The Triumph Dolomite small
saloon car
A sedan or saloon (British English) is a passenger car in a three-box configuration with separate compartments for an engine, passengers, and cargo.
The first recorded use of the word "sedan" in reference to an automobile body occurred in 19 ...
was produced by the
Triumph Motor Company
The Triumph Motor Company was a British car and motor manufacturing company in the 19th and 20th centuries. The marque had its origins in 1885 when Siegfried Bettmann of Nuremberg formed S. Bettmann & Co. and started importing bicycles from Eu ...
division of the
British Leyland
British Leyland was an automotive engineering and manufacturing conglomerate formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd (BLMC), following the merger of Leyland Motors and British Motor Holdings. It was partl ...
Corporation in
Canley
Canley is a suburban neighbourhood located in CV4, south-west Coventry, England. Canley became part of Coventry as a result of successive encroachment of the latter's boundaries between 1928 and 1932, having historically been part of the St ...
,
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
between October 1972 and August 1980.
Background
The Dolomite was the final addition to Triumph's small-car range (codenamed "Project Ajax"), which had started in 1965 with the
Triumph 1300
The Triumph 1300 is a medium/small 4-door saloon car that was made between 1965 and 1970 by Standard Triumph in Coventry, England, under the control of Leyland Motors. It was introduced at the London Motor Show in October 1965 and intended as a ...
. Designed to be a replacement for the
rear-wheel drive
Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the rear wheels only. Until the late 20th century, rear-wheel drive was the most common configuration for cars.
Most rear-wheel ...
Triumph Herald
The Triumph Herald is a small two-door car introduced by Standard-Triumph of Coventry in 1959 and made through to 1971. The body design was by the Italian stylist Giovanni Michelotti, and the car was offered in saloon, convertible, coupé, ...
,
the 1300 was originally fitted with a engine and
front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longit ...
. The later model, introduced in September 1970 as the
Triumph 1500
The Triumph 1500 is a small front-wheel drive car that was produced by Standard-Triumph from 1970 to 1973. In 1973 it was revised as the Triumph 1500TC becoming rear-wheel drive. Production ended in 1976, by which time it had been replaced b ...
, featured a remodelled front and rear, styled by
Michelotti, and a larger engine.
Triumph were however dissatisfied with the market performance of the 1300; although it had been moderately successful, the higher price and greater complexity meant sales never reached the levels of the simpler and cheaper Herald which preceded it. In an attempt to improve matters, the car was comprehensively re-engineered. Launched in September 1970, the
Triumph Toledo was a cheaper and more basic variant of the 1300, but with conventional
rear-wheel drive
Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the rear wheels only. Until the late 20th century, rear-wheel drive was the most common configuration for cars.
Most rear-wheel ...
. This new model was assembled alongside the now larger-engined front-wheel drive version (the
Triumph 1500
The Triumph 1500 is a small front-wheel drive car that was produced by Standard-Triumph from 1970 to 1973. In 1973 it was revised as the Triumph 1500TC becoming rear-wheel drive. Production ended in 1976, by which time it had been replaced b ...
) which was launched at the same time as the Toledo.
Design and reception
The Triumph Dolomite was unveiled at the
London Motor Show
London Motor Show, formerly the London Motorfair, is a motor show in England. It was held biannually at Earls Court Exhibition Centre, from 1977 to 1999. When the event won the support of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and P&O ...
in October 1971 as the successor for the upmarket variants of front-wheel drive designs, and to replace the six-cylinder
Triumph Vitesse
The Triumph Vitesse is a compact six-cylinder car built by Standard-Triumph from May 1962 - July 1971. The car was styled by Giovanni Michelotti, and was available in saloon and convertible variants.
The Vitesse name was first used by Austin ...
, a sporting relative of the Herald. Due to a number of strikes and other industrial upsets, the car was not reported to be in full production until October 1972. The name "Dolomite" had been used by Triumph for a range of models prior to the Second World War and this was revived for the new car. The Dolomite used the longer bodyshell of the front wheel drive
Triumph 1500
The Triumph 1500 is a small front-wheel drive car that was produced by Standard-Triumph from 1970 to 1973. In 1973 it was revised as the Triumph 1500TC becoming rear-wheel drive. Production ended in 1976, by which time it had been replaced b ...
, but with the majority of the running gear carried over from the rear-wheel drive
Triumph Toledo.
Initially, the only version available used the new
slant-four 1,854 cc engine, which mated an alloy overhead cam (OHC) head to an iron block, providing which offered sprightly performance. This was a version of the engine that the company was already providing to
Saab
Saab or SAAB may refer to:
Brands and enterprises
* Saab Group, a Swedish aerospace and defence company, formerly known as SAAB, and later as Saab AB
** Datasaab, a former computer company, started as spin off from Saab AB
* Saab Automobile, a fo ...
for use in their
99 model.
The car was aimed at the new compact performance-luxury sector, vying for sales against cars such as the
BMW 2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains independence from Indonesia and ...
and
Ford Cortina
The Ford Cortina is a medium-sized family car that was built initially by Ford of Britain, and then Ford of Europe in various guises from 1962 to 1982, and was the United Kingdom's best-selling car of the 1970s.
The Cortina was produced in fi ...
GXL, and was offered with a high level of standard equipment, including twin headlamps, a clock, full instrumentation, luxury seats and carpets, a heated rear window, and a cigar lighter. Styling was similar to the Triumph 1500, with some updates such as a black painted rear panel, vinyl D-posts, and new wheel trims. The car was capable of , with coming up in just over 11 seconds. An
overdrive
Overdrive may refer to:
Organizations
* OverDrive, Inc., a digital distributor of entertainment media
** OverDrive Media Console, a media player developed by OverDrive, Inc.
* Overdrive PC, a subsidiary of Velocity Micro
Technology
* Overdrive ...
gearbox was soon made available as an option and there was also an optional
automatic transmission
An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving c ...
.
Dolomite Sprint
![Dolomite Sprint Valves Section](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Dolomite_Sprint_Valves_Section.jpg)
Although the Dolomite proved to be refined and rapid, competitors such as the
BMW 2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains independence from Indonesia and ...
had a performance advantage which was costing Triumph dearly, both in terms of sales and prestige. To remedy this, Triumph unveiled the Dolomite Sprint in June 1973, although the launch had been delayed by a year; it had been due to go on sale in 1972.
"A higher-powered development of the slant-four would provide the perfect engine to compete more effectively in motor sport. In response to this brief,
Spen King
Charles Spencer "Spen" King (26 March 1925 – 26 June 2010) was a significant figure in the Rover Company and, after their takeover, in the British Leyland Motor Corporation.After leaving school in 1942, he was first apprenticed to Rolls-Royc ...
’s team devised a plan to extract more power. With co-operation from
Harry Mundy
Harry Mundy (1915–1988) was a British car engine designer and motoring magazine editor.
He was educated at King Henry VIII School in Coventry and went on to serve his apprenticeship with Alvis. He left them in 1936 to join English Racing Autom ...
and the Engineers at
Coventry Climax
Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, racing, and other specialty engine manufacturer.
History
Pre WW1
The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was relocat ...
, a 16-valve cylinder head was designed", with all of the valves being actuated using a single
camshaft
A camshaft is a shaft that contains a row of pointed cams, in order to convert rotational motion to reciprocating motion. Camshafts are used in piston engines (to operate the intake and exhaust valves), mechanically controlled ignition systems ...
rather than the more conventional
DOHC
An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion c ...
arrangement. The capacity was also increased to , and combined with bigger
carburettor
A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meterin ...
s the output was upped to at 4,500 rpm and at 5,700 rpm. This represented a significant power increase over the smaller 1850 cc variant.
The engine was expected to make 135bhp, and factory test engines were producing 150bhp. Hence, it was initially intended to be named the 'Dolomite 135'. This was changed to 'Dolomite Sprint' and published reasons vary. One oft-repeated rumour is that production lines could not guarantee 135bhp. However according to Matthew Vale, it was during development that Triumph switched to measuring power from imperial(SAE) to metric(DIN), which calculated outputs approximately 5 per cent lower. In this case 135bhp SAE is 127bhp DIN.
As a result of the use of this engine, the Dolomite Sprint has been claimed to be "the world's first mass-produced
multi-valve
In automotive engineering a multi-valve or multivalve engine is one where each cylinder has more than two valves. A multi-valve engine has better breathing and may be able to operate at higher revolutions per minute (RPM) than a two-valve engine ...
car".
While other multi-valve engines (notably the
Lotus 907) were produced in volume, they were not used in mass production vehicles until after the introduction of the Dolomite Sprint. The design of the cylinder head won a British
Design Council
The Design Council, formerly the Council of Industrial Design, is a United Kingdom charity incorporated by Royal Charter. Its stated mission is "to champion great design that improves lives and makes things better".
It was instrumental in the prom ...
award in 1974.
0–60 mph acceleration took around 8.4 seconds, with a maximum speed of 119 mph (192 km/h). Trim was similar to the 1850, with the addition of standard
alloy wheels
In the automotive industry, alloy wheels are wheels that are made from an alloy of aluminium or magnesium. Alloys are mixtures of a metal and other elements. They generally provide greater strength over pure metals, which are usually much softe ...
(another first for a British production car), a
vinyl roof
Vinyl roof refers to a vinyl covering for an automobile's top.
This covering was originally designed to give the appearance of a convertible to models with a fixed roof and eventually evolved into a styling statement in its own right. Vin ...
, front spoiler, twin exhausts and lowered suspension. The seats were now cloth on the 1850, and these were also fitted to the Sprint.
Due to the increase in power brought by the new engine, the rest of the driveline was upgraded to be able to withstand the extra torque. The gearbox and differential were replaced by a version of those fitted to the TR and 2000 series cars, albeit with a close ratio gearset in the gearbox. The brakes were upgraded with new pad materials at the front, and the fitment of larger drums and a load-sensing valve at the rear. Other changes over the standard Dolomite included the option of a
limited slip differential
A limited-slip differential (LSD) is a type of differential that allows its two output shafts to rotate at different speeds but limits the maximum difference between the two shafts. Limited-slip differentials are often known by the generic tr ...
. The optional overdrive and automatic transmissions from the 1850 model were also offered as options on the Sprint. Initial models were only offered in "
mimosa
''Mimosa'' is a genus of about 590 species of herbs and shrubs, in the mimosoid clade of the legume family Fabaceae. The generic name is derived from the Greek word (''mimos''), an "actor" or "mime", and the feminine suffix -''osa'', "resembl ...
yellow", although further colours were available from 1974 on.
At its launch, the Sprint was priced at £1,740, which compared extremely well to similar cars from other manufacturers. The press gave the Dolomite Sprint an enthusiastic reception. ''
Motor
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy.
Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...
'' summarised its road test (subtitled "Britain leads the way") with glowing praise:
A press release dated May 1973, from BL's public relations department, states "To acknowledge the Dolomite Sprint's performance the Triumph sports car colour range will be used, with the first 2,000 cars finished in Mimosa with black trim. Other distinguishing features are a black simulated leather roof covering, contrasting coachlines along the body and new badges."
From May 1975 on, overdrive and tinted glass were standard. In addition, all Sprints were fitted with body side trims, a plastic surround for the gearlever, and a driver's door mirror. Headrests were now available as an optional extra. From March 1976 headrests, a radio, and laminated windscreen were standard. In 1979, to comply with upcoming UK legislation, twin rear fog lamps were also standard.
As with many other British Leyland cars of the period, a number of "special tuning" options were available for the Dolomite Sprint, offering dealer fitted upgrades to the car that included larger carburettors, freer flowing exhaust systems, and competition camshafts. These upgrades were designed by the factory race team and offered in order to
homologate
Homologation (Greek ''homologeo'', ὁμολογέω, "to agree") is the granting of approval by an official authority. This may be a court of law, a government department, or an academic or professional body, any of which would normally work fr ...
the tuning parts for competition purposes.
In 1977, a number (probably 62) of
Triumph TR7
The Triumph TR7 is a sports car manufactured in the United Kingdom from September 1974 to October 1981 by British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC), which changed its name to British Leyland (BL) in 1975. The car was launched in the United State ...
s with the same Sprint engine were manufactured as pre-production cars at
Speke
Speke () is a suburb of Liverpool. It is southeast of the city centre. Located near the widest part of the River Mersey, it is bordered by the suburbs of Garston and Hunts Cross, and nearby to Halewood, Hale Village, and Widnes. The rural are ...
, Liverpool.
[Piggott B., Clay S.]
''Collector's Originality Guide Triumph TR2 TR3 TR4 TR5 TR6 TR7 TR8''
page 312-5, 2009, MotorBooks International Company, . However, this
Triumph TR7 Sprint
The Triumph TR7 Sprint version of the Triumph TR7 sports car was produced in 1977 by the Triumph Motor Company then part of British Leyland. However, it was produced in only very limited numbers: Probably a maximum of 61 in total were manufactu ...
variant was cancelled with the closure of the Speke assembly plant in 1978.
Australian Sprints
From August 1975 to June 1978, 620 Sprints were exported to Australia, all in Mimosa Yellow. The Triumph TR6 and Stag could be specified in Mimosa but not other Dolomites. The 16v Sprint generated a profile far higher than outright sales would suggest. In addition to stunning performance, the $7700 road going Sprints were praised for full instrumentation, a walnut interior, clock, and corded bri-nylon upholstery as seen on the Porsche 911. Like the UK, the aforementioned 'special tuning' options were also available as dealer fitted options. Australian market Sprints cost more new than the high performance Ford XB Falcon GT 351 which had an asking price of $7100. Other rivals included the Lancia Beta ($8233) and BMW 2002 ($8419). Influential Australian journalist Harold Dvoretsky (who in Europe, drove 1260 km in a Sprint) hailed the Sprint as British Leyland's best and most advanced model since the Jaguar XJ12.
Sprints were raced throughout Australia including by dealers such as Ron Hodgson. As described by Mark Oastler, Hodgson invested six figure amounts developing the Sprint into a unique competition car which was to be amongst the fastest of its type anywhere in the world. Inspired by L34 Torana program and dubbed 'Super Sprint' this was ultimately rejected by the Confederation of Australian Motorsport(CAMS). CAMS also insisted on 500 cars for homologation requirements whilst Leyland were willing to build only 300 (from the 600 already present in Australia).
At the 1976 Bathurst 1000, Jack Brabham's Torana was famously rammed and heavily damaged by a Dolomite Sprint driven by John Dellaca and Kerry Wade.
In the following year, CAMS controversially refused to approve the Sprint's pistons, thereby denying the Sprint compliance to race in the 1977 Hardie-Ferodo Bathurst 1000.
By July 1976 the strict Australian Design Rule
ADR27A
ADR27A was an Australian Design Rules, Australian Design Rule specifying design and operating regulations to limit fuel evaporative and exhaust emissions for motor vehicles in Australia in order to reduce air pollution.
The rule covered "all mo ...
came into effect. With emission requirements unique to Australia it was not feasible for British Leyland to reengineer the car for a small niche market. Of the 620 Dolomite Sprints imported into Australia, it is believed less than 80 examples (in varying condition) have survived. They are considered collectible today.
Rationalisation
By the mid-1970s, the range had become complex, with a large number of models and specifications. The Dolomite bodyshell was still being made as the basic Toledo (short boot bodyshell, OHV, rear-wheel drive), the 1500 TC (standard bodyshell, OHV, rear-wheel drive) and the Dolomite/Dolomite Sprint (Standard bodyshell, / , OHC, rear-wheel drive).
In 1976, with the manufacturer effectively nationalised and following recommendations in the government commissioned
Ryder Report, the Dolomite and other similarly bodied ranges were rationalised as follows:
*Dolomite 1300: Base model, basic trim, single headlamps, 1,296 cc engine
*Dolomite 1500: Same as the 1300, with engine
*Dolomite 1500HL: Luxury specification as per the 1850, with 1,493 cc engine
*Dolomite 1850HL: Luxury specification, OHC engine (front spoiler fitted from 1975)
*Dolomite Sprint: The performance version: luxury trim, 16-valve engine
The Dolomite 1300 used the
Standard SC engine from the
Herald
A herald, or a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is commonly applied more broadly to all officers of arms.
Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen to ...
and
Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Griff ...
, and replaced the Toledo as the basic model in the range.
The body was identical except for the lengthened body which gave the larger boot of the original Dolomites. The 1300 retained simplified fittings, including single, square, headlamps, basic instrumentation and seats, with the wooden dashboard and carpeting of the Toledo. There was no two-door option as there had been for the Toledo, and the shorter-boot bodyshell of the Toledo ceased production. Standard equipment included reclining front seats, cigar lighter, "fasten seat belt" warning light, driver's door mirror, twin reversing lights and a dipping rear-view mirror. The dashboard design was the same as that fitted to the facelifted Toledo of 1975. There was no overdrive or automatic transmission option with the 1300.
The next model up, replacing the Triumph 1500 TC, was the Dolomite 1500. The Dolomite 1500 offered identical specifications to the Dolomite 1300, apart from the seats, but with a engine and twin carburettors. Overdrive and automatic transmissions were offered as optional extras.
The 1500HL had essentially identical specification to the luxury 1850 (now designated 1850HL), but again featured the 1,493 cc engine. Performance was good, and once again overdrive and automatic transmissions were optional. The HL model had an improved specification level over the standard Dolomite 1500 including a rev counter, volt meter, separate fuel and temperature dials, clock, adjustable steering column and driver's-seat height adjust, head rests, front seat rear pockets, rear centre arm rest and walnut door cappings on all four doors.
The new 1500 models replaced the previous front-wheel drive layout with rear-wheel drive, with few external differences apparent in the bodywork. At a time when most manufacturers of smaller cars were concentrating on front-wheel drive cars, this change was widely considered somewhat backward thinking. However, the otherwise completely rear-wheel drive model lineup at Triumph meant that switching to rear-wheel drive would afford significant cost savings. History repeated itself almost 30 years later when
MG Rover
MG Rover Group was the last domestically owned mass-production car manufacturer in the British motor industry. The company was formed when BMW sold the car-making and engine manufacturing assets of the original Rover Group to the Phoenix Consor ...
, a descendant of the British Leyland company that owned Triumph, converted the
Rover 75
The Rover 75 is an executive car manufactured initially by the Rover Group and later by MG Rover, under the Rover marque and available over a single generation with front-wheel drive in either saloon/sedan or station wagon/estate configuratio ...
/
MG ZT
The MG ZT is a car which was produced by MG Rover from 2001 to 2005. It was offered in saloon and estate versions, the latter designated as the MG ZT-T. Styling is similar to the Rover 75, upon which it was based, although various modifications, ...
model to rear-wheel drive.
Late 1970s
![Triumph 1500 Mighthavebeen Michelotti 1971 photo 2008](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Triumph_1500_Mighthavebeen_Michelotti_1971_photo_2008.JPG)
The Dolomite changed very little (in all its variants) from the beginning to the very end, only minor trim differences and additional standard equipment being the main changes. 1979 saw the introduction of the Dolomite SE, of which 2,163 were built. The bodyshell was of the basic 1500 (single headlamps) but the interior was fitted with luxury trim including burr walnut dashboard and door cappings (the dashboard was the same style as fitted to that of the Dolomite 1300), grey velour seats and matching carpet. All the cars were painted black with wide silver stripes running full length, with the letters "SE" at the end of the rear wing. The SE also sported a front spoiler and Spitfire style road wheels. By the late 1970s the Dolomite was looking increasingly old fashioned against newer competition, though still popular. Designer
Giovanni Michelotti
Giovanni Michelotti (6 October 1921 – 23 January 1980) was one of the most prolific designers of sports cars in the 20th century. His notable contributions were for Ferrari, Lancia, Maserati and Triumph marques. He was also associated with ...
delivered a promising new design (Sprint based) resembling a
Fiat 132
The Fiat 132 is a large family car produced by the Italian automobile company Fiat from 1972 to 1981. An updated version of the 132, called the Argenta, was produced from 1981 to 1985.
Fiat 132 (1972–74)
The 132 was introduced as a replacemen ...
,
with a squared front and BMW style 'kink'. At least one full-size example was built. With severe problems at BLMC, management refused, there was simply not enough money.
Production continued until August 1980 when BL closed the Canley Factory as part of a restructuring process which also resulted in the closure of the
MG factory at
Abingdon two months later.
The Dolomite was replaced a year later by the
Triumph Acclaim
The Triumph Acclaim is a front-wheel drive compact family saloon/sedan manufactured by British Leyland (BL) from 1981 to 1984. It is based on the Honda Ballade. It used a Honda-designed engine, was manufactured under licence from Honda, and ...
, a four-door front-wheel drive family saloon produced in a joint venture with
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...
. However, the Acclaim was not a sporty model, designed instead to compete with traditional family saloons, although it did manage strong sales on British market.
This kept the marque alive until 1984 when the Acclaim was replaced with the
Rover 200
The Rover 200 Series, and later the Rover 25, are a series of small family cars that were produced by British manufacturer Rover from 1984 until 2005.
There have been three distinct generations of the Rover 200. The first generation was a four ...
and the Triumph Motor Company passed into history.
Reputation and popularity today
The Dolomite gained a reputation for fragility. The introduction of the Dolomite came at a turbulent time for BL and Triumph in particular with many new model introductions, completely new architecture and alloy head/iron block construction of the OHC
slant-four, meant that dealership mechanics were not fully aware of the servicing requirements of the engine. In particular, it required the cooling system to be kept in good condition, and partially filled with a rust inhibitor, otherwise corrosion leading to radiator blockages and overheating could occur. With a well-maintained example, ownership need not be an issue today. Amongst enthusiasts, the Dolomite and especially Sprint are still popular, with many parts still available and excellent club support.
The Dolomite became a fairly rare sight on British roads with only about 1300 roadworthy examples registered in the UK with 300-400 16 valve Sprints in 2009. This is favourable when compared to other contemporaries such as the
Morris Marina
The Morris Marina is a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive C-segment, small family car that was manufactured by the Morris Motors, Austin-Morris division of British Leyland from 1971 until 1980. It served to replace the Morris Minor in the Mo ...
, of which fewer than 800 examples out of 953,576 produced were still roadworthy, despite the Marina being a stronger seller than the Dolomite. They have a popular following throughout Europe and Australia, where Sprints were imported between 1975 and 1978, and raced at Amaroo Park and at the famous
Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 (formally known as the Repco Bathurst 1000) is a touring car race held annually on the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is currently run as part of the Supercars Championship, the most recen ...
. A small number of Dolomites including the Sprint variation were also imported into New Zealand during the original production run.
Motorsport
Touring cars
The Dolomite Sprint was campaigned in the
British Saloon Car Championship
The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by TOCA. It was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and was renamed as ...
from 1974 to 1978.
The BSCC changed to an FIA Group-1 (series-production touring cars) competition from 1974 and the Dolomite Sprint was homologated into Group-1 on 2 Jan 1974. This required initial production of 5,000 cars in 12 months, which was exceeded, just, in 1973. Continued production was then needed to maintain Group-1 eligibility. For 1974, "The series production is regarded as completely stopped if the monthly rate has decreased for more than four consecutive months to below 1/12th of the minimum figure required", i.e. it required more than 417 per month for 3 evenly spaced months in 12. But from 1975 (following FIA rule changes), it only required 500 a year. Nonetheless, it may be assumed that production capacity was determined on the initial requirement for 5000 in the first 12 months and at least 1250 a year (417 a month at 4 month intervals) thereafter.
It met with some success, with
Andy Rouse winning the Drivers' Championship in 1975, and also lifting the manufacturer's title in 1974 with teammate Tony Dron.
The Sprint driven by Andy Rouse and Tony Dron placed fifth overall in the
Spa 24 hours
The 24 Hours of Spa is an Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance racing event for cars held annually since 1924 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot, Belgium. It is currently sponsored by TotalEnergies.
History
The Spa 24 Hours was ...
race in July 1974.
In September Dron placed 3rd place overall in a Sprint competing in the
RAC Tourist Trophy
The RAC Tourist Trophy (sometimes called the International Tourist Trophy) is a motor racing award presented by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) to the overall victor of a motor race in the United Kingdom. Established in 1905, it is the world's ol ...
race of that year.
In 1975 Andy Rouse won the British Saloon Car Championship outright by taking the driver's title in a Sprint. In 1976
Broadspeed
Broadspeed Engineering Ltd was a British automobile tuning and engineering company that operated from Sparkbrook, Birmingham, England, principally during the 1960s and 1970s. It was started and run by Ralph Broad, and first became well known for ...
only ran one Dolomite Sprint in British Saloon Car Championship, with Rouse finishing second in the two-litre class. 1977 saw the departure of Rouse and the return of Tony Dron as driver of the Broadspeed prepared Dolomite Sprint. Dron won no less than seven of the twelve races outright against some stiff competition, and narrowly missed out on winning the championship outright because of tyre failure on the final race when leading his class by over a minute. In 1978 Broadspeed entered a sole Dolomite Sprint (driven by Tony Dron) where it won only one race outright, although the Sprint still won class B in the last year a factory entered Sprint would compete in the British Saloon Car Championship.
It appears that, at least from some point, the racing Dolomites Sprints used in the BSCC series were fitted with larger 2"
SU HS8 carburettors, instead of the 1.75" HS6 carbs of the production cars. These are referred to as the "group one and a half cars".
The larger HS8s were also approved for FIA Group 1 from 1 Feb 1975. However, it is not clear how this approval could have been granted, given that FIA/CSI rules (Appendix J, 1975) for Group 1 denied any such modification to the carburation and thus required an additional 5000 cars to be produced in 12 months and fitted with any such modification affecting performance. Yet there is no evidence of any production of Dolomite Sprints fitted with HS8s. Neither is there any evidence of BL documentation supposed to mislead the FIA that 5000 cars fitted with HS8s and a higher lift cam, as an 'emissions kit', were exported to California. Also, this approval was removed from a later version of the FIA form of recognition for the Dolomite Sprint and was not transferred to FISA Group A approvals. There does not appear to be any current evidence of the use of HS8s on Group 1 or the "group one and a half" Dolomite Sprints outside the BSCC series. A similarly anomalous FIA approval for the Group 1 use of Weber 48DCOE carbs and suitable inlet manifold, dated 1 Jan 1977, was also removed later and not transferred to FISA Group A. The use of Weber equipped Dolomite Sprints in FIA Group 2 competitions (where choice of carburation was free) seems clear, but their use in Group 1 or "group one and a half" is not.
Rallying
Due to the heavier bodyshell and somewhat fragile Group-2 tuned engine,"rated at 225 bhp at 8000 rpm" by 1977,
[Robson G., ''The Works Triumphs: 50 Years in Motorsport'', 1993, J H Haynes & Co Ltd, .] the Dolomite Sprint was less successful in rallying. Retirements were rather frequent resulting in failure to complete any rallies during 1974.
[Robson G., Langworth R., ''Triumph Cars : The Complete Story'', 2005, Motor Racing Publications, Limited, .]
Things improved slightly in 1975 when a Sprint crewed by
Brian Culcheth and Johnstone Syer finished 11th overall in the Welsh Rally in May 1975 (FRW 812L). This was quickly followed up with an impressive second place overall in the Tour of Britain in August 1975, and in the 1975 Lombard RAC Rally Culcheth and Syer won Group 1 and were first in class.
In January 1976
Tony Pond
Tony Pond (23 November 1945 – 7 February 2002) was a British rally driver.
Career
His first outings in a rally car were on the then regular (in the early '60s) Saturday night road rallies in the home counties around London, driving a Mini C ...
and D. Richards won Group 1 in the Tour of Dean Rally.
In the same month, Culcheth and Syer finished fifth overall in the Snowman Rally, and seventh overall in the Mintex Rally a month later, with Tony Pond and D. Richards coming first in Group 1. Culcheth and Syer had to retire in the Granite City Rally held in March, while Pond and Richards came home fourth overall and finished first in Group 1.
Culcheth and Syer finished second overall in the Tour of Britain and in the Manx Trophy Rally held in August, while P. Ryan and F. Gallagher came in ninth overall. P. Ryan and M. Nicholson also came first in Group N in the Lindisfarne Rally held in October, and they also came second in Group 1 in the Castrol '76.
![Rétromobile 2011 - Triumph Dolomite Sprint - 007](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/R%C3%A9tromobile_2011_-_Triumph_Dolomite_Sprint_-_007.jpg)
From May 1976 onwards, the Dolomite Sprint would run alongside the
TR7 before being eventually withdrawn from rallying, the TR7 V8 taking over the mantle. In the
Lombard RAC Rally
Wales Rally GB was the most recent iteration of the United Kingdom's premier international motor rally, which ran under various names since the first event held in 1932. It was consistently a round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) calen ...
of 1976, the Sprint was forced to retire with engine problems. 1977 would be the last season where factory entered Sprints would compete in any form of rallying. Ryan and Nicholson managed to win Group 1 while coming eighth overall in the Granite City Rally, and this was followed by ninth overall in the Welsh Rally and finishing second in Group 1.
The Scottish Rally saw Ryan and Nicholson come 12th overall and helped win the team prize with two other TR7s. The Manx Rally held in September 1977 was the very last rally where a works-entered Sprint was entered, but it ended its rallying career on a high, managing seventh overall and first in Group 1 (both "Class 1" and "Production" classes) driven by Ryan and Nicholson.
![1975 Triumph Dolomite Sprint](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/1975_Triumph_Dolomite_Sprint.jpeg)
Triumph Dolomites continue to be used in many forms of classic motorsport today, with cars being campaigned on track, hillclimbs, rally stages and autocrosses in the UK, mainland Europe, and Australia, as well as the USA.
Dolomite-derived cars
The early
Robin Hood S7
Robin may refer to:
Animals
* Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae
* Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including:
**European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'')
**Bush-robin
**Forest rob ...
used the front subframe and mechanical components from any Dolomite, attached to a monocoque body made out of stainless steel. Later Robin Hoods were Ford based. The
Latham F2 Latham may refer to:
Places Australia
* Latham, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra, Australia
* Latham, Western Australia
Tanzania
* Latham Island
United States
* Latham, Illinois, a small town
* Latham, Kansas, a small town
* Lat ...
used Dolomite mechanicals (usually Sprints), but attached to a fibreglass sports car body.
The
Panther Rio
The Panther Rio was a motor car made by British manufacturer Panther Westwinds, using Triumph Dolomite mechanicals. According to the company, it differed from the family saloon-class Dolomite, in being finished to "Rolls-Royce standards". Only ...
was based on the Dolomite 1850 but was re-skinned with aluminium panels and had a completely revised interior. Also available was the Panther Rio Especiale, which used the Dolomite Sprint as a base. It was expensive, £9,445 for the Rio Especiale when, in February 1976, a Dolomite Sprint could be purchased for £3,283 and a V12 Jaguar XJ12 5.3 for £7,496.
In total, 38 Rios were sold and were produced from 1975 to 1977.
References
External links
Triumph DolomiteTriumph Dolomite Motorsport GalleryThe Triumph Dolomite Club
{{British Motor Holdings and British Leyland cars, 1966-1986
Dolomite Dolomite may refer to:
*Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral
*Dolomite (rock), also known as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock
*Dolomite, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community
*Dolomite, California, United States, an unincor ...
British Leyland vehicles
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles
Rally cars
Touring cars
Sports sedans
Cars introduced in 1972