1953 Triumph Tiger T100C
With Ian Falloon
In the 1930s, slow, hard-to-start singles were the British industry’s bread and butter, but all this changed in 1937 with the release of Triumph’s Speed Twin. Triumph designer Edward Turner deliberately created a 500 cc parallel twin that looked like the earlier and familiar twin port single, and the conservative motorcycling public took to it in droves.
Turner’s Speed Twin changed the motorcycling landscape, and one year later, Triumph released the more sporting Tiger 100. With its chrome and silver finish, the Tiger 100 was extremely attractive, and in typical Turner fashion, the “100” indicated the potential top speed.
Although the top speed claim could only be achieved with the removal of the silencer end caps, again, it demonstrated Turner’s marketing genius. The Tiger’s formula was tried and tested; introduce a basic model to iron out the problems and test the market, and release a sporting version soon afterwards.
It was an extremely successful formula, and after a hiatus during the war years, the Tiger 100 was gradually updated. In 1948, the Tiger gained Turner’s dubious sprung rear hub, and in 1949, a headlight nacelle replaced the tank-top instrument panel. The tank was now supplied with an optional parcel rack.
Despite the introduction of the 650 cc 6T Thunderbird, Triumph’s high-performance model for 1950 was still the T100 Tiger, now with a Mark II spring wheel. Although the T100 Tiger was still arguably the fastest standard 500 cc bike available, a more significant update appeared for 1951.
1951 was a significant year for Triumph. BSA bought Triumph in March 1951, and although Edward Turner remained in charge of Triumph, he sold ET Developments (including the patent for the spring wheel) to BSA for nearly a quarter of a million pounds.
Turner subsequently lived in style, owning a succession of yachts and large houses. In 1951, Triumph established the Triumph Corporation (TriCor), a factory-owned Eastern distributorship based in Baltimore, Maryland, serving most of the United States. With Johnson Motors distributing in California, Triumph imports into the US almost tripled during 1951, from 1000 to 2730 motorcycles.
While the long-stroke (63 x 80 mm) 498 cc 360-degree parallel twin remained basically unchanged, Triumph’s 1951 T100 Tiger had a new aluminium cylinder head and barrel. With its splayed exhaust ports, the new close-finned pressure die-cast aluminium cylinder head was an extremely attractive casting and vastly superior to the previous cast-iron unit.
It also allowed for larger (36 mm) inlet valves, while other updates this year included Duralumin pushrods and the stronger 650 cc Thunderbird con-rods. With a single Amal 276 1-inch carburettor, BTH magneto ignition, and a moderate 7.6:1 compression ratio the 1951 T100 produced 32 horsepower at 6800 rpm, up from 30 horsepower the previous year.
In standard form, this was enough for around 150 km/h on the low-quality fuel available at the time. Several chassis updates were also incorporated this year, in particular, the inclusion of an additional cylinder head steady on the frame, the Thunderbird’s more rigid cast-iron 7-inch front drum brake and a standard dual seat.
The T100 fuel tank also received a new filler cap and parcel rack. Rolling on a pair of 19-inch wheels, the Tiger had a short 1397 mm wheelbase and weighed only 161 kg. It was an impressive package.
Johnson Motors also requested a racing uprating kit, and this was developed at Meriden and offered as an option. For the significant sum of £35 in the UK, a race kit was available to convert the T100 into the T100C (for Convertible).
This came with a range of equipment, including a choice of 8.25:1 or 9:1 compression pistons, racing camshafts and valve springs, a twin-port manifold for the diecast aluminium cylinder head, twin Type 6 remote float bowl Amal racing carburettors, racing braided fuel pipes, one-gallon oil tank, Smiths 8000 rpm tachometer, and megaphone exhaust.
Also available were a close-ratio gearbox and a range of sprockets. This kit transformed the T100 into a near 200 km/h racer, but reliability and handling were questionable. A race-kitted T100C was good enough for Bernard Hargreaves to win the 1952 Senior Clubmans TT at the Isle of Man, a category usually dominated by the BSA Gold Star.
In 1953, the factory decided to capitalise on this success, producing a limited number of complete T100Cs. These were street legal but fitted with all the racing components. Engine internals were highly polished, and high-compression pistons and racing camshafts were fitted, bringing the power up to around 42 horsepower.
Even the ‘sprung hub’ frame was slightly different from the regular T100s, having lugs fitted for use with optional factory rear-set footpegs. Fewer than 600 T100Cs were built in 1953, and they were superb. The 500 cc engine vibrated less than the 650, and with moderate weight and agile handling, it was arguably the finest sporting 500 of the day.
The chrome, silver and black finish was class leading, and when tested by The Motor Cycle, they found it a “Jekyll and Hyde”, “Docile and gentle in heavy traffic, yet possessed with truly tigerish characteristics when given its head on the open road.” Even 70 years on, the Tiger T100C remains purposeful and elegant, one of Triumph’s standout machines of the 1950s.
1953 Triumph Tiger T100C Specifications
| 1953 Triumph Tiger T100C Specifications | |
| Engine type | Air-cooled OHV vertical twin, non-unit |
| Displacement | 498 cc |
| Bore & Stroke | 63 X 80 mm |
| Compression | 9:01 |
| Carburettor | Two Amal Type 76 |
| Ignition | Lucas magneto |
| Engine output | 42 bhp @ 7000 rpm |
| Clutch | Multi-plate, wet |
| Gearbox | Four-speed |
| Frame type | Brazed-lug, full cradle |
| Wheelbase | 1397 mm |
| Seat Height | 775 mm |
| Suspension, front | Telescopic fork, hydraulic damping |
| Suspension, rear | Sprung rear hub, rigid frame |
| Brake, front | 7″ SLS drum |
| Brake, rear | 7″ SLS drum |
| Tyres | 3.25″ X 19in, 3.50″ X 19″ Dunlop |
| Fuel capacity | 18 litre |
| Dry weight | 164 kg |
