The Triumph T100 Tiger first took the spotlight in 1939 just as the blackout hit England’s cities, bombs raining from above. Still it was indeed a triumph of engineering and stellar design that in a way outshone Edward Turner’s benchmark Speed Twin. The Tiger’s vertical twin took on increased compression ratio along with ported cylinder head, thus bumping up the performance, the bike living up to its name and good for 100-mph or “doing the ton” and therefore designation T100. It was literally the fastest bike then on the market, a second home run for Triumph.

While the war interrupted its production, including the destruction of the Birmingham factory during the Blitz in 1942, the Tiger was back on its wheels soon afterwards and from the brand new Meriden facility. To top things off, a Tiger 100 won the 1946 Manx Gran Prix, the first such event run since the war ended. Triumph dropped its singles and focused on twins, much sought from overseas Triumph fans, the T100 now sporting “modern” telescopic forks.

Showing a very nice early restoration and gleaming chrome and polish finish, this Tiger from the Baker Collection shows 1,020 miles on its odometer and ready to rock and roll.