Michael Pearson driving a yellow 1964, Triumph TR4, in the international trophy race for classic GT cars (pre' 1966) at the Silverstone Classic 2015
The Triumph TR4 is a British sports car which was produced by the Triumph Motor Company from 1961 to 1965. Code named "Zest" during development, the car was based on the chassis and drivetrain of the previous TR sports cars, but with a modern Michelotti styled body. 40,253 cars were built during production years. The TR4 proved very successful and continued the rugged, "hairy-chested" image that the previous TRs had enjoyed. The TR4 had a number of racing successes in America, primarily through the efforts of the Californian engineer Kas Kastner and his top driver, Bob Tullius. In 1961 The TR4 won first in class and thirtieth overall at Sebring. That car was driven by George Waltman and Nick Cone. The serial number of that TR4 is CT 7L. In 1962 the TR4 won the E production national championship, following which the SCCA reclassified the car to D production, and Tullius won that class title in 1963 and ’64. Soon after the TR4 was introduced Kastner along with Mike Cook, who was in the advertising department at Triumph in New York City, convinced the company to provide three new TR4s to race in the 12 Hours of Sebring race in 1963. Beginning in September 1962 the cars were prepared in California, where Kastner was service supervisor for Triumph. The cars were then flown to Florida for the endurance race in March 1963. These cars were driven by Mike Rothschild and Peter Bolton from England, Bob Tullius, Charlie Gates, Ed Deihl, Bob Cole, Bruce Kellner and Jim Spencer and finished overall 22nd, 24th, and 35th of 65 entries, and first, second and fourth in the GT class. This was the beginning of the Triumph Competition Department Kastner headed for several years and used to publicize and market the TR4. The next year a privateer TR4 finished dead last in the 1964 running of the Sebring 12-hour race and Kas Kastner returned to Sebring in 1966 with four carefully prepared TR4As, three of which finished winning the class.
Size: 5616px × 3744px
Location: Silverstone Circuit, Towcester, Northamptonshire, NN12 8TN
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1964, 2015, bonnett, british, car, cars, classic, close-, door, gt, helmet, international, marshal, michael, pearson, race, side, silverstone, sports, summer, tr4, track, triumph, trophy, tyres, view, wheels, windsceen, yellow
