Reviewing the unconfirmed news that BMW Group design team is working in California on a two-seater sports car derivative of the current MINI platform, Autocar’s 3 January issue speculates that the car, “close to getting the green light for production”, could become a concept vehicle later this year, and eventually, could be marketed under the Triumph brand.

Autocar says it has learned that BMW’s lawyers have recently moved to protect the Triumph name from being used by another UK-based car company. It was mentioned during the second half of last year in connection with bidders for the assets of MG Rover after it went into administration in April.

The Triumph Motor Company had its origins in 1885 when Siegfried Bettmann and Moritz Schulte started producing Triumph bicycles in Coventry, England.

In 1921, Bettmann acquired the assets of the Dawson Car Company and started producing a 1.9 litre model called the Triumph Light Car. A number of other models were made up until the 1929 Great Depression when production almost stopped entirely.

In the 1930s the company changed its name to the Triumph Motor Company. Donald Healey became the company’s Experimental Manager in 1934.

The Triumph bicycles and motorcycles were sold off 1936, the latter to become Triumph Motorcycles. Healey purchased an Alfa 2.3 and developed an Alfa/Triumph called the Triumph Dolomite.

In July 1939, the Triumph Motor Company factory, equipment and goodwill were offered for sale. T.W. Ward purchased the company and placed Healey in charge as general manager, but the effects of World War II again stopped the production of cars.

After the war, what was left of the Triumph Motor Company and the Triumph brand name was bought by Standard Motor Company. Subsequent cars were called Standard Triumph, then the Standard part of the name was dropped.

In December 1960 the company merged with Leyland Motors Ltd.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Triumph sold a succession of Michelotti-styled saloons and sports cars, including the advanced Dolomite Sprint, which, in 1973, already had a twin-cam, 16-valve engine. But many Triumphs of this era were unreliable, including the 2.5 PI with its fuel injection problems, and the poor quality of the TR7 and TR8 sports cars, which killed the marque in the United States.

The last Triumph model was the Acclaim which was launched in 1981 in a joint venture with Japanese company Honda. The Triumph name disappeared in 1984, when the Acclaim was replaced by the Rover 200, which was also simply a rebadged version of Honda's Civic/Ballade model.

The trademark is currently owned by BMW, acquired when it bought the Rover Group in 1994. When it sold Rover, it kept the Triumph marque. The Phoenix Consortium, which bought Rover, tried to buy the Triumph brand, but BMW refused, saying that if Phoenix insisted, it would break the deal.

MotoringFile has received further information from a fairly reliable source about the possible new roadster. For those that might have missed the previous stories on MotoringFile, let’s first recap a bit. The rumors are that MINI will be introducing a new concept sometime later this year that harkens back to the classic Triumph roadsters of the 50’s and 60’s. While it’s not entirely clear if it will be marketing under the MINI brand, the Triumph brand, or something complete new, it is clear is that this rumor doesn’t seem to be going away.


Now there’s a new twist. The latest we’ve heard at MotoringFile HQ is that BMW is considering building the “Triumph” at BMW’s Spartanburg SC plant where the Z4 and X5 are currently produced. This seems to correspond well with other rumors that BMW has notified it’s US suppliers of the new potential production plans.

It would also make sense on a logistics level. MINI’s Oxford plant is currently at the limit of what it can produce so adding another car (on-top of the new Traveller in 2008) would be seemingly impossible. Meanwhile BMW has a state of the art facility in Spartanbug with plenty of capacity thanks to softening sales of the BMW Z4. In fact there were rumors not long ago that the Z4 might not even be replaced when the current model runs its course. Add the currency factors which make producing such a car in the US so attractive (compared to the UK) and you have what seems to be a no-brainer.

Of course it’s all still very unconfirmed so file this squarely in the rumor category for now.

In the first of two shock scoops about one car giant this week, Auto Express can exclusively uncover exciting plans by BMW to bring back one of Britain’s best-loved marques – Triumph is on to a winner!




Last week, the firm announced its plans for the future. Part of this strategy was the introduction of the long-awaited SUV version of the MINI – but bosses also described why they are aiming to expand the company with new brands.

Despite speculation that Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo are in the frame as targets for acquisition, our sources have suggested that BMW will add to its portfolio by reviving a classic badge – and Triumph is top of the list. The historic British marque, which the maker took over when it bought MG Rover in 1994, would be a clear choice to market a rival for the new, Chinese-owned MG TF roadster.

Our pictures reveal what a modern Triumph car could look like, taking its styling inspiration from the classic TR4. Just as the new MINI’s design was heavily influenced by the Sixties classic, a reinvented Triumph would be a retro remake.

BMW is committed to launching more premium models as it bids to gain a bigger slice of the most lucrative areas of the new car market. And these pictures show how an upmarket two-seater could offer a premium alternative to the Mazda MX-5. With a raft of class-leading engines and platforms in the BMW stable, the roadster would be a force to be reckoned with. However, there are obstacles to overcome before any Triumph car could be built.

One problem may be Triumph the motorcycle manufacturer. The firm confirmed the car and motorbike brands are separately owned. A spokeswoman for the firm told us: "BMW owns the rights to Triumph Cars, which is entirely separate from Triumph Motorcycles. We are therefore not privy to any activities they may be planning and are unable to comment".

As well as using the household name to market a new roadster, BMW would benefit from having Triumph models to test its low-weight materials and new technologies before using them on mainstream cars. But bosses will be watching with interest Audi’s relationship with the Austrian motorbike maker KTM, which has already led to the production of the X-Bow track-day car.

In a recent statement, chairman of the board of management at the blue propellor, Norbert Reithofer, said: “The BMW Group explored all the options for future growth during the strategic review, including potential acquisitions or the creation of a fourth brand. However, this would require the new automotive brand to be a perfect fit for the company.”

No official comment has been made about the Triumph project, but British car fans can expect to hear more on the ambitious plans by the end of the year.

Our pictures reveal what a modern Triumph car could look like