Triumph TR2 Francorchamps
The Coupé Francorchamps, also called the TR2 Francorchamps: a closed TR2 built in Belgium by Impéria in 1954 and 1955, with a fixed steel roof and a panel that lifts out, wind-up windows and, on most accounts, an optional overdrive of Impéria's own. Few were sold.
About the pictureThe front of the old Impéria factory at Nessonvaux, photographed in 2022, not the coupé.

In 1954, "with Standard's blessing", as Classic Motorsports puts it, the managers of Impéria, the Belgian firm that assembled TR2s from kits at Nessonvaux, decided to build a version of their own. Its designer was the company's engineer, Frans Pardon, whose "FP" monogram is on the Impéria badge on the right front wing (fender). It was a closed coupé, named after the Spa-Francorchamps circuit nearby, and it was sold as the Coupé Francorchamps.
Underneath it was a TR2, with the TR2's engine, gearbox (transmission), brakes and suspension, as the specification below shows. Few were sold, on a figure every account agrees on.source 1source 2source 3
Body and equipment
The body was the TR2's, much rebuilt, above the waist and below it. Autoretro in 2015 and Classic Motorsports in 2016 describe the same changes, and the Triumph Club de France's interview with the restorer-owner of one car adds the detail of its construction.
| Part | What Impéria did | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Roof | Steel, welded to the body, with a Plexiglas panel 857 by 545 mm (about 34 by 21 in) that could be opened or lifted out; it was first tinted blue | Autoretro; Classic Motorsports |
| Rear window | Plexiglas, also tinted blue | Autoretro |
| Doors | Redesigned and about 7 cm (3 in) longer, for easier access, with outside handles and wind-up glass windows | Autoretro; Classic Motorsports |
| Side windows | Fixed quarter-lights and fixed rear side windows; the winders came from the Triumph Mayflower | Autoretro; the Club de France |
| Floor and seats | The floor lowered by about 2 to 2.5 cm; Classic Motorsports adds that the seats were set 50 mm closer together | All four |
| Steering wheel and dials | Moved about 3 cm towards the middle of the car, with the speedometer and rev counter | The Club de France; Autoretro |
| Inner frame | Ash, to stiffen the body | The Club de France |
| Headlamps | Lucas units with a diamond-shaped centre lens, as on the Vanguard | The Club de France |
| Brightwork | More chrome than a roadster, some of it from the Mayflower; an Impéria plaque on the side and a "Francorchamps" badge on the tail | Classic Motorsports; Autoretro |
| Rear seat | On some cars a third seat, across the car behind the two, which took space from the boot (trunk) | Autoretro |
| Trim | Leather, in two-tone blue, two-tone green, or black and grey | Autoretro |
The first three coupés were built on long-door bodies and the rest on short-door ones, Autoretro reports, and none was built with right-hand drive. Classic Motorsports lists the paints as black, red, metallic blue and metallic green; Autoretro names three metallics, one of them Iris Blue. The sunroof panel, Classic Motorsports says, came from a factory next door in Nessonvaux.source 2source 1source 3source 4
Mechanical
The engine, gearbox, drum brakes and suspension were the TR2's, with first gear still unsynchronised, by Autoretro's data panel. Its mechanical novelty was an overdrive of Impéria's own design, offered as an option.
Le second petit levier commande l'overdrive mécanique. Agissant sur chacun des rapports, on obtient ainsi 8 vitesses !
In our translation: the second small lever works the mechanical overdrive, and because it acts on each of the gears, the car has eight speeds. That second lever sits just below the gear lever. Classic Motorsports says the same, that the overdrive works on all four forward gears, and the restorer interviewed by the Triumph Club de France had to have a missing part made for what the interview calls Impéria's home-made invention. The restored car Auto Zeitung drove in 2023 has a Laycock electro-hydraulic overdrive instead, the kind Standard fitted to the roadster. Both are facts about particular cars, and no source read says which cars had which.
Autoretro's data panel gives the steering as worm and roller; the Triumph TR2 specs explain why that is a copying error. The weight in the specification is Autoretro's, unladen; Classic Motorsports gives instead how much more the coupé weighed than a roadster, and neither says what was in the car when it was weighed.source 2source 1source 3source 4source 5source 6
When was the Francorchamps first shown?
Dates and numbers
Impéria built the coupé in 1954 and 1955. At the 1956 Brussels show, by Classic Motorsports' account, Triumph put a Francorchamps on its own stand and printed a brochure for it. It did little for sales:
Yet records show that only 22 of these beautiful cars ever managed to sell. Why? We can assume the price tag didn't help.
Its price in Belgian francs is in the specification; Classic Motorsports put it at around £1,050 to £1,100 in British money, nearly a quarter more than a TR2. The coupés carry the Belgian "LN" after the commission number: TS 4393 LN, restored by a private owner between 2007 and 2010, is the car the Triumph Club de France wrote about, and its number falls in the short-door range.
About 19 of the coupés' commission numbers had been confirmed by Classic Motorsports' count of 2016, and about 11 cars were believed to survive, seven of them running. Auto Zeitung repeated the same figures in 2023. Two coupés ran in the Liège–Rome–Liège, Classic Motorsports says, though not in which year.source 1source 4source 2source 3

Specification
Production
Sources for Production, Coupé Francorchamps
- Price new
- One good source."around £1050 to £1100 in Britain". Dirk De Jager, "Through the Roof: The Hardtop Triumph TR2 That Held Promises of the Belgian Auto Industry", Classic Motorsports, Jul 2016source 1
- Built
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Coachbuilders
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Built at
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
| Price new | 147,500 BEF |
|---|---|
| Built | 1954 to 1955 |
| Coachbuilders | Impéria (body) |
| Built at | Nessonvaux, Belgium (Impéria) |
Engine
Sources for Engine, Coupé Francorchamps
- Engine maker
- One good source.The maker named by the TR2 brochure. Triumph Motor Company (1945) Ltd, Triumph T.R.2 Sports Car (sales brochure), Rep. 12.53 (Dec 1953)source 6
- Capacity
- One good source.The TR2's. Triumph Motor Company (1945) Ltd, Triumph T.R.2 Sports Car (sales brochure), Rep. 12.53 (Dec 1953)source 6
- Engine position
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Block
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Cylinder head
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Valve gear
- One good source.The TR2's. Bruno Dwinger, "TR 2 bis TR 3 B: Geschichte, Typen und Kaufberatung", TR-Register Deutschland, Nov 2008, 10 pp. (PDF)source 7
- Bore × stroke
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Compression ratio
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Fuel system
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Carburettors
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Cooling
- One good source.The TR2's engine. Bruno Dwinger, "TR 2 bis TR 3 B: Geschichte, Typen und Kaufberatung", TR-Register Deutschland, Nov 2008, 10 pp. (PDF)source 7
- Cylinder layout
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Cylinders
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Aspiration
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Fuel
- One good source.The TR2's. Triumph Motor Company (1945) Ltd, Triumph T.R.2 Sports Car (sales brochure), Rep. 12.53 (Dec 1953)source 6
- Ignition
- One good source.The TR2's. Triumph Motor Company (1945) Ltd, Triumph T.R.2 Sports Car (sales brochure), Rep. 12.53 (Dec 1953)source 6
- Cycle
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Lubrication
- One good source.The TR2's. Triumph Motor Company (1945) Ltd, Triumph T.R.2 Sports Car (sales brochure), Rep. 12.53 (Dec 1953)source 6
| Engine maker | The Standard Motor Company Ltd |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 1991 cc |
| Engine position | Front |
| Block | Cast iron |
| Cylinder head | Cast iron |
| Valve gear | OHV, 2 valves per cylinder |
| Bore × stroke | 83 x 92 mm |
| Compression ratio | 8.5:1 |
| Fuel system | two SU H4 carburettors |
| Carburettors | two SU H4 |
| Cooling | Water-cooled |
| Cylinder layout | Inline |
| Cylinders | 4 |
| Aspiration | Naturally Aspirated |
| Fuel | Petrol |
| Ignition | coil, centrifugal and vacuum controlled automatic advance |
| Cycle | Four-stroke |
| Lubrication | Wet Sump |
Performance
Sources for Performance, Coupé Francorchamps
- Power
- One good source.The TR2's; at 4,800 rpm. Triumph Motor Company (1945) Ltd, Triumph T.R.2 Sports Car (sales brochure), Rep. 12.53 (Dec 1953)source 6; Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Torque
- Several figures in print.TR Register, "Triumph TR2 Buyers Guide" (the TR2 data sheet)source 8; Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
| Power | 90 bhp |
|---|---|
| Torque | 117 lb ft Torque, Coupé Francorchamps Several figures in print. |
Running gear
Sources for Running gear, Coupé Francorchamps
- Steering
- Several figures in print.Standard-Triumph, Triumph TR2 Workshop Manual, with the TR3 supplementsource 5; Triumph Motor Company (1945) Ltd, Triumph T.R.2 Sports Car (sales brochure), Rep. 12.53 (Dec 1953)source 6
- Gearbox
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Gears
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Overdrive
- Several figures in print.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2; Dirk De Jager, "Through the Roof: The Hardtop Triumph TR2 That Held Promises of the Belgian Auto Industry", Classic Motorsports, Jul 2016source 1; Bernard Stibling (interviewer), "Triumph du mois: TR2 Francorchamps", Triumph Club de France, Nov 2014source 3; Klaus Rosshuber, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps: Classic Cars – Ein Traum wird wahr", Auto Zeitung, 7 Sep 2023source 4
- Layout
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Front brakes
- Several figures in print.Triumph Motor Company (1945) Ltd, Triumph T.R.2 Sports Car (sales brochure), Rep. 12.53 (Dec 1953)source 6; Standard-Triumph, Triumph TR2 Workshop Manual, with the TR3 supplementsource 5; Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Rear brakes
- Several figures in print.Standard-Triumph, Triumph TR2 Workshop Manual, with the TR3 supplementsource 5; Revington TR, "Technical Specification Change Points" (TR2)source 9
- Front suspension
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Rear suspension
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Wheels
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Final drive
- One good source.The TR2's. Triumph Motor Company (1945) Ltd, Triumph T.R.2 Sports Car (sales brochure), Rep. 12.53 (Dec 1953)source 6
- Clutch
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Starter
- One good source.The TR2's. Triumph Motor Company (1945) Ltd, Triumph T.R.2 Sports Car (sales brochure), Rep. 12.53 (Dec 1953)source 6
| Steering | cam and lever, ratio 12 to 1 Steering, Coupé Francorchamps Several figures in print.
|
|---|---|
| Gearbox | Manual |
| Gears | 4 |
| Overdrive | Impéria mechanical overdrive, optional, working on all four gears (eight speeds) Overdrive, Coupé Francorchamps Several figures in print.
|
| Layout | RWD |
| Front brakes | 10 x 2¼ in drums Front brakes, Coupé Francorchamps Several figures in print.
|
| Rear brakes | 9 x 1¾ in drums up to TS5481; 10 x 2¼ in after TS5481 Rear brakes, Coupé Francorchamps Several figures in print. |
| Front suspension | independent, double wishbones, coil springs, telescopic hydraulic dampers |
| Rear suspension | live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs, hydraulic lever-arm dampers |
| Wheels | steel wheels with imitation spokes, wire wheels optional; tyres 5.50-15 |
| Final drive | Hardy-Spicer all-metal propeller shaft, needle roller bearings |
| Clutch | dry, Borg and Beck, hydraulic |
| Starter | Electric |
Body and chassis
Sources for Body and chassis, Coupé Francorchamps
- Body
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Body material
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Doors
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Chassis material
- One good source.The TR2's. Triumph Motor Company (1945) Ltd, Triumph T.R.2 Sports Car (sales brochure), Rep. 12.53 (Dec 1953)source 6
- Chassis
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
| Body | Coupe |
|---|---|
| Body material | steel, with a welded roof |
| Doors | 2 |
| Chassis material | rigid structure, channel steel pressings braced by a cruciform member |
| Chassis | side members with a central X |
Dimensions and weight
Sources for Dimensions and weight, Coupé Francorchamps
- Kerb weight
- Not yet confirmed.Unladen; data panel. Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
- Wheelbase
- One good source.Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2
| Kerb weight | 947 kg |
|---|---|
| Wheelbase | 2235 mm |
Production
Production: how far the sources agree
- 22, built and sold by Impéria, 1954–55
- Good sources agree.
22built and sold by Impéria, 1954–55
Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19source 2; Dirk De Jager, "Through the Roof: The Hardtop Triumph TR2 That Held Promises of the Belgian Auto Industry", Classic Motorsports, Jul 2016source 1; Paul Richardson, "Belgian Spaniard", Moss Motoring, 1 Jun 2002source 10
Sources
Every source the site cites is on the sources page.
- Primarymade at the time, by the maker or by people who were there
- Referenceserious later work: clubs, specialists, magazines, books
- Dirk De Jager, "Through the Roof: The Hardtop Triumph TR2 That Held Promises of the Belgian Auto Industry", Classic Motorsports, Jul 2016, Impéria and the coupé; "with Standard's blessing"; Pardon; the roof, doors, seats, brightwork and colours; the overdrive; the extra weight; "It premiered at the high-profile 1955 Brussels Motor Show"; the 1956 show and brochure; the price; the numbers confirmed and surviving; the Liège–Rome–Liège; text (Wayback copy of 13 Jun 2025). classicmotorsports.com/articles/through-roof-hardtop-triumph-tr2-held-promises-bel Reference
- Xavier Audiau, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps, 1955: 22, v'là la Triumph !", Autoretro, no. 397, May 2015, pp. 12–19, no. 397, May 2015, text; the name; Pardon; text and data panel: the roof, windows, doors, floor, rear seat, trim and colours; "À propos de portières"; data panel and caption: engine, gearbox, brakes, overdrive, steering, weight; chronology, 1954; text, 1954 to 1955; no. 397, May 2015, text; no. 397, May 2015, data panel ("Caractéristiques techniques"); no. 397, May 2015, data panel and caption; no. 397, May 2015, data panel; no. 397, May 2015, text ("À propos de portières"); no. 397, May 2015, text ("22 exemplaires"). beaulieumotorbe.ares.as35334.website/beaulieumotor/news/fichier/fichier_news_3_10012022161327.PDF Reference
- Bernard Stibling (interviewer), "Triumph du mois: TR2 Francorchamps", Triumph Club de France, Nov 2014, Pardon; the "FP" monogram; the floor, steering column, ash frame, headlamps and window winders; the overdrive, "une invention 'maison' d'Imperia"; TS 4393 LN, restored 2007–10; Nov 2014 interview (Wayback copy of 21 Sep 2021). triumph-club-de-france.fr/actualites/triumph-du-mois/1740-2014-11-triumph-tr2-francorchamps Reference
- Klaus Rosshuber, "Triumph TR2 Francorchamps: Classic Cars – Ein Traum wird wahr", Auto Zeitung, 7 Sep 2023, the floor; its restored car's Laycock overdrive; the 2016 counts repeated; text. autozeitung.de/fahrbericht-triumph-tr2-franchorchamps-69954.html Reference
- Standard-Triumph, Triumph TR2 Workshop Manual, with the TR3 supplement, steering, "Type and description"; Steering, "Type and description" (page image); General data; General data, brakes. Primary
- Triumph Motor Company (1945) Ltd, Triumph T.R.2 Sports Car (sales brochure), Rep. 12.53 (Dec 1953), pp. 5–6, Specification: Chassis, steering; Dec 1953 brochure, imprint and specification; Dec 1953 brochure, Specification: Engine; Dec 1953 brochure, Specification: Chassis (pp. 5–6, page images); Dec 1953 brochure, "Body Specification". Primary
- Bruno Dwinger, "TR 2 bis TR 3 B: Geschichte, Typen und Kaufberatung", TR-Register Deutschland, Nov 2008, 10 pp. (PDF), p. 3, Motor. tr-register.de/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Kaufberatung_Geschichte_TR2_TR3.pdf Reference
- TR Register, "Triumph TR2 Buyers Guide" (the TR2 data sheet), TR2 page, facts table. tr-register.co.uk/resources/buyers-guide/triumph-tr2 Reference
- Revington TR, "Technical Specification Change Points" (TR2), change points, Mar 1955. revingtontr.com/the-tr-series/tr2/technical-specification-change-points Reference
- Paul Richardson, "Belgian Spaniard", Moss Motoring, 1 Jun 2002, text. mossmotoring.com/belgian-spaniard Reference