Triumph Vitesse
1962–1971 · 51,212 built · the Mk2 rear end is a different car
A Herald with two more cylinders and four headlamps — and a rear suspension that was rebuilt from scratch partway through.
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About the Triumph Vitesse
The Vitesse is the six-cylinder Herald: same separate chassis and bolt-on body concept, same forward-hinging front end, four headlamps in a slanted nose, and the Standard-derived straight six in place of the four. It started in May 1962 at 1,596cc and 70bhp, went to 1,998cc and 95bhp in September 1966, and finished as the 2-litre Mk2 at 104bhp. Front disc brakes are standard on every Vitesse, where the Herald had them as an option until 1963, and the rear drums are larger. Overdrive is standard where the Herald had it optional. And the chassis, though it looks like a Herald’s, was substantially redesigned and strengthened, particularly around the differential mountings — it is not a Herald chassis.
The Mk2 rear suspension is the fact that decides a parts order. The early cars inherited the Herald’s swing axle on a transverse leaf spring, which gives about fifteen degrees of camber change between the limits of travel — the car tucks a wheel under on a trailing throttle and snaps into oversteer, and it was widely criticised for it. In 1968 the Mk2 replaced the whole arrangement with new reversed lower wishbones and Rotoflex rubber half-shaft couplings, plus double-jointed driveshafts and relocated trailing arms, cutting camber change to about five degrees. A Mk2 rear suspension, driveshaft or Rotoflex part will not fit an earlier Vitesse, and nothing from an early car fits a Mk2. The Mk2 also has an all-synchromesh gearbox where the 1600 and the Herald have no synchro on first.
Triumph Vitesse — specification & changes within the model
- Vitesse 6 / 1600
- May 1962 – September 1966. 1,596cc straight six, 70bhp, about 84bhp from 1965. 31,261 built — 22,814 saloons, 8,447 convertibles. 679 convertibles went to America badged Sports 6.
- Vitesse 2-litre
- September 1966 – September 1968. 1,998cc, 95bhp. 10,830 built — 7,328 saloons, 3,502 convertibles.
- Vitesse 2-litre Mk2
- 1968 – July 1971. 1,998cc, 104bhp. 9,121 built — 5,649 saloons, 3,472 convertibles.
- The Mk2 rear suspension
- Early cars: Herald swing axle on a transverse leaf spring, about 15 degrees of camber change. Mk2, 1968: reversed lower wishbones and Rotoflex rubber couplings, double-jointed driveshafts, relocated trailing arms — camber change down to about 5 degrees. Nothing crosses between the two.
- Brakes
- Front discs standard on every Vitesse, where the Herald had them optional until the 12/50. Rear drums are larger than the Herald’s.
- Gearbox
- 1600 and early 2-litre: no synchromesh on first. Mk2: all-synchromesh. Overdrive standard, where the Herald had it optional.
- Chassis
- Substantially redesigned and strengthened over the Herald’s, especially around the differential mountings. Not a Herald chassis.
- Shared with the Herald
- The separate-chassis concept, most body panels, the forward-hinging one-piece front end, the front suspension layout and the rack and pinion steering.
- Not shared
- Engine — four versus six. The strengthened chassis. The four-headlamp front panel. Standard front discs. Larger rear drums. Standard overdrive. And the entire Mk2 rear end.
- Sister car
- The GT6 Mk2 got the same Rotoflex fix at the same time, and the GT6 uses the Vitesse’s 2-litre six.