S-22720-0-1

2341924 Triumph 550cc Model SDRegistration no. NR 4790Frame no. 334483Engine no. 95345The first Triumph motorcycle of 1902 used a Belgian Minervaengine but within a few years the Coventry firm - originally a bicyclemanufacturer founded by German immigrants Siegfried Bettman andMaurice Schulte - was building its own power units. The company wassoon involved in racing and the publicity generated by competitionsuccess - Jack Marshall won the 1908 Isle of Man TT’s single-cylinderclass for Triumph having finished second the previous year - greatlystimulated sales. By the outbreak of The Great War the marque’sreputation for quality and reliability was well established, leading tosubstantial orders for ‘Trusty Triumphs’ for military use.Triumph’s 3½hp model had first appeared in 1907. Originally of 453cc,its sidevalve engine was enlarged to 476cc in 1908 and finally to 499ccin 1910 before being superseded by the 550cc 4hp model in 1914.Equipped with three-speed Sturmey-Archer gearbox, it was this revised4hp - the Model H - that did such sterling service in WWI, some 30,000‘Trusty Triumphs’ seeing action with British and Allied forces. Updatedwith chain final drive for 1920, it became known as the ‘SD’ (SpringDrive) because of its clutch-mounted, coil-spring shock absorber andformed the basis of the later four-valve Ricardo model.This Triumph SD was purchased by the vendor in 1958 from ArthurPrince’s Garages Ltd in Loughborough. An enthusiast of tractionengines and commercial vehicles, the vendor has attended varioussuch shows throughout the UK, taking the Triumph with him. Themachine has not been restored but was MoT’d when the test was firstintroduced. Never taxed, it has only been ridden around the vendor’sextensive gardens and at traction shows over the years and will,therefor, require re-commissioning/restoration to a greater or lesserextent before returning to the road. The machine is offered with an oldstylecontinuation logbook and old/current V5/V5C documents. Somegearbox spares and a spare magneto are included in the sale.£5,000 - 7,000€7,000 - 9,800Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the description and condition of each lotprior to bidding. All lots are sold “as is/where is” with all defects and faults.motorcycles | 33