Triumph set to recreate Golden Age

British motorcycle manufacturer Triumph announced record sales and an expanded range of products to almost 1200 delegates at its second Global Dealer Conference, held last weekend in Birmingham, England.

The world-famous brand, solely owned by British businessman John Bloor, confirmed that it was on track to top 50,000 sales in 2008, exceeding the previous record of 46,700 – set during Triumph’s ‘golden era’ in the 1960s.

Triumph, based in Hinckley, Leicestershire, is the world’s fastest growing motorcycle brand, delivering an average annual increase in sales of 17 percent per annum over the past four years. Triumph’s success has been credited to its wide and innovative range of motorcycles powered by the company’s signature parallel twin and three-cylinder engines.

"We often hear talk of the ‘golden age of British motorcycling’ referring to the 1950s and 1960s, but we are proud to be rewriting history and creating a new golden age right now," said Tue Mantoni, CEO of Triumph Motorcycles Limited. "Triumph is currently operating in 38 countries and our success is a tribute to our philosophy of making unique motorcycles with distinctive Triumph characteristics. This conference has provided an opportunity to celebrate this success with our dealers, while outlining our plans for the future. As part of our growth plans we are committed to expanding our range significantly over the next few years."

The highlight of the conference was the unveiling of the new Triumph Thunderbird cruiser , which is set to go on sale next summer as part of Triumph’s 2010 model range. The all-new Thunderbird is powered by a 1600cc parallel-twin engine and marks Triumph’s entry into the largest sector of the cruiser market. The Thunderbird joins Triumph’s existing cruisers, the popular 865cc America and Speedmaster, and the groundbreaking 2300cc Rocket III range, the world’s largest capacity motorcycles.