When BMW purchased the Rover Group back in 1994, the deal included such brands as Triumph, Austin, MG, Morris, Riley, and Rover, along with Mini and Land Rover. By 2000, BMW had sold off most of those brands, though it kept some of them, including Triumph.
While there’s no indication BMW plans to revive Triumph anytime soon, a London-based design house by the name of Makkina has imagined just what a modern Triumph sports car might look like with the TR25 concept. Makkina chose the Triumph brand to celebrate this year’s 100th anniversary of the production of the first Triumph car, the 10/20. Makkina is also celebrating its own 25th anniversary this year.
The TR25 concept, which has BMW’s blessing, features a design clearly inspired by the Triumph TR2 of the 1950s, specifically the streamlined version that was used for high-speed runs conducted near the Belgian town of Jebbeke. Ken Richardson managed to hit 124.889 mph in one of the cars in 1953 to claim the record for cars under two liters that year.
Like the car driven by Richardson, which today sits in the British Motor Museum in Gaydon, U.K., the TR25 concept is a single seater, with the passenger area sealed off for improved aerodynamics (a flip-out jump seat is below the removable panel, allowing for a passenger). This time around there’s a roll bar to protect the driver in the case of a mishap.
Ken Richardson with a 1953 Triumph TR2
Power in the TR25 concept comes from an electric powertrain, in this case borrowed from a BMW i3s. The single electric motor, mounted at the rear axle, is good for 184 hp.
Inside the cabin, a self-centering dial in the steering wheel displays key information while a second display, which Makkina refers to as a binnacle, is mounted behind the steering wheel and shows additional info, like the remaining charge and range.
There’s no word if there are any plans for a production run.