Guides by Model: Triumph Herald
From Classic Car Life
The Triumph Herald was released onto the market in 1959, and was manufactured by the Standard Triumph Company in Coventry. This model is a small, two car vehicle which was designed by the celebrate sports car designer Giovanni Michelotti and the car was offered for sale in saloon, convertible, coupé, van and estate variants.
Triumph Classic Cars: The Definitive Guide
The Triumph Herald has been hugely popular on the used car market for over half a century and it’s estimated that over 300,000 Triumph classic cars have been sold over the model’s lifetime.
The Herald has even influenced other models produced by the manufacturer – popular successors including the Triumph Vitesse, the Triumph Spitfire and the Triumph GT6 were all based around a modified Herald chassis.
Michelotti’s design was very much influenced by the preferred design style of the late Fifties era, and the car has a noticeable wide glass area which was implemented to offer over 90% visibility and benefits from the razor-edge design that was symptomatic of the era.
It’s the simplicity of this vehicle that perhaps makes it such an attractive proposition when it comes to looking for used cars for sale. Instruments in the Triumph Herald were confined to a large speedometer and a fuel gauge in the saloon version.
Only minor modifications were made to the Herald released onto the mass market in 1959, and it was officially launched at the Royal Albert Hall in that year at a cost of £700 – a relatively high cost in comparison to other cars on the market at the time. Because of the price, initial sales of the Herald were slow, but picked up significantly over time. Triumph Herald used cars for sale still fetch an impressive price to this day.
Following a takeover of Standard-Triumph by Leyland Motors in the early 1960s, a decision was made to re-launch the car, and the Herald 1200 was born. This model had improved quality control and more sophisticated seating, and was followed by the 12/50 in 1963 and the 13/60 in 1967.
