Triumph 2000 & 2500
1963–1977 · 29,903 assembled at Nelson · a Kiwi classic
New Zealand bought nine per cent of every one ever built — more per head than any country on earth.
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About the Triumph 2000 & 2500
This is the most New Zealand car Triumph ever made. Nelson assembled the Triumph 2000 from October 1965 and did not stop until 1979: 7,070 Mk I saloons and 22,833 Mk IIs, 29,903 in all, which is nine per cent of the 324,652 built worldwide and the highest penetration per head of population anywhere. Almost thirty thousand were sold here. Sir Robert Muldoon had a 2500S. If a customer rings about a Triumph saloon in this country, the odds are it was screwed together in Nelson.
The thing to get straight is PI against TC, because people reverse them. PI means Lucas mechanical petrol injection. TC means twin carburettor — and on this car TC also denotes a higher equipment level, which is why the mistake is so easy to make. The injection got its reputation from the electric fuel pump overheating, particularly in hot climates, and it was dropped before the end of the run: the 2.5 PI Mk2 disappeared two months before the 2500S arrived. Underneath, every one of them — Mk1, Mk2, carburettor or injected — has independent suspension all round with semi-trailing arms at the rear. The 2500S adds 14-inch wheels, an anti-roll bar and a lower stance. Michelotti styled the Mk1 and the Mk2 “Innsbruck” restyle, and estate bodies were built in part by Carbodies from 1965.
Triumph 2000 & 2500 — specification & changes within the model
- 2000 Mk1
- October 1963–1969. 1,998cc six, 90bhp, twin Stromberg 150CD. 120,645 built.
- 2.5 PI Mk1
- 1968–1969. 2,498cc with Lucas mechanical petrol injection. 9,029 built.
- 2000 Mk2
- 1969–1975. 1,998cc, carburettors. 104,580 built. The Michelotti “Innsbruck” restyle.
- 2.5 PI Mk2
- 1969–1975. 2,498cc, Lucas injection. 49,742 built.
- 2500TC
- 1974–1977. 2,498cc with TWIN CARBURETTORS — not injection. 32,492 built.
- 2500S
- 1975–1977. 2,498cc, twin carburettors. 8,164 built. Adds 14in wheels and an anti-roll bar, and sits lower.
- PI vs TC
- PI = Lucas mechanical petrol injection. TC = twin carburettor, and also a higher equipment level. Getting these the wrong way round is the standard mistake on this model.
- Suspension
- Independent all round, semi-trailing arms at the rear, throughout the entire range — Mk1 and Mk2, carburettor and injected.
- Engine
- The Triumph straight six. 1,998cc is the Standard Vanguard Six unit; 2,498cc is the same engine stroked from 76mm to 95mm, and is shared with the TR5, TR250 and TR6.
- Built here
- Nelson, October 1965 to 1979. 7,070 Mk I and 22,833 Mk II — 29,903 cars. Nine per cent of world production, the highest per head of any country. Minimal earlier assembly at Christchurch.
- Bodies
- Saloon and estate, the estate from 1965 with bodies built in part by Carbodies.