George Wright's 1961 Triumph TR4 Race Car
Owner: George WrightCity: Mechanicsville Virginia
Model: 1961 Triumph TR4
Engine: Triumph inline four (2188cc)
Rebuilt by: James Bowler at Weldone
From SCCA to Vintage Racing
George Wright purchased his Triumph TR4 in 1995, and he has owned it longer and raced it more
than any of its previous owners. But whereas the car was previously raced in Sports Car
Club of America (SCCA) events, George enjoys vintage racing. He frequently drives his TR4
in events sanctioned by the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA), the Vintage Drivers
Club of America (VDCA), and the Vintage Racer Group (VRG).
Triumph Sports Type T.R.4. / Comm No. CT3718L / Gross Laden Weight 1205 Kilo.
Manufactured by The Standard Motor Co. Ltd. / Coventry, England.
George Wright's Triumph TR4 has been a race car since 1972.
Over subsequent years, eight owners raced it in Sports Car Club of America's "D Production" class.
| Record of Vehicle Ownership | ||
| Jeff Fanton | (circa 1972) | |
| William H. Bitting | 2/25/1973 | |
| David B. Grooters | 3/15/1975 | |
| James E. Powell Jr. | 12/4/1976 | |
| Victor L. Rodriguez | 9/18/1980 | |
| Daniel Friend | 9/13/1988 | |
| Dan Rittinger | 4/30/1989 | |
| Chip Beck | 6/24/1994 | |
| George Wright | 1/7/1995 | |
James Bowler created a new, heavy duty roll cage for George Wright's Triumph TR4.
Shortly after purchasing his TR4, George commissioned James Bowler of Richmond Virginia to
go over the car and make sure it would be safe, strong, and competitive. James started by
providing the car with a more extensive roll structure than we usually see in vintage sports
cars. Constructed mainly of 1.75" diameter D.O.M. tubing, the roll cage includes NASCAR style
side-intrusion protection across both door areas. These renovations were completed in 1997.
The rollcage extends to suspension mounting points on the frame.
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Several years ago, George tested the strength of the roll cage at Savannah. It provided
great protection, but the main hoop was severely abraded so the car was returned to James'
shop, "Weldone", for repair. At the same time, the driver's side diagonal brace was relocated
outboard for more shoulder room and extensions were added forward to the front suspension
spring perches. The rollcage already extended all the way to the back where it ties into
rear suspension mounting points and where it wraps around a twelve gallon Fuel Safe fuel cell.
Besides being extra safe, this beefy and well integrated rollcage provides exceptional
rigidity. Chassis rigidity is important because it facilitates fine tuning of the suspension
and consistent feedback to the driver.
Triumph TR4 one piece front body clip.
James reconstructed the TR4 front body clip so that both front fenders and the grille
surround all come off the chassis together as one unit. The removal process only takes
a few minutes. He also created a clever removable cowl which provides easy access to
the back side of the instrument panel. These construction details and many others are
shown in close-up photos below.
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Features and Specifications
| Engine: | Triumph inline four, bored to 2188cc displacement and rebuilt to racing
specifications by Abacus Racing of Virginia Beach, VA.
Profile 24 Erson camshaft.
Dual S.U. HS6 carburetors.
Original Triumph TR4 intake manifold, with stiffeners added.
Parabolic horn 5" diameter aluminum velocity stacks.
Mallory Unilite distributor.
Crane Fireball PS40 ignition coil.
Accusump 3 quart oil accumulator with electrically operated valve.
Racor screen type oil filter.
Fram remote-mounted canister type oil filter. |
| Cooling: | Griffin aluminum radiator.
Up-rated water pump, sourced through British Frame and Engine.
Mocal oil cooler. |
| Exhaust: | four into one stainless steel headers from British Frame and Engine. |
| Transmission: | close ratio second and third gears. (Stock first and fourth gears.) Aluminum flywheel. |
| Rear End: | 4.10:1 Salisbury, with limited slip differential. Southwick rear axle ends added. |
| Front Susp.: | Triumph TR6 (adjustable) lower control arm mounts.
Southwick spindles and aluminum hubs.
Triumph Competition springs (from the early seventies.)
Carrera Hypershock telescoping shock absorbers.
1.125" anti-sway bar. |
| Rear Susp.: | 1/2 degree negative camber added by bending the axle tube.
Custom trailing links and custom extended leaf spring shackles, both by James Bowler.
Lever-arm shock absorbers.
0.625" anti-sway bar. |
| Brakes: | (master) Tilton dual master cylinders with bias bar. (front) stock disc brakes. (rear) stock drum brakes. Wilwood residual pressure valve (red/10psi). |
| Wheels/Tires: | Panasport Racing 15" x 6" aluminum wheels. Hoosier Speedster 205/60 radial tires. |
| Electrical: | Nippondenso alternator. Gear reduction starter from TSI. |
| Instruments: | (left to right)
Autometer tachometer (0-10000rpm),
Stewart Warner Volt meter (10-16V),
Stewart Warner oil pressure (5-100psi),
Stewart Warner oil temperature (140-325F),
Stewart Warner water temperature (100-265F),
Westech dual pyrometer (700-1600F).
|
| Fuel System: | Fuel Safe 12 gallon fuel cell.
Fram fuel filter.
Facet fuel pump.
Holley adjustable fuel pressure regulator. |
| Safety Eqmt: | Aluminum Racing Products drivers seat.
G-Force five point cam-lock safety harness.
Quick release steering wheel hub, on a Superior Performance Products steering wheel.
FireBottle (5 pound Halon, manual pull-type) fire suppression system. |
| Weight: | 1982 pounds. |
| Racing Class: | SVRA / VDCA / VRG Group 3. |
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Engine Installation
Triumph inline four cylinder engine, bored slightly oversize to 2188cc.
Dual S.U. HS6 carburetors.
Four into one stainless steel exhaust header.
Small and lightweight Nippondenso alternator.
Parabolic horn 5" diameter aluminum velocity stacks smooth airflow into the carburetor throats.
Dave Taber at Comptune Race Engines in Medina Ohio set up the S.U. carburetors.
Adjustable fuel pressure regulator.
James Bowler fabricated this nifty custom aluminum breather tank.
Mallory Unilite optical pick-up distributor and Crane FireBall PS40 ignition coil.
An adapter for a remote oil cooler is mounted on the left-hand side of the engine.
The Racor screen-type oil filter can easily be checked for debris after a race.
Griffin aluminum radiator, Mocal oil cooler, and Fram remote-mounted canister oil filter.
Somewhat lightened bonnet: a longitudinal reinforcement has been removed on the driver's side.
Front Suspension
1-1/8" front anti-sway bar.
Southwick spindles and aluminum hubs.
Stock upper control arms. Carrera Hypershock telescoping shock absorbers.
Lower control arm mounts have been moved slightly outboard to get somewhat negative static wheel camber.
Triumph TR4 steering racks can be moved up or down by adding/removing shims to eliminate bump steer.
The front spring mounts have been braced rearward to the car's new roll structure.
Rear Suspension
Trailing links back from the roll structure help locate the rear axle and prevent wind-up of the leaf springs.
5/8" rear anti-sway bar on polyurethane mounts.
Leaf springs and lever-arm shock absorbers.
Interior / Roll Structure / Etc.
The roll hoop's door brace is positioned to provide shoulder room, and the door was modified to suit.
That's Triumph racing guru Kas Kastner's autograph on the dashboard.
"Auto Gage by AutoMeter" tachometer (0-10000rpm).
(left to right) Stewart Warner Volt meter, oil pressure gauge, oil temperature gauge,
and water temperature gauge. Westech dual pyrometer (700-1600F).
"Special Thanks to Car Builder James Bowler"
Aluminum Racing Products drivers seat. G-Force five point cam-lock safety harness.
Comfortable footbox with lots of room for the pedals.
Dual Tilton master cylinders with bias bar. Wilwood residual pressure valve (red/10psi) on the rear circuit.
Plastic transmission cover in lieu of the original cardboard cover.
Accusump 3 quart oil accumulator with electrically operated valve.
Battery disconnect switch.
The battery has been relocated rearward, under the body and behind the seat, like on an MGB.
Safety Systems, Inc. FireBottle (5 pound Halon, manual pull-type) fire suppression system.
Fuel Safe 12 gallon fuel cell, Fram fuel filter, and Facet electric fuel pump.
An easily removable cowl/windscreen assembly facilitates access to the gauges and their wiring.
The cowl/windscreen assembly lifts off easily after removal of just eight bolts.
With the cowl removed, you can appreciate the strong structure underneath it.
The steering linkage includes a Borgeson precision universal joint.
Spherical bearing support / bulkhead pass-through for the steering shaft.
The roll structure continues forward to the front suspension, making this one very stiff Triumph TR4.
Note also the fire extinguisher system's nozzle, in close proximity to carburetors and fuel line.
Lightweight aluminum sheetmetal dashboard.
One of the great innovations of this particular Triumph TR4 is that the whole front clip has been modified
for serviceability. Starting with these bolts, it can be removed from the chassis in just a few minutes.
Exterior
The Triumph TR4 body was designed under contract by Giovanni Michelotti.
New with this model: roll-up door windows!
Triumph TR4 engines didn't come with manual starters, but the front grilles have holes for them anyway.
40,253 Triumph TR4 cars were built over the model's lifespan, which spanned from 1961 through 1965.
A stock/original Triumph TR4 weighs about 2,184 pounds and is capable of about 120 mph.
The Sports Car Club of America has historically grouped production cars into racing classes by engine
size. After the Triumph TR4 model's first full season of SCCA racing, in 1962 SCCA shifted displacement
limits with the effect that (2138cc) TR4s moved from E-Production to D-Production. That's where they've
raced ever since. Just for reference, MG's MGB model came with 1800cc engines and therefore they
compete in SCCA's E-Production class.
Triumph promoted the TR4 in North America by sponsoring two race teams. The west coast team was run
by Kas Kastner, who also started and ran Triumph's Competition Department. Bob Tullius' Group 44 team
held the contract to represent Triumph on the east coast. In 1962 and 1963 there were no SCCA national
races on the west coast, and thus no true SCCA national championship. Nonetheless, Tullius won SCCA
titles in those years. Real SCCA national championships started in 1964 with "runoffs" held at Riverside
and Daytona in alternating years. Bob Tullius won the 1964 SCCA D-Production National Championship
at Riverside California with his Triumph TR4.
In 1965 the TR4 model was superseded by the TR4A; the main difference was independent rear suspension
in lieu of a live (solid) axle. However, to satisfy the concerns of dealers, Triumph decided to continue
offering live axles as optional equipment. About twenty-five percent of TR4A's were built with live axles.
Panasport Racing 15" aluminum wheels.
Hoosier Speedster 205/60 radial tires.
All photos shown here are from April 2010 when we viewed the car at VRG's Jefferson 500
at Summit Point Motorsports Park, West Virginia. Photos by Curtis Jacobson for BritishRaceCar.com,
copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
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