Herald happiness

Sir,
I cannot let the remarks of your correspondents Mr. Laredo and Mr. Hulse, concerning the Triumph Herald, pass unchallenged.

I have recently completed 37,000 miles recorded in ten months with a 1200 coupé. The greater part of this time the car was driven near the limit, which the Herald encourages, the engine and gearbox being given very hard use. During this time the car ran like clockwork, and apart from replacement of a rear hub bearing at 22,000 was trouble free.

At 8,000 miles the engine was decarbonised, valves ground in carefully, and ports cleaned out. Engine oil was changed every 2,500 miles, with a new filter at each second change. Only Castrol was used. During the summer of 1961, my wife and I toured across France and Switzerland by way of the St. Gotthard down to Rome. Despite a heavy itinerary of sightseeing we found time to spend four days on the beach at Anzio before returning home, travelling through Austria, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium, covering 3,000 miles in two weeks. I did all the driving, and found the comfort and general ease of handling a revelation for a small car.

Considering the price and capacity of the Herald, it is, without doubt, in a class of its own for relaxed long-distance touring. I never once felt tired at the end of a journey with the Herald, a very rare virtue for a small car.

During its service with me, the car never failed to start, used very little oil and held its tune well, averaging 32 m.p.g., driven hard.

The gearbox and its ratios are, in my opinion, superior to anything made in this country in the small-car class, and this coupled with the excellent road-holding and steering of the rack-and-pinion unit, first-class visibility, and a driving position I have not bettered in any other car I have driven regardless of make, add up to a very good little car indeed.

A final word, out of sheer curiosity after its hard time in my hands, at 37,000 miles, the engine was stripped, and on inspection showed the pistons, cylinders and bearings to be in such first-class condition that the mechanics who carried out the work could not believe a replacement engine had not been fitted!

The Herald has since passed out of my hands, and at 46,000 miles is still motoring well, driven as hard as ever.

J. A. Evans.
Finham.