surrey constabulary, triumph mk2 2500tc, mpb 510P, In Restoration, preservation & service

The MK2 Triumph 2000/2500 TC/2500 pi in both saloon and estate variants was a hugely popular police car, that is remembered with great fondness by the officers who used to crew them. 

The Triumphs big rival at the time was the Rover P6 and in police use the lines were as equally divided as they were for the public. Some police forces used both cars (like the Met) but most chose one or the other.

With bodywork styled by Giovanni Michelotti it certainly looked the part and with a 2.5 litre, straight six engine its performance matched its good looks. It had 106 bhp on tap, giving it a top speed of 100 mph when mated to a four-speed manual gearbox with overdrive. It had a 0—60 mph time of 10 seconds.

The Triumph 2500TC was an ideal     police patrol car during its short production run from 1974 to 1977. It was a big powerful car that was comfortable and spacious enough for the crew to police the ever growing number of motorways in the UK.

The cars were capable of carrying large amounts of kit in the boot, like police/accident signs, cones, first aid kit, shovel, broom, tow rope and additional warning lights.

This Triumph 2500TC was used by the Surrey constabulary and was based at Godstone traffic garage. Its main patrol area was the Surrey section of the M23 motorway. Please note that the car is only fitted with a single Hella revolving blue light and no rear chevron markings, unlike todays motorway cars!