What the Triumph TR4 has to do with Ducati
06/18/2022
One of the most puzzling chapters in the history of sports car manufacturer Triumph is the brief liaison with Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati. As motorcycle sales were not going well in the early sixties, Ducati General Director Giuseppe Montano concluded a license agreement with Standard-Triumph, which guaranteed Ducati Meccanica the exclusive distribution of Triumph vehicles in Italy from September 1, 1962. In addition, the Italians were to manufacture their own spare parts and assemble the Herald and TR4 models from 1963.
However, large-scale production never took place. Only around 20 TR4s are said to have been built at the Porgio Panigale plant. After that, Ducati limited itself exclusively to importing the Spitfire, Herald, Vitesse and TR4. It is not entirely clear whether only the cars assembled in Bologna or also those imported and converted from England were given Ducati lettering. After all, some Spitfire and Vitesse also have it on the rear. Nor is it known whether Ducati-Triumphs were given their own commission number in the same way as those assembled in Belgium - or why assembly was abandoned so quickly.
In accordance with the approval regulations of the time, the Italian TR4s already had side indicators on the front mudguards, although these were still a long way from the formal aesthetics of the later TR4A lights. The shape and position of the additional orange lights also varied greatly. It would be interesting to know whether the Ducati TR4s were equipped with the optional two-liter engine, which was mainly intended for US club races, instead of the standard 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine. After all, Italy had a horrendous luxury tax for anything over this displacement limit at the time. Perhaps a reader knows more about this.
The connection between Lotus and Ducati is much better documented.
