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[Andy B]

....
, although it is pretty. ....

Especially attractive when in Tobacco Leaf brown 

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

We had a Triumph 2000 O/D, moved on to an 1850 Dolomite Sprint but the car I wish I could have owned would be a Triumph Stag T Top

Dolly sprint was a 2 liter 16 valve 
was it a sprint look a like perhaps 
I had one as one of my first cars, insurance was  painful 
it rusted just about everywhere ,priced up replacement panels and welding but found a nice early Mk2 Cavalier instead,
so scrapped the Dolly and been playing with Vauxhall rust instead ever since 
though I've had a scattering of non Vauxhalls too 

Yep...and quoted at 127 BHP if memory serves.
I think the 1850 Dolomite lump was designed by Saab.......but I could be wrong.

The slant four was the basis for Saab's engines. They engineered out some of the more risible design features, and built the thing to a decent standard so that the others caused fewer problems. In reality, it's a laughable design that should have been pissed down the same plughole as the liquid lunch that spawned it.


They quoted 127bhp. In the same way that Ford quoted 135 for a 3.0l Essex, and 160 for a 2.8i. They're all pure fantasy.


As bad as the engine was, it did match the car it used in; the Dolomite is small, cramped, slow, overly complex for absolutely no gain. Being the same basic bodyshell as other cheaper small Triumphs did it little favours in the market, although it is pretty. It was well down to BL's quality standards too.

I remember they used a measurement called SAE which was changed to DIN in the early seventies for BHP figures.

The DIN figure was lower......and supposedly more accurate. No idea what the letters stand for.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

....
, although it is pretty. ....

Especially attractive when in Tobacco Leaf brown 

....BL decided on a 'brown' that closely matched the colour of a human bodily function.

[Kevin Wood]

The DIN figure was lower......and supposedly more accurate. No idea what the letters stand for.

Deutsche Industrienorm

[Nick W]

I remember they used a measurement called SAE which was changed to DIN in the early seventies for BHP figures.

The DIN figure was lower......and supposedly more accurate. No idea what the letters stand for.

SAE - Society of Automotive Engineers and is American. They tested engines without any accessories, so the figures ought to be higher.


DIN - Deutsches Institut fur Norming and is German adopted by Europe. It's the  equivalent of British Standards, whose requirements were used for other tests. DIN tests were as installed in the car, and so should be smaller numbers than SAE. The actual measured/calculated amount should be interchangeable.


It doesn't change the fact that 160bhp from a 2.8i(which is DIN figure) requires a much higher state of tune than Ford ever sold, or that a '127bhp' Sprint was disappointingly slow for its claimed power. They were supposed to be badged as Dolomite 135, but even Triumph knew they couldn't get away with that. The Sprint head picks up the crap engineering of the slant four and adds even more stupid ideas.


This all without going into  the utterly ridiculous BHP unit itself.

[Nick W]

....
, although it is pretty. ....

Especially attractive when in Tobacco Leaf brown 

....BL decided on a 'brown' that closely matched the colour of a human bodily function.

Brown was hardly an unusual colour for cars in the seventies; even those known to be 'stylish' like France and Italy used it.


And there was always scope for making BL's Russet worse; several years ago a friend bought a Dolomite in that colour that some blind joker had painted the trim(grille, pinstripes, etc and the wheels) gold. We bought a couple of aerosols of satin black on the way home, and transformed the look of the car in about 30minutes. That car was a healthy 1850, but would struggle to keep up with a 1600 Ghia mk2 Escort. Dolomite brakes were barely adequate for a 1500; they were truly awful on the bigger engined cars.

[Sir Tigger KC]

....
, although it is pretty. ....

Especially attractive when in Tobacco Leaf brown 

....BL decided on a 'brown' that closely matched the colour of a human bodily function.

I think that BL had a range of 'human bodily function' browns depending on the health of the human functioning. 

My Morris Marina 1800TC Coupe was mustard.... 

[countrywoman]

And slower than a decent 1275 !!!

[Nick W]

And slower than a decent 1275 !!!

1275 Marinas were best considered engine donors for Minors or Spridgets....

[Mr Skrunts]

We had a Triumph 2000 O/D, moved on to an 1850 Dolomite Sprint but the car I wish I could have owned would be a Triumph Stag T Top

Dolly sprint was a 2 liter 16 valve 
was it a sprint look a like perhaps 
I had one as one of my first cars, insurance was  painful 
it rusted just about everywhere ,priced up replacement panels and welding but found a nice early Mk2 Cavalier instead,
so scrapped the Dolly and been playing with Vauxhall rust instead ever since 
though I've had a scattering of non Vauxhalls too 

Might have just been a Dolomite then, . . . it was 45 years ago

[Carfix]

My driving instructor had a yellow Dolomite Sprint (with a brown interior) way back in 1976. It was great to drive.

[dave the builder]

I think all sprints where yellow , though the one I had had been badly repainted orange with a massive laurel reef emblem on the bonnet and alloy wheels ,the only part of the car that didn't rust and fall apart 

[Nick W]

I think all sprints were yellow , though the one I had had been badly repainted orange with a massive laurel reef emblem on the bonnet and alloy wheels ,the only part of the car that didn't rust and fall apart 

Not true.

[dave the builder]

I think all sprints were yellow , though the one I had had been badly repainted orange with a massive laurel reef emblem on the bonnet and alloy wheels ,the only part of the car that didn't rust and fall apart 

Not true.

OK

well mine was orange but the door shuts etc where yellow 
the MK 2 Cavalier I brought as a replacement was Jamaica yellow
not had a yellow car since though ,

[johnnydog]

They were available in 9 colours when new.
There is a totally mint Triumph White Dolomite Sprint that attends a local car show to me, which looks absolutely stunning. One of the best colours for the more desirable  Triumph models in my opinion, with the contrast of white and black throughout, although I know it's personal preference.....