Beschreibung:

Triumph’s first 350cc vertical twin had been built for military purposes in wartime, and would form the basis for a civilian version when hostilities ceased. The basic engine design followed that laid down pre-war by Edward Turner for the trend-setting Speed Twin, but featured rocker boxes incorporated into the cylinder head casting and a built-up crankshaft with one piece connecting rods like the military 3TW. The running gear was essentially that of the Speed Twin and featured Triumph’s new telescopic front fork. Lower geared than its 500cc sibling, the 3T was nevertheless capable of reaching 75mph and could return around 80mpg. Unlike the later unitary construction 3TA 350, the 3T possessed a measure of the low-down ‘grunt’ associated with Triumph’s larger vertical twins and as a result is arguably a much more pleasant and characterful machine to ride. The restoration of this particular 3T was the subject of a 4-page article in Classic Motorcycling Legends magazine (Autumn 1995 issue, copy available) written by Bonhams’ consultant David Hawtin, no less. At that time the machine belonged to Len Coombs, an enthusiastic collector and restorer, who had purchased it at a furniture auction in Colchester in 1993. When Ken Sizer acquired the Triumph in April 2005, it had covered only a few hundred miles since restoration and remained in good condition. Ken continued to improve the bike, as evidenced by numerous parts invoices on file. In addition to the latter, the machine comes with sundry restoration receipts, old-style logbook (issued 1957), assorted correspondence, workshop manual, instruction manuals, parts list, Swansea V5C and a quantity of expired MoTs (most recent March 2006).