1928 Triumph Super 7

1928 Triumph Super 7 Faux Cabrio Fabric bodied by Hoyal

Registration Number: VP4380

Nut & bolt restored to as new. This is believed to be the only surviving example of the Triumph Super 7 with a fabric covered faux Cabrio body coachbuilt by Hoyal of Weybridge. The car has been fully rebuilt to as new both mechanically & cosmetically.

The body has had a new ash frame exactly replicating the original & this has been beautifully covered in green rexine style fabric. To the interior is new brown lather along with green carpets. A Hoyal coachbuilders plaques adorns the dash as does a plate on the door by the supplying dealer, Reeve & Stedeford of 54 Broad St, Birmingham. A smokers hatch in the roof provides good ventilation as does the fold open windscreen. To the rear is a two person dickey seat also upholstered in brown leather. 5 new tyres are fitted all round on refinished wire wheels with the spare being carried on the rear.

The 832 cc 4-cylinder side-valve engine, mainly designed by Harry Ricardo, had a stroke of 83 mm (3.3 in) and bore of 56.5 mm (2.22 in) and unlike the Austin had a three bearing crankshaft with pressure lubrication and monobloc crankcase made from cast iron. (The Austin 7 had a two-bearing crankshaft and the cylinder block and crankcase were separate castings.) The car follows its Triumph predecessors by having Lockheed hydraulic brakes, but they are internal expanding in 9.5 in (240 mm) drums and so less affected by water then the older external contracting type. The handbrake operates on the transmission.

The little 4 cylinder engine of hust under a litre has been fully rebuilt & fires up readily. The gear box is an easy to use three speed affair. Despite the diminutive size of the car, at 6ft 3" tall I am able to fit into it & drive it comfortably.

All in all this is an incredibly cute little car & a good step up from a comparable Austin 7. It is a lovely thing to drive & elicits smiles whereverr it goes.