1957 TWN 141cc Tessy Super, Frame no. 591342 Engine no. 591342

1957 TWN 141cc Tessy Super
Frame no. 591342
Engine no. 591342
Founded by two expatriate Germans – Siegfried Bettman and Maurice Schultz – in Coventry, England in 1897, Triumph began making motorcycles in 1903 and opened a second factory in Nürnberg, Germany. In 1929 the two companies split, the German one becoming Triumph Werke Nurnberg (TWN) and Triumph Engineering Coventry (TEC) in the UK. TWN continued to build motorcycles and then also jumped aboard the scooter bandwagon in the mid-1950s with a range of models, the best-known ones of which were the Contessa and the Tessy. The Tessy was built only for model years 1956 and 1957. Each was powered by an Otto Rieze, previously of NSU, designed 'split single' 2-stroke engine, a type the company had first developed in the 1930s that mimicked Puch's 'twingle.' These top-quality scooters, thoughtfully built to last, featured 10-inch wheels, an electric starter and a 4-speed 'twist grip shift' gearbox and was reckoned to be good for a top speed of nearly 60mph. No more TWN scooters or motorcycles were made after the company's take-over by Grundig, and merger into the iconic Adler company, in 1958, although the Contessa was continued by Hercules (a Sachs brand) and fitted with a Sachs engine.

This rare Tessy Super, fitted with a 141cc motor, has been handsomely restored. Though thought to be in excellent condition, it has been on display in a private climate-controlled facility amongst other vintage scooters.