THE swish lifestyle estates we see often zipping past us at sports saloon speeds are not a new idea.
The British motor industry had a beauty in the early 1960s and it came from that jewel of a manufacturer Triumph.
The car was the Triumph 2000 estate, based on the company's then executive express the Triumph 2000 saloon which was produced not too far away from its major competitor, the Rover 2000.
But the 2000 had a head start in the estate market because no estate version of the Rover was produced except under special order from coachwork specialists Crayford.
At the time Triumph was gaining ground from the once dominant Standard brand with which it had been linked for some years.
The company's Standard Vanguard saloon was flagging and something had to be done. So along came the 2000 complete with Michelotti styling and a fine six-cylinder engine to wow the middle management.
It was a something of a one-two punch because it followed close on the heels of the advanced little Herald which made its Standard branded in-house competitors look archaic.
There had been much written over which was the best car – the Triumph 2000 or the Rover 2000 but the truth is that they were both as good as each other but quite different.
Indeed, the British executive car sector was never the same again after such a culture shock. It was always a great disappointment that the UK's car industry could not maintain this incredible momentum of inspiration in later years.
But it was the now largely forgotten estate that helped create the lifestyle designs of today
The estate was the first variant, arriving in 1965. However, because it would not lead the sales charge less resources were given to it, meaning a delayed launch.
Because of the excessive costs of putting it into large scale production, and its perceived limited sales potential, Triumph entrusted the job of assembling the estate bodyshells to Carbodies Ltd. of Coventry.
Partially completed shells were shipped from Pressed Steel in Swindon to Carbodies, where the estate panels were added at the rear. These completed shells were then shipped to Triumph's main production line, for final assembly and painting.
It was one of the best looking estates ever produced by the British car industry and was sadly missed.