When asked to name the archetypal British sports car then the manufacturer that springs most readly to the minds of most is MG.

Chris Cunnington at the wheel of a 1953 TR2, the first to be built right hand drive

But a sizeable minority would always say Triumph - simply because the Coventry-based manufacturer produced such a range of great sporting models such as the Stag, the Vitesse and the Spitfire.

But arguable the most evocative of them all was the TR series which ran until the marque's final days with the TR7 and TR8 and their controversial wedge-shaped styling which attracted such criticism from purists.

The spirit of the TRs is kept alive by the Didcot-based TR Register, an international organisation which, for 34 years, has been dedicated to promoting and preserving a key part of the British sports car heritage.

It is also home to the first right hand drive model ever built, a 1953 TR2, which was the second car to roll off the production line, the first being exported to the United States as so many were.

This year, the two white cars are being brought together again with TS1 as it is confusingly identified on the chassis number meeting TS2 for the first time in 51 years with the initials standing for Triumph Sports.

The event at the club's international weekend at the Malvern showground in Worcestershire will be a momentous occasion for the club and its general manager Chris Cunnington who has specially arranged for TS1 to be shipped from the United States.

He said: "These cars are the core of where every TR came from. there will be an invitation to members and anyone else interested in seeing them and meeting the owners."

The TR series was introduced as a concept car at the 1952 Motor Show and the following year the TR2 went into production and rapidly found favour with enthusiasts as the first 100mph sports car. Each new generation of the car brought more followers but it is hardly surprising the most popular model in the club is the TR6 introduced in 1968 with its fuel injected 150bhp engine. "It was the last of the 'hairy chested' sports cars," added Mr Cunnington referring to a quote from Autocar in 1969 which described it as "very much a masculine machine, calling

for beefy muscles, bold decisions, and even ruthlessness on occasion."

The club was formed in 1970 when drivers who were forever waving to each other decided to do something about it and get together.

The first meeting was at Hopcroft's Holt, Steeple Aston initially for TR2, 3 and 3A owners but now the club boasts 8,500 members all over the world, reflecting the huge appeal of the cars.

More than 1,000 cars and 2,500 members are expected at the Three Counties Showground for the international show on July 19 and 20.

Mr Cunnington said: "A lot of friendships have been made over the last 30 years - it is a big family and people look after one another."

Mr Cunnington himself has owned a TR for the last 27 years and currently drives a TR4A and TR7 V8 which, as he points out, "was very nearly an MG" under British Leyland.

The enduring appeal of the TRs according to Mr Cunnington are their affordability and character.

He added: "It was very much the working man's sports car and today is quite capable of keeping up with modern motorway traffic."