Triumph TR2

The photos present a plastic model of the Triumph TR2 sports car which took part in the Le Mans race in 1955. The model was built from the Gunze Sangyo kit in 1:24 scale. The model frame and wheels were made of photo-etched parts. The work got a distinction at the 11th International Festival of Plastic Reduction Models Bytom 2014 in Poland.

The 1955 Le Mans 24h race was held on June 11-12. Three Triumph Tr2 cars competed in it. They took 14th, 15th and 19th places.

It should be mentioned here that the Daimler-Benz A.G. withdrew his cars from the race despite one of them leading with a big advantage. It was a gesture as a sign of mourning because a tragic accident occurred during the race, in which 82 spectators were killed and 120 were injured.

The accident happened on lap 33. The driver of one of the Mercedes cars at a speed of over 200 km/h (124 mph) bumped into a car suddenly turning in front of it, bounced off it, lifted into the air, hit the upper part of the embankment in front of the main stand and caught fire. Pieces of a crashed car killed and injured spectators many yards from the scene of the accident. The engine cover, spinning in flight, acted like a guillotine. Mercedes driver Pierre Levegh also died.

Triumph Tr2 was a 2-seater convertible produced in 1953-1955 in the United Kingdom by the Standard Motor Company. 8,636 copies were produced. Currently (2014), the Triumph brand belongs to BMW.

The engine was placed in the front of the car. The car was equipped with a 4-cylinder line engine with two valves per cylinder. Two carburetors were installed in the power system. Power was transferred to the rear axle via a 4-speed manual gearbox (optional: overdrive was available in top gear).

Some technical data:

• Engine displacement: 1,991 cm³ (121.5 in³),
• Power: 90 hp (67 kW),
• Max speed: 173 km/h (107.5 mph),
• Acceleration 0-97 km/h (60 mph): 12 s,
• Acceleration 0-140 km/h (90 mph): 31.5 s,
• Drum brakes,
• Mass: 953 kg (2,101 lb),
• Fuel consumption: 8.2 l/100 km (UK-2.9 gal-100 mi, USA-3.5 gal-100 mi),
• Fuel tank capacity: 56.8 l (UK-12.5 gal, USA-15 gal),
• Length: 3.84 m (12.6 ft),
• Width: 1.40 m (4.6 ft),
• Height: 1.27 m (4.2 ft),
• Wheelbase: 2.24 m (7.3 ft).

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumph_TR2
• http://www.carfolio.com/specifications/models/car/?car=55429
• https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/24h_Le_Mans_1955
• http://jalopnik.com/just-how-horrifying-was-the-worst-crash-in-motorsports-1589382023

5 Apr 2014