A 1962 Triumph 649cc TR6SS ridden by Bud Ekins, the American bike racer who performed the famous jump as stunt-double for Steve McQueen in The Great Escape
Success in the International Six Days’ Trial (ISDT) in the late 1940s prompted Triumph to adopt the ‘Trophy’ name for their off-road-styled twins, at first for the 500cc TR5 and then for the 650cc TR6. For 1962, the final year of the traditional ‘pre-unit’ Triumph twins, the Trophy was designated ‘TR6SS’. The TR6SS is one of the rarest of all post-WW2 Triumphs, being produced for the ’62 season only.
That same year the TR6SS offered here was ridden by Bud Ekins in the ISDT in West Germany, enabling the great American rider to win his first Gold Medal in the event. A consummate off-road racer, bike restorer, occasional stunt rider, and all-American hero, Ekins was a close friend of actor Steve McQueen and performed the famous motorcycle jump (as McQueen’s stunt double) in the movie The Great Escape. (Although the movie was set in WW2, Bud’s bike was in fact a post-war Triumph dating from the mid/late 1950s).
The Great Escape was being shot in Germany in 1962 and Ekins thought it would be a good idea to combine his film work with participation in that year’s ISDT, held at Garmisch Partenkirchen. Triumph agreed to supply a suitable factory-prepared machine, which was flown to Germany and first registered there. After the event, in which Bud not only gained a Gold Medal but also won the Unlimited Capacity Class, the Triumph was flown back to his home in California and registered there as ‘CAL 142080’.
THE EX-BUD EKINS; 1962 ISDT GOLD MEDAL-WINNING, 1962 TRIUMPH 649CC TR6SS TROPHY
Registration no. YSU 295 Frame no. D17866 Engine no. TR6SS D17866
UK police forces successfully deployed Speed Twin and Thunderbird models. The Trophy version, codenamed the TR6P, carried the model name “Saint” (Stop Anything In No Time). These had a special petrol tank which typically accommodated a PYE radio telephone. It had panniers, a fairing or leg shields. These were sold between 1967 and 1973. The factory varied the specification slightly according to the needs of the individual police force.
