1975 Triumph Dolomite Sprint
Discussion
Wholehearted approval granted.
I had 6 Dollies of various displacement and condition back in the day and thoroughly enjoyed them. As I recall, there was nothing comparable at the time - the RS2000 was quick, but lacked the luxury and the gentlemanship.
I still regret parting with the one into which I desperately wanted to transplant an RV8.
More so I regret the longest-lasting one, an 1850, which I dearly wanted to save from the tinworm. Parked it in the garage for a couple of years (I even recall plastering it with some substance used on electricity pylons in an attempt to stave off it's return to nature) but when I finally started cutting the sills out, everything inside had also long gone home.
With a heavy heart I dragged it to the scrappy. It would have been kind if he could gave at least waited until I had driven away before grabbing it up with one of those big 4-claw thingies....
Yours looks absolutely stunning. Another one to add to my lottery list. The lovely MrsC has watched me write this post and asked how much would be have to be invested to own another. Sadly the bigger issue is that the 5-car driveway is already creaking at the seams. Now pondering whether something might shuffle out of the way...I did love the Dollies....
I had 6 Dollies of various displacement and condition back in the day and thoroughly enjoyed them. As I recall, there was nothing comparable at the time - the RS2000 was quick, but lacked the luxury and the gentlemanship.
I still regret parting with the one into which I desperately wanted to transplant an RV8.
More so I regret the longest-lasting one, an 1850, which I dearly wanted to save from the tinworm. Parked it in the garage for a couple of years (I even recall plastering it with some substance used on electricity pylons in an attempt to stave off it's return to nature) but when I finally started cutting the sills out, everything inside had also long gone home.
With a heavy heart I dragged it to the scrappy. It would have been kind if he could gave at least waited until I had driven away before grabbing it up with one of those big 4-claw thingies....
Yours looks absolutely stunning. Another one to add to my lottery list. The lovely MrsC has watched me write this post and asked how much would be have to be invested to own another. Sadly the bigger issue is that the 5-car driveway is already creaking at the seams. Now pondering whether something might shuffle out of the way...I did love the Dollies....
Women seem to like Sprints! My wife hates most of my cars but she, and various female friends who also deplore most heaps that I buy, like this one. You could get an iffy Sprint for 3K, an OK one for 4 to 5 (eg the green one on eBay at 4200). 7 is too much, I reckon. 5 to 6 ought to get a straight yarmouth. I saw two others and discussed one before I bought this one.
I had one of these as my first car (in 2003!). I've still got it, and will be going to my lock-up to swear at the various piles of parts that still need to be bolted back on to it.
Road tests at the time (and I didn't find any reason to disagree with it) found that the transition from understeer to oversteer on a trailing throttle is a little bit sudden, which is understandable given the positioning of the engine, so do watch out for that in the wet. An in-period modification was a few paving slabs in the boot.
8 and a half to 60 only gives half the story - 2nd gear tops out at 59mph so it should be a fair bit quicker in gear than the numbers would suggest.
If the car has been polybushed throughout, there is a potential issue with the rear trailing arms. Hard bushes on the body to arm joint mean that the flex required if one wheel needs to rise all goes into the arm rather than the bush - I've heard of a couple of failed suspension arms, which is not very clever at all.
Brakes are perhaps a little bit marginal for spirited driving - the same discs and calipers are fitted to the 1300, which has half the power and a fair bit less weight.
Road tests at the time (and I didn't find any reason to disagree with it) found that the transition from understeer to oversteer on a trailing throttle is a little bit sudden, which is understandable given the positioning of the engine, so do watch out for that in the wet. An in-period modification was a few paving slabs in the boot.
8 and a half to 60 only gives half the story - 2nd gear tops out at 59mph so it should be a fair bit quicker in gear than the numbers would suggest.
If the car has been polybushed throughout, there is a potential issue with the rear trailing arms. Hard bushes on the body to arm joint mean that the flex required if one wheel needs to rise all goes into the arm rather than the bush - I've heard of a couple of failed suspension arms, which is not very clever at all.
Brakes are perhaps a little bit marginal for spirited driving - the same discs and calipers are fitted to the 1300, which has half the power and a fair bit less weight.
Hammer67 said:
carinaman said:
Did all Sprints have a Leyland swirly oil filler? I never knew about those.
Did those LE black and silver 1500s have the decal on the bonnet?
Yes, I think they all did, mine certainly had one. I remember it well, as I used to change the oil every 100 yards or so.Did those LE black and silver 1500s have the decal on the bonnet?
No, don't think so, IIRC the laurel wreath was only standard on TR7s.
GrumpyV8 said:
The very early TR7's (1976?) had a 'stencilled' 'TR7' on the bonnet, later models (from 1978?) had the laurel wreath as mentioned.
my Dad worked on the TR7 at Halewood/speke. It is still an ambition to have a TR7 or preferably a TR8 but I also have a terrible itch for a dolly sprint.johnxjsc1985 said:
GrumpyV8 said:
The very early TR7's (1976?) had a 'stencilled' 'TR7' on the bonnet, later models (from 1978?) had the laurel wreath as mentioned.
my Dad worked on the TR7 at Halewood/speke. It is still an ambition to have a TR7 or preferably a TR8 but I also have a terrible itch for a dolly sprint.I came across that thread trying to find out if Dolomites had the Laurel Wreath from the factory.
The Michelotti good looks are evident in that press photo, and the car seems to have a high nose, low tail attitude. I suppose the car used in the photo shot could have had the paving slab/breeze block modification?
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.
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.
Looks almost exactly the same as my old Inca yellow one (TYN925M). Beautiful cars, still looks better than any other saloon of their time to me. Mine had the polished alloys but the inside of the leaves were painted yellow too. I blew the bottom end to bits redlining it in top gear back when I was 19-20. The design of the heads is genius but I'm not surprised they warp given that only about 2/3rds of them are bolted to anything.
There is a man who takes his tuned one to the Rally de Ramparts in Angouleme, you want to see him go, very impressive and the only competitor who actually looks like he wants to win.
There is a man who takes his tuned one to the Rally de Ramparts in Angouleme, you want to see him go, very impressive and the only competitor who actually looks like he wants to win.
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