1958 Triumph Tiger 350cc

Edward Turner’s tenure as Triumph’s chief designer from 1936 was hugely successful and produced some of Britain’s most iconic motorcycles. The Tiger range of machines began by tinkering with names; the 1937 Tigers 70, 80 and 90 were models L2/1, 3/2 and 5/5 that were already in production, and the Tiger 100 arrived in the following year as an evolution of the Speed Twin. The Coventry factory was destroyed in 1940 by the Luftwaffe so Triumph moved briefly to Warwick and then to Meriden, and were up and running again for War work in 1942; civilian production began again in 1946 and from that point, sales steadily rose both here and in America.

This barn-find restoration project appears to have had a chequered career in the past. According to the frame number, VDA 367 is a 1958 model, which is correct to the V5 registration document supplied. However, as is often the case, the engine unit appears to be from 1964 and we note that the handlebars and speedometer are non-standard. The road tax disc fitted to the machine is dated 31.1.1986 so we can deduce that its period of storage has been lengthy. However, the machine is worthy of restoration and would make an ideal project for a young enthusiast.

Auction Date: 7 June 2018