Triumph Thunderbird Sport

The new Triumph company based at Hinckley introduced the Triumph Thunderbird 900 in late 1994. Coded T309RT, the new Thunderbird was instrumental in Triumph's successful re-entry into the US market. The 'Thunderbird' name and retro styling recalls the original Triumph company's golden years of the 1960s. It was the first "classic" Triumph to be produced by the resurgent company. The engine, redesigned to give a period look and de-tuned for more torque at lower rpm, was a variant of the 885 cc triple engine. Peak power was down to 69 bhp (51 kW) from 98 bhp (73 kW). Several variants of the Thunderbird were produced, Triumph T309TT Legend, Triumph T309RC Adventurer, and the Triumph T309RD Thunderbird Sport, which produced a claimed 82 bhp. The Thunderbird was produced until 2003 and the Thunderbird Sport until 2004. Hinckley also produced an accompanying clothing range consisting of sew-on patches, leather jacket and ankle boots, all featuring Edward Turner's original 'paper-dart' Thunderbird logo. A 1995 model received great exposure when it featured in publicity photos for the film Barb Wire with its then-high-profile star Pamela Anderson.