do you have a Triumph Herald or Vitesse? Did you own one when they were still a common sight on the road? What are your memories of these classic cars? Please pop your thoughts into the comments section if you're able, good and bad if necessary! Did the rear suspension's tendency to tuck the wheels under when backing off the accelerator mid-corner ever cause you any "exciting" moments?
Thanks for looking in, classic Triumphs (not just Heralds and Vitesses) can be found in numerous videos across this classic car channel now so please have a look around when you're finished here.
Channel videos list: / oldclassiccarrj
OCC classic merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/OldC...
OCC channel membership: / @oldclassiccaruk
OCC Patreon: / oldclassiccar
If you know of anyone else who might find these vids of interest, please forward one of the above links to them.
Thanks, RJ.
#classiccars #triumphherald #classiccar

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19 июн 2023

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Комментарии : 64

@oldclassiccarUK Год назад

Hi, thanks for watching, a full list of the several hundred videos on the channel is here: ru-vid.comvideos OCC classic merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/OldClassicCar/shop OCC Channel Membership now open!!! See the JOIN button for details OCC Patreon: www.patreon.com/OldClassicCar Channel homepage: ru-vid.com/show-UCKaTg9fPUvmUQi94FcnDbrg If there are any petrolheads that you know that might find this kind of thing interesting, please pass on one of these links, thanks!

@lordleonusa 4 месяца назад

I owned my 1967 1200 Cv from March 1981-November 1998, and I've owned my Vitesse Mk.2 Ground Up restoration since April 1997 until now. Love these cars!

@dennisking1555 5 месяцев назад

Learned to drive in a herald, first ever lesson I was pulled over near Coventry airport my bonnet catch wasn’t closed, loved the car my father worked at canley the raw material stores just inside the main gate by the social club wonderful memories

@a_tay9008 8 месяцев назад

Had driving lessons and passed my test in a Herald and then bought one as my first car, Reg. AVU 834B I think. I remember the white rubber bumpers and huge chrome headlight surrounds. Later upgraded to a 2Ltr Vitesse, Reg. FTC 128F which was a lot of fun to drive. Spent many happy hours with the bonnet up, sat on one of the front wheels to carry out maintenance tasks.

@ricardocordoba1969 8 месяцев назад

Beautiful machines

@vcr210 6 месяцев назад

Had a 1964 Vitesse convertible. Fun little car.

@colinmuddell9672 Год назад

Lovely little cars, especially the 2 litre Vitesse with that silky smooth engine. Love the bizarre camber angles, which bit my Dad on the bum when being too enthusiastic on a bend. Result was a one way trip to the scrapyard. I spent some uncomfortable times under my wife's Herald attending to the rusty chassis, but I recall more comfortable experiences sat on the front wheel tyre working on the engine (with the bonnet up!).

@allanriches9381 Год назад

Very nice collection of cars. Never seen the van form before.

@tonycox5625 10 месяцев назад

Brilliant vid, I've just bought a 1969 Vitesse 2 ltr saloon in lovely condition, primrose yellow, full sunroof and on 5.1/2 Revolution wheels with only 54000 on the clock, so it was great to see all these examples. 👍

@oldclassiccarUK 10 месяцев назад

Cool, glad you liked it, that shade of yellow really suits the Vit and Herald IMO

@brianwhittington5086 Год назад

I had a 1967 Vitesse 2 litre Mk1 saloon on an E reg, my own first car. It was white with a red interior, and I had it a year back in 1977/8, before moving on to many P5, P6, and SD1 Rover's, and a few other makes. The Herald and Vitesse were great cars to work on, with their full flip up front and removable transmission cover. I changed the clutch on it by taking the gearbox out from inside the car.😁

@kenday4812 6 месяцев назад

IBoughtATriumphHerald!NiceCar,Thanks,ForSharing,Your,Video

@oldclassiccarUK 6 месяцев назад

Thanks!

@joesask857 6 месяцев назад

nice thank you

@jonjoyce3188 Год назад

Thanks for this compilation 👍 At 19:31 VVS699 at Malvern mid 2000’s, what appears to be an estate is actually another very rare Triumph Courier van albeit with rear side windows from an estate, a not too uncommon conversion for Couriers. The front grille and lack of body side bright trims is a dead giveaway.

@rogernorman200 21 день назад

First car I owned was a Vitesse 6 GPB 369C. Got rid of it when the infamous rear axle clonking started. Lots of horror stories abounded at the time that taking the hub apart was likely to end up with a destroyed hub so I filled it with grease and sold it on. Sad, as it was a great car. Father in Law had a Mk2 Convertible from new (UPA 200) until it stated rusting away

@peteredwards7760 Год назад

Smart Sceptre parked next to the crusty white Herald !

@giulianomarco Год назад

Favourites: #1 16:57 Vitesse mk.2, #2 13:47 12/50 and #3 1:45 1200 😁👍

@christophersmith4706 Год назад

The blue Herald prototype has different rear side glass treatment either side.

@peterward3965 Год назад

One of my regrets not trying to save a light blue Triumph Hearld Courier van at the Pease Pottage scrapyard just outside Brighton in the late 70s. Body wise it looked really very good. Perhaps it's chassis had gone as Hearlds were prone to rear chassis rot. I owned a 1965 dark blue estate in the famous hot summer of 1976, Great cars for easy maintenance.

@oldclassiccarUK Год назад

In the late 1980s I was in a yard and found a very shiny original Herald on its side, the bodywork was immaculate bar a few bubbles at the base of one door (easy repair). It looked really really smart but a peer underneath revealed a very frilly chassis underneath sadly. I think the boot hinges were removed and went onto my first Spitfire.

@colinp2238 Год назад

Good morning Rick. I never had the pleasure of driving a Herald or Vitesse but in the 80s I had a Toledo, not impressed. I think it was an 1100 or maybe 1200, and although the body was light the engine didn't seem to have enough oomph, so I sold it on within a year and bought a 305.

@Bill-fi5tg 2 месяца назад

Great to see all these cars, especially the four door! My parents had a wedgewood blue Vitesse XYH 79G from 1969 for about 30 years. It was in quite a state when they sold it. Someone restored it and they were amazed to spot it a couple of years later and spoke to the new owner. I saw it online at a couple of shows after that, then nothing for about 10 years. Does anyone know where it is now? I still have the original workshop manual!

@oldclassiccarUK 2 месяца назад

It still shows as taxed so it's around somewhere, maybe the TSSC know who has it

@levelcrossing150 Год назад

I used to work on these when new. A lovely little quality car they were.

@Vince_uk Год назад

I always liked the Herald especially the Vitesse Convertible. The coupe was a very strange looking car in my humble opinion. I well recall in the early 1970's helping a friend in Sunderland change the clutch on his Herald one Saturday morning most of the work we carried out through a very handy access panel on the passengers side of the gearbox tunnel inside the car. You unbolted the pane, removed it ad you had easy access to the bell housing. We actually did the job in the road in front of his house. I found that quite innovative at the time, so easy to work on. Strange how these memories come back watching these videos, I can even remember the colour of the car now, it was green a yukky green..

@oldclassiccarUK Год назад

I seem to remember doing a clutch swap on a friend's Spitfire years ago too, and that was mostly done from inside the car

@brianwhittington5086 Год назад

The Herald, Vitesse, Spitfire, GT6, and the Bond Equipe all shared the same basic chassis, body construction, and mechanicals. I've worked on many, but so far, only owned a Mk1 2 litre Vitesse saloon. Yes, the whole gearbox out job is done from inside, just needing a jack to support the rear of the engine. There's a big moulded/insulated fibreglass or similar transmission hump, held in by lots of setscrews. You just need to lift out the carpet and at least the passenger seat, or both. Gearbox access is superb, just as good as working around the engine. You just need to make sure the tunnel rubber seal is good, or you'll get water leaking into the footwells.

@ratty383 Год назад

Another great vid, I always enjoy your ‘Same make’ compilations due to the fact you can see the model year changes as the cars were developed. I hadn’t realised the Bonnet/front end changes on the Heralds were so significant. Am I right in thinking a few Vitesse estates were built ? I’m pretty sure I’ve seen a few over the years…Thanks for yet another good watch.

@oldclassiccarUK Год назад

I'm not sure whether the factory built a few Vit estates, or whether those that do pop up are all home-made conversions

@michaeltreadwell777 Год назад

What lovely little cars they were. In the early 60s, our neighbour had a dark lilac Triumph Herald and he swapped it for an olive green Vitesse. I think I'd like one now in any guise, but prefer the earlier ones. Thanks for sorting out this line up for us - must take you hours, but so much appreciated Rick. what will you come up with next ? Take care 🙂

@oldclassiccarUK Год назад

Thanks Michael!

@theprior46 Год назад

Vitesse 6 (1964) CMK 776A what a car that was my Dad bought it and I'd just passed my driving test at age 17. The car had phenomenal handling. Dad used to ask me to synchronize the Stromberg twin carbs as my ear for music (pitch) was better than his. I tweaked it to a pretty fine tune and I have never forgotten how it could do 62mph in 2nd gear before the red line on the rev counter - then 85mph in 3rd gear and 115 indicated in 4th gear. What a car - Dad let me use it sometimes for 2 weeks when he went abroad for his work. How I stayed alive I will never know. Dad and my Brother and I bundled in once to try the car at "the ton" on the fairly new M1 not far from home - 70mph speed limit came in in 1965 so the fun had to end the year later. But hearing you say about the rear independent suspension reminded me of how my dad joked that he once went over a hump back bridge a bit fast and the rear wheels left the road - and he said the rear tyres felt like they'd slapped together like clapping your hands while doing press-ups! What a car that was. I'm so pleased I was here for the best era.

@richardsealey3626 Год назад

The handling was "widow making"............

@theprior46 Год назад

@@richardsealey3626 Sorry can't agree with that. The independent suspension coupled with Michelin X Radials the car was like it was on rails even in the wet. I had no heart-in-throat situations and at that time I was a mad biker when not driving a car. But my brother left the road into a ditch with a Morris Minor that handled like a plate of sick!

@richardsealey3626 Год назад

@@theprior46 A family member was killed in one....................

@theprior46 Год назад

@@richardsealey3626 That is of course extremely sad but accidents don't just happen there is always a cause. But I don't know the circumstances of the tragedy. I have to say I'd never heard of any safety issues with Heralds or Vitesses.

@robertallen3441 Год назад

In my last year at school in 1973, I took part in a new experimental O level course named Motor Engineering Science. This course involved basic car mantenance, and we had a Herald which we used as a practical project. It had the bonnet removed and was ideal for us to all be able to see everything and work on. The teacher who took the course was great and at the end of most lessons would let us drive the Herald around the school playing fields. I passed the course, and wonder how many others have the same O level certificate?

@oldclassiccarUK Год назад

I remember in the late 1980s my French lesson teacher decided to set up an informal engineering after school club and they bought a Herald, which ended up being dismantled. I don't remember much happening after that, and in fact I ended up taking many of the panels home with me when it all packed up.

@MegaJackpot180 Год назад

if i am not mistaken the Fast back was built with 2 designs of rear C pillar

@oldclassiccarUK Год назад

I believe so yes

@lynnsamuels2667 4 месяца назад

I am in the US and going down memory lane - my father bought me a Triumph Herald convertible 1959 or 1960 so I could drive to high school. I believe it was yellow. Was the Herald immediately made available in the US left side drive? My father was always ahead of the curve in selecting cars. My older brother was given one of those egg shaped Volvo rarely seen on the roads outside Chicago. Would love more pictures of the Herald in those two years, especially as it was outfitted for the US. Inside view as well? Many thanks for a great video.

@oldclassiccarUK 4 месяца назад

Thanks for watching, Heralds crop up in many of the videos across the channel now, I'll keep my eye open for early examples at future shows

@johndavey72 Год назад

Hi Richard. I trained as a panelbeater at South Devon Garages , Torbay's premier Jaguar , Daimler , Rover, Triumph and Landrover dealer . I had many experiences in driving , working on and even purchasing these models . As a family we had a new Triumph Herald Estate and latterly 948 cc Saloon . I had a '65 1600 which during my custodian received a 2 litre mk 2 engine and gearbox .....a pocket rocket! My most terrifying experience was when as an apprentice l was sent on an errand in our Courier to collect some parts from Torquay to Ashburton on the A38 . I'd just passed my test so although confident , l was still nervous of dual carriage ways . I was driving towards Ashburton at a steady 60 when l noticed a Scammel fuel tanker in my rear view mirror . I assumed it would merely pass but instead the driver decided to tailgate me ! I increased my speed from 60 to 70 and then 80 ! This idiot was glued to my bumper and had l had the slightest problem l wouldn't be posting this ! I saw an approaching filter turn off and literally swerved off the carriage way to escape . As you may conclude it haunted me to this day and l despise this practise . I think you descibed the mk1 GT6 as 1600 , of course they were all 2 litre . I spent a couple of hours at a TSSC meeting tonight and a lovely 2 litre mk1 was in attendance along with a stunning mk3 GT6 in Magenta . Thanks Richard always look forward to your shows .

@oldclassiccarUK Год назад

Perhaps I was referring to the early Vitesses as being 1600, I don't recall but yes that's correct. Interesting to read your memories of these cars, thanks for posting!

@johndavey72 Год назад

@@oldclassiccarUK Hi Richard. Yep. It's easy to be a film critic. Sorry.

@bobspeller2225 Год назад

Being a Triumph fan owning a 1976 Stag (The Red Devil) having a ***666R Registration number and my daughter owning a 1968 Herald 1360 convertible, we lovely this video, Cheers Bob

@keithwesley2471 Год назад

I had four Heralds in my younger days, with one non runner donor car. Thanks for the memory.

@stefantrnacek1394 Год назад

Great video. I absolutely love the red ute. It looks so good it looks like it is from the factory. That has got the old grey matter ticking over.

@lordleonusa 4 месяца назад

That red Herald at Beaulieu, that is Positive+ Camber, not Negative Camber

@davidsheppard1362 Год назад

Lovely cars to drive. I actually passed my driving test in a Herald.

@stephenricketts7764 Год назад

Design wise I prefer the Vitesse but both were good little cars. With the convertible you would often see a rather shabby soft top back in the day. That was probably due to the British weather as the top would often be in use. You did show a photo towards the end of two examples, one in good condition and the other much less so. I do remember seeing the odd van version but do not recall any of the company logo's that you might be familiar with. As you say, very easy to work on the engine and all other engine bay components. Thanks Rick for a nice collection there. 👍👍

@jimmeltonbradley1497 Год назад

Talking of Heralds and caravans, my wife has told me of her trips to Northern Spain in the early 1960s, in a Herald, pulling a caravan, driven by her very adventurous mother. It seems that on one trip the clutch burned out and they had to wait several days at the side of the road waiting for the AA and a new clutch.

@oldclassiccarUK Год назад

Great story, at least there was somewhere to sleep while waiting for the AA

@markfiges999 Год назад

Great vid OCC - but terrible cars - I spent far too many hours welding the rust buckets to have any love for them

@oldclassiccarUK Год назад

Ha, yes outriggers are usually the first thing to disintegrate as I recall

@markfiges999 Год назад

@@oldclassiccarUK And expensive for what they were? plus if you jacked only one side of the front end, the bonnet fit on closure was shall we say ''iffy at best''??