Another retro toy idea: Triumph Dolomite Sprint

[Chris71]

Following on from the Alfetta idea, what do people think of the idea of a Dolomite Sprint - perhaps a lightly 'retro modified' example with minilites and so on - as a practical second car and occasional track day toy?

They seem to be quick enough to be safe on a modern track day (MX5 sort of performance?) and, from what I can gather, they have a reputation for entertaining handling. I'd imagine they're acceptable on the motorway and you can get a reasonable amount of luggage in for weekends away, plus I believe there's a big Triumph 'scene' to get spares from (Rimmer Brothers etc)?

The idea is to find something that's going to offer practicality and relatively sensible running costs, but a slightly more leftfield appeal than, say, a 944 or 3 Series.

[marcosgt]

Why would you buy minilites when it already has cool alloy wheels?

Great car - I had a 1500 with Sprint suspension (but narrow steel wheels) and front spoiler (painted body colour like the race cars - it was a long time ago! ).

The front AR bar was a great addition, but in truth, on the narrow tyres, the rear just made the tail snap away too suddenly. Sure it'd be fine on 185s or a little bigger.

Even the 1500 would do 85-90 on the motorway, so a Sprint will be quick enough for day to day motoring.

They had a reputation for troublesome engines, but I think they've resolved those problems if you look after them properly.

I saw a mint one in the Coventry transport museum and it's amazing how such a small (externally) car can have so much space inside - Where did modern cars go so wrong?

Another left field choice might be a nice Opel Manta? Great ride and handling with a decent amount of space. Not so classy as a Triumph though...

M

Edited by marcosgt on Tuesday 28th September 11:23

[pilchardthecat]

I see a nice russett-brown one pretty much every day on the way to the orifice, so it's a viable daily driver, let alone a second car

[Chris71]

marcosgt said:

Why would you buy minilites when it already has cool alloy wheels?

I actually wrote that before I found the photo in the classifieds, they do look rather good don't they?

One thought: Do you reckon there's a danger that retro cars like Dolomites and Capris are selling at elevated prices following the whole Life On Mars 80s chic thing?

[snotrag]

Chris - I was just about to say but someone got in there first - what about a Manta?

[varsas]

I think if you want a classic then it's a good choice. If you don't particularly want a classic though you'd be better off with something modern, especially for track days. I always admired these, they do sound like good fun but when I last looked they were quite expensive (which doesn't mean they aren't worth it, I was just surprised) compared with the 'cooking' versions.

[Chris71]

Something like a Dolomite appeals more. I think it's because I'm just old enough to remember the boy racers having rusty old Mantas, but the Dolomite has always been a classic (at least age-wise) to me if that makes sense.

The other thing is I'm fairly sure - having been loosely involved with a Spitfire restoration - that you can order just about anything for a Dolomite from Rimmer Brothers and such like. Getting parts and advice might be more difficult with a Manta?

You have sent me off into the classifieds to check out Opel's finest though.

By the way, does anyone have experience of any of these (or similar cars) in standard-ish form on track?

ETA Actually this one - complete with lary bodykit and 3-litre conversion - does look rather fun:

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/1995541.htm

varsas said:

I think if you want a classic then it's a good choice. If you don't particularly want a classic though you'd be better off with something modern, especially for track days. I always admired these, they do sound like good fun but when I last looked they were quite expensive (which doesn't mean they aren't worth it, I was just surprised) compared with the 'cooking' versions.

The thing is I find mainstream/modern cars - for all their competence - a bit dull. I've no doubt a fairly ordinary warm hatch would wipe the floor with it, but I'm looking for something with a bit more soul. The thing is I'd like something that's still a comparitively easy ownership prospect. I realise that's a relative term and I'm not expecting modern mainstream reliability or refinement, but something that could get quite close to that despite offering a bit more interest is the idea. It wouldn't have to be old, but the more recent M3s, 968s etc. seem a bit annodyne in comparison and a full on sports cars like a Chimaera might require a bit too much commitment for regular use. It would be a second car (like the Caterham currently is), but the idea is to get a reasonable amount of use out of it so I don't want leaking hoods, ruptured ear drums or limited boot space.

Edited by Chris71 on Tuesday 28th September 11:50

[redstu]

You would need some decent seats to use on the track, the standard seats are comfy but have no support.

Nice looking cars in a 70s way but expect wind noise, rust and poor front brakes!

[plasticpig]

Always had a hankering after a sprint. Mimosa yellow with a Triumph laurel on the bonnet would be ideal.

[extvr]

I had 1 in my youth, great car, went everywhere in the red line, and the tyres smoked like an American cop car Did go through 7 Diffs in 15 months, but spares were abundant then, not so now i fear. Go for it.

[B'stard Child]

I've never understood the way Manta owners drop in the 12V and 24V 3.0 straight six engines - they weigh best part of 400 kgs dressed and that weight is bang over the front wheels and even with a bit of porting and custom chip in the ECU you are looking at 230 BHP

Omega Elites 3.0 24V V6 versions are an awfull lot lighter and cheap as chips - would make a much better road/track combo IMHO*

(*)IMHO - I love Opel straight sixes and I'll put up with the weight of a 3.0 24V in a Monza as it's no heavier than the original 12V so doesn't upset the handing balance (well no worse than original) however if I did my time again I'd go for a V6 (from omega) or a V8 SBC



Anyway - Had a dolly sprint years ago and loved it - only issue with using an old car for road/track is that you need to be handy with a welder and if you don't pick something mainstream it limits your options as far as aftermarket suspension etc is concerned

[shoestring7]

Chris71 said:

They seem to be quick enough to be safe on a modern track day (MX5 sort of performance?) and, from what I can gather, they have a reputation for entertaining handling.

Read some of the reports Tony Dron wrote about racing them in period. 'Entertaining' isn't really a word he used, and ISTR the brakes were rubbish too.

If you're determined to spend a lot of time and money ploughing your own furrow then why not? If you want a more practical proposition I'd be looking at a rwd Ford Escort. The Porsche you mentioned is also going to be much more robust, and there is a lot of expertise out there for you to plug into.

SS7

[B'stard Child]

shoestring7 said:

If you're determined to spend a lot of time and money ploughing your own furrow then why not? If you want a more practical proposition I'd be looking at a rwd Ford Escort.

No offence intended - Have you seen the prices of the MKI and MKII Ford Escorts - even bare shells fetch stupid money (well stupid to me)

The other equivilent cars from around the time offer much better value but are harder to get off the shelf upgrades - the difference in purchase cost can make a big difference in terms of the std of finished road/track car.

[matchmaker]

redstu said:

You would need some decent seats to use on the track, the standard seats are comfy but have no support.

Nice looking cars in a 70s way but expect wind noise, rust and poor front brakes!

Having owned one I can confirm the above - my 1970 2-litre Vitesse had better brakes than my Sprint! I suffered total brake fade a few times - not fun

[Chris71]

B'stard Child said:

shoestring7 said:

If you're determined to spend a lot of time and money ploughing your own furrow then why not? If you want a more practical proposition I'd be looking at a rwd Ford Escort.

No offence intended - Have you seen the prices of the MKI and MKII Ford Escorts - even bare shells fetch stupid money (well stupid to me).

That was my first thought. Still, the points about scary handling and rubbish brakes on the Dolomite are very relavant and somewhat off-putting. Perhaps it's not just a question of new dampers and some modern tyres then off to the track!

I'm pretty sure I've narrowed it down to some form of front-engined Porsche or a Lotus Excel in reality, but a classic sports saloon struck me as a possible alternative for the same 'sensible-ish yet different' requirements.

[B'stard Child]

Chris71 said:

B'stard Child said:

shoestring7 said:

If you're determined to spend a lot of time and money ploughing your own furrow then why not? If you want a more practical proposition I'd be looking at a rwd Ford Escort.

No offence intended - Have you seen the prices of the MKI and MKII Ford Escorts - even bare shells fetch stupid money (well stupid to me).

That was my first thought. Still, the points about scary handling and rubbish brakes on the Dolomite are very relavant and somewhat off-putting. Perhaps it's not just a question of new dampers and some modern tyres then off to the track!

I'm pretty sure I've narrowed it down to some form of front-engined Porsche or a Lotus Excel in reality, but a classic sports saloon struck me as a possible alternative for the same 'sensible-ish yet different' requirements.

I did a sprint a while back and got beaten by a Triumph Dolomite Sprint - it had a YB cossie lump and a several hundred bhp - it wend round corners very well






Sideways

[davidjpowell]

My dad had one of these when I was a kid. We did not go in it much, as it was always broken.

[redstu]

davidjpowell said:

My dad had one of these when I was a kid. We did not go in it much, as it was always broken.

That was probably the one that I bought later on!

[300bhp/ton]

Chris71 said:

Following on from the Alfetta idea, what do people think of the idea of a Dolomite Sprint - perhaps a lightly 'retro modified' example with minilites and so on - as a practical second car and occasional track day toy?

They seem to be quick enough to be safe on a modern track day (MX5 sort of performance?) and, from what I can gather, they have a reputation for entertaining handling. I'd imagine they're acceptable on the motorway and you can get a reasonable amount of luggage in for weekends away, plus I believe there's a big Triumph 'scene' to get spares from (Rimmer Brothers etc)?

The idea is to find something that's going to offer practicality and relatively sensible running costs, but a slightly more leftfield appeal than, say, a 944 or 3 Series.

I'm a very big Triumph fan for obvious reasons.

The Dolly Sprints are well worth keeping an eye on and even in the last 12 months prices seem to have increased a fair amount.

Performance isn't bad, a stock one should do 0-60mph in 8.7 sec. But lots of mods, some 2" SU's, good exhaust/intake and a wilder cam should see 180hp. And as they don't weigh much they should be fairly nippy, even in a modern'ish hot hatch sense.

Rust is the only real issue, but there are a lot of tidy ones still.

Loads of tuning and parts suppliers too, remember the Dolly was track raced and rallied, so you can get most of the parts for them for this.

[GHW]

Beware of cooling. They're a bit sensitive to overheating, and the water pumps have a bit of a habit of seizing. Also, beware of head gasket problems -- they'll usually show up after overheating (see above), and the dowels holding the head on are mounted at various angles, so if you skim the head you need to use an oversize gasket to bring it back to the same height (or run the risk of it never seating properly again).

FWIW, they're pretty fun with a bit of fiddling, but you need to be prepared to look after them a LOT more than you would if you were running an MX5...