BLACKBIRDS
These two are possibly the rarest, most beautiful triumphs that we have had the pleasure of finding owners for. 1951 and 1953 Original rigid frame blackbirds.
The Triumph thunderbird was introduced in 1949. The rigid thunderbirds sent to the US in the 50s, black paint from factory was an option for some dealers, with higher rise handlebars and single spring saddles.
sisters 1951 and 1953
To capture the American market, the 6T Thunderbird used a variant of the earlier Speed Twin's parallel twin engine, bored out from 500 cc to 650 cc to give the added horsepower American customers demanded. The concept of enlarging the Speed Twin, the Thunderbird name and its 'paper dart' logo were thought up by managing director Edward Turner on one of his regular trips to Triumph's operations in the USA.
The origin
While standard 1951 Triumph Thunderbirds typically came in colors like Polychromatic Blue, certain international and US-facing distributors offered a striking black paint scheme that enthusiasts and collectors nicknamed the "Blackbird".
