Rallying for good with a Lancia Delta Integrale on the Hope Classic Rally

Despite the associated wealth that surrounds the scene, very rarely does charity connect with collector cars. At the Hope Classic Rally, however, philanthropy and petrol-head passion combine, and what’s more, collectors happily donate their prized possessions for strangers to drive…

Inside the toy box

The assembled metal at the Hope Classic Rally gala dinner would happily be welcomed into the most blue-chip showrooms worldwide, from a Porsche 911 2.7 RS and period-competition heavyweight Jaguar XK120 to a smattering of E-types and even a Ferrari 250 GT SWB (right-hand drive, no less). To see these cars assembled for charity, as opposed to financial gain or static display, is something special, but then, to experience what happened next was really quite remarkable. After a compelling talk on the charity WeSeeHope and its life-changing work with underprivileged children in Africa, golden envelopes were distributed to guests throughout the room. Far more desirable than a ticket to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, these golden tickets contained the names of the cars that the night’s generous donors would be driving the following day. Amid joyful declarations of allocated exotica, my envelope read: Mercedes 300 SL ‘Gullwing’.

Time for take-off

Indeed, the handsome grey over red German icon that proudly displayed its wingspan at the entrance was to be mine for the whole day. Suffice to say, dinner conversation was somewhat sporadic and sleep later that night was rather limited, as my mind raced with thoughts of piloting the space-framed superstar on winding English B-roads. Cut to the next day and the latent aggression of the Gullwing’s idle rumbling throughout that most statuesque of cabins signalled the start of a bucket-list drive — that was until electrical gremlins thwarted my plans. As I slowly began to resign myself to sitting out this incredible day, the incredible owner of said Gullwing stepped in and mercifully reported that he had a backup car. And such was the calibre of the vehicles on offer at the Hope Classic Rally, that this was no ordinary backup car — it was a Lancia Delta Integrale HF Final Edition. Ironically, the German car had proved unreliable and the Italian stallion was here to save the day, with my momentary disappointment being replaced with child-like wonder.

The Italian Job

Behind the wheel of the Delta, two things became immediately clear: 1) B-roads may well stand for ‘Boost Roads’ and 2) despite the aggressive appearance of the box arches and absurdly angled rear spoiler, this car is no frightening beast. It immediately fills you with confidence, and although the gearbox may be a joy to operate, you’ll usually find yourself holding onto third and sitting in that bodacious boost zone. One expects an Italian car to come with a certain amount of delicacy and quirks, such as inoperative switchgear or the ergonomics of an aeroplane bathroom, but this Delta is far from that. Somehow, startling composure and Italian flair were both present in this vehicle, and although I would normally keep the 250 GT SWB in my rearview mirror for as long as humanly possible, the temptation to throw the Delta into a corner that it simply shouldn’t be able to exit was far too tempting.

Rallying for good

Arriving at the end of the rally, as the keys to the Delta were pulled from my grasp, so I started to reflect on my day with a rally icon, driving among a delectable selection of exotic cars on stunning country roads. As amazing as this was for a fortunate car enthusiast, I couldn’t help but think how incredible this was for the other participants, some of whom had never driven a classic before but had just spent a day behind the wheel of some true motoring greats, ones that had rarely been seen on the road and almost never driven by anyone else but their owners, all the while raising money for a fantastic cause. The generosity of these owners speaks volumes about the calibre of work undertaken by WeSeeHope — long may this unique event continue...

Photos: Robert Cooper for Classic Driver © 2017

You can find additional information on the Hope Classic Rally website and learn more about the work of WeSeeHope here.

TOP 5 TRITON MOTORCYCLES

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The idea was simple: take the best engine and the best frame of the time, and combine them. In the 60s, that was considered to be Triumph’s Bonneville engine and Norton’s Featherbed frame. And so the Triton was born.

The Featherbed frame was applauded at the time for its handling. Which is not surprising, since Norton designed it to compete in the Isle of Man TT, before it found its way into production models. But many preferred Triumph’s 650cc, parallel-twin mill to Norton’s vertical twin engines. The Triumph engine vibrated less and was considered stronger and more reliable. It was also easier to tune for more power.

Mounting it to the Featherbed frame required engine conversion plates, so builders could experiment with the engine’s position, which would in turn affect the handling. The Norton’s suspension and brakes were often retained, and in some cases (when pre-unit Triumph engines were used) its gearbox as well.

Most Tritons received Manx-influenced styling: solo race seats, rear sets, clip-ons and sweptback pipes. What started as a shed-built concept soon turned into a mythical marque, and today Tritons are considered some of the most desirable vintage motorcycles on the road. Here are our favorites.

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Freddie Cooper In 1960, Motorcycle News bet English motorcycle racer Freddie Cooper that he couldn’t build a race bike for £100. Cooper, an experienced builder (and the first man to top 200mph on English soil), won the bet when he presented one of its journalists with this Triton to ride at the Isle of Man TT.

It sports many contemporary parts: a Miller headlight and Lucas tail light, John Tickle triple trees and headlight brackets, Manx clip-ons, and Dunstall megaphones. The cylinder head is a 9-stud T120 item and the rims are 18” Akront alloy. It’s probably the most authentic example of both a Triton and a café racer that you’ll ever come across, and went under the hammer at the 2012 edition of Wheels & Waves. If anyone knows who bought it (and what it cost them), we’d love to know. [More about this bike]

Image by Benoit Guerry.

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Britalmoto ‘New Triton’ Is it possible to build a 21st-century Triton? This example from Britalmoto is an emphatic ‘yes’. It has the requisite Norton frame and Triumph engine—but neither are from the 60’s. The owner had bought a modern Norton Commando 961 but wasn’t happy with the engine and transmission. “He knew the potential of the current Triumph twins,” explains Britalmoto’s Ivo Tschumi, “so he asked us to transform his Norton into a ‘New Triton’.”

Ivo and his father Fritz fitted a Triumph Thruxton mill, re-engineering the engine mounts and swingarm supports. They then upped the engine’s capacity to 1087cc for a hearty 96hp at the rear wheel and 104Nm of torque. The Norton’s stock Öhlins suspension and front wheel where retained, but the rear wheel was swapped out for the Thruxton’s. Other upgrades include an EBC Racing clutch, QD Exhausts mufflers and Brembo and Nissin brakes front and rear.

The tank comes from the 961, but the tail unit was replaced for a slimmer rear end. As modern takes on classic concepts go, this one’s a winner. [More about this bike | BritalMoto]

Image courtesy of and © Sabine Welte 2013.

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Loaded Gun Customs The story goes like this: Chris Keaton, owner of the Baltimore Tattoo Museum, wanted a Triton built. So he contacted Loaded Gun’s Kevin Dunworth via Kevin’s tattoo artist brother. Chris already had some of the parts needed—including an engine built by Arno St Denis, a legend in vintage Triumph circles who worked on the engines of racer Hubert ‘Sonny’ Routt.

The only problem was, other than the engine and the tank, most of the parts were in a shocking condition. Kevin picked the least bent frame, put it in a jig and set to work—re-aligning the rear stays, dropping the swing arm pivot one inch and changing the head angle to 25 degrees. The engine was mounted using Loaded Gun’s own Triton conversion plates, with Mikuni carbs and flowed intake manifolds. Arno St Denis’ work had included a lightened crank, dynamic balancing, a port job, 10:1 pistons and a modified valve train—Kevin estimates the capacity at around 830cc.

Up front is a set of Atlas triple trees, Commando fork legs and a Commando hub laced to a 19” Sun rim by Buchanan’s. The rear rim is a matching 18” unit on a Triumph conical hub, and the shocks are from Hagon. There are also Brembo brakes from a wrecked Ducati 916 and cro-mo bars from Lossa Engineering.

Chris wanted a raw and unfinished look, so Kevin obliged: “The bike looked old and ridden as soon as we finished it.” [More about this bike]

Image by Ken Driscoll.

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Featherbed 865 Scandinavian mechanic Lars Lykkegaard struggled to get the troublesome old 650cc Bonneville engine in his Triton to behave. So, rather than attempt a potentially costly renovation, he bought a 2010 Triumph Thruxton, ripped out the engine and popped it into the 1954 Featherbed frame.

A friend of his then milled a bunch of custom parts for him, including clip-ons, yokes, engine converter plates and brake caliper brackets. Lars himself designed some brass bits: foot pegs, an oil cooler and an ‘865’ logo for the engine. He also fitted the Thruxton’s forks (lowered 50mm) and wheels—rebuilding the latter with stainless steel spokes. The exhaust is homemade, also using stainless steel. The new engine’s fuel pump and filter have been concealed in the original 1960s tank, the ECU’s been remapped and the ignition’s been replaced by Motogadget’s keyless M-Lock unit.

All this was done in a small home garage, during a chilly North European winter. [More about this bike]

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CP Project One This strikingly elegant machine was the first of the CP Project bikes. It’s also one of the most beautiful motorcycles ever built. ‘CP’ comes from the initials of designers Frank Charriaut and Vincent Prat, who were inspired to create a new kind of Triton after visiting the Legend of the Motorcycle Concours d’Elegance in California in 2008.

Charriaut and Prat decided to set aside the usual norms of British café racers, and started sketching. The result is straight from comic book culture: a motorcycle that would look at home in Batman’s garage, and with the sensuous curves of Catwoman. To help translate the design into reality, violinmaker-cum-bike builder Daniel Delfour joined the project; another French guru, Momo, provided the finishing touch via the exhaust system and deep black paint.

Shortly afterwards, Karl Lagerfeld cast the Triton as the star in a promo film for his 2010 collections: Not surprisingly, it completely upstaged its co-stars, the models Lara Stone and Baptiste Giabiconi. [More about this bike]

Image by Guerry & Prat. BY WESLEY REYNEKE via www.bikeexif.com

Jeep Willys Brutality RAT

ORIGINAL CAFE RACER: ADAM GRICE’S KILLER TRITON

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The term ‘café racer’ has become so abused, it’s lost virtually all meaning. (Okay, we’re occasionally guilty too.) So let’s go back to square one, and check out a bike that fits the description to a T.

This drop-dead gorgeous Triton belongs to Englishman Adam Grice, who saw the light after getting tired of modern Japanese sport bikes. “I was watching Cafe Racer on Discovery Channel, and found myself hooked on the cafe scene,” he tells us. “After months of looking for the right bike, I finally stumbled across Brenda.”

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‘Brenda’ is hardly the most glamorous name. But maybe that’s the English sense of irony at work. Adam’s Triton has the perfect aristocratic pedigree: a 744 cc Triumph T140V engine from the mid Seventies snuggled into a ‘wideline’ Norton featherbed frame.

Straight away, Adam knew that he’d have to get the spanners out. “The bike was all there, but running rough. And it just didn’t look right. It had straight bars, a little fly screen, and fiberglass fuel and oil tanks. Plus a strange battery box sitting halfway along the rear fender.”

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On the up side, the Triton already had the desirable short Norton Roadholder forks with external springs, 18-inch alloy rims, and a few Dresda bits—including the swingarm and engine mounts.

Adam also lucked out with an SRM Classics clutch, a Boyer Brandsen ignition, and a Hayward primary belt drive kit. The oil filter was from a Norton Commando and there’s a Norvil front disc conversion. “Not period, but works a treat,” he notes.

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He’s rebuilt the engine with a multitude of new parts and Amal Mark 1 concentric 930 carbs, complete with bell mouths. “It had high compression pistons, but the previous owner had reduced the height of the ten head bolts. God knows why—it cost me two blown head gaskets. So I replaced the cylinder barrels and head, and reverted back to standard pistons for reliability.”

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With the help of a mate called Shorty, Adam has also installed an alloy five-gallon Manx tank, which conceals the ignition and coils underneath. The oil tank is also in the Manx style, with the front squared-off to increase the space between the tank and carbs.

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Other goodies include a Manx seat, a Norvin top yoke, and stainless mounts to hold the classy Smith instruments. Magnificent English names have provided other parts: John Tickle for the headlight brackets, and Barleycorn Engineering for the rearsets, seat loop and rear fender. The only concession to modernity is the lithium-ion battery hiding under the seat hump.

Much as we love the current trend for scramblers and trackers, a traditional café racer like this exerts an irresistible pull. Maybe it’s time for the loop to go full circle?

Images by Ian Daisley—

BY CHRIS HUNTER via www.bikeexif.com

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