Fiore's much less elaborate coupe for the Ford V8-engined TVR Trident is very different from his provocative Elva-BMW seen at the London Show. While the car exhibited was incomplete mechanically and not quite to production specification in certain other respects, a demonstration car is doing the rounds. At the back is an enormous expanse of windows set at a rakish angle. It is all very striking, if unlikely to suit the majority taste.
Trevor Frost persuaded Carrozzeria Fissore to build two Tridents (no 1 and no 2) on a Grantura/Griffith chassis. They were finished just in time for the 1965 Geneva Motor Show. The Tridents were nothing like a TVR had ever been; in some respect, they resembled more an eighties' 350i Coupe than a classic TVR. The 'wedge' bodywork was steel with a one-piece aluminum bonnet. Power came from a 4.7 liter Ford Cobra V8, developing 270 bhp, linked to a four-speed gearbox. The wheels were Dunlop 72 spokes. The Italian roots were reflected in the Alfa Romeo rear lights, Fiat front lights, and many Alfa Romeo switches inside.
The new TVRs got a warm welcome from the motoring press, and according to the Daily Mail, the Trident was the most beautiful car in the world. When the Geneva show closed its doors, TVR had received orders of over £150,000. Inspired by this success, TVR ordered two more Tridents from the Fissore workshops, this time a coupe (no 3) and a convertible (no 4). These two cars were to become test cars to make the development of the Trident possible.
Sources: www.classiccarcatalogue.com - Geneva report; www.pistonheads.com
Images: Andre LE ROUX; www.forum-auto.com; www.classiccarcatalogue.com
