Triumph Herald (1959 to 1971)

Why people buy one

• More than half a million were built, and five body styles give a wide choice from saloon to convertible and estate.
• The separate chassis and bolted-on body panels make the car easy to work on, and the chassis is simple to repair.
• Mechanical parts are widely available and inexpensive, and trim kits and body repair panels can be bought.
• The 13/60 has the largest engine and a revised front end, and is widely seen as the most usable version today.
• The Triumph Sports Six Club was founded in 1977 for the Herald-chassis cars and now covers every Triumph model.

What to weigh up

• The swing-axle rear suspension can tuck a wheel under in hard cornering and cause sudden oversteer, especially in the wet.
• First gear has no synchromesh.
• Early 948 cars have drum brakes all round; front discs were optional on the 1200 and standard on the 12/50 and 13/60.
• The coupe and Courier van were dropped in the mid-1960s and are rare, and estate and coupe trim is harder to find than saloon and convertible parts.
• Many cars have been modified with Spitfire engines, gearboxes or carburettors, so check what is fitted against the original specification.
• The Vitesse and the Spitfire are separate cars and are covered in their own guides.

Where they rust

• Chassis outriggers front and rear, which support the body.
• Main chassis rails, especially either side of the differential, and the chassis legs.
• Floors; the body has no closed box sections, so rot is usually visible.
• Front valance (many are now glassfibre), the lower corners of the bonnet and the inner wheelarches.
• Door bottoms and the bottoms of the wings.
• Inner rear wings and rear wheelarches.
• Sills, which on the Herald are not structural but can hide rotten outriggers behind them.
• Check the body is bolted to the chassis and has not been welded to it during a past repair.

Mechanical weak spots

• Worn crankshaft thrust washers allow fore-and-aft crank movement and can damage the block; watch the front pulley while someone presses the clutch.
• Check for smoke, oil and coolant leaks and bottom-end noises, including a rattle on start-up.
• Gearboxes can have worn synchromesh and layshaft wear; noise that stops when the clutch is pressed in neutral points to the layshaft.
• The front trunnions need EP90 oil, not grease, at regular intervals; neglect can seize them and snap the kingpin, collapsing the suspension.
• Vibration above about 30mph usually points to propshaft universal joints, and clonks to a worn differential or driveshaft joints.
• Worn rear wheel bearings need a press to replace and can ruin the halfshaft; a sagging rear usually means a tired transverse leaf spring.

At a Mathewsons viewing

• Check the commission (chassis) number and engine number against the V5C, and on a convertible make sure the numbers show it left the factory as one. Ask whether there is a British Motor Museum Heritage Certificate.
• Look underneath with a torch at the outriggers, the rails either side of the differential and the chassis legs, and judge the quality of any welding.
• Open and close the doors; doors that stick or uneven panel gaps can point to serious corrosion underneath or a poor body-off rebuild.
• Tilt the bonnet forward and look at its lower corners, the valance and inner arches, and check the trunnions for signs of regular oiling.
• Lift the carpets and check the floors for rot or fresh underseal; if staff start the car, listen for knocks and watch for smoke; do not assume it will be started.

Parts, specialists and clubs

Seen on Bangers & Cash

• Triumph Herald convertible (Bangers & Cash series 3, episode 3, First shown November 2020)
• 1971 Triumph Herald (Bangers & Cash series 6, episode 11, First shown November 2022)
• Triumph Herald (Bangers & Cash series 13, episode 8, First shown March 2026)

Sources

• Buyer's guide: Triumph Herald (Classic & Sports Car), 17 October 2025
• Buying Guide: Triumph Herald, 1959 to 1971 (Hagerty UK), 22 June 2022
• Triumph Herald Buying Guide (Petrolicious), accessed 26 October 2026
• Motor Man: Triumph's Herald, an advance in more ways than one (New Zealand Classic Car), 11 May 2015
• Join the club: Triumph Sports Six Club (Hagerty UK), 19 April 2021
• Club of the Month, January 2018: Triumph Sports Six Club (Lancaster Insurance), 23 January 2018
• Heritage Certificates (British Motor Museum), accessed 26 October 2026