Triumph Motorcycles reports record sales as iconic British manufacturer shrugs off effects of pandemic

Triumph Motorcycles has reported record sales as the iconic British manufacturer shrugged off the effects of the pandemic. 

Turnover at the business, based in Hinckley, Leicestershire, leapt by a quarter to £774million and profits doubled to £93million, according to results for the year ending June 2022. 

The company – responsible for putting Hollywood legends Steve McQueen, Marlon Brando and Daniel Craig on two wheels – sold 89,143 motorcycles globally. 

© Provided by This Is Money Classic: Steve McQueen in the 1963 Second World War epic The Great Escape

Triumph is owned by the British billionaire John Bloor and is part of his £2.2billion housebuilding to construction services group Bloor Investments. 

Bloor, who donated £150,000 to the Conservative party in 2021, rescued the celebrated Triumph brand four decades ago.

He has since poured more than £80million into the firm. His son, Nick, now runs Triumph.

The motorcycle firm's latest accounts revealed that almost 90 per cent of its bikes were shipped overseas, with Triumph enjoying growing popularity in Asia. 

Triumph's most expensive motorcycle, the Rocket 3 GT Chrome, costs £23,595 and can reach 60mph in less than three seconds. 

In the 1963 Second World War epic The Great Escape, McQueen's motorcycle – used for the famous attempted jump over the German border into Switzerland – was a Triumph with minor modifications aimed at making it look a little more like a BMW.