1975 Triumph Dolomite Sprint
Discussion
^^^ A highly informative post BV, I love reading about this sort of stuff. There was so much bodging and infighting within BL, it's a wonder anything ever came out of the factory doors at all. I've been reading up on the history of Jaguar's part in the Stokes empire and during the period when the S1 XJ was replaced by the S2 there were over four hundred stoppages on the factory floor alone (imagine that today, madness!).
When John Cooper went up to Longbridge for a meeting with the top brass old Stokesey asked him ''and what do you do..?'', John's reply was ''oh I come up here once a fortnight to wind Issigonis up''. Stokes then looked at Cooper's contract with BL and saw that £2 went to JC for every car that was sold, outraged, Stokes closed the door on the agreement and that was the end of the Mini Cooper S. To be fair, by that time Mk3 Cooper S sales were tailing off with many sat around dealerships waiting for buyers, but Stokes used the excuse that high insurance on the 1275 S was killing it stone dead and the 'replacement' 1275GT would be cheaper to insure... alas it wasn't.
When John Cooper went up to Longbridge for a meeting with the top brass old Stokesey asked him ''and what do you do..?'', John's reply was ''oh I come up here once a fortnight to wind Issigonis up''. Stokes then looked at Cooper's contract with BL and saw that £2 went to JC for every car that was sold, outraged, Stokes closed the door on the agreement and that was the end of the Mini Cooper S. To be fair, by that time Mk3 Cooper S sales were tailing off with many sat around dealerships waiting for buyers, but Stokes used the excuse that high insurance on the 1275 S was killing it stone dead and the 'replacement' 1275GT would be cheaper to insure... alas it wasn't.
For my father, the words Lord Stokes were dirty words. Michael Edwardes was my dad's business hero. There is a recently published book about BL that is worth a look.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/British-Leyland-Motor-Corp...
Also, words from the man himself
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Back-Brink-Sir-Michael-Edw...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/British-Leyland-Motor-Corp...
Also, words from the man himself
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Back-Brink-Sir-Michael-Edw...
As this is a Dolly thread, here is something what I done wrote on the "buy some old POS for not much money" thread in General Gassing:-
The Dolly Sprint is a curious car, and very, very BL. The basic Dolly was already an old design when Triumph devised a twin carb slant four engine for the 1850 (this being the engine that, as Lowtimer observes, eventually ended up becoming the Saab turbo engine of PH renown). The slant four allowed a low bonnet line (see also the Lotus 900 series of engines, perfect for wedgy sports cars). Then Triumph showed BL engineering genius at its best when they beefed up the engine and devised the SOHC 16 valve head for the Sprint (inlet valves on the cam, exhaust valves on rockers). Elegant engineering, saving weight and size, although adding moving parts.
This clever engine, that was given a gong by the Design Council, was given rather ordinary SU carbs rather than something fancy and Webber or Dellorto ish, and had to be fitted to whatever gearbox, diff and (live) rear axle could be afforded; so bits of TR 6 and 2500 were cobbled together to make the Sprint's drive train, and it made do with slightly upgunned self adjusting drum brakes on the back and OK ish disc brakes on the front. Like the similarly live-axled and rear-drummed Rover SD1, the Sprint handles and stops better than you think it should, although some in Dolly World claim that the rear brakes are only there for show, as the car nose dives on its front brakes when you need to slow down a bit.
The car was penned by Michelotti, and, apart from the truly awful Reliant SS1, he rarely drew a dog. It was, however, rather sixties in appearance - upright, narrow, and three boxy. In typical BL excessive product life stylee, it had to stagger on to 1980, and was not always well built, because the factory blokes were under bad management and were sometimes stroppy, as the unions surged into the vacant space left by crap managers.
Nowadays a good Sprint is a good thing indeed (so good that I bought myself one for a price within the budget of this thread, and do not regret doing so). I have driven a BMW 2002 tii, and agree with reviewers who said that the Sprint is just slightly the better car of the two, but at the time the Beemer cost a huge chunk more than the Sprint, and now the Beemer goes for three times the price of its Coventry rival. Guess who owns the Triumph name nowadays? BMW, of course, so Triumph's a brand that ain't ever coming back, I reckon.
The Dolly Sprint is a curious car, and very, very BL. The basic Dolly was already an old design when Triumph devised a twin carb slant four engine for the 1850 (this being the engine that, as Lowtimer observes, eventually ended up becoming the Saab turbo engine of PH renown). The slant four allowed a low bonnet line (see also the Lotus 900 series of engines, perfect for wedgy sports cars). Then Triumph showed BL engineering genius at its best when they beefed up the engine and devised the SOHC 16 valve head for the Sprint (inlet valves on the cam, exhaust valves on rockers). Elegant engineering, saving weight and size, although adding moving parts.
This clever engine, that was given a gong by the Design Council, was given rather ordinary SU carbs rather than something fancy and Webber or Dellorto ish, and had to be fitted to whatever gearbox, diff and (live) rear axle could be afforded; so bits of TR 6 and 2500 were cobbled together to make the Sprint's drive train, and it made do with slightly upgunned self adjusting drum brakes on the back and OK ish disc brakes on the front. Like the similarly live-axled and rear-drummed Rover SD1, the Sprint handles and stops better than you think it should, although some in Dolly World claim that the rear brakes are only there for show, as the car nose dives on its front brakes when you need to slow down a bit.
The car was penned by Michelotti, and, apart from the truly awful Reliant SS1, he rarely drew a dog. It was, however, rather sixties in appearance - upright, narrow, and three boxy. In typical BL excessive product life stylee, it had to stagger on to 1980, and was not always well built, because the factory blokes were under bad management and were sometimes stroppy, as the unions surged into the vacant space left by crap managers.
Nowadays a good Sprint is a good thing indeed (so good that I bought myself one for a price within the budget of this thread, and do not regret doing so). I have driven a BMW 2002 tii, and agree with reviewers who said that the Sprint is just slightly the better car of the two, but at the time the Beemer cost a huge chunk more than the Sprint, and now the Beemer goes for three times the price of its Coventry rival. Guess who owns the Triumph name nowadays? BMW, of course, so Triumph's a brand that ain't ever coming back, I reckon.
rallycross said:
I do like a Dolly Sprint here's one that's in Group 2 spec looks like it might be a road legal ex racer
http://www.autoscout24.com/offers/triumph-dolomite...
Triumph Dolomite Sprint 2000cc . processing gruppo2 race ready allegatoJ 76. Change approved close , racing camshaft , twin front brake calipers , master cylinder with double rocker , original glass surfaces etc . HTP international passport . Road use estremo. Auto perfect .
In the late eighties, new boxed Gold Seal group 2 engines were available for under £500.http://www.autoscout24.com/offers/triumph-dolomite...
Triumph Dolomite Sprint 2000cc . processing gruppo2 race ready allegatoJ 76. Change approved close , racing camshaft , twin front brake calipers , master cylinder with double rocker , original glass surfaces etc . HTP international passport . Road use estremo. Auto perfect .
e21Mark said:
I bought an 1850 for £40 back in 1990 and planned to rip the engine out for my TR7. It was just too nice though and I ran it as my daily for the next 6 months, then sold it for £300. The cabin was comfy and a genuinely nice place to be. I bought a 1502 BMW after that though and have been a BMW fanboi ever since.
Great thread.
£40 was good going. Great thread.
My first car at 18 (1988) was a Dolly 1850 with some Sprint 'bits', previous owner had a rusted Sprint on the drive that he used for spares. Mine had the overdrive gearbox which proved useful when racing my mate's XR3 (not 'i ') up Bluebell Hill, slurring it into gear 3.5 started edging me in front
Mine cost £90 and broke down on the M25 a few weeks later costing me £100 in pickup charge as I didn't have the AA. Live and learn...
Loved it though, I left it parked in Uxbridge for 3 months as I'd been given a company car. Went to pick it up one weekend armed with a battery, jump leads and toolbox. It started on the button as if I'd parked it that morning.
Seat belt light and adjustable steering column were things which weren't even available as options on a lot of brand new cars in the late 80's
hidetheelephants said:
carinaman said:
Besides the body restyle were there any significant engine or chassis upgrades when the Eclat became the Excel?
Galvanised chassis and toyota suspension I think, although the transition might have been in the run-out Eclats rather than the model change.See my 1984 Excel thread for some more info.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 5th November 09:39
Clutch slave cylinder foutu, so off to a local garage, who will fit a new one on Monday.
Posting the photo below on the Dolomite Facebook group prompted a rather firmly opinionated and none too well mannered chap to say that the steering and front suspension would now be ruined. He couldn't find anyone to agree with him on that point (engineers and recovery dudes included), but he asserted it most vigorously. He should be on PH!
Posting the photo below on the Dolomite Facebook group prompted a rather firmly opinionated and none too well mannered chap to say that the steering and front suspension would now be ruined. He couldn't find anyone to agree with him on that point (engineers and recovery dudes included), but he asserted it most vigorously. He should be on PH!
Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 22 November 09:40
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