Right car, wrong time, the racy Dolomite at 50

By Classic Yorkshire correspondent Tony Lofthouse

In 1973, British Leyland launched an ambitious rival to the likes of BMW and Alfa Romero’s strong hold on the medium-sized sports saloon market. It came in the shape of the Dolomite Sprint.

It’s fair to say the motoring press loved the new car with its ‘slant-four’ 1998cc engine serving as a punchier version of the Dolomite range that had been rolled out a year earlier.

The Sprint would become the world’s first mass-produced car with a multi valve engine.

For just a touch over £1,700 buyers got a Triumph with 16-valve engine, alloy wheels, wooden facia dashboard, vinyl roof, twin-exhaust and a top speed of 116 mph.

In terms of performance, the Sprint more than matched its continental ‘cousins’ such as the BMW 2002, Fiat 132 1.8L and Alfa Romeo GTs.

The Dolomite Sprint’s image would be boosted by racing success including taking the British Saloon Car Championship in 1975 with Andy Rouse at the wheel.

An oddity with the Sprint was its limited colour choice. It was launched in Mimosa Yellow only, to mirror Triumph’s popular sports car look. Thankfully, other colours came a long, but not metallic.

As the 70s rolled on, the Dolomite range would face troubled times with industrial unrest and a lack of investment at British Leyland ultimately ‘stalling’ the car’s success. 

Indeed, the launch of the Sprint – put back one year – mirrored delays in the roll out of the Dolomite range. Contrast that to the sales of the German 2002 range which was launched a few years earlier and consistently sold well.

In 1980, BL closed Dolomite production at its Canley factory in a so-called restructuring move. Nearly, 23,000 Sprints had been made over eight years.

A year later, the Acclaim came along in a joint venture with Honda. This would keep the Triumph marquee alive to 1984.

Looking back, the Sprint was a fabulous car which gave its European rivals a real run for their money.

Today, if you’re thinking about buying a Dolomite Sprint prices can start at over £20,000 for a good low mileage example – still cheaper than a hot Escort. But, beware top values have doubled over the last five years.