The Triumph TR6 Trophy first appeared in 1956, its genesis is equally attributable to the already famous Triumph TR5 Trophy and the then-new Triumph Thunderbird with its 650cc parallel twin engine – a large engine capacity for the era.

The Triumph TR6 Trophy was designed specifically to follow in the off-road tradition of its forebear, though now with a larger and more powerful engine from the Thunderbird. The first examples were called the TR6 Trophy-bird to reference the names of both models.

The new TR6 used the “Delta” alloy cylinder head with a cast iron barrel, it had an 8.5:1 compression ratio and was capable of 42 bhp. The headlight was designed to be easily removable for off-road competition, and most riders would fit knobby tires, thicker seats (suspension travel wasn’t ideal), and open exhaust pipes.