An ex-Works Triumph TR2 that finished 19th at the 1955 Le Mans 24 Hours and later caught the eye of a royal is to be one of the headline lots for Silverstone Auctions’ sale at the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show at Birmingham’s NEC in November.
Buoyed by a strong 15th-placed finish at Le Mans by a Triumph TR2 privateer entry in 1954, Standard-Triumph entered three Works cars the following year, all in British Racing Green and with consecutive number plates: PKV 374, PKV 375 and PKV 376. The car offered is PKV 374, driven by Leslie Brookes and Mortimer Morris-Goodall. Sadly the 1955 Le Mans race will be remembered for a huge accident that claimed lives, but the race continued. The car survived being stuck in a gravel trap early on that saw it off track for 2.5 hours, and despite subsequent gear-selection problems, it still placed in the top 20.
The late King Hussein of Jordan took a fancy to PKV 374, so it left the circuit and went straight to Jordan in full Le Mans race trim. After changing hands several times, the car was purchased by the present owner in 1972, who restored it over a long period of time to its original Le Mans specification. It’s since been used in many competitive events including various HERO rallies and the One Hour Legends at Le Mans.
Complete with six box files of history including photographs, magazine articles and race reports, it’s expected to sell for £100,000-£140,000. The entry list for the sale also currently includes four different Aston Martins and an Evanta DBR1 Evocation built by the Evanta Motor Company, which at the time was owned by Ant Anstead of Wheelers Dealers fame.
