Back in the late 1950’s, Triumph had started what became a significant collaboration with Giovanni Michelotti – perhaps in response to BMC’s successful partnership with Pininfarina? – with the first fruit of that collaboration being the Triumph Herald in 1959.
As was the fashion of the day, these pretty, small 2-door saloons sported sharp-edged but modest fins at the back, with big glasshouses. Power came initially from a 948cc four-cylinder, 34.5bhp engine that offered only modest performance, which was increased to 1147cc for the Herald 1200S. Further improvements were made with the introduction in 1963 of the Herald 12/50 and later still, the 13/60 in 1967.
The Herald was a success, with over half a million sold, and Triumph looked for a way to build on that by moving the Herald a little further upmarket into sports saloon (and convertible) territory. Michelotti basically took the standard Herald body but created a new front end to accommodate a significantly bigger engine, and gave the car a slanted 4-headlamp design, which I think gives it a fairly aggressive look.
That engine was a straight-six 1596cc unit (small for a six) that pushed out 70bhp, almost twice as much as the lump in the Herald. To begin with, the fascia was as per the Herald, but the interior was considerably improved, with the introduction of wooden door cappings and better seats and door trims, and the model was designated the Vitesse 6.
This wasn’t the first time the Vitesse name appeared on a Triumph; it was used between 1935 and 1938 on the Triumph Gloria Vitesse, itself a sportier version of the standard Gloria, and had also been used by Austin as far back as 1914. The name basically means “speed”, and reappeared in October 1982 on the fastest – and nowadays, the most desirable – version of the Rover SD1 and again on performance versions of the Rover 800 and 200 series.
Other Vitesses are available
The Vitesse 6 – which was introduced in May 1962 – got its first facelift less than 18 months later, gaining an entirely new dash with a full set of dials from Smiths, giving the interior a more purposeful, sporting feel. Power output was increased to some 83bhp, enabling a top speed of a claimed 91mph/146kmh.
This combination of sporting performance but with four seats made the Vitesse a market sector of one, especially at the price. Perhaps the closest alternative was the Sunbeam Rapier, though it was both bigger and slower. In fact, the Triumph Stag was probably the next time a four-seat sporting convertible was built in the UK.
September 1966 saw a major upgrade, as the Vitesse was given a 1998cc powerplant, which it shared with the GT6, delivering 95bhp and a 95mph/152kmh top speed.
The final facelift for the Vitesse came in 1968 with the Mark 2, which was given a series of mechanical improvements such as to the rear suspension to address criticism of its roadholding – a consistent criticism of the car until then, so a welcome upgrade – and power output was tweaked a little more to 104bhp, improving the 0-60mph time to just over 11 seconds, and making the magic ton in terms of top speed possible. Indeed, the Vitesse now outperformed two-seater sports cars like the MGB and Sunbeam Alpine and was more practical into the bargain. There were also a few cosmetic changes – a different grille, smart Rostyle wheel-trims and some minor upgrades to the interior, such as the addition of a tachometer.
This was the ultimate version of the Vitesse and would be built – and continue to sell well – until July 1971, to be replaced a few months later by the Dolomite. By this time there was a little more competition in the small sports saloon market – from Munich, in the form of BMW’s ’02 series, but not much else.
35,791 saloons and 15,421 convertibles – 51,212 VItesses in total – were built over the model’s nine-year production run, and a reasonable number still survive; at the last count, c.1500 remain on our roads, with a little under 800 SORN. Certainly there’s usually one or two at any reasonably sized classic event, and there is strong club support with spares and advice.
Autocar road tested the 1600 Vitesse saloon back in January 1963, and were pretty happy with it, praising the smoothness of the engine, access for servicing (the Vitesse shared the front-hinged bonnet of a number of Triumphs of the period, including of course the Herald), driving position, quality of finish and general performance and handling, considering it “a very satisfactory compromise over size, quality, economy and performance between the big and powerful sports saloons and the mass-produced small cars”.
While you can buy a useable Vitesse for under £10,000, the better ones are now in the £12,000 to £15,000, particularly convertibles, and our Prime Find this week is what looks like an excellent early 1600 convertible, coming up for auction with Historics at their Ascot sale, now scheduled for April 17th, having been moved from March 20th thanks to…well, you know.
According to the owner, this 1963 pale blue with white side flashes Vitesse 6 convertible has been the subject of “significant expenditure” and has won a number of Best in Show awards. It has the desirable overdrive option, wire wheels and a nifty twin exhaust. The owner has run it for nine years and has kept it garaged when not in use.
It certainly looks smart in the photographs which we have borrowed from the auctioneers’ website. The interior is finished in black, as is the soft top. Mileage reading is 96,000, though this is not documented. This very smart Vitesse would make a super summer cruiser and with it’s eye-catching colour scheme, is sure to be an attention-getter.
While the car is being offered without reserve, the guide price range is £13,000 to £17,000, so in line with the asking prices for good Vitesse convertibles. You can see the full lot listing here, and as always, if this Vitesse interests you, we highly recommend arranging prior inspection.
With our Saturday instalment of Prime Find of the Week, we’re offering our services to the classic car community, by passing on our favourite classic car for sale from the week that passed. This top-tip might help a first-time-buyer to own his first classic, or it could even be the perfect motivation for a multiple-classic-car-owner to expand his garage with something different. We’ll let us inspire by anything from a cheap project to a stunning concours exotic, and hope that you will do the same. Just remember – Any Classic is Better than No Classic! We obviously invite our readers to help prospective buyers with your views and maybe even experiences of any given model we feature. Further to that, if you stumble across a classic which you feel we ought to feature as Prime Find of the Week, then please send us a link to primefindoftheweek@viaretro.co.uk