Sunday 23rd October 1949

The Triumph Mayflower was unveiled to invited members of the Technical Press and the Company’s Distributors in a specially decorated section of the main canteen at the Banner Lane factory, Coventry (UK). Two Mayflowers and an oval dining table centred by an approximately four foot high model of the Mayflower sailing ship were the center of attraction. The press gave the following reactions. “The knife-edge Triumph Mayflower stands out from all the other ten horsepower cars in the Show by reason of the exceptional vision afforded by its wide glass side windows, which run almost the full width of the body. If there is one aspect more than another in which the British weekend motorist is at the moment dissatisfied with modern trend in car design is in the increased tendency to “box-in” the driver and his passengers. The Triumph Mayflower goes a long way towards the ideal by affording weather protection with a light and spacious interior. (Evening News, 28 Sept. 1949) Standing aloof in a place of honour, the grey Mayflower will have aisle blocking crowds watching it on the Triumph Stand. Priced at £374 (plus £104 18s. 4dpurchase tax), the Mayflower has “big car value” such as independent front wheel suspension, four point jacks and body of integral construction, gear change lever mounted on the steering column, a four cylinder side valve engine with a petrol consumption of thirty-five miles per gallon and a top speed of sixty-five miles per hour. (Daily Graphic, 28 Sept. 1949) … surprised when, from today onwards, they see on Stand No 142 a 1.1/4 litre car with a full four seater two door body of highly original design. So far from competing with very small, cheap cars, the Triumph Mayflower is a notable addition to ranks of the luxury small car and should make an instant appeal … (The Motor, 28 Sept. 1949) … a family man’s chariot. I found the four cylinder engine so flexible that ten miles per hour in top gear caused no labouring. The engine seemed equally happy at sixty-five miles per hour. The gear lever is on the left of the steering column. In bottom we reached a good eighteen miles per hour and in second a good forty. Petrol? Thirty- five miles to the gallon. A lot has gone into the Mayflower. I appreciated the clock built into the speedometer and the water temperature gauge usually fitted only on high priced cars” – (Daily Express, Basil Cardew, 28 Sept. 1949) “Something of a furore is likely to be created by the first appearance of a smaller Triumph 1.247 c.c. car named the Mayflower”- (Autocar, 30 Sept. 1949). “Another sensation at the Show is the Triumph Mayflower, a 1. 1/4 litre family saloon, which we hope will make a mark in America as did the ship so named. It has the same knife-edge design which makes its big brother one of the prettiest cars on the road” – (Bournemouth Times, 30 Sept. 1949) .”Within a few minutes of the opening of the doors the avenues between the stands were crowded. It was noticed that the initial surge was towards the new Triumph Mayflower”. (Financial Times, 28 Sept. 1949) “Every Motor Show has its own particular “baby” which invariably catches the public’s imagination. This year I have no hesitation in declaring that it will be the new Triumph Mayflower four cylinder two door saloon with a razor-edged body bearing a marked similarity to the Triumph 2000″. (The Birmingham Gazette, 28 Sept. 1949)