Gosh oh golly, I bought a Dolly.
Discussion
a8hex said:
Breadvan72 said:
a8hex said:
On my XK150 the heater control is under the bonnet, I'd need one from the following month to get new fangled features like in cabin control of the heater.
But if you had such fripperies that would make you a great big softie and not a manly Jag man of manly manliness.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfFRQ-StpwA
I think that Dolomite Sprints look best in Mimosa yellow or in Magenta purple.
When the Sprint was launched, it was only available in Mimosa. After a while, it became available in purple, red, a sort of wine colour, green, white, blue and so on, and also in another shade of yellow called Inca, IIRC. I am not sure if you could get one in black. All Sprints had black vinyl roofs and C pillars. My one has a Webasto fitted by a dealer in Brighton, which is where the car was first registered.
My car was built in January 1975, but it sat around unsold until December 1975. This may have been because it was Mimosa, at a time when the other colours had become available and so Mimosa was a less popular choice. It may also have been because the car was originally an automatic. The last owner but one converted the car to manual with overdrive. A Sprint with (sort of) six forward gears selected manually is more fun than one with three forward gears selected automatically by an old fashioned slushbox. Or the car may have remained unsold for a while just have been because of economic conditions, BL blah and so on.
When the Sprint was launched, it was only available in Mimosa. After a while, it became available in purple, red, a sort of wine colour, green, white, blue and so on, and also in another shade of yellow called Inca, IIRC. I am not sure if you could get one in black. All Sprints had black vinyl roofs and C pillars. My one has a Webasto fitted by a dealer in Brighton, which is where the car was first registered.
My car was built in January 1975, but it sat around unsold until December 1975. This may have been because it was Mimosa, at a time when the other colours had become available and so Mimosa was a less popular choice. It may also have been because the car was originally an automatic. The last owner but one converted the car to manual with overdrive. A Sprint with (sort of) six forward gears selected manually is more fun than one with three forward gears selected automatically by an old fashioned slushbox. Or the car may have remained unsold for a while just have been because of economic conditions, BL blah and so on.
Breadvan72 said:
My car was built in January 1975, but it sat around unsold until December 1975. This may have been because it was Mimosa, at a time when the other colours had become available and so Mimosa was a less popular choice. It may also have been because the car was originally an automatic.
I'd say it was more likely it was an auto, rather than because it was Mimosa. One of my cousins bought a brand new Tahiti Blue Sprint back in 1977, and he ordered it with an auto, and 18 months later after loosing patience with a succession of BL dealers failing to make it work properly, he traded it for a brand new Opel Ascona 2.0 SR Berlina, but got a terrible trade-in deal on the Dolly because it was an auto.Breadvan72 said:
I think that Dolomite Sprints look best in Mimosa yellow or in Magenta purple.
When the Sprint was launched, it was only available in Mimosa. After a while, it became available in purple, red, a sort of wine colour, green, white, blue and so on, and also in another shade of yellow called Inca, IIRC. I am not sure if you could get one in black. All Sprints had black vinyl roofs and C pillars. My one has a Webasto fitted by a dealer in Brighton, which is where the car was first registered.
My car was built in January 1975, but it sat around unsold until December 1975. This may have been because it was Mimosa, at a time when the other colours had become available and so Mimosa was a less popular choice. It may also have been because the car was originally an automatic. The last owner but one converted the car to manual with overdrive. A Sprint with (sort of) six forward gears selected manually is more fun than one with three forward gears selected automatically by an old fashioned slushbox. Or the car may have remained unsold for a while just have been because of economic conditions, BL blah and so on.
Lovely carWhen the Sprint was launched, it was only available in Mimosa. After a while, it became available in purple, red, a sort of wine colour, green, white, blue and so on, and also in another shade of yellow called Inca, IIRC. I am not sure if you could get one in black. All Sprints had black vinyl roofs and C pillars. My one has a Webasto fitted by a dealer in Brighton, which is where the car was first registered.
My car was built in January 1975, but it sat around unsold until December 1975. This may have been because it was Mimosa, at a time when the other colours had become available and so Mimosa was a less popular choice. It may also have been because the car was originally an automatic. The last owner but one converted the car to manual with overdrive. A Sprint with (sort of) six forward gears selected manually is more fun than one with three forward gears selected automatically by an old fashioned slushbox. Or the car may have remained unsold for a while just have been because of economic conditions, BL blah and so on.
Intersting you mention why there seemed to be more Mimosa DS's something I wasn't aware of. Back in the mid to late 70s on my road in Newmarket there was A Dolomite Sprint, it looked great and finished off nicely with the twin exhaust plus my mate told me about the whopping 127 bhp which trumped RS 2000,s 110 bhp and if it wasn't for my love of motorbikes I would have bought one. Like yours it was in Mimosa but couldn't remember if it was auto or manual.
The Sprint was to have been branded the Dolomite 130 or 135 (I forget which and am too lazy to look it up), on the basis that the engine was supposed to produce 130 or 135 BHP. Spen King found that some test bench engines produced 150 BHP, but the production line's standards were not sufficiently consistent to produce 130 or 135 BHP for each production engine (this was partly down to low morale, skiving, bad industrial relations, bad management and so on, but also attributable to lack of investment and worn tools).
As the 130 or 135 name wouldn't do, the hotbox Dolomite was branded as the Dolomite Sprint.
A new Sprint might have a feisty engine or a be a bit of a chuffer, depending on the luck of the draw as it went through the build process. As with many BL cars, some were good when new, but too many were bad (long term test reports in the car mags expressed frustration with many snags, and with poor dealer responses). Most of the survivors have now been made good, as is the way of things with cars this old.
The BL race and rally cars had engines tweaked up to 200 plus BHP.
My car has what might be termed a pretty standard fast road tune, but I do not know what its power output or torque rating might be.
As the 130 or 135 name wouldn't do, the hotbox Dolomite was branded as the Dolomite Sprint.
A new Sprint might have a feisty engine or a be a bit of a chuffer, depending on the luck of the draw as it went through the build process. As with many BL cars, some were good when new, but too many were bad (long term test reports in the car mags expressed frustration with many snags, and with poor dealer responses). Most of the survivors have now been made good, as is the way of things with cars this old.
The BL race and rally cars had engines tweaked up to 200 plus BHP.
My car has what might be termed a pretty standard fast road tune, but I do not know what its power output or torque rating might be.
Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 9th April 15:09
NB: Ray Doyle's Dolomite Sprint was white.
I do, however, have some suitably cheesy 70s clothing and big-ass shades to wear with the motah.
EDIT: I am wrong - it was Bodie who had the white Sprint. Doyle had a P6 and then a TR7, while Cowley had an SD1 and some Princesses, before they all got Fords (Capris, Escorts, Grannies).
I do, however, have some suitably cheesy 70s clothing and big-ass shades to wear with the motah.
EDIT: I am wrong - it was Bodie who had the white Sprint. Doyle had a P6 and then a TR7, while Cowley had an SD1 and some Princesses, before they all got Fords (Capris, Escorts, Grannies).
Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 9th April 18:36
aeropilot said:
I'd say it was more likely it was an auto, rather than because it was Mimosa. ...
I agree. Many 70s autoboxes tended to be a bit meh at the best of times, and putting one in a Sprint was a distinctly pointless thing to do. Having a sporty 70s British or European car with an autobox is like kissing your sister!I like the 135 badge! At least Triumph were disinclined to fib about the BHP by selling the car as the Dolly 135 (the nominal rating for the standard cars was 127). Lotus, of course, were terrible fibbers (because Colin Chapman), and sold the Elan Plus Two S 130/5 on the basis that 130 stood for BHP (this was a fib). 5 stood for 5 speed gearbox (this was not a fib).
The dice came with the car. They nearly went straight in the bin, but gained a reprieve, and now spend most of their time in the glovebox, but they come out occasionally when I am feeling sufficiently retro-hipster faux ironic.
I was born in 1962, and turned 18 in 1980, so I cherish the 70s. Dodgy politics, but great clothes, great music, great cars, and also lots of social mobility and technological advances.
I was born in 1962, and turned 18 in 1980, so I cherish the 70s. Dodgy politics, but great clothes, great music, great cars, and also lots of social mobility and technological advances.
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