Gloria Southern Cross: One of the rarest Triumphs

When you think of the name Triumph, you might picture a cool little TR2 or TR3. Maybe a TR4 or TR6 pops into your head–or even a Spitfire or GT6.

But did you know Triumph, as we know it, started in 1897 as a bicycle manufacturer and started building cars in 1921? Or that, at one point, the company had its sights set on the upper market dominated by the likes of Rolls-Royce?

Creation of the Gloria

In 1933, Triumph decided to move upmarket and started building a dizzying array of Gloria models with both four- and six-cylinder engines. The range included coupes, sedans and tourers–the latter with back seats–as well as roadsters.

The most sporting models carried the name Southern Cross. The moniker comes from the asterism–a pattern of stars found in the southern sky–of that name. Because much of Triumph’s production at the time was heading toward Australia, the name might have had some marketing punch in that area.

In these early days, Triumph was not the low- to mid-class leader it became in the ’50s and ’60s. The company’s higher-ups made a conscious decision to move toward the high end and were aiming more at the Alvis and even Rolls-Royce markets.

This Is a Rare One

Approximately 5400 four-cylinder Glorias of all body styles and submodels were produced between 1934 and ’37. According to the Pre-1940 Triumph Motor Club of England, from 1934 to ’35, only 31 Southern Cross models were recorded, of which 15 still exist and 12 are known to have original bodywork like the one you see here.

These early Triumphs were rugged, durable and fast, especially considering their 1.5-liter engine size. They were often raced and usually did quite well. A Triumph Gloria Southern Cross won its class and podiumed in both the 1934 and 1935 Monte Carlo Rally.

With so few cars made, figuring out value is tough. Sadly, with rarity comes obscurity, and thus there is very little demand for these beautiful automobiles.

Hagerty doesn’t even have a record of these cars in its expansive valuation tool. We did find a four-seat Tourer that sold for $53,000 at RM Sotheby’s Monterey in 2022, along with another one sold in 2022 in Europe for $43,500. We recently saw a roadster for sale in England by H&H Classics for $57,000. If the cars had worn an Aston Martin or Jaguar badge, they’d likely have fetched more.

Every Car Has a Story

This particular Gloria is owned by Paul and Jane Higley from Waco, Texas. They bought it about 12 years ago while visiting England.

The car had been in storage since the ’60s, which is why so much of it was still original, with a restoration taking place in the ’90s. Sadly, the owner who restored the car passed away soon after finishing the job. The Higleys bought it shortly after and brought it to the States.

Paul drove a Triumph TR3 while in college. He still has that car and has loved Triumphs ever since. He also owns three of the 15 or so prewar Triumphs in the United States. He collects old Triumph motorcycles as well.

He told us he especially likes this 1935 Gloria Southern Cross because it has bigger brakes and a stiffer chassis than his earlier cars. This makes the car much more drivable.

Paul is an engineer by trade and has a machine shop at work. He’s able to make a lot of unobtainable parts and spares to help his friends. He also does a bit of horse trading to get what he needs to keep these rare cars running.

While he has won several awards with this car, he has only taken it to Vintage Triumph Register events and has never ventured out to a large concours like Hilton Head or The Amelia. His wife, Jane, is very involved in the car hobby and keeps the car detailed. All the brass and copper looks spectacular, mostly due to Jane’s efforts.

Paul told us the hardest parts to find on these early cars are wheel cylinders for the drum brakes. He says the supply has dried up and they’re difficult to make or repair.

The reward for straying from the path a bit? You can find uncommon beauties that have some terrific stories to tell.