Topic: Solved - NEH 1552: Early Michelotti proposal for Triumph 2000

[Carnut]

And for a nice easy Rookie point - what's this, from when?

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[Carnut]

Experts?

[Delorean]

French?

[Carnut]

French?

No.

[Iluvatar]

Alfa Romeo prototype?

[Carnut]

Alfa Romeo prototype?

No, not an Alfa

[Facel]

FNM?

[wingroad]

British ? I think I have seen it before somewhere but cannot place it.

[hugo90]

Triumph?

[richard cuyler]

The wheels look Triumph 2000-ish and the little tailfin extentions look Triumph Herald-ish, so I'm saying maybe Michelotti did this proposal for a Triumph 2000, early Sixties, the aforementioned fin extentions in place to allow visual associtaion with the Herald in the public's mind. There's a bit of Pininfarina Peugeot/BMC about the general lines (rather neat, actually), but I don't think PF would have used the said cues. I'm probably way off course, as usual.

[Carnut]

The wheels look Triumph 2000-ish and the little tailfin extentions look Triumph Herald-ish, so I'm saying maybe Michelotti did this proposal for a Triumph 2000, early Sixties, the aforementioned fin extentions in place to allow visual associtaion with the Herald in the public's mind. There's a bit of Pininfarina Peugeot/BMC about the general lines (rather neat, actually), but I don't think PF would have used the said cues. I'm probably way off course, as usual.

Actually you're spot-on!

The picture below shows Michelotti's first effort at a 2000 - basically just a stretched and enlarged Herald!
Following management's rejection of this he was asked to develop something a little bit more exciting and different from it and the puzzle car is what he came up with.  It, too, was rejected by management for being "too bland".  The rest, as they say, is history!

[richard cuyler]

Blimey! When I think I'm right I'm wrong and vice versa. Nice to be on the 'right side' for a change. I rather like the stretched Herald, it has lots of character. But the rather frail, not-great-quality air about it is probably what got it rejected. The 2000 as it turned out was just what the doctor/accountant/middle manager/retiree ordered, a non-offensive design, lots of wood and leather inside, a 'return to old Triumph standards', just the thing for middle England.  

[Carnut]

Yes, but if you recall (as I do..) it was quite avant-garde for its time, and was definitely the 'sporting' or cad's choice of the 2000 rivals that came out around the same time, whilst the Rover 2000 was more for the conservative middle-aged type.

The Herald-based proposal was already way out of date by the early sixties, with its tail fins and upright rear lights so for a change the management got it right when they rejected it.  The final production car couldn't really have been more different!