Big Triumphs! 2500 Auto AND 2.5 PI - Real (NZ) Road Test
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- čas přidán 20. 12. 2019
- Happy days as I sample two absolute favourite Triumphs of mine - a Sable Brown, New Zealand-assembled 2500 automatic and a Coventry-built 2.5 PI with manual/overdrive transmission. Both are in stunning condition with beefy six-cylinder engines, gorgeous Italian styling and fine road manners.
This one was an absolute swine to film. My first attempt resulted in unusable in-car footage, and the second suffered sound issues, so I apologise for that. Improving all the time...
Many thanks to Chris of the Triumph 2000/25000 Enthusiasts New Zealand Facebook group for letting me drive both of these cars.
HubNut goodies and support options can be found at hubnut.org - thank you! - Auta a dopravní prostředky
Absolutely superb looking cars - as was the whole Triumph family at this time. Crass mismanagement by British Leyland chiefs to drop this marque.
If you see one in the metal, particularly when on foot, you're probably going to be stuck by how small it looks, how large the glasshouse is and how spindly the pillars are.
Ken Davidson I guess it’s just an observation from Graham.
@Eurotrash on Tour some cars have rubbish forward visibility due to massive A pillars. Thinking of my civic.
Leyland had too many models . Why produce so many families of engines? In the 1970s A,B,E series, Triumph 1300/1500, , Dolomite, Triumph 6 cylinder, Rover 2 litre,, E series 6 cylinder, rover V8, triumph V8, Jag 6 & v12. Then the number of floorpans , the overheads must have been horrendous.
I do believe (as gleaned from a copy of "Triumph World" I managed to acquire) that BMW actually owns the Triumph name. Riley is another honoured marque that should not have been allowed to die.
owned by BMW now, might resurface...
Jaguar brown suits the 2500 perfectly, particularly with the green tint to the windscreen. Lovely car.
A 2000 was the best car my dad owned when I was a kid, by a mile.
Lovely. Triumphs from that era, the Toledo, Dolomite, 2000/2500, Stag and TR6 are my favourite all time cars. Just love them.
Dolomite Sprint was the ticket...those things fly.
I forgot about the TR6 what a car,
I had a tr7... not going to talk about that.
And also the GT6, which ended in 1973, and the Spitfire. I would have liked the GT6.
My aunt had one of these.I remember sitting in the back as she floored it ,straight six howling and the damask red front end rising up,lovely! I think she was a bit pi**ed too! 🤣
How hilarious. Sounds like my Aunt. Your Aunt would laugh I am sure if she read your comments. Regards, John (Australia)
@@johndean3930 She slept through air raids too! Bless 'em. Hi from the UK
As i live in Germany (and was born in the late 70s) i´ve never seen one of them live and on photos i really didn´t like the weird shape of the rear. But now, after watching your video about these perfect examples i think...i quite fell in love with them! They have something Lancia-esque about them and the engine sound...lovely!
They were beautiful cars. My dad had a mK1 in Nairobi, Kenya, he was looking to get a Mk2 but went Mazda. Goes to show how the market failed in the end. BL should have done more.
I’m 2.07 into the film and I’ve paused to come here and say what exceptionally beautiful condition this brown 2500 is... I can’t quite believe the finish on this car Ian, it’s stunning and a credit to its owner 👌🏻
Had one .Used to travel daily to Edinburgh to work for 2yesrs .Great memories and no mechanical issues that I can recall. 30years ago .can't remember what happened yesterday lol
Triumph did make some lovely sporty saloons, BL have a lot to answer for.
I remember years ago I fancied myself as a Triumph driver and was looking for a Dolomite but ended up with a Toledo 1300. as I recall it was an early model as it had only 2 doors and the non-wrap around bumpers that I think were replaced in the later models. I remember that to get it through the MOT I repaired a hole in the exhaust with a bean tin and Gun Gum. It got through!
One of my fave' cars of all time.... the MKII.... not bothered whether it was a 2000/2500/S/PI or whatever....
I had a 2500pl in the 70’s best car I ever owned a joy to drive fitted me like a glove. How stupid were BL to lose this marque. Thanks to Ian for creating this permanent record of a truly classic car
The 2000 Was More Smooth than the 2500 As It Rumbled More Fibration
Triumph 2000s are absolutely gorgeous! the long, low and slender look seems really well proportioned. I even prefer the look of this to the Rover P6! and being a "rover-guy" thats hard for me to say! haha
The Best Looking 4dr Ever Made.
The p6 is a beautiful looking car but I can't help but think the rear end doesn't live up to the front end in terms of its elegant looks.
The Triumph is the Better Car. / BUT ROVER Was Very Innovative with the p6.
BUY one of Each.
All Old cars are Great. = No Hate for any. Only the NEW Crap.
Next Best thing is What I Have.
Take another Look at the BMW e34 5 series. 2500 cc 24 valve Very Fast & very Modern But OLD SCHOOL Build quality. & way Faster than a 3.5 V8.
+ ABS & Air Bags.
Average Looking Car But Hell Fire FAST !! BLOW YER SOCKS OFF !!
Silky Smooth Ride & Wafts Like a LIMO' around town.
& NEVER Breaks down OR Goes Wrong.
I have Run them for 12 yrs Now & no Worries & no Major Repairs,
BUY an e34 525i SE Manual. BRILLIANT Modern Triumph 2500's. 25 yrs on & ZERO RUST. !! All Original Paint & Panels & zero Welding.
AH ONE ISSUE / PROBLEM,
IT's ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO BUY ONE Today, April 2020.
My old man had a Triumph 2000 Mk2, followed by a Rover 3500. Both lovely but the Rover was his pride and joy. I never told him about the night I spun the Triumph at about 60mph on a wet road. Through extraordinary skill (actually, amazing luck) managed not to hit anything, so it remained my secret.
A big thumbs up for a guy, who knows how to polish car paint...
What spectacularly beautiful cars.These Triumphs are just so right in every way.
without question the best two cars you have ever tested, how did our industry go wrong with cars like these ?
When I was a kid, anything with twin headlamps was a good car. Yes, I was easily pleased.
i was the same, Cortina MK3 GXL, Sunbeam Rapier, etc....
My three favourite cars: Triumph Stag, Reliant Scimitar GTE and Jensen Interceptor all had this lustworthy feature in common.
Don't forget the Vitesse too!
I actually opened a bottle of Italian wine and streamed it to the big screen of my telly for optimum viewing performance, because I have never sat in, let alone driven a Triumph 2000/2500/2.5. Thank you for again a great video.
They Drive Superb. Silky Smooth Engine that Sounds FANTASTIC ! Ride Comfort Better than almost Anything i've Driven.
Pity Hub Nut Didn't put a Mic near the Exhaust. Creamy Smooth Purr.
If You Drove one You would Buy one. The 2000 is Great, But the One to have is the 2500 ' S ' Twin Carbs & Manual. Stag Alloys as standard fit.
The Police Used them as Their Fastest Persuit cars. The Police Loved them.
Thanks for testing these great Triumph's, back in the day l owned three, first was a Mark 1 2000 in battleship grey, reg was MSM 3 F, a joy to drive , 100 mph cruising on a motorway no problem in overdrive. Often drove it from Yorkshire to Surrey visiting family, always felt fresh upon arrival as it ate the 250 miles up without effort & there was less traffic in the 1970's. Sold that and bought a Mark 2 Automatic N reg, as you noted, sluggish compared to the manual box then bought a Mark 2 manual, much better but never felt as solid as the Mark 1 !!! Upon retirement in 2014 I bought a brand new Skoda Octavia Elegance estate 1.6 TDI, this car reminds me of the Mark 1 2000 , it feels solid !
I've always like the exterior styling of these and Dolomites. They have not dated that badly, but the interior, especially the dash looks as though a modern manufacturer has done a retro job, its that good.
Very late 2500S's assembled in New Zealand (definitely the 1979 cars and maybe the 1978 cars too) had the wipers parking on the left and sweeping to the right. This involved not just holes in the bodywork but also different wiper boxes and cable under the dashboard - plus an extra arm on the driver's wiper like the Renauilt Fuego. At the same time, grab handles above the doors changed to the more common two-bolt none swinging sort.
There were more big six Triumphs sold in NZ per head of population than anywhere else in the world. That plus our roads not being salted during the winter have aided their survival in greater numbers than otherwise might be expected.
Those are a couple of excellent examples.
I wonder if the last cars were assembled from kits out of Australia? Last of these cars assembled in Aus by AMI (which became Toyota Australia) were 1978. Any left over kits may have gone to NZ, that would explain the change in wipers.
@@chrisharkin3741 Fantastic thought! It seems implausible that our assembly operation in NZ would have the resources to change the wiper set up.
Chris Harkin the height of NZ hub nuttery is knowing all about the differences between the old NZ assy and Aussie cars.Im right up there!.
Had a 1972 2500 mk2 PI auto. Had probs with premature injector wear, fuel pump and transmission, but it flew and handled superbly. Australian build. My favourite car to this day.
We really did lose something wonderful, when we lost Triumph.
I’m sorry, but these cars in general were poorly built with numerous issues and its only with modern day enhancements that they’re now half decent. Theres a reason why British car makers all went out of business, and it wasn’t because they were making amazing cars that the public loved.
@@1972dsrai very true, but all cars back then were rubbish. Italy & France churned out bucket loads of badly made, rot boxes yet they always seem to get a free pass 🤔
@@Dan-up6do You’re partly right, but look at Alfa Romeo, they had issues with cars rusting in the 70’s, but you still hear people questioning build quality or having electric gremlins even though these issues were resolved long ago. So its not entirely a negativity towards British made cars, but there is a reason why they’re all foreign owned now. They were all poorly run and rarely value for money compared to their foreign competition.
Fab-u-lous. Two lovely looking cas. A friend had a 2500Pi estate. We had endless hours of fun tinkering with the "Pi" bit. I've always wanted one but never quite got around to it. Oh well, still time. Thank you for this very unexpected review Ian.
When I was a kid my Dad had a series of these big Truimphs. Always lived the noise of the straight 6 engines.
That was fun! For a couple of years in the late 70s I owned a 2.5PI. Ice blue, auto, power steering, blue cloth on the seats, and electric front windows! Great to drive and fast. At the time I was surrounded by Triumphs. A friend had a TR6A, another had a 2000TC, manual with overdrive in the same colour as that brown one, my girlfriend had a white 1300, here dad had a green Dolomite 1750, and her mum had a 2000TC, also brown, but auto! I loved driving mine. It was quick off the mark, would cruise all day at 70 or 80, and the fuel consumption actually got better at speed. Going up to Teeside and back on the M1 I could get 27 or 28 MPG.
The other think was that at night the pale blue looked white so I could come up behind people and flash my high-beams and they would get out of the way thinking I was The Sweeney! I did have a fuel pump seize, and have to replace it. My TR6A friend introduced me to the TR Shop in Acton who were producing a hot weather kit for TRs sold in the Middle East. It consisted of a coil of fuel pipe that went round the pump body and was connected into the return feed from the injection system to the tank. It would dump the excess heat into the tank. It worked really well.
The only other problem I had was sticky injectors, so I always carried a couple of spares. They were easy to change and I managed it once while wearing full black tie rig, without getting dirty! I once cruised back to London down the M1, with 4 people and all their luggage. It was New Years day, so almost no traffic, and we kept around 80 to 90 all the way. Happy days.
The Triumph family shared some beautiful styling. My GT6 mark 3 was one of the last ones made in 1974.
sitting in an old car is like sitting in a time machine. all of a sudden your 17 again.
Lovely ! I used to work with a woman in the late 80's who was fanatical about these cars . Her daily driver was a '74 2000 , and her partner owned a street legal race modified 2.5 PI . It was through them I purchased a '68 Triumph 1300 FWD which was also beautiful to drive .
My Dad had a 2.5 PI Auto. I can remember the noise of the pump in the boot that the PI had. This video brought back so many memories. Thank you.
Such elegant looking cars. The MKII is one of my all-time favourites.
Beautiful cars, look at the shine on the paintwork, oh & those lovely empty roads, must be heaven to drive on, compared to the UK!
Beautiful automobiles. Excellent video view, as always. FYI In the U.S.A., The Nation Highway Traffic Safety Administration, ((NHTSA), mandated head-restraints in all new cars sold in the U.S. after 1 January 1969. Unlike the independent rear suspension of the big Triumphs, that red 1965 Mustang has semi-elliptical leaf springs and a solid (live) rear axle. A tried and true design, but a configuration more suited to drag-racing and agrarian applications.
Correction: Excellent video review, as always.
Triumphs really were such lookers.
Stunning motors.
Fond memories of the 2500 as my Uncle had one in the late 70s. Great review Ian.
Absolutely stunning! And the sound..... fantastic !!!
I was surprised by how rorty.it sounded - but I suppose it is a 4 door TR6...
Who needs the tv hub ,when you,ve go hubnut tv?????🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅 and tea!!!!!
I'm here 4 years later and still loving this video .
Thank you for sharing hub nut .
Merry Christmas Ian, two beautiful Triumphs indeed, I’m sitting here in a train depot opposite the old Triumph factory near Speke in Liverpool whilst watching the video funnily enough 😎👍🏼
I had to look up it but I knew these were sold as something else in a certain country, that was in South Africa they were assembled and sold as the Triumph Chicane.
Very cool car. Very HubNut. Unbelievable how well this car is kept. What a treat to watch. The rear lights are so Bertone. A cuz to the Alfa Romeo 1750 Berlina.
It was always great fun playing "Mallet's Mallet" with those single strut head restraints... 😊
Really good looking cars. Love the sound of the straight 6 beautiful.
I took my driving test in my dads Mk 1 (facelifted version with leather seats and face level vents) Triumph 2000 with overdrive. It was a very nice car and the six sounded lovely. Those cars are in staggeringly good order. I actually said WOW when I saw them, and it takes a lot to get one of those out of me. What a find ! The steering was far better than the Rover 2000 which had a tiller instead....
I remember as a kid, we, as a family lusted after these; a big luxurious family car. I saw one recently and it looked so small!
In the 70's my father had 3 triumphs, a white mark 1 manual 2500 on a G plate, a turquoise mark 2 auto 2000 on a K plate and a navy 2500 PI manual on a N plate. Great car & great momories.
"British Leyland plughole of despair" ❤ I have fond memories of the PI My uncle had one and it was the first time i saw a speedometer needle point to 100mph
3 minutes in and you have it near sold to me 😁👍🏻
Well, what a big surprise to find this; and only just recently uploaded onto CZcams. Well done! So good to see cars that have not been bodged with awful and cheap DIY treatments that sully these cars from the great vehicles they once were.
The 2000 and 2500 engined big Triumph saloons really were one of the best designed cars out there, - and it was all done on limited budgets with upgraded older power plants. The Standard Vanguard Six of 1960 being the previous car to use the 2000 six cylinder engine. Before then, it was a four cylinder shorter block unit fitted on an earlier (Standard) car of the 1950's. The engine mounts from that earlier iteration being evident on either side of the 2000/2500 block casting.
You mentioned about rear legroom being limited. The front seat was at the back of its travel. With the seat mid-way, there's plenty of front as well as rear legroom. The long wheelbase meant it was superior in accommodation to the Rover P6 stablemate at the time, (1963-1977).
You mention that the manual gearbox on the PI makes for quicker driving; citing that the automatic makes things slower. That is true to some degree, but what you are witnessing is that the PI (petrol injection early model, pre- twin carburetors models) has a far more efficient method of measuring and feeding the engine with the right air and petrol mixture at precisely the right time and in the right measure, also being sequential too, unlike the rather more basic twin-carburetor fed engines. This gives the early cars far more bhp (power) and considerably greater torque than the later 2500TC and 2500S models, which both developed 106 bhp, (and only 99bhp on the first 2500TC models from 1975).
The 2500 engine was an extended piston stroke derivative of the 2000 with it's greater throw crankshaft. This, combined with an altered cylinder head specification for PI models, made for 132bhp on pre 1973 production models, but subsequently being reduced to 125bhp, (as per the blue car in this video - seen by two breather hoses between each of the three inlet manifolds as opposed to one on the pre- '73 engines), on the emission control cars made up until 1975 when twin carburetors were then brought into the fold over warranty claim expenses that rendered mechanical fuel injection a no-no.
Set up properly on a healthy engine, the PI system is most reliable, bar the high-pressure fuel pump in the boot that can overheat if not well maintained, or a temporary air-lock in an injector pipe, which is easily cured. Using the right fuel is imperative! More on this further down.
However, as a one time owner (for 12-years) of a low mileage 1972 2.5 PI saloon from 1988 until 2000, (with a car that had automatic transmission fitted, but which I then had converted to manual overdrive as part of a full restoration project), both transmission systems were capable of quick, rapid performance levels, but in different ways. The automatic was best at kick-down at 48-mph where the car literally catapulted and got up to 70 without so much as a blip, and from 80 to a ton in top faster than my later owned 2001 4.4-litre BMW 540i saloon by a considerable degree. The car literally surged forward without any hint of effort. Great on autobahns. With manual transmission installed, acceleration from standstill was quite marked over the auto in sensation; being lower-geared. So impressive that twice, the then new Ford Escort RS Turbos of 1989 could not outrun the PI.
By way of comparison, in 1979, my late father bought a 22,000-mile 1977 2500 TC automatic when I was a lad of 14. This was no slouch off of the lights with it''s responsive Borg Warner type 65 box that was more precise and responsive than the earlier Type 35 boxes that were fitted to the earlier 2000/2500 models prior to somewhere around 1975. However, the 2500 engines with twin carburetors were less free-revving at above 3,700 rpm or thereabouts and sounded rather stressed and busy. Whereas with the precisely measured 2500 PI fed engines, (on a well sorted engine with the PI system properly balanced, calibrated and fed with the right fuel, it must be added), then the engine is allowed to freely rev with complete smoothness all the way to and beyond the red-line, - and with an instantaneous throttle response like no modern car achieves with ECU's that stifle such throttle responses with latency.
This translated to performance figures that some still believe not possible. In overdrive top and on the Continent, 125-mph. 0-60 in just over 8-seconds. This was from the early 132-bhp unit. In any custom-modified pre-1973 TR6 spec 150-bhp high-lift camshaft transplanted variant, slightly more can be achieved, - though changing the rear axle and differential to a Nissan Skyline or somesuch would be necessary as the diff ratio needs to be higher than the 3.45:1 ratio differential, (as fitted to the 2500 cars), in order to reduce the engine's r.p.m.
These Mk 2 cars with their scooped rear lip, integral to the roof-line, as well as to the boot-lid and light cluster at the tail end, combined with the shallow radiator inlet grille all make for a very streamlined car with excellent airflow properties; adding to a stable ride at speed, (quarter-light windows' wind-noise being the only let-down to the car's interior silence).
Lastly, the PI models were meant to run on 5-Star 100 RON (relative octane number) leaded fuel. 4-Star leaded fuel was 97 RON. The only fuel for classic cars to run on (in the UK at least) is with ESSO or BP Super unleaded fuel (97 RON) combined with a suitably reliable lead-substitute additive, (or better still, to have the valve seats hardened and the fuel injection metering unit exchanged for one adapted for unleaded use by a specialist in the field. KMI Injection in Hertfordshire being the people I have used). Any other fuel sold today, (at time of posting), has the rubber hose rotting, older fuel tank lining perishing 'Ethanol' constituent, which is added within these fuels by 10%. Be warned! Also, any other fuels claiming 99 RON are either supermarket branded, ( = lower engine performance), or again, contained with the dreaded Ethanol within the mix.
This refreshed memories of a 2.5 PI I owned in the late 70s. It was a Nelson assembled one. It was white with brown leather upholstery. Manual with overdrive and no power steering just like the Coventry example here. Some rust started appearing on the join of the fold below the number plate on the rear of the boot. I was warned about the injection uint. Apparently as they aged, the clearances increased and the fuel consumption would double from about 30 mpg to 14-15 mpg. I sold mine before that happened, to buy a Mitsubishi Galant Super Saloon of all things. Somewhat plagued with rust too.
gorgeous gorgeous cars, just love the styling and those dashboards
Totally agree. Triumph made some really beautiful and interesting cars and most of the saloons are very good value for money. My favourite is the Dolly Sprint though.
Oh that was excellent, always loved the look of these beautiful cars and two magnificent examples.
Thanks to you and to Chris.
I owned a PI auto and a TC manual in .au. The PI succumbed to tinworm in 1988 but the TC (PRC-610) was sold in 2000. I don't know if she's still with us. I did all my own work (badly) and she cost pennies to maintain. The PI occasionally had vapour lock in summer, and you buy a bag of ice of a garage to cool the pipes down as a remedy. There are probably better ways of managing that.
Comfortable and strong, they could endure considerable abuse but the rear hubs and UJs can wear out and it's not a bad idea to have a few spare as they mine liked to die on Sundays for some reason. Always use a reflector on the dash if you are parking in strong sunlight (I learned the hard way).
The segmented warning light cluster was a beautiful design.
Owned a very late Triumph 2000 TC mk2 with overdrive many years ago, it was my first car! Rover 2000's were lovely cars too.
MERRY CHRISTMAS Ian !! - Oh wow !, you are truly spoiling us in this video ! ...Not 1 but 2 Big Triumph 2500's !, an Twin carb auto and a "Pi" (petrol injection) manual too ! ...You must be in heaven down in New Zealand having the best of both worlds !! - The people in New Zealand certainly look after their cars very well ! and these 2 Triumphs must be the best 2 examples that I have ever seen !!! - They are in showroom condition ! - All in all super classic cars 40+ years old now and a real credit to their owner (or owner's) who has/Have looked after them so well - Well done - I love all your interesting car videos and hope that you will continue making many more in 2020+ Fairwell man ! - Have a great Christmas and a very happy and interesting new year ! :-)
I agree ,i've never seen 2500s in such condition, I assume NZ doesn't salt it's roads as most UK cars have corroded away.
@@rogerhudson9732 Hi Roger, Thanks for your reply to my comment man. Sorry for my late reply as I wasn't able to get online until Christmas Eve 2019, due to my computer playing up :( .....
I agree with you 100% Roger, In the UK it is almost virtually impossible to find vintage cars like these two fabulous Triumph 2500's featured on Hubnut's great video which are in such fantastic condition, Here in the UK with all the bad weather and salt/grit on the roads during the very cold winters most of these great cars suffered badly due to rust problems, I believe in the UK the only chance to find original unrestored vintage 1970's cars like these cars shown in this video in such great condition is from the collectors who have bought them back in the day when they were new and who have had them dry stored and pampered weekly in their giant warehouses where they have other vintage cars from the same era which they have also dry stored and looked after very well over the years.
Years ago my next door neighbour used to have a light blue Triumph 2000 which was the 2 litre version of this same car, It was also a straight 6 engine and looked very similar to the engines in these two Triumph's shown in Hubnut's video, except I think it was a nun injection model which may have had just a single carburettor ?, It was about 20 years old then back in the early 1990's on an "M" reg so it was either an August 1973 to August 1974 year model, but I remember always telling my neighbour "Good morning" and seeing him working on this car (engine work and repairing rust lol) when waling past on my way to High School ....when I was about 14/15.
Merry Christmas man. and all the very best to you :-)
@@BITTYBOY121 There are lots of classic Triumphs for sale, and some will be in excellent condition. Vitesses and Sprints are rare but there are about 6,000 Stags still in the UK and another 3,000 around the world. Not bad when you consider only about 27,000 were made.
"because it's quite interesting... as long as you like wipers as much as I do" 🙂
My dad had a 1967 Vitesse 2.0 with overdrive and I had a Mk2 2000 with overdrive; both now sadly gone but very fondly remembered. I love overdrive especially on 3rd gear - great for town driving, use 3rd & overdrive 3rd and you were good for c20-50mph without any gear changes, just flip the switch, who needs an automatic? I also loved my dad's 1958 Daimler Conquest Century (100 BHP?) with the Wilson fluid flywheel and pre-select gearbox, a very different way to drive! Hope that all is going well and I love my Hubnut fix! Orra best for a guid New Year folks.
Wow the condition and paintwork on that first 2500 is absolutely unbelievable, looks amazing like a museum piece! 👌👍
Quality of your productions is something else, even when its bad it's great, you're a natural, this is one of my favourite cars too, (in a nostalgia friends dad having a yellow with beige interior S kind of way) and my savant brother also gets a lot of pleasure out of your channel, you take care all the best.
Omg the sound of that engine I’ve been so waiting for a review on the big triumphs great cars great video made my day thanks hubnut
It's both.
These were also assembled in South Africa, You're quite correct.
We had two of them in the family. The first was a 2000 Mk 2, in the brown Jaguar colour. My father bought it in 1971 and it lasted about two years before my mother drove it into the back of a Ford Fairlane, which had cut her off on a country road (she wasn't the best driver) en route to my boarding school to collect me for the weekend. Mother was fine, except for a nasty cut to the head, but the poor car caught fire and burned out. It was pretty smashed up in any case though.
This enabled my father to purchase a light blue 2.5 PI Mk 2, which he had been coveting for a while already. It was a 4 speed manual with overdrive on 3rd and 4th gears. While the 2000 Mk 2 was disappointingly gutless, the 2.5 PI was an absolute joy. We loved that car. I was set to take it over as my first car (I had been riding a Yamaha RD250), if it wasn't for an ever increasing interest in motorcycles. I eventually had a tough choice to make, and chose a Suzuki GS750 instead. I still miss the old PI though, and wish I had it now. (And also the RD 250, by the way.)
Thanks for a great video!
Ive had my triumph 2500tc for 15 years now. Ive been restoring it over the last 18 months after 7 years in a shed. Started on my 1st attempt. Was so happy about that. It was assembled in Nelson i believe.
My dad had a mk 1 2500 pi. He had that 15 years too.
Beautiful cars in gorgeous condition, I love these and I'm rather jealous I really want to drive one. I remember when I was a kid my mums friend had a white one, I remember sitting in the back without a seat belt. The tail lights and chrome trim was always my favourite part of the car- no idea why 🤔
Excellent video Ian.
Two beautiful cars. A credit to their owner.
I had a 1970 2.5 PI here in the UK, when I was 18, in 1977.
It was white, with a black vinyl roof.
Lovely car, wish I still had it!
I had a PI back in the early 80s. Was my second car. Swapped the failing Lucas fuel pump with a Bosch unit that was fitted to Volvos of the day. It was an auto, but with a slightly modified exhaust, and the pump now pushing out 110psi, it went like stink. When you’d floor it in top gear it would kick back to second gear and push you back your seat like a v8. They also out handled the far majority of cars of the day. I used to love destroying BMW drivers. These were and still are my favourite car ever, having owned 2 Mk1s and 3 Mk2s over the years. I wish I still had that first Mk2 PI.
Flack over the mustang comment? Not from me! I don’t know what it’s like to drive that Triumph, but I do know what it was like to drive a 65 mustang. So I heartily agree with your comment regardless of what the Mustang is being compared to. Mine was absolutely horrible! Great styling, but everything else was cheap , noisy, and breakdown-prone. Still, it did have a V8 and a 4bbl. and I was 18. Oh dear!
greeneschickenfarm ...so basically a souped up Falcon, that Mustang.
Xyleksoll That’s a pretty good comparison!
Here in the UK where motor insurance is compulsory ...I was 18 or 19 ,it was the late 80's . I had the opportunity to buy a Pontiac GTO (late 60's , had about a 7 litre V8 as I recall) in reasonable running condition but only one insurance company would agree to insure me , at a staggering £7000 per year ! I then lowered my sights and was offered a mid 70's Plymouth station wagon with a 4 litre straight six (I think) but couldn't afford to insure that either ! Ended up buying a '76 Rover P6 2.3 Automatic 😁
@@shaunw9270 probably did you a favour, the fuel bill for both of those would have burst you!
@@SPTSuperSprinter156 Yeah definitely ! The owner of the GTO was hesitant to tell me of the 8 - 10 mpg in city traffic lol
The French had a road sign 'chaussee deforme', which meant, in translation, 'this will bring you off a motorbike.
Love these Triumphs, gorgeous to look at and that sound of the straight six. Kudos to the owner who has kept them in such lovely condition. Thank you for taking the time to upload, edit and share.
Triumphs of the 70s brilliant, my first car was a 1300, it looked like a RWD dolomite sprint but was a FWD pudding! Still the interior and ride was sooo good. The longitudinal engine meant the clutch was by the centre console just in front of the gear lever, i know this as it came through to say hello one day due to excessive crankshaft float. We welded a piece of angle iron in for it all to rub on and carried on (bodging was a necessity as the car only cost me £10).
Later on in life I had a chance to get that fantastic Mercelloti styling on a unique Stag with Russel Hart engine, no rust! What a brilliant era for British cars. Had the pleasure to work with one of the engineers who worked at Triumph just before the dreaded BL plauge. As he said they could not make the cars fast enough to meet demand, TR6, 2000, 2500, dolomite, GT6 and Stag....what a line up.
Thats a nice one very very tidy lovely motor sounds very nice : ) 10 out of 10 from me
Cracking vid. My Dad had an ivory Mk1 2000 then a PI in kind of British Rail Blue. He was involved with the Police diving unit and once ran a diver with the bends 30 miles along the coast to a decomp chamber in less than 30 minutes before there were any bypasses, with a Police escort all the way. In another incident which made the press at the time, he threw diving cylinders in the boot and had to get them to a Spanish teenager who had been buried in shingle at Shoreham and already had his head submerged. The teenager survived and was dug out underwater while breathing through the aqualung. I won't tell you what speed my Dad did to get that kit there, but the kid lived so needs must. Car did have power steering, and a brown vinyl interior. It was a very quick and very good handling car in its day, one of the quickest saloons around. For the aficionados and because I have a mad memory for plates, it's registration was FBP 265H !!!
Woo your dad was an aquatic superhero, especially regarding the teenager.
That Pi sounds purposeful as you said ... it just sounded like a 70’s cop show ...
Lovely - I’d have one of those tomorrow ...
I did love these cars. Bought a 1965 2000 on the Isle of Wight and the sea air did accelerate the rust factor, but I spent many a happy hour filling, rubbing down and spray canning the lovely bodywork. Money was a problem, so when the exhaust fell on the floor, helpfully pointed out by a traffic cop, I got a small scaffold pole and it fitted lovely along the length of the car and just needed some strong wire and rubber rings to keep it in place. It didn't seem to like thermostats, even cheap ones, so had to remove them and dress extremely warmly in the cold candlelit winter of 1974.
The Best Looking 4 dr Saloon Ever Made. These Cars should be More than STAG Money.
Due to Rarity. The 2500 'S' Was Brilliant.
VERY UNDERRATED.
I 've had one & Now I Want Another.
Gemi Brexit My dad bought the 2500s estate in blue... in 1976,
Family camping holidays were uppermost memories- what a lovely motor. Got to drive in in 1983 when I passed my test at 18 yo; Sad day when he traded it in 1984
@@MrDodgedollar Brilliant Cars, The 2500 'S' Actually Take A VERY IN Depth Close Look at A BMW e30, or e34. They follow the same Principles & area very close Copy of What Triumph Instigated , Innovated & Invented.
BMW e30 , See Triumph Dolomite .
BMW e34, See Triumph 2000 / 2500. Lines & thinking.
Also Look at UK spec Rover 820 / 827 saloon for an Updated Triumph 2000.
LOOK CLOSELY. Low Body line, Slim Long Car,
Drive a Rover 820 /827, The Very Same Solid car Silky Smooth Ride. & Great Performance.
The 3 cars i drove that Made Me WANT ONE NOW. ( as i Drove it. )
Rover 827.
BMW e34 530i 6 cyl
Skoda 136 Rapide Coupe' ( 1983 /4 ? era) Rear engined .
I Had Triumph 2500's & Dolly's,
Lots of BMW e30's. & a Few e34's. My current car is an e34 525i SE Manual. (1995)
Guess What ?
It's 2500cc 6 Cyl inline, 24 valve.
errr = 6 in line = Triumph ???
My e34 520. is 2000cc 6 cyl 24 valve. Same engine , 500 cc Less.
But still a Super smooth & Fairly Quick 2.0 liter 6 cyl Saloon car. the e34 is the Triumph Re-Incarnated & still Running Great.
The Rover 827, = Another Triumph in Disguise.
The PURR of those 6 cylinders is SUPERB !!
BMW had to Bring out the 320 to Keep up with the 2.0 16 v Dolly SPRINT. in the early 70's.
The Rover Looked More like a Triumph 2500 than any Rover ever designed.
Park these PAIRS / Threesomes of cars Side by side & take a Close Look.
Trust Me , a 1986 Rover Saloon looks very like a 1970 Triumph 2000.
A 1973 Dolomite ( twin Headlights Version ) Looks Very Similar to the 1982 BMW e30 .
( all Except the Rear Window / Roofline. )
See what you think & let Me Know.
Very Nice to Chat. Thanks.
Speaking Commercially; I have talked on other threads about the coerced merger of the profitable Leyland ( Rover,Triumph) with BMC in 1968, BMC who were cap in hand to the government and insolvent! ( Tony Benn) in his wisdom thought that Leyland “expertise” could save BMC and the workers! This was a needless death sentence to Leyland in hindsight; The British car industry certainly needed sliming down to compete with the coming onslaught of foreign imports ;
My dad BTW was a businessman/ joiner who was very practical and after two Triumph estates, wanted something similar so, went on to buy around 7 or 8 Volvo estate’s ... GB PLC’s loss!
Noticed both cars have the ""Keep your distance""" trilby's on the rear parcel shelves...😉
Dad had one ,74 P.I, superb, bit of a beast ,used to see off lots of cars of the time from the traffic light GP , same colour as the brown carb one in video ,great times ,told my wife she needs to get saving for one for me for my 50th next year.
That last shot of the setting sun shining through the Triumph is epic!
Lovely vehicles of their time...unfortunately the Datsun 180B and the Audi 80 were decent competitors...however, the stunning condition of the two in your video are an absolute compliment to their owners. Great video thank you
You are joking aren't you... I hope. You must mean spec wise cos as far as styling the Audi was created by a square-head with a ruler and on the 180b: windows were an afterthought. These cars were an absolute triumph for Micheloti. I can't think of another mass production early 70's executive car that came close to the style of the 2.5 Pi....The Jag XJ but that was another class/price bracket.
@@jeremyfine1464 I'd say that the Rover P6 trumps this Triumph in terms of style, although it was in a higher class and price bracket. Both are bargains in the classic car community today.
Lovely , My Dad have a totally mint , 22,000 miles from new mk2 2000 in French Blue up until a few years ago like the one tested , all of the gears , not so much ommmph though !!! …. Hope you're feeling recharged Ian !
Oh... the PI... how I loved mine... for all the problems it would throw up, it was still, somehow, magnificent !
such gorgeous cars, Triumph nailed it !
really loved this episode
George would be proud .
Assembled here there and everywhere.
Sounds like a kit car LOL
Great looking cars! I prefer these Mark 2s to the original. I assumed that the British built ones were made in Speke but I stand corrected.
These big Triumphs were discontinued in July 1977, effectively replaced by the Rover 2300 and 2600.
There are 2 series of Mk2 in the video... the blue 2.5 PI is earlier with more chrome / slats around the grille, no headrests, steel wheels with rostyle (Rubery Owen) chrome trims (13" ?) ? The corresponding 2000 had twin Stromberg carbs and flat spoked wheel covers. The PI had the black ribbed slat between the rear lights.
Around 73/74 they were refreshed into the second series with the more modern plastic grilles etc, the PI went and the base 2500 TC or exec spec 2500 S came in with twin SU carbs. Headrests appeared and maybe more black around the dash instruments ? The S had the Stag alloys and the rear black boot slat.
The bodyshells were made at the Triumph / Leyland Speke factory no. 1 and sent to Canley by train, the same for most Triumphs of the time.
The second factory at Speke was the infamous TR7 assembly shop.
We kept building them in New Zealand through to 1979 such was their popularity.
I drove a PI just after passing my driving test in 1981, what an experience, that straight 6 engine, and the overdrive gearbox.
I really appreciate the level of research you do for these vids. It would be easy to reel off specs but you always put things into context and concentrate on the most interesting details - which are sometimes the more obscure ones. More power to your nuggets.
Hi Hubnut. In all your UK car show videos, I don't believe I have seen one of these. I'd presumed they'd all rusted away to nothing there. I've owned one and would happily own another - very nice cars to drive, as you say. The automatic car's full complement of instruments surprised my Australian eyes on a car that was neither PI or 2500S. A NZ thing or an owner's modification? Interesting to see the UK wood too - it was lighter coloured in Australia. Note too the hand priming lever on the fuel pump of the brown car - a great idea which should have been universal. I wonder if you have your wires crossed about the engine's ancestry though? The engine related to the Fergie was the 2.1 litre Vanguard and TR 4 cyl unit. But I believe the 2000 engine was developed from the 1-ish litre Standard 8-10 / Herald / Spitfire motor. Cheers.
I did have my wires crossed sadly. My error.
Definitely an owner's modification. In NZ 2500TCs only ever had the basic instrument panel (no speedo) like the 2000. The brown car's instrument panel, alloy wheels and black plastic louvres behind the rear number plate are all from a 2500s. Beautiful car, I have never seen one that shiny!
Well Hubnut, a couple of Prime Ministers ago in Australia, we had one who famously and publicly said 'no-one is the suppository of all wisdom'. Indeed, no wisdom was evident among all those who voted for him. And even you and I can err, but as long as someone takes the trouble to correct errors in print or online, then all is well with the world, and no thought of self chastisement need apply. I hope to cross paths with you in Australia.
@@captaccordion Nobody does elitism like a Labor/Labour/Labwhore voter these days...always entertaining, like their faces on election night. Next
@@stephenscholes4758 Sad to say, no one does nastiness or is more prone to resort to insulting terms like whore than right wing voters. That same PM referred to CO2 as weightless - regardless of someone's place on the political spectrum, that level of ignorance is totally inappropriate for high office.
Haven't seen the video yet, but looking forward to watch it!
Lovely cars! I noticed you seem a bit out of breath?
VERY interesting that the outer scale on the speedo is already in KM/H! Do you perhaps know they switched in NZ?
A fun fact is that the primary pressure fuel pump of the Lucas Petrol Injection was simply a "modified" wiper- wash motor that was used as a fuel pump! It seized quite a lot and contributed to the unreliable, unpredictable and bad reputation of the system. Also, those PI engines drink an awful lot of fuel.
In addition to this, do you know how the fuel pump was kept cool? By circulating FRESH FUEL AROUND the body of the fuel pump outside of it. Really insane, but hey, it's Lucas, isn't it!?
Interesting story how an injection system and a wiper system have things in common, heh?
Cheers from Belgium and all the best for 2020!
BTW, they were also assembled in Seneffe, Belgium. Went there last year and the big plughole logo as well as the entrance sign mounted on pillars at around 15 meters above ground level, are still there! It was very well situated, as it it was straight next to the canal. They also had a private railway that shipped them out of the production hall straight to the boats for shipping!
bombakdik We switched to metric,ummmmm....74 ish.
Mike Berg cool to see an answer on this!
Intriguing as well!
Is there something more you can tell about it?
@@vtecpreludevtec 1969 NZ began changing to metric. Metrification was fully completed by 1976. I work in engineering and we still deal with imperial stuff, even in 2019.
Nick Vallender I’m 55 ,I remember roads going from miles to kays,early 70s.And we adopted decimal currency in 1967.
There was a mild cosmetic facelift in 1973 (or 1974?) NZ new cars I've seen have all had MPH speedos with pointed needles before the facelift, and Km/h speedos with square-ended needles like this car after the facelift.
A fine-looking vehicle, Ian - top vid as per usual. Thank you, Sir
My Father bought a brand new 2.5Pi in 1969 in Sydney. It was a mustard colour and he put some Aunger mags on it and got rid of the mag hub caps. Interior was black and she went like a rocket. He didn't have any problems with it and the fuel injection behaved itself. The MK 2 was 9" longer and heavier with slightly less grunt than the original Pi. He shipped it to New Zealand in 1972 and in Upper Hutt it sure turned some heads. At the time it was only the 6th one in the country. Great car.
Two mint beauties. I love the styling and yes I too think they are an underrated classic.
I loved these ever since Santa brought me a 2500PI Z-Car for Christmas in the mid '70's. It is a shame that the useless BL management didn't replace these as they had a great image and Triumph were seen as a viable BMW competitor.
Mike, i had one of those police cars also in the mid 70s, complete with push down blue tit siren, lol.
@@stevenwatson3963 I seem to remember it said *calling all cars*. Great memories.
YUP, Mike, great memories, cheers for that!! Seasons Greatings to you Mike, and your family.;-)
My first car when I past my test was the triumph 2000. Never forget that I used to keep opening the windows every few miles to let the fumes out.if you didn’t then after a few minutes you couldn’t see
Ian this video brought back fond memories of trips to St.Annes with my Grandad listening to Klaus Wunderlich! I was always fascinated by the centre dial with the indicators. A truly lovely comfortable car that managed to get a gallop on when needed. Great video! Merry Christmas
13:56 Bunnings woohoo!! smell the sausage
those 6 cylinder engines do NOT make noise ! noise is an irritant, what those engines make is a sound,a wonderful 6 cylinder symphony of sound ! ;-)
More of a purr, I suppose !
Oh dear.....
Great video HubNut. I really enjoyed it. Thank you. Pete 🇬🇧
My word you have been busy. Lovely cars and a credit to the owner. Loved the sound of the PI. Happy Christmas 🎄Hubnut.
Okay, something very strange going on here, where is the rust?🤔 Both cars are nice but cloth any day for me.
They only Rusted in Britain. Everywhere else has a better climate & Triumphs Live on Forever.
@@A1DJPaul My 71 PI is a New Zealand car, it's had its share of rust in the bottom of the body. These cars are just full of double skinned, fully welded sealed areas where a window seal or a bolt hole can let water in the top, and then there's no way for it to drain out of where it collects in the bottom, so they just rust from the inside out.
This begs the question,if the Italian designers were all over here designing for us,who was designing the cars in Italy?. There were some ugly cars came out of Italy during the 70s. Fortunately they all just rusted away and in the words of Dylan "Blowing in the wind".
Fiat 128 3P, 131, 130 Coupe and numerous Alfas & Lancias from the 70s looked great.
Bertone? Pinin Farina ? Vignale? Touring ?
@@lewis72 totally agree. Fiat/Lancia styling 70/80 was spot on
@kicky scottland:. The Fiat Multipla wasn't designed in the 1970's!
Have to agree... many cars like the Fiat 131, Lancia Beta etc had early styling that dated very quickly, only when they were revamped into the 80s did they start to look sharp.
The Rotmo / Strada had quirky styling but was an excellent overall design, copied shamelessly by the later Renault Twingo.
@@johnmoruzzi7236 The Fiat Ritmo is almost as ugly as the Multipla. The Fiat 131 wasn't ugly, it was a standard car. The Alfasuds look nice, The Lancias are regular, apart from the beautiful Fulvias and the other sport cars. All Alfas are great, Fiat 126 is cute (but less than the 500L), 127 is ugly, 128 and 124 are like a car should look like, 131 not bad, 132 good looking, the mid-engine dwarf Fiat very good looking, all the spiders are beyond the standard, what did I forget?
Perfect - two beautiful motors there. Ditto, one of my most favourite cars. If not *the* most favourite. As you say, completely underrated cars. Thank you. Great reviews. Oh, that sound !
I love the amount of visibility (and the bright airiness of this Triumph) from the inside of cars of this era compared to contemporary cars.
Totally Agree, what can the justification be for such poor visibility in modern cars - only styling trends.
@@robertp.wainman4094 You're forgetting about crash structures. Those are mandated and not something the automakers have any choice in doing.
@@jakekaywell5972 You are right, but the rear quarter pillars on a lot of cars are unnecessarily heavy and create appalling blind spots. A lot of hatchbacks are particularly bad, having what from the outside looks like a great sweep of glass; look closely and it's all black masking and no field of view!