Troll T6
Page updated : 24 March 2010Home > Cars > Troll T6
Stuart Harrold leaves the Bull Banks 1 restart during the 2007 Cotswold Clouds Trial
Photograph by Dave Cook
A brief history of the Troll T6 - by David Alderson
Purpose designed and built as a competition sports car with ‘Classic Trials’ application foremost in mind, the Troll T6 model is the nineteen-eighties/nineties equivalent of the earlier post WW2 Dellow or even perhaps the pre WW2 MG PB Midget. The Troll T6 is the brainchild of successful Classic Trials driver, Peter James, a formally trained aeronautical engineer and practicing silversmith.
James’ T6 design, a development of his earlier T4 model, features a fully triangulated brazed small section box and round tube steel space frame chassis with semi-stressed floor and bulkhead panels. The front suspension is provided by unequal length tubular wishbones incorporating laterally angled coil-spring damper units. Steering is by rack and pinion provided by an Escort ‘quick’ rack. A modified Ford Escort live axle tube suspended on vertical coil-spring damper units located by unequal length twin trailing arms and a lateral Panhard rod thus creating the classic five-link rear axle location, provides rear suspension. Rose jointed linkages provide very positive location and the complete suspension system provides adequate articulation for trials usage whilst at the same time incorporating anti-squat/anti-dive characteristics making the car handle very well at high speed on loose or tarmac surfaces.
A Ford Kent cross-flow engine normally bored out to 1700cc and suitably modified for trials use provides motive power. The gearbox is also a Ford unit; normally the 2000E three-rail type providing four forward gears and a non-detent selected reverse gear. The braking system comprises nine inch front discs coupled with ten inch rear drums, a split hydraulic circuit allows the fitting of an outside hydraulic fly-off handbrake for use on section re-starts and timed tie deciding tests.
The Troll T6 is designed to run on fifteen-inch diameter central knock-off wire wheels and carries two spare wheels on a rear-mounted carrier. The bodywork is of riveted aluminium flat and single curvature panels with a moulded glass-fibre combined bonnet/nose section and cycle style wings. The fuel tank is mounted externally across the rear of the bodywork. In classic trials trim a Troll T6 tips the scales at circa 550kg and with a power output normally in excess of 110 bhp (subject to state of engine tune) provides a very handy power to weight ratio for serious hill climbing and timed tests.
In a production run spanning 1986 to 1995 a total of nineteen Troll T6 models were manufactured by Troll Engineering Ltd (a company jointly established by Peter James and Jim Templeton) at their Minehead factory, although at least four of these cars were actually supplied in component form and assembled by their owners.
In the twenty-two year history of the ACTC classic trials championships, Troll T6 drivers have taken the premier ‘Wheelspin Trophy’ championship on five occasions. Chris Reeson 1987, Tim Pearce 1993, Mike Chatwin 1995, David Alderson 1996, and Paul Bartlemen 2004. Between them Troll T6 drivers have secured numerous outright ACTC one day trial wins and MCC long distance trial premier awards over the past twenty years. With its purposeful, well-proportioned appearance and impressive performance both on road and on the trials sections, the Troll T6 captures the spirit of the leading cars of earlier periods in classic trialling history. Peter James designed and produced a car that has proved to be a worthy stable mate to the MG PB Midget, the Allard, and the Dellow. That is the brief he set for himself with the Troll T6, not an out and out freak trials machine, a competition sports car in the tradition of Classic Trials.
Origin of the name: Peter James is descended from Norwegian stock on his mothers side, his mother and father, a Minehead man, met and married in Minehead in 1952 but moved back to his mother’s native Lillehammer where Peter was educated until the age of seven. The family subsequently returning to Minehead. Peter’s Norwegian grandfather had many business interests including a bicycle factory where his two-wheeled product was manufactured and marketed under the name of Troll. In Norwegian legend a Troll is a type of goblin normally found high in the mountains. What better name could Peter have chosen for his charismatic snapping, snarling little goblin trials cars?
Jim Templeton driving, passengered by Peter James, in Troll T6/02 YMV 350
crossing the ford at Crackington on an unidentified MCC Lands End Trial.
Troll T6 Register
I am truly grateful to Peter James and David Alderson for providing me with a comprehensive record of all 19 Troll T6s. All cars, as far as we are aware, are still running Ford Kent cross-flow engines and most are 1700cc (the original T6 "standard spec"), unless noted below. Cars highlighted yellow have been entered in ACTC/MCC events in 2009-10. If there are any errors, please let me know, but for more detailed information you will have to await David's book on the history of the Troll.
| No. | Registration | Colour | Current owner | Notes |
| T6/01 | 944 PYA | Red | Mike Chatwin | Previous owner(s): Chris Reeson. |
| T6/02 | YMV 350 | Powder blue | Tristan White | Previous owner(s): Anne Templeton (sold November 2008). This car, bought by Anne from new, was the car used in the original artwork for Troll publicity. |
| T6b/03 | Q 74 HAC | Yellow | Ian Cummings | Previous owner(s): Cyril Charlesworth (Ian's grandfather). Originally registered YYD 990. 1600cc. Last seen in action in the 2006 Exeter Trial. |
| T6b/04 | 677 TKN | Red | Russell Clarke | Previous owner(s): Brian Bradshaw, Peter Dicker, Brian Bradshaw (again), Keith Hodges, Robert Gegg. |
| T6b/05 | BHU 427 A | White (Blue stripes) | George Davey | Previous owner(s): Jim Templeton. |
| T6b/06 | UWP 122 | Blue | Stuart Harrold | Previous owner(s): Phil Winnell. Sold as a kit. |
| T6c/07 | JOD 980 | Green | Peter James | Regarded as the 'works' trials car. |
| T6d/08 | PCJ 273 R | Red | Mark Milne | Previous owner(s): Chris Reeson, Alan Wood, Danny Nelson, Paul Anderton. This is the "Sprint" car. |
| T6e/09 | Q 435 NTM | White | David Thompson | Previous owner(s): David Alderson. Sold as a kit. |
| T6e/10 | HY 1177 | Blue (Silver wings) | Nigel Moss | Previous owner(s): Tim Pearce. Originally registered 112 XAE. |
| T6e/11 | BHT 948 A | Cream (Brown wings) | Paul Bartleman | Previous owner(s): Derek Pearce. 1600cc. |
| T6e/12 | KHT 778 E | Green (Yellow wings) | Jeremy Slatter | Previous owner(s): Keith Hodges, Ian Moss, Ben Dyer, Rob Wells (to March 2008), Martyn Halliday (to Autumn 2009). The Top Gear car. |
| T6e/13 | PNM 707 J | - | John Groves | Sold as a kit. Registered, but unfinished. |
| T6e/14 | TVM 402 K | Green | Arthur Barnish | Never used for trials. |
| T6e/15 | DPC 204 B | Green | - | Previous owner(s): Ian Williamson. Damaged beyond repair in a road accident and mechanical components transferred to T6g/18. |
| T6e/16 | 279 TPD | Green | Peter Glasson | Entered by Stephen Glasson in the 2010 Lands End Trial - the first time it's been seen in competition for years. |
| T6e/17 | TSR 261 J | Blue | Lee and Danni Dove | Sold as a kit. |
| T6g/18 | DPC 204 B | Green | Bill Faulkner | Incorporates the mechanical components from T6e/15 in a new chassis. Originally painted blue. Last seen in action in the 2008 Clee Hills Trial. |
| T6f/19 | - | - | - | The "Spare Sprint" chassis. Never completed as a trials car. |
Troll Miscellany
During the course of creating the above Register I received a lot of other correspondence from Peter and David. This is just a few of the choicest nuggets:
- T1 : An Austin Seven chassis, never completed.
- T2 : A box-section chassis with MG J2 axles, never completed.
- T3 : An Austin Seven chassis with a 1098cc engine, now broken up.
- T4 : The first of the space-frame cars and subject to continual development (T4 to T4c). It started with a 1275cc MG engine, eventually ending-up with a supercharged 1380cc MG engine, Ford gearbox, and Ford back axle, in which state it was a multiple MCC trial winner. It was then sold, and fitted with a normally-aspirated 1275cc MG engine, but has subsequently been re-acquired by Peter who intends to restore it with the correct supercharged 1380cc engine. It carried the JOD 980 registration before this was transferred to T6c/07.
- T5 : Again a space-frame car, but with Triumph Spitfire-based front suspension and a 1275cc BMC transverse engine/gearbox at the rear, the gearbox being the car's "Achilles' Heel". The engine/gearbox was replaced with a Peugeot unit by Brian Cope, and the car renamed as the Peugeot Shuttle, in which form it survives today.
- T6 : More on the T6 cars:
- There was a further early T6 chassis, not mentioned above. This was the original "development" chassis with Triumph Herald front suspension. It was never completed, nor given a chassis plate, before being sold to Paul Miller. T6/01 and T6/02 were always regarded as the prototypes.
- There is, apparently, at least one further completed T6 chassis in existence although its whereabouts are a closely-guarded secret.
- The first "Sprint" car, T6d/08, was quite similar to the other T6s but T6f/19 was significantly different. It was only given a T6 number because Peter didn't want to use T7 - see below.
- T7 : This type number was never used because Peter didn't want any confusion that his car was yet another Lotus/Catherham clone.
- T8 : To be used if T6f/19 had ever gone into production.
- T9 to T12 : Used for various one-off projects.