Hinckley (triple): T309RT Thunderbird
The new Triumph company based at Hinckley introduced the Triumph Thunderbird 900 in the autumn of 1994. Coded T309RT, the new Thunderbird was instrumental in Triumph's successful re-introduction to the US market.
The 'Thunderbird' name and retro styling harks back to the golden years (for Triumph) of the 1960s. It was the first "Classic" Triumph to be produced by the resurgent company. The engine, which was externally redesigned to give a period look, was a variant of the 885 cc triple engine, detuned for more torque at lower rpm. Peak power was down to 69 bhp (51 kW) from 98 bhp (73 kW).
Several variants were produced, namely the Triumph T309TT Legend, Triumph T309RC Adventurer and the Triumph T309RD Thunderbird Sport, which produced a claimed 82 bhp. The Thunderbird was produced until 2003 and the Thunderbird Sport until 2004.
Hinckley also produced an accompanying clothing range consisting of sew-on patches, leather jacket and ankle boots, all featuring Edward Turner's original 'paper-dart' Thunderbird logo.
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