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Triumph Firsts!

First British mass-produced sports car with front disc brakes (TR3)

First British mass-produced car with 16 valve engine (Dolly Sprint). The Ford Escort was a year earlier but this was to special order only and the Dolly was a production car from the outset.

First British manufacturer to offer fuel injection (TR5)

First British manufacturer to offer opening sunroof on a saloon as standard (Herald 12/50)

First British manufacturer whose whole car product range had independent suspension on all 4 wheels by the mid sixties

First British manufacturer to offer a car with a forward hinging front end (Ferguson tractor got there 10 years or more earlier)

First British manufacturer to pioneer multi-position driving seat allied to multi-adjustable steering (tilt and telescope) on 1300 front wheel drive

First British manufacturer to offer multi-cluster warning lights in one binnacle

First British manufacturer to offer switchgear graphics in place of words (even if no-one could understand them - Herald)

First British manufacturer to offer overdrive as an option across the whole product range - Herald, TR, Vanguard

First British manufacturer to offer a small saloon with a fuel tank range in excess of 500 miles without re-fuelling (1300 again)

First British manufacturer to offer a car in which a heater, hub caps and passengers wiper blade as optional extras (Standard 8)

First British manufacturer to offer a car that was wetter on the inside than on the outside in a downpour (Herald)

Our thanks go to John Macartney for this list of Triumph firsts!