1983 Triumph Acclaim Goes For a Drive

The Triumph Acclaim was the first major joint project between a British and Japanese car maker, and the last car launched under the Triumph brand.
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[@wessmith3161]

My mate's parents bought him the HLS model Acclaim in 1987 as he passed his test. I remember him not being overly excited initially as they were thought of as a grandad car at the time. He soon changed his mind when he realised that they would blow away the equivalent engine sized Escorts, Astras etc and even the bigger engined Capris, Cortinas and Sierras. It also never once from memory had a single issue mechanically, unlike the aforementioned motors.

[@ChuckFickens1972]

I also had one not long after passing my test and my thoughts were about the same, first thought, what a boring car, a few months later, What a brilliant car and never had a problem with it.

[@cundycross]

I bought one of these as my first car in 1990, had it 2 years and thrashed it everywhere, like you say everyone at the time bought escorts and astras, working in the industry and knowing a fair bit about cars these were by far the better choice. only problem I had was the clutch, instead of paying for a new one I traded it in for a rover 213.

[@ianhe-kensken9303]

haha this is my memories of Triumph Acclaims which had a bit of a following amongst my pals. Really revvy and punchy engine that was bulletproof.

[@m7dgz]

I had the same experience as an 18 year old owning a 14 year old one of these as my first car. My friends couldn't believe how nippy it was off the lights and how revvy the engine was (I think 7000 RPM was the redline).

[@AuntieWokery]

My dad wore the same rose tinted spectacles when he owned one of these. He would still comment about the Acclaims acceleration, despite having owned cars which were........on planet Earth.........WAY quicker and WAY faster!. He would always talk up memories of traffic light grand prix's against BMW's and Fords, never for a moment thinking that, perhaps they weren't even trying to beat him!. The same was always said about Lada's, and how fast they were, because everybody who bought them seemed to be out to prove a point by driving with their foot plastered to the floor!. Every time we were on the motorway in the 80's, they would always be some dude in a 1.3 Lada sailing by us at 90 mph lulling us to believe that they were fast. Never for a moment did we think the dudes who owned those cars were thrashing them to bits, oh no........they wouldn't do that would they? 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Same goes for the Acclaim, fair enough it was nippy and I did manage to hold a 1.6L Maestro off from 0-60 on the M1 (clearing road works), but it was no XR3i or RS Turbo, like my dad used to make it out to be. I did watch a YT video last night of a Triumph Acclaim with a B16 civic engine in........now that on the other hand........that was very quick!. Around 3 seconds from 0-60 as it was boosted to 370bhp. 370bhp in a car that weighs only 750kg = proper quick!

[@61chickens]

Nice vid Matt, I learned to drive and took my test in an Acclaim in 1982, they were well built and comfortable (if a bit dowdy) and the 5 speed gearbox helped to futureproof my driving skills. I think the British car buying public were rather disingenuously in denial when it came to this car - they knew really it was good but were loathe to acknowledge it - that was seen as tantamount to admitting that British cars were on the way out. About 10 years later I spent long periods working on traffic surveys from the passenger seat of a colleague's Acclaim and we found the tea shelf just right for the plastic cups from a Thermos flask. The narrowness of the seats never bothered me as I was rather narrower myself in those days! Cheers....

[@Bigbaldybear]

18:35 'This vehicle still retains some original rust as supplied by British Leyland from the factory' Great rear window sticker :D An old friend of mine worked on the TR6 production line at Triumph in the 70's. I remember him telling me that the cars were rusting before they'd even left the factory

[@robstrains8711]

Retro restore is bringing a metallic gold one of these back to its glory. He has managed to get parts really easily well worth a look.

[@anthonyperkins7556]

My dad had a top of the line Triumph Acclaim CD with the optional fit air conditioning and it made for a cooler interior in the summer and a much warmer interior with quick demisting in the winter and at mid level heat settings gave a comfortable 'cool face warm feet' environment but if you went any warmer up the scale on the temperature slider then the air became warm and stuffy at the face level vents as well as the footwells. It was a stratified Japanese style heater linked heating / ventilation system.

[@silvereith]

In the mid 80s my old man had a Dolomite. Somebody bumped it and he was provided with an Acclaim courtesy car. He hated it because it was plasticy and had no wood. Then he drove it and so did I. What a revelation! Light responsive steering, good ride, gorgeous engine. He bought a Rover 213 to replace the Dolly. BTW those twin CD carbs are magic. Fitted one to a BSA Thunderbolt instead of the foul Anal concentric and it ticked over like a Swiss watch. Thanks to you I now have an R8 Rover 216 Tourer. Love the simplicity. Spares no problem.

[@andrewstones2921]

The 213 was a great choice, much better than the 216.

[@LiamskiLFC]

Mid eighties when I was around 9 years old, we used to travel everywhere in my dads builders van. A blue escort 45. But I vividly remember one year, my parents hired a car to go on holiday to Blackpool. It was a brand spanking new, burgundy A reg triumph Acclaim. Happiest week of my life, travelling around in it. I’d love to own one now.

[@Beagleman1996]

I've rarely clicked on a video so fast! Do love the Acclaim (admittedly because it is a Honda underneath). I'm surprised how similar that engine sounds to my '09 Jazz; similar capacity, too. Great to see Honda's reputation for sweet manual shift action was there all the way back in the early '80s!

[@stokeontrentchannel3593]

Shame Honda and rover could work it out. I remember this car.

Yes Honda so smooth and slick compared to the dreadful time that I had with two brand new NSU Prinz 4s and, a new Ford Anglia 105E, they had the worst gearchanges in all the many makes of cars I have owned.

[@stokeontrentchannel3593]

@ my mate had little honda civic with hondamatic. With power steering and automatic transmission. Back in 1990 .

[@andrewstones2921]

@@stokeontrentchannel3593 That Honda was a beautiful car to drive, so amazingly smooth and refined for the time.

[@UnusSedLeo-w5l]

Lovely review, lovely car. Remember an older couple keeping a green metallic HL driving for a long time. Rare cars, even back then.

[@matty6848]

Yes i remember the metallic green colour back in the 90s a neighbour of ours had a green model and I always admired the pure look & luxury of it, even back then.

[@dennycrane-u1l]

One of my mates had an X reg Acclaim CD back in 1995. We were all impressed with it, even though it was 14 years old then. He used to keep a pool cue chalk in there and we all kept chalking the handbrake button for him, much to his annoyance. Brings back happy memories.

[@pogglefishii6807]

My dad had one of those! He got it as a company car in about 1982 and his actually did have air con. You can imagine how amazingly posh we all thought that was back then.

[@VeyronBD]

This really has a crazy level of equipment for a car that age. Electric windows and air conditioning weren't even options on my 1991 corolla and that is 10 years after this car came out. I do somewhat regret not looking at one of these that was for sale around the same time and at quite reasonable price.

[@SirDesertRat99]

I bought one of these as my second car back in December, got it cheap without an MoT but it sailed through! Hasn’t let me down at all since! Mine is a blue 1984 HL model

[@gregcoleman7328]

Great to see a full review on this underrated car. I had three of these in the early 90’s as a young driver. A metallic gold 1984 HL, a black 1982 CD and a dark blue1983 HLS. I kept buying them because they were so nice to drive, easy to service and totally reliable, if rather cramped inside.. My favourite was the black CD, the larger 165 tyres gave it more grip and it had been Ziebarted from new. For some reason it was noticeably quicker than the other two and the twin carb 1335cc Honda engine was such a smooth runner. I think that the official top speed was 94mph but an indicated 100 was possible on a straight private road. It was great to hear the turbine like whine in fourth gear that was a character feature of these cars once again in this review. After a brief time with a Nissan Bluebird 1.6, I then graduated to a 1985 Honda Accord Executive which was a lovely motor and made the Bluebird feel like a bit of an old barge in comparison. Love to see a review on an 1985 Accord!

[@alansimpson835]

Brilliant to see one again in the wild. The 5 speed gearbox on a small family car must have felt so exciting back in 1981. I think I have a chunky Corgi model of an Acclaim somewhere too.

[@darrensmith6999]

Nice one I joined an Austin Rover Dealer in 1982 on leaving school. I remember the Acclaim had been out for a while by then I remember being very impressed by its fit n finish compared with say the Ital. I think it was more aimed at replacing the Triumph Dollermite. The material on the seats could also be found on 1982 83 mini mayfair, in Blue Bounty Blue as I remember. Also Green and Brown as in this one. My boss who was also sales manager at our dealership had 9 of theas we must have sold loads at the time. Great little cars recently saw an Acclaim in Newcastle upon Tyne looked a bit sad. Great Video thank you.👍🇬🇧 Ps Opaline Green beautiful colour 😁

[@David_H-73]

Rachelle velour upholstery.

[@mattw8332]

@@David_H-73 velour upholstery needs to make a comeback. I'm not too keen on that uniform generic cloth that most manufacturers tend to use

[@markwoodhouse4284]

Nice one Darren, an attention to detail and colour names that often only comes from the people that were there at the time.

[@Mazdamx516]

I have such fond memories of these cars. My grandparents had a 1983 Triumph Acclaim 1.3 HLS 'hondamatic' in a burgundy colour. BBC262Y was bought brand new by them in 83. They kept the car until 1991 when it was part exed for a new Montego. I fear the Acclaim is probably long gone by now. Such a rare car now and great to still see one on the road 😊

[@matthewrichards1364]

In our family we had two of these in the 90s. My Grandad has a red one which my Mum later had. I had a blue one. I can’t remember the spec but they weren’t the most basic and nor were they the CD. Great cars. Very reliable and great to drive.

[@elrjames7799]

Wow: this is seems more professionally presented than we see being done by actual 'professional' presenters. Packed full of real info, simultaneously supported by the footage. No padding out the delivery with meaningless verbosity: not a second wasted.

[@pablojones5613]

6:34 the Australian Holden automatic of the 70's and early 80's was also sold as the trimatic. It was commonly known as the Traumatic back in the day.

[@jamesfrench7299]

The semi automatic option in this car is just the better known Hondamatic under a new name.

[@jamesfrench7299]

Funny also that there was later a Holden Commodore trim level called the Acclaim.

[@TwinCam]

Matt, I can tell you truly love this little car, because this is your best video by quite a distance. Your enthusiasm is infectious! :)

[@owensteele1274]

Welcome back Matt! I love your enthusiasm in these road test videos. The Acclaim's styling reminds me of the Honda Quintet large hatchback, but with a boot. A road test on a 213S SD3 , or even a 1986 pop-up headlight Integra, would be great if you can find any left.

[@simonboyes2550]

We had one for 21 years. It never broke down on me although came close to when the head gasket was ailing. We did not have electric windows on ours. It rusted underneath badly but we patched her up. Oh and the boot leaked. Despite this I will never forget her. Reg number was CWC889X - peace my friend

[@Mister_H]

This brings back so many happy memories of my youth. Our next door neighbour was a salesman for our village BL garage and remember like it was yesterday when he bought home a Trio-Matic CD in dark blue. It felt so upmarket compared to our family Marina, but it did feel very tight inside for space. Great review 👍

[@paulwlynch]

Oh that brings back memories. Our neighbors had a blue one when I was a wee lad. The old chap who owned it looked after it extremely fastidiously and needless to say it was always immaculate...

[@AndrewwMK]

My First car was a 1984 Acclaim CD. Same brown interior. Had it 4 years, and was in the family for a total of 7. Always brings back fond memories.

[@simmona21]

My first car in 1985 was an A reg Triumph Acclaim HLS in Biege. Loved it. My HLS didn’t have electric windows but I seem to remember metal internal door handles, unlike the CD model in the video??? It did break down once when the black box electronics for the ignition system failed. Later the external rubber head light trim / seals used to break free and blow about in the wind! The final straw was when the car started to resonate at exactly 70mph. Great memories of those times in what was my favourite car for many years. Thanks very much for the video and reviving those memories.

[@lash9400]

Triumph was my favourite brand from BL and I remember the Acclaim from when I was a child. Although I liked the Acclaim, I always felt it was misplaced within the Triumph line up, as Triumph was a sporting brand, (Dolomite Sprint, TR7, Stag). It would have fitted in more with the Austin, Morris brand. Great video.

[@furiousdriving]

Probably it would have, the twin carb was a nod in that direction

[@richardwalker_]

My first car was a Triumph Acclaim. A very good car, and with the carbs tuned together was quick enough too (I found it quicker than a 1.8 Sierra...). They were capable of more than 84 mph too. Only let down by terrible propensity to rust away.

[@davidrawlinson2457]

Had two of these in the early 90s. Definitely able to do more than 84, could get up to that easily! Without passengers 100 sounds perfectly plausible

[@99ron30]

Independent suspension all round is impressive, yet even now so many cars don't have that. Very nice motor indeed, and the Avon Turbo model sounds amazing.

[@Prokifiev]

Really enjoyed that, thank you. Any fans of great literature may like to know that the late, great Kurt Vonnegut, being a man of simple taste, love his Honda Accord. (He referred to it in one of his later books).

[@smoothmicra]

Proof that Brits can screw together a decent durable car, even way back in the early Eighties. Those British/Japanese collaborations rarely failed to produce a nice car, I like the Acclaim a lot.👍

[@another3997]

@@NSX921 A little bit of research might help you get your facts right, since you obviously haven't done any. There's plenty of car manufacturers around the world that have required mergers, bailouts or complete buyouts to try and survive. Designing a car, testing, getting factories set up with tooling, sorting out supply chains and actually getting it to market is a lengthy and very expensive process. Misreading the market, supply problems, unexpected delays, defects... all things that can cost tens of millions to rectify. Or bankrupt a company.

[@BobMartinsback]

My father drove company cars from the late 1960s to the 1990s from what was BLMC to the Rover Group stable, we experienced a lot of problems in those 20-odd years (eg. Marina, Ital, Princess, Maestro), but we were highly impressed by the quality and reliability of the Acclaim... which was a Honda.

[@AuntieWokery]

Manufacturers performance specs: 0-60 in 12.5 secs (manual) 96mph top speed 1335cc, Twin Keh-hin carburettor, 70bhp 1.6L Maestro 0-60 10.5 seconds which I kept dead stick with so it's certainly quicker than the 12.5 seconds the manufacturer suggests, but like I say, it was no XR3i. 96 mph was pretty easily achievable, I did have one of these off the clock, but I was going downhill on some motorway.......somewhere 😉😉

[@stuarthall6530]

Thanks for more fond memories Matt. We had these in the day on our car hire fleet. Had autos for visiting Americans etc. One lasted a few days before said American wrote it off when leaving Heathrow airport ! Another funny moment was boss fitting snow chains to the rear wheels only lol.

[@furiousdriving]

haha at least that one didn't crash in the snow if it couldn't move!

[@robertwillis4061]

@@RussEdgar445y7tlfj worked for a rental company in late 90's. An American woman took out a Ford Scorpio 2.9 this. She had it 2 days, drove it down a jetty into Loch Lomond. We gave her another one. 2 days later it was in Loch Ness. We gave her another one, she crashed it at a roundabout. She didn't get another car. ..

[@jammy_rex3038]

Nice to see this little gem being reviewed! The start of a fabulous relationship between Honda and Rover. A real shame that they didn't use the Jazz / City as the basis of a small Rover to replace the Metro. And that they couldn't offer a slightly larger hatch version of this car (e.g. Honda Quintet). If they had gone even further with their collaboration, and Rover didn't bother trying to make their own engines (when Honda's off the shelf units were so much better and more reliable), I believe Rover would still be here today and Honda would also have a far stronger foothold in Europe and the UK. If only....

[@____stu____]

My first car was an1982 Acclaim CD in pensioner gold with beige interior, I loved that car had it for 5 years fitted it with twin Webber’s and the wheels from a Honda Prelude looked great and went at a fair old pelt too!

[@garethparkin9498]

Great vid as usual. I can't help but feel that if Rover had of stuck with Honda that they may still be here. Sad really.

[@RichieRouge206]

What a handsome car, very classy. I remember a girl in my 6th Form had a metallic gold A-reg Acclaim ‘Triomatic’ - I always remembered being very intrigued by it. Great video Matt!

[@doctorzaius4084]

Awesome, I would've loved to own one of these. Hondas from this era felt 10 years ahead of their time and the Triumph stuff just makes it cooler as far as I'm concerned!

[@robtt997]

I bought a new Y reg HL . Most reliable car I ever owned . The Chevette it replaced handled a lot better though.It just didn’t like to be hustled down a road .I remember a lot of understeer ! But I liked it and good family transport. But holidays meant a roof rack and that destroyed what performance it had. I can remember a holiday to Wales and going across the M62 into a headwind and the car juddering like crazy. I wondered what the hell was wrong and it was only when I shifted down to fourth gear I realised it couldn’t pull fifth into the wind ! Excellent review as always . Your channel just gets better and better

[@sanatandharma4435]

I think it looks really nice, still fresh! Those seats are really well padded, that's why there is limited room room in the back.

[@lazycalm41]

Great video review. Its amazing isn't it how the interior fit and finish of cars from the 80's has improved so much in cars of today!

[@paulbennell3313]

They were much better than most gave them credit for. That one is particularly nice and solid. I prefer velour upholstery to the more usual leather we tend to get nowadays.

[@rydermike33]

I always liked the Acclaim. The only thing that let it down for me, design wise, were those 'huge' black door mirrors. That's a lovely example though. Thanks for posting, Matt.

[@maxmaxwell2180]

A very good car, ok it owed more to Honda than ARG but I always felt it was worthy of the Triumph name. I actually think the later Rover 200 and 400 and probably the 600 should have been badged as Triumphs too. Rover badge should only have been on 800. Just my thoughts on it, I dare say plenty of others will see it differently.

[@shieldaigbencher]

I love the Acclaim. Unsurprisingly BL’s best car for reliability. So modern compared with other BL cars of the time. And it worked.

[@sg8539]

Owned for a short while both the Triumph Acclaim and the Rover 213s both good cars with reliable Japanese engines in british suits. Good video, thank you.

[@0161pumaste]

Great video, thanks Matt. The acclaim was a decent car in its day, pity about them rusting away though, the top speed was 96mph and 0-60 in 12.5 secs, so was quite nippy for its time.

[@martynmalone5813]

I had one of these when I was 18, whilst all my mates had novas , i had a 1983 acclaim 1.5 cd and i couldn't knock it , the equipment on this model was pretty good for the time , power steering , 4 dr leccy windows, headlight wash wipe etc etc, ultra reliable nippy and very smooth , great car for £150 , good nick too just not much street cred at the time, great channel and video thankyou :)

[@Richard-Bullock]

I remember a close friend's father buying an Acclaim (CD I think) brand new in 1984 (when I was only 8 years old). It was silver, manual, and I loved it. My own father had a 1976 Rover P6 3500 S at the time, but the only thing I found interesting about that back then, was that it was almost exactly the same age as myself.

[@stewartsamson835]

Great to see, first car I drove after passing test at 17. My dad had one from new and I loved it, same spec/colour as your review model

[@denishoulan1491]

I did the pre launch BL training course for the Triumph Acclaim. During which we were given a ride in what were actually debadged Hondas, which had been shipped over from Japan. They were destined to be crushed. I have to say I was quite impressed.

[@99ron30]

Why did they crush them? So the secret of the Acclaim being a Honda didn't get well known? What a waste.

[@derekwait5238]

I owned an Accord ex which my dad bought new and gave to me in 88. It was fully loaded with air con, stereo/cassette player and electric aerial, all power assistance. I kept it for 6 years and loved it, driving in the summer with the windows up and a.c on feeling very smug.

[@andrewstones2921]

Interesting True Story: In the 1980s I worked in quality control for an engineering company, our quality manager had previously worked in the Motor Industry a few years before the Triumph Acclaim was first built. There was an earlier attempt at a joint project between Triumph and Honda, Honda had sent over all the engineering drawings for the parts that were to be made in Britain. On inspection of the drawings the engineers noticed that there were no tolerances marked on the drawings, at that time all mechanical parts in the UK motor industry were made to a specified tolerance so for a simplified example a shaft diameter may be 4.8mm +/- 0.1mm, so anything above 4.81mm would be scrapped and anything below 4.79mm would be scrapped. Anyway the drawings arrived from Japan with no tolerance marked, a meeting was held but it was middle of the night in Japan so they waited till it was 9am in Japan and called to speak to the Honda engineers. Our guys were asking what tolerance to work to and the Japanese were saying "Tolerance, no no there is no tolerance!" Anyway it turned out the Japanese engineers worked to a system called Standard Deviation using statistical process control where the deviation was expressed in Sigma and not as +/- amount. So the project was shelved for a few years while our engineers learned to work to "statistical process control" rather than simply scrapping bits that were to big or too small. True Story!

[@Steven85-8i]

I remember back in the 80s I valeted one of these,beige one with the steel wheels similar to this one,after washing the engine it took a while to start.but rare to see them still going.

[@glennfairclough4899]

Love this ..., parents had one as their first new car... loved the twin carbs ....surprised a few people at the lights 🤪🤣

[@seancooke4127]

A nice surprise seeing an Acclaim. I remember my little brother having a model version, Corgi I think. It was a driving school car that steered the front wheels by means of a steering wheel on the roof. Lovely colour. A lot of them were Dark Blue or Beige.

[@m7dgz]

My family had one of these (a silver 1982 HLS) for 17 years, from new. Started with my grandparents, then to my mother, and for the last 3 years, as my first car! Fantastic cars that I have a fond memory of. Wonderful engine with a very sweet gearbox, it would rev like crazy with no harshness whatsoever. When I first drove other makes if car like Ford (much newer as well) I couldn't believe how harsh and nasty their engines were compared to the one in the Acclaim. Also very well made by the standards of the day, very little ever went wrong with mine apart from the electronic ignition unit (cost £10 to replace from a scrap yard) towards the end of its life. Not sure who thought the top speed was only 84 MPH! It could certainly cruise much close to 100 MPH than that, yes I get that there would be some speedo error but well over 90 was certainly easily achievable.

[@alchapman1052]

Not seen one of them in along time. Nice idea to have interchangeable bumpers if needed. Keep up the good work and well done on 26k

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Cracking video Matt, makes me feel old that the Acclaim ended production in the year I was born, but I do remember these on the roads when I was a kid.

[@jamesfrench7299]

Scottish Car Enthusiasts TV I was in 5th grade and was getting into the current cars coming out then!

[@danielrussell446]

I was at school remember loads brand new

[@xjsteve]

Had an Acclaim back in the late 80’s, a 1983 HL in Silver with blue interior. Registration was YRA422Y. It was a great car, reliable, fun to drive, refined, well built for the period and relatively quick for what it was. Drove it 22,000 miles in a year before part exchanging it for a 1984 Ford Capri 1.6 LS 4spd in Cardinal red (A883OTA). Roof gutters were rotting on the Triumph from under the stainless trims, I suspect caused by a previous owner fitting a roof rack. That was why I parted with my Acclaim but retain fond memories of it.

[@MarkieC1990]

Always wanted an acclaim or an accord, just so hard to find now, those little 1.3’s have a really nice growl to them.

[@promerops]

We had one in the family, in the shape of a Honda Ballade, during the 1990s. As you say, Matt, the Honda was quite a bit less well appointed as the Triumph - but it was still pretty good. Mostly, it was my wife's car but it later ended up with our older son; who had some adventures with it - it was stolen and then abandoned and recovered, later he sold it to a fellow who immediately drove it into a bridge abutment and wrote it off - what a pity. They were quite popular (in the Honda guise, the Acclaim wasn't available) here in South Africa. Rust was the biggest problem - in the moist, salty air of Cape Town you could watch the corrosion as it spread. Safe, pleasant, economical and reliable transport - today I drive a Ballade that is four generations on from the Acclaim type - it has over 360 000 kilometres on the clock and I have no plans to replace it.

[@jonp5641]

Really nice car, a credit to it's owner. My father very nearly bought one back in the day, in the end he plumped for a Mazda 323 instead. Great review, enjoyed that!

[@robshorts]

My Grandad bought a Silver Triumph Acclaim to replace his Vanden Plas Allegro that was written off in an accident (the other parties fault) . He had no idea about it being a Honda design. He kept it for 20 years before selling it to my cousin. Grandad looked after it so well that it became a bit of a celebrity for being in such good condition for such an old car.

[@paulillingworth1242]

Interesting little car of its time, never been in one but known people with Acclaims and loved them. Can hear the engine is related to the 2.0 Honda unit in the 600 and later Hondas.

[@chrisblay]

I worked on these as an apprentice mechanic back in the 1980’s. When viewed alongside (for example) the Metro, they were so obviously badge engineering. Far more reliable mechanically than home grown models, although bodywork was prone to rust. They look, feel and drive like what they are - a Honda.

[@cozmicpretzscher]

I had one of these as my second car, it was also the CD got it 1990 , it handled really well it got thrashed all time. I lived in countryside so was out racing the back roads most nights. Love it.

[@mikehydropneumatic2583]

Tea shelf? I just bought some ice cream. Still remember my grandfather buying a Simca/Chrysler 1308 with electric windows and headlight washers in 1978!

[@ABCDEF-yf4yu]

The Triumph Acclaim replaced the Dolomite, and was in British Leyland competition with the Morris Ital.

[@keiths314]

I drove the Honda version when it was still quite new and was mightily impressed by the refinement, but was put off by the diminutive rear seats and cost. But I should have bought one as my first car instead of the Opel I bought…. Thanks for this test of a lovely, but mostly forgotten car.

[@MichaelSmith-xg3vr]

My grandparents had one of these, an A-reg HL. The doors closed with a lovely solid 'thunk'!

[@Parknest]

Matt, I've had 5 of these cars between 2005-2013 and used them as daily drivers. They are My 2nd Acclaim (A846 BEC) was a Monza Red HL and only exists on paper as I still have the registration document in my name. Acclaim No. 3 (A865 MCX) was a CD Triomatic in Zircon Blue with 22,000 miles on the clock when I bought it. Acclaim No. 5 (BCK 142Y) was the same colour of Oporto Green as the one in your video, it was in HLS trim and I sold it 7 years ago. The front seats were indeed based on Cortina ones. The Acclaim was the Honda Ballade which I turn was the saloon version of the 2nd Gen Civic. It was intended to replace the Dolomite and as you've said, it was a stopgap until the Maestro/Montego was ready. I think that the EN4 engine was the same as the one in the Civic S down to the carburettors.

[@johnbailey5616]

Yes had a light blue one and a red one L great cars went on and on the only problem I had was the key breaking in the ignition on both .I think the metal ignition keys was very thin otherwise excellent cars . Great review brings back lots of memories thanks.

[@andysalter4473]

Sat in the back of one of these from Devon to Stafforshire non stop. Could not move when we got to Alton Towers. But it sat 80 mph all the way up and back and was faultless.

[@kasimsultonfan]

Game changer. Had one as a company car in '82 ish. We'd run various BL scrap before we got a bunch of these. Everyone was gobsmacked by how good they were. We ran them into the ground. Bomb-proof things.

[@veritasvincit2745]

Had an '82 manual HLS in dark blue as my second car. At the time I didn't appreciate it. It was just a fuddy-duddy car that was available for a decent price. Only after I drove or owned a few cars from premium brands and had a bit more experience did I realise how good the Acclaim was. I owned a silver CD Triomatic after owning some other cars. My Acclaims were well built, quiet, pulled strongly for a 1300, smooth, fairly well equipped for the day and reasonably comfortable. I didn't think they had a lot of room and they weren't the best lookers. I thought that the handling was excellent. Great review, ta.

[@theimp67]

Indicators on the right hand side, I miss those and I still maintain that being on the right is the best place for the indicator stalk; you could approach a corner, change gear and indicate all at the same time.

[@DavidJones-lz4io]

After my Chrysler Alpine blew up, I always wanted an Acclaim, preferably in metallic Red/Wine, but alas it never happened. Love this video, thanks for bringing back so many memories 👍🙏

[@davidgibson4840]

I rolled my Alpine due to dodgy brakes

[@DavidJones-lz4io]

David Gibson Not surprising really. It was heavier that a Maxi😀 mine rusted to bits in the end, bless.

[@reglard]

I delivered an early 1983 Maestro to a customer in Devon from Birmingham picking up his Triumph Acclaim in exchange it was so refined and smooth compared to the then-new but rattly maestro. I could not believe that anybody would be so daft to exchange the two cars.

[@phils866]

I drove an Acclaim when I worked in an Austin Rover garage, in the eighties. Regarding the twin carbs, if you removed the air filter, the induction noise from them was akin to that of twin 40 Webbers! Great driving wee car, but skittish, especially in the wet. It was prone to lift-off oversteer. Fun! 😀

[@daneesti]

My bro bought one of these for 30 quid about 15 years ago and we half-buried it for an art project! However, for the few days prior to that, we had some fun, great little car!

[@jimmyj1969]

Honda Civic of that era was No1 in sales in Greece, but we never had the Acclaim. Triumph version looks slightly better than the japanese version...

[@MrThecarebear]

@Arsenal Emirates The Acclaim is based on the Honda Ballade.

[@bamboozle83]

The Triumph Dolomite, now that was a car! The Acclaim was nice but the Dolomite is a real Classic.

[@danielrussell446]

You can’t compare them really totally different DNA both were good in their own way I knew friends and family with both

[@anthonystewart9283]

Ahh my first car, bought from a vicar in 1989 A229LJO how I miss you! I parted with it in 1998 when I got my first company car for £425 after 8 years of virtually trouble-free motoring. The only thing that ever went wrong was the electronic module, and a cam-belt which knackered the 4 exhaust valves, but she was got repaired and lived to do another 23,000 miles with me. She was a Rosso Red HLS, manual box.

[@paularmstrong4739]

My first car was a burgundy one, reg BVR 901Y. Had a mega sound system fitted with separate graphic equaliser. My mates were all jealous at the time! Alas, I traded it in for an MG Metro turbo - worst thing I ever did! Great video! 😁

[@RobRait]

My late father in law had one the same as the reviewed model, except it was an automatic (which he needed due to a gammy leg). He bought it as a low mileage year old car and retired it some 8 years later with 250K on the clock. It never needed anything apart from the usual service items, but tinworm finally killed it. It was stuck in a barn on his farm for a good few years until someone offered him £100 for it for parts. The doors, wings and trim were perfect, it was the floorpan that rotted. I reckon it was a bargain for the buyer who wanted to upgrade his lower spec Acclaim with the bits.

[@garymcnidder9688]

Our family had a 1982 "Y" HL model, from new. It was a lovely car to drive. We had it for 10 years, mechanically it was great, but the Bodywork was needing attention. l was sorry to see it go. It was great to see this test-drive.

[@adamtoms2726]

My Gran's had an 83 A reg Acclaim in red. She kept it for 13 years. Then the postman bought it of her. She loved it. I as a very young child thought it was a lovely car too.

[@crichardk555]

Many years ago my ex wife had a pre-production Triumph Acclaim CD automatic Triomatic. That transmission was a weird mix of 2 speed semi automatic plus overdrive. Quick it was not barely pulling itself out of its own way!!! Being the CD it was well equipped for its age in beige with a brown vinyl roof.

[@gord307]

The Hinckley Collage vehicle maintenance department had one of these years ago as a practice car (Perhaps it is still there?). I rather liked it. I remember it had the lightest power steering ever! Thank you for another excellent review. Keep well. Gord :-)

[@michaeltutty1540]

Great video. What always surprises me is the safety equipment, or the lack there of. Rear seatbelts were required here in Canada for 1970. Head restraints were required for 1969. I remember my parents needing a new car in 81, and the surprising thing was that comperably equipped, a Volvo 240 Estate was the least expensive car we fit in that would go up our very narrow driveway. Honda made nothing we could even consider. Do love seeing the models we never got over here, even if I would not particularly want one.

[@nickhannaford3253]

My Dad had a HL in Arum White when I was a teenager. Only 1.3 but it was lightning quick off the lights😉. I upgraded the stereo as a surprise as the HL had only L/M radio and only one mono speaker. All the stereo wiring loom is present so just dropped in two speakers and new cassette head unit. Crazy over 30 years ago and I still remember all that🤪😂. Great little car👍

[@droge192]

Ahhh my 2nd ever car... an '83 HL model, back in 1990. My HL had awful 'rough' weaved cloth seats, versus the luxurious velour of the HLS! Beautiful refined car for the year, and the engine was an absolute peach.

[@frothe42]

When I saw your intro, it screamed HONDA CIVIC! However, I don't think the Civic was ever this well equipped, especially those in the US market. Such a lovely vehicle! Glad it is being looked after and loved, all good classics should. I hope the work on your own fleet is going well, or as well as it could be. And what beautiful countryside! Envious! And the Acclaim took that u-turn with aplomb; I do not think even modern vehicles could have turned that tightly, good turning circle diameter. Well done Matt, and thank you so much for this video review!

[@furiousdriving]

I think most cars would have needed the handbrake for that U turn to work!

[@andrewburch6971]

Delightful, I had a HLS (SCV 500Y) back in the early 90’s and very nice it was.

[@cjbstevens7596]

Great video. My cousin had two a burgandy one and a light green one both Y-reg. Used to love the old style clock in them. The cambelt went on one and he could put another one on and the engine was still fine.

[@increiblepelotudo]

Had a 1982 Civic sedan. It was great! Wish I still had it. Put in a Blaupunkt tap deck along with a Boston Acoustics speaker system. It sounded just glorious, this was in 1991, which at that time was just under 10 yes and back then was like a lifetime away. Now a 10 yr old car could still be considered fairly modern - not back then

[@O1Richard]

One of my neighbours has one of these in green, it’s been out of use since the 1990’s and is not sorn and showing no mot history, covered in moss and slowly rusting away. The car you’re driving looks comfortable and quite quick.