1975 Triumph Dolomite Sprint
Discussion
This is such a lovely bit of kit. I do miss mine from a couple of years ago however I am sure you are enjoying the car:
As for the Fiesta comment I doubt it ; An ST150 I would say yes it would but not a normal Fiesta. The biggest I have seen with a number of them is the following:
Poor ignition parts - This is done because Sprints came with a unique distributor and the caps/leads are not cheap - £40 for a cap, £30 for the arm and another £40 for the leads (they screw into the cap). Many people fit cheaper stuff on, which will cause issues and misfiring IME ; my friend's Sprint was terrible until we went back to basics and known stuff ; at the time I thought he was nuts for spending £100 on ignition stuff! Of course a tire distributor will never help matters.
Carb setup - Many are far from right in being setup ; Both his and mine were no exception here with mine having £6k spent over 18 months from the previous owner. Both never hit 100% travel on the throttle and it seems many don't for some strange reason - it is awkward to set them up this way however. Once I cured this fault, reset the mixtures and balanced the carbs the car really was able shift along at a great pace ; My Clio 172 would leave it for dead despite what Sprint owners say but it was swift.
Thankyou4calling said:
Thanks.
Just had a look on Wiki and the Triumph Toledo is listed at 156 inches long, the latest BMW 3 series, which I guess is comparable in its position in the market is listed at 182 inches! More than 2 feet longer. That's quite a difference.
The Dolomite sprint in its day was a flying machine, at least it was marketed as such, yet now I think it'd struggle to keep up with a normal Fiesta.
I'd still prefer the Sprint though, lovely car.
I would love a Sprint once more.Just had a look on Wiki and the Triumph Toledo is listed at 156 inches long, the latest BMW 3 series, which I guess is comparable in its position in the market is listed at 182 inches! More than 2 feet longer. That's quite a difference.
The Dolomite sprint in its day was a flying machine, at least it was marketed as such, yet now I think it'd struggle to keep up with a normal Fiesta.
I'd still prefer the Sprint though, lovely car.
As for the Fiesta comment I doubt it ; An ST150 I would say yes it would but not a normal Fiesta. The biggest I have seen with a number of them is the following:
Poor ignition parts - This is done because Sprints came with a unique distributor and the caps/leads are not cheap - £40 for a cap, £30 for the arm and another £40 for the leads (they screw into the cap). Many people fit cheaper stuff on, which will cause issues and misfiring IME ; my friend's Sprint was terrible until we went back to basics and known stuff ; at the time I thought he was nuts for spending £100 on ignition stuff! Of course a tire distributor will never help matters.
Carb setup - Many are far from right in being setup ; Both his and mine were no exception here with mine having £6k spent over 18 months from the previous owner. Both never hit 100% travel on the throttle and it seems many don't for some strange reason - it is awkward to set them up this way however. Once I cured this fault, reset the mixtures and balanced the carbs the car really was able shift along at a great pace ; My Clio 172 would leave it for dead despite what Sprint owners say but it was swift.
andyalan10 said:
Brilliant
Traded in a Dolomite Sprint for an MG Maestro Efi in 1986 as I had to have a younger car to get a car allowance from work. I was kind to my friends and bought 4 door cars. Having agreed the trade in deal I used the final Saturday of ownership to drive from Bedfordshire to the Lake District, not by the shortest route, over Hard Knot and Wrynose Passes and home again. Must have clocked almost 600 miles.
Plush, compact, great visibility and turning circle, quick, understated. As others have said nothing like it on the market at the time, and nothing like it on the market now.
Andy
If the Dolly Sprint had more of an edge towards Sportiness and the build/timings had improve it could have been a great success ; Mine had 4 new dampers on it with bushes and if I am honest it was just too soft ; I am a little picky in how I want a car to drive though.Traded in a Dolomite Sprint for an MG Maestro Efi in 1986 as I had to have a younger car to get a car allowance from work. I was kind to my friends and bought 4 door cars. Having agreed the trade in deal I used the final Saturday of ownership to drive from Bedfordshire to the Lake District, not by the shortest route, over Hard Knot and Wrynose Passes and home again. Must have clocked almost 600 miles.
Plush, compact, great visibility and turning circle, quick, understated. As others have said nothing like it on the market at the time, and nothing like it on the market now.
Andy
Thread update inna Downton Abbey stylee yo:-
My gardener is good at gardening. At driving, maybe not so much. He managed to do this to the Dolly yesterday. The car is of course bright yellow, and so plainly invisible. The damage is worse than it looks in the photo.
The gardener thoughtfully left some bits of his van's tail light behind, which was nice.
Hey, it's just a car, so I shan't fall out with the chap over this. I shall, naturally, be obliged to evict his children from their tied cottager, but I shan't do that until the really cold weather sets in.
My gardener is good at gardening. At driving, maybe not so much. He managed to do this to the Dolly yesterday. The car is of course bright yellow, and so plainly invisible. The damage is worse than it looks in the photo.
The gardener thoughtfully left some bits of his van's tail light behind, which was nice.
Hey, it's just a car, so I shan't fall out with the chap over this. I shall, naturally, be obliged to evict his children from their tied cottager, but I shan't do that until the really cold weather sets in.
Breadvan72 said:
Thread update inna Downton Abbey stylee yo:-
My gardener is good at gardening. At driving, maybe not so much. He managed to do this to the Dolly yesterday. The car is of course bright yellow, and so plainly invisible. The damage is worse than it looks in the photo.
The gardener thoughtfully left some bits of his van's tail light behind, which was nice.
Hey, it's just a car, so I shan't fall out with the chap over this. I shall, naturally, be obliged to evict his children from their tied cottager, but I shan't do that until the really cold weather sets in.
hmmm I think you need more spare cars for your new old methodology to work...My gardener is good at gardening. At driving, maybe not so much. He managed to do this to the Dolly yesterday. The car is of course bright yellow, and so plainly invisible. The damage is worse than it looks in the photo.
The gardener thoughtfully left some bits of his van's tail light behind, which was nice.
Hey, it's just a car, so I shan't fall out with the chap over this. I shall, naturally, be obliged to evict his children from their tied cottager, but I shan't do that until the really cold weather sets in.
0a said:
Annoying isn't it. I came back to the SL to find someone had damaged the bumper yesterday. I would always leave a note. There was no note of course.
I have an old story about leaving a note. Do good, and good shall come unto to you or (sometimes even with you). The story involves me, the late 80s, my E30 Beemer, my inability to reverse worth a damn, a Fiat hatchback, a dent, a note, the Fiat's cute owner, and some other stuff. Back in the now, my gardener rang me this morning and 'fessed up (I was not included when the clonk happened). He's a good dude; we shall not fight.
Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 18th October 20:59
I think that it's just damage to the skin. I will take the door card off today and have a gentle push at the bent metal.
My mobile mechanic came by the other day, changed the HT leads and dizzy cap and sorted out a flooding problem on the front carb, and now the car is running very well.
Very nippy in London traffic, and the clouds of commuting cyclists can see it as it's. er, yellow (gardeners take note). Yaaaaaaaay. Smiley faces on blokes of a certain age, and much younger, as they see and hear the car rorting past.
Having been driving 80s and 90s tat of late, I had forgotten how very 70s (with a tad of 60s) this car is to drive. I love that, but the driving experience compared to, say, my Rover SD1 reinforces what must have seemed the startling modernity of feel of the SD1 when new.
This Sprint is quite noisy, but not horrendously or yobbishly so. It has very crisp acceleration, and is great in town or on twisty roads. On a motorway the engine and wind noise make it a bit thrashy, so I tend to stay at or below an indicated 80 mph. The handling is solidly predictable RWD stylee, and distinctly sporty by 70s saloon standards (it is indeed a far better handling car than many Brit sportscars of the era, Lotuses excepted). The brakes (discs front, self adjusting drums rear, upgraded from the standard Dolly brakes) feel perfectly up to the job. The transmission is fine - fairly positive, longish throw action, and the electrically switched overdrive (for third and top) comes in and goes out with just a slight bump. The steering (unpowered) is mega heavy at parking speeds, but once you are rolling along the steering feels light and responsive.
The cabin ergonomics are reasonable for the era and the car is quite roomy, given its small overall size. Visibility all around is excellent. The Sprint must have seemed, as it was, a rather splendid package when new, and is easily comparable with its BMW 2002 rival of the time, albeit a bit less refined than the Beemer. As that American car journo bloke quoted some pages ago noted, in a parallel universe, Triumph would have survived and become what BMW is today. Oh well.
The full length Webasto sunroof makes the car feel very open and semi convertible ish when the weather is fine. The lights are adequate on dip and quite good on full, and the instrument lighting has a pleasantly soft glow, ruined by the modern stereo with the Blackpool illuminations that all modern car radios have as standard. Why the Hell is that? Most of my cars have modern stereos which floodlight the cabin, screw up night vision, reflect in the windscreen etc. My Lotus has a rubbish but not brightly lit 1980s cassette player, and my Rover has a currently broken upmarket 1980s set with absurd graphic equaliser slides but dim lights. Driving at night on a dark country road in an old car is one of my favouritest things to do, so I often forgo music in order to enjoy the ambience of a dimly lit cabin.
My mobile mechanic came by the other day, changed the HT leads and dizzy cap and sorted out a flooding problem on the front carb, and now the car is running very well.
Very nippy in London traffic, and the clouds of commuting cyclists can see it as it's. er, yellow (gardeners take note). Yaaaaaaaay. Smiley faces on blokes of a certain age, and much younger, as they see and hear the car rorting past.
Having been driving 80s and 90s tat of late, I had forgotten how very 70s (with a tad of 60s) this car is to drive. I love that, but the driving experience compared to, say, my Rover SD1 reinforces what must have seemed the startling modernity of feel of the SD1 when new.
This Sprint is quite noisy, but not horrendously or yobbishly so. It has very crisp acceleration, and is great in town or on twisty roads. On a motorway the engine and wind noise make it a bit thrashy, so I tend to stay at or below an indicated 80 mph. The handling is solidly predictable RWD stylee, and distinctly sporty by 70s saloon standards (it is indeed a far better handling car than many Brit sportscars of the era, Lotuses excepted). The brakes (discs front, self adjusting drums rear, upgraded from the standard Dolly brakes) feel perfectly up to the job. The transmission is fine - fairly positive, longish throw action, and the electrically switched overdrive (for third and top) comes in and goes out with just a slight bump. The steering (unpowered) is mega heavy at parking speeds, but once you are rolling along the steering feels light and responsive.
The cabin ergonomics are reasonable for the era and the car is quite roomy, given its small overall size. Visibility all around is excellent. The Sprint must have seemed, as it was, a rather splendid package when new, and is easily comparable with its BMW 2002 rival of the time, albeit a bit less refined than the Beemer. As that American car journo bloke quoted some pages ago noted, in a parallel universe, Triumph would have survived and become what BMW is today. Oh well.
The full length Webasto sunroof makes the car feel very open and semi convertible ish when the weather is fine. The lights are adequate on dip and quite good on full, and the instrument lighting has a pleasantly soft glow, ruined by the modern stereo with the Blackpool illuminations that all modern car radios have as standard. Why the Hell is that? Most of my cars have modern stereos which floodlight the cabin, screw up night vision, reflect in the windscreen etc. My Lotus has a rubbish but not brightly lit 1980s cassette player, and my Rover has a currently broken upmarket 1980s set with absurd graphic equaliser slides but dim lights. Driving at night on a dark country road in an old car is one of my favouritest things to do, so I often forgo music in order to enjoy the ambience of a dimly lit cabin.
Becker, Nakamichi and older Blaupunkt should sound and look just right for each of your.
motors.http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Car-Stereos-Head-Units-/174119/i.html?Brand=Nakamichi%7CBecker&_dcat=174119&rt=nc&Compatible%2520Vehicle%2520Make=BMW%7C%21
Love the new e34, i used to have one in the same colour in the 90's with black leather interior.
motors.http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Car-Stereos-Head-Units-/174119/i.html?Brand=Nakamichi%7CBecker&_dcat=174119&rt=nc&Compatible%2520Vehicle%2520Make=BMW%7C%21
Love the new e34, i used to have one in the same colour in the 90's with black leather interior.
Breadvan72 said:
and the instrument lighting has a pleasantly soft glow, ruined by the modern stereo with the Blackpool illuminations that all modern car radios have as standard. Why the Hell is that? Most of my cars have modern stereos which floodlight the cabin, screw up night vision, reflect in the windscreen etc.
...Driving at night on a dark country road in an old car is one of my favouritest things to do, so I often forgo music in order to enjoy the ambience of a dimly lit cabin.
There'll be a feed for interior lights - when there's +12v on that, the illumination should dim. Wire that to the main power feed, and job should be a good 'un. I must do it to the new one I chucked in the 205 the other week - it's FAR brighter than the ~10yo head unit which preceded it....Driving at night on a dark country road in an old car is one of my favouritest things to do, so I often forgo music in order to enjoy the ambience of a dimly lit cabin.
A classic car is a time machine. On Sunday morning I was up early, and spent half an hour or so in the autumn of 1976. I went out into the cold dawn, started the Sprint using full choke, left it running to warm up, wiped over the outside of the fogged up windows, and set the not very effective demisters to work on the fogged up interior. I set off, wearing coat, scarf and gloves, the heater being very mid 70s. It being 1976, I may, allegedly, not have worn a seat belt for the first mile or two. I was definitely wearing a seat belt when the almost forty year old car (registered late December 1975), with its engine and gearbox fully warmed up, may possibly, allegedly, have indicated a speed quite a lot more than somewhat above 70 mph on a camera-free bit of the M40 (pretending to be the M1 or M6), but I couldn't possibly comment on that. Then some twisty country roads, in and out of third and fourth gears and in and out of the newfangled overdrive (electrically switched in, not yet called fifth gear), a pause for some photos, and home for tea and toast.
Anyway, this morning, for a bit, I wasn't me (a 53 year old bloke alive in October 2015), but a 38 year old bloke alive in October 1976, but sadly not alive in October 2015. That'll be my dad then. RIP, bloke.
Anyway, this morning, for a bit, I wasn't me (a 53 year old bloke alive in October 2015), but a 38 year old bloke alive in October 1976, but sadly not alive in October 2015. That'll be my dad then. RIP, bloke.
Thankyou4calling said:
...
The Dolomite sprint in its day was a flying machine, at least it was marketed as such, yet now I think it'd struggle to keep up with a normal Fiesta.
...
This morning I overtook a Focus on a twisty A road. The laydee in the Focus did not approve of being overtaken, and gave chase. I binned her on the straights and in the corners. Forty year old heap!The Dolomite sprint in its day was a flying machine, at least it was marketed as such, yet now I think it'd struggle to keep up with a normal Fiesta.
...
Thanks, chap. He was very unwell, and his quality of life had eroded significantly. I knew what was coming, but you can never really prepare yourself for when it happens.
My dad was a spirited and competent driver in his younger days, and, as a BL engineer, had many different BL cars on test.
One of his own cars was a light blue Ford Anglia on which he did an engine rebuild on the drive of our three bed semi. I wish that I had bought one of those before they became Harry Pottered! Too expensive now.
My dad was a spirited and competent driver in his younger days, and, as a BL engineer, had many different BL cars on test.
One of his own cars was a light blue Ford Anglia on which he did an engine rebuild on the drive of our three bed semi. I wish that I had bought one of those before they became Harry Pottered! Too expensive now.
Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 26th October 14:29
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