The Dolomite - Triumph's Luxury Car that took on BMW

When I grew up the Triumph Dolomite was everywhere. And there’s a good reason why. Triumph was known for its sports cars, and luxury saloons, and the Dolomite, and specifically the Dolomite Sprint carried that sports pedigree into the compact class. It was the first multi-valve production saloon, producing more power than a compact luxury saloon had a right to in 1973. It’s a winning formula that’s been replicated many times since, but 7 years and half a million cars later production ended. What was the complicated genesis of this car, and what did British Leyland follow it up with?
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[@BigCar2]

Erratum: The Mini gearbox, obviously, sits UNDER the engine, not over it. I knew that, just said the wrong thing. That would be a very strange setup!

[@KK-so6di]

Hi Big Car, when are you going to do a video on the Honda Super Cub motorcycle, yes it's not a car but its the biggest selling motor vehicle of all time, Regards viewer from Ireland

[@thedetailingdoctor5746]

You had me wondering for a moment there 🤣

[@Ahmed.Adil.]

The Detailing Doctor same 😂😂😂

[@tonimunozgonzalez]

Just as a curiosity some Austin were built and sold in Spain from mid 60s to mid 70s as the Mini, Austin Morris, Austin Victoria. The MIni was of course an icon and social success. But Authi cars had little commercial success. Here is the link to Wikipedia in English en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authi However that articule it's Wikipedia; in the area of Production shows a couple of Austin Victoria and Victoria de Luxe that we had never seen in Spain. Instead we had the Victoria shown in top of the articule. As you can see the main sales argument in Spain were the reclined seats and the outlook was barely shown kzbin.info/www/bejne/npeUl6OLorpsbqM And funny this one made in France and mentioning that ''Austin Victoria is the only european car only existing (possible to see) in Spain'' kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5KXm2qDm6dpsMU

[@richardrichard5409]

Modern sports motorcycles often have the gearbox 'over' the engine if that helps😉

[@lash9400]

Out of all the brands from BL, it’s Triumph that I miss the most. It had a sporting pedigree and style that Austin and Morris never had.

[@Banom7a]

it had potential to be a BMW competitor today (although ironically the name today is owned by BMW)

[@richardmcgowan6383]

Triumph was one of the few BL brands that was both cool to start with and never really discredited. Not even by the TR7/8, which was derided at the time but seems to have acquired a cult appeal since.. The Acclaim was a bit fuddy-duddy, but in its day it was one of the best cars BL had. So killing off Triumph does look like self-sabotage by BL. But as we know, they were good at that.

[@fifthof1795]

Great bras as well.

[@TheChill001]

@@richardmcgowan6383 indeed, slow starts of the TR7 and the early wanes of the Stag aside, Triumph probably was the only brand aside from Jaguar which had not falled under the godawful reliability issues and complete brand defamation under BL, they still had a strong reputation and a lot of options to go for, but as expected from BL, BMC, british car manufacturers in general at the time: they just made every wrong decision one could possibly make.

[@MaxPowweer1]

Top young to have personally appreciated BL, but Triumph always gave me the impression they were the brand that had the soul, heart and passion within the group

[@Theogenerang]

Attractive little cars and the design has aged well. Imagine if this car had been developed over decades in the same way as the BMW 3 series.

[@SteveDentonClassics]

The Triumph Dolomite is a car that I've always loved. It's just has classy styling and the slant engine, ok has it's issues, but it's just technology that was ahead of its time. Like most British cars of the era, it was rushed into production, and suffered the consequences. My own dolomite I brought some 15 years ago, I sold it and always wondered what happened to it, then a few years past and it appeared a few times on auto trader and eBay. Eventually I brought it back, although I don't use it that much, its just such a charming car, and it never fails to put a smile on my face whenever I do drive it 👍

[@klausstock8020]

Not sure whether they were "too ahead of its time" or whether they just wanted to cut costs for the mass market. Visually, it's obvious that they wanted to complete with BMWs...but regarding the engine, I always felt that they wanted to compete with Porsche. Nowadays, it appears amazing how much power they could get out of a rather small naturally aspirated engine *50 years ago.* However, they did not have the same regulations as we have nowadays. Cleaner emission standards lead to reduction of power *and mileage* (!), compared to what the same modern engine could achieve with 1970 emissions standards. It's totally cool that you bought back your Dolomite. It would make me smile as well.

[@isaacsrandomvideos667]

Buy one while they are still cheap. Back about 6 months ago you’d get a runner for less than 850.

[@IainHuffer]

I had a 77' sprint and it always broke down and had a rusty spot above the right headlight but it was easily the best car I ever owned

[@tinniswood2577]

Loved the Dolomite Sprint, it always looked squat and well proportioned.

[@martinkitchin6204]

Even now, after all these years I think it's still got a balanced handsome look about it.

[@charliepragnell5791]

I owned a lovely ‘78 Dolomite 1850HL - stylish, eye catching, well equipped and sporty. It was also pretty economical and I could easily achieve 35mpg and even more on a run in overdrive. I only wish I had one now!

[@caeserromero3013]

My dad owned a Triumph GT6 when he got married in 1976. By the time I was born in '78, he'd sold it for a Dolomite. That must have hurt! The take away lesson I took from this video is that British engineering is world class. British management and unions however...

[@darrenwilson8042]

To be honest a lot of issues from then are blamed on unions when in reality they are the result of crap management who thought it was still 1946 and they had an attitude that was if a machine had done its job well for 20 years then it was good to go - even so in their favour though you have to accept the country was BROKE we went to the IMF for a loan which meant there was little money to modernise. The Dolomite was made until 1980 by then Top Gear was featuring documentaries on how old fashioned the Polski FIAT 125 production lines were but BL's lines didn't look much different

[@caeserromero3013]

Darren Wilson Nobody has ever praised BL management, but the unions were equally to blame. My dad worked in engineering all his life and saw it with his own eyes. When he worked at Lance and Bagnell they tried to force him into the union. He refused. He said they once went on strike because the canteen put out the 'wrong biscuits' and even though the manager promised to get the right biscuits the following day, they downed tools. They tried to get my dad to stop. He asked the union Rep: Are you my boss? Do you pay my wages? When he said no, my dad said: Then F off. When you see those 70's clips of BL staff striking for 47% pay rises, you wonder how BL lasted as long as they did. Then you see how much tax payer cash was sunk into it and you realise what a waste it was just so Stokes could feel important and sprayers and welders could strike for 47% whilst churning out crap designs shoddily put together. I read a comment on one of the other vids about someone's grandad who bought an Austin that had a lump in the boot under the carpet. Turned out to be a half empty packet of fags...that had been sprayed over and left there, then covered in carpet. That would have gone through at least 3 different processes. Clearly nobody on the production line cared.

[@martindickson4759]

Fell for the Sun's lies I see, nobody ever went on strike because they wanted to, No Wages! for a start, over production and falling sales meant management orchestrated strikes, Solidarity turned out to be the workers worst enemy. A friend once spent a whole shift smashing sealed beam TR6 headlights, management was atrocious..

[@caeserromero3013]

martin dickson Can you read? My dad worked in engineering, not for the Sun newspaper... He experienced unions first hand. He wanted nothing to do with them. As for people not striking for wages? Dad saw people cajoled into going on strike for having the 'wrong' biscuits laid out in the tea room when he worked at Lancing Bagnell in the 70's. I've also seen film footage of Leyland workers from the 70's of strikers demanding 40% wage increases...

[@martindickson4759]

@@caeserromero3013 You appear to have acquired your Dads bullshit, I was there..

[@BryanSteacy]

I remember one of the first cars I ever fell in love with was the Dolomite Sprint. I wasn't alive when they were generally on the road, but there was a beautiful dark blue one left to rot in a ditch on our farm. By the mid-90s it had obviously been there for at least a decade before I was even born but my god even when covered in a hedge and bramble it was so pretty. I still have all the badges that I knicked off it before it completely returned to the earth from rust.

[@philiptownsend4026]

What a terrible shame that was.

[@Crowthius]

Out of all my old Dad's cars he had when I was child, the Royal blue Dolomite was my favourite. It was smoother than anything else he had, more stylish and comfortable. It pulled our tourer with no problem (until a particularly steep hill in the Lake District where we all had to get out and walk, but that was 1970's motoring for you). I am shocked to learn the Morris 1100 was competition to the Dolomite because my Dad had one of those too and it was a piece of crap that spent more time in the garage than on the road.

[@doubtingthomas736]

😃 passed my driving test in one of these in 1980!... Happy days!

[@davidm793]

1978 in a Vauxhall viva.... very happy days :)

[@LeeJcc]

The Dolomite was such a trendy car to have in Singapore in the 70s, easily more popular than the BMW 2002 and Alfa Romeo Giulia Super. Thanks for this video, it really brought back good memories. The fact that the car started with fwd and ended up rwd owes a lot to the engineering expertise at Triumph - it's a pity it was all channelled to the Allegro.

[@philiprodney7884]

Another excellent piece. It’s amazing how Triumph predated BMW with the concept of the compact, sporty saloon, both with the Vitesse and the Dolomite , and then blew it.

[@stevehedley81]

The vitesse was by far my favourite . 👍🇬🇧

[@colindowd9756]

Even now I would like to have a Dolly Sprint. The overall proportions are still perfect!

[@raypurchase801]

A very good looking car.

[@astonmartin4360]

I owned a yellow 1978 Sprint.It had twin Webber DCOE 45's and lowered suspension it made 135mph on the motorway, going to Brighton from Croydon.What a car.

[@firsteerr]

my dad had a triumph 2000PI estate that was a lovely car never gave any agro and was a pleasure to ride in i managed to own a sprint for a short period of time and my pals STILL go on about how good it was

[@fifthof1795]

My mum had a Herald, then a Vitesse and finally a Stag ! My mate had Dolomite Sprint and his dad a 2000 PI in Saffron yellow. Happy days.

[@manoman0]

I loved the Princess, especially as Vanden Plas edition. Good lord, so british, so face!

[@StopDropandLOL]

I always thought the Dolly Sprint looked awesome. Even the basic car looked good.

[@pauld7827]

I loved my Dolomite, reg number TVJ 649 S, I gave it to my sister in law on the understanding I'd have it back when she passed her test and got a newer car. She drove that car for nearly 3 years - and never gave it back - she sold it to a scrap dealer. My wife was really upset, as I had promised to have it completely restored after her sister had finished with it. About 35 or so years ago I bought a Triumph Acclaim. It was a really nice car at the time with a 5 speed gear box.

[@richardsellers8671]

Thank you so much. My first ever car was a 1850 HL in '81, I desperately wanted a Sprint, but insurance proved impossible.

[@vbrvideoproductions4643]

Same, mine was 77 or 78 chocolate brown 1850HL - first car in 1984

[@Gradan1886]

Me too, first car 81, bought it in the dark , daylight paint job was patchy Loved it

[@timtimecollector9808]

I learnt to drive and passed my test in a Dolomite back in 1978. Great car, very easy to drive, especially reverse parking.

[@Rjhs001]

Really enjoyed this trip down memory lane, laced with interesting auto industry detail. Thanks so much.

[@stevedunningduckinggiraffe6296]

I had an 1850 Dolomite in 1983 with overdrive - that nifty switch on the gearstick that drops in another gear! Loved it, it was so stylish, twin headlights - fab! Hated the engine after it overheated outside Southampton and stopped. A bunch of my university engineering mates who i was going to see spent the weekend putting a new head gasket on it, had to get the head re-skimmed at home and lost a bolt down the engine. After two weeks of progressively dismantling the engine found the bolt in the sump and reassembled. Sills rusted to bits, MOT inspector put his finger right through one!

[@timyoung7788]

In 1974 my mum and dad took a seven year old me along to look for a new car. We only bought British, so looked at Triumphs. I was allowed to sit in a Dolomite, and when we got home I was told we were getting a new car like the one in the showroom. You can only image my disappointment when a white 1.3 Toledo turned up.

[@WelshyM]

I had an 1850HL in BRG. Loved it as a 19 year old and all my mates had Escorts, fiestas and vauxhall! It was very understated and pretty fast

[@TooBadJim]

Mine was dog - poo brown but I loved it. Especially the overdrive switch on the gear knob:)

[@cliveyboyb5770]

I too had an 1850 when I was 19. Still think there one of the best looking Saloon cars ever

[@keithhobbs1]

My 1st car was an 1850HL on an S plate. Don't see many around anymore, but I did see a Triumph 2000 last week which looked in pretty good condition. This video took me back and found out a few things I didn't know about the brand.

[@WelshyM]

@@TooBadJim overdrive on 3rd and 4th effectively a six speed box... Happy days eh!

[@TooBadJim]

@@WelshyM Considering I bought mine for £90 at 17 and drove from Scotland to Yorkshire with no tax, insurance or er... driving licence - happy days indeed! The "overtaking button" as I called it was a hoot.

[@ichibanmanekineko]

May everyone who reads this have a wonderful, happy, prosperous and peaceful life.

[@CarputingYT]

Hope you do too, pal!

[@LucianoMMatias]

I’ll be happy to get to the end of the year.

[@ericgeorge5483]

@@LucianoMMatias Me too, stay safe bud.

[@re-animatorre-animator9671]

I'm drunk too

[@sirkastic]

Pitiful

[@timbailey4348]

my dad was a foreman at the triumph factory in canley, coventry. i was offered an apprenticeship at triumph in 1979 but the company was on its last legs by then so went else where. I had 4 dolomite`s in all, great cars to drive wish i had one today.

[@johnfaulkner6776]

I had an automatic Dolomite 1850hl as a company car whilst working for Watneys Brewery. The cars modest size and the auto box made life easy for central London. A very happy time.

[@JowoHD]

damnit, stop making me want to buy the rusty abandoned sprint in the road next to me...

[@akoshorvath-risko5838]

At least you have a rusty abandoned Dolomite near you! I don't have any.

[@richardsellers8671]

Do it! Values will only go one way, and the Sprint is a lovely thing.

[@JRNXXX]

Think carefully as some body panels are scarce or not available

[@MisterHughes]

Buy it, you know you want to. 🤗

[@MyJon64]

Sounds like welding skills will be essential!

[@EddieG1888]

I remember there was a green Dolomite on my paper round when I was a kid, Brooklands Green with a tan interior IIRC. I always thought it looked really comfy inside.

[@georgehorniman]

They were incredibly comfy and i remember the seats being really chunky and well made.

[@EddieG1888]

@@georgehorniman Even as a 13-year old lad, I looked at that car and thought "those seats look really comfy, and the driving position is perfect." Wish I'd had the opportunity to drive one as an adult, and test my conclusions! :-D

[@R1chardB1ngham]

That's exactly what my mum had - Brooklands green 1500HL with tan seats. Very nicely appointed inside

[@ABrit-bt6ce]

I learn't to drive in a Sprint. Somewhere in the first mile I had an elbow out of the window moment. My love for that car will never end.

[@darrenwilson8042]

I had a 1975 Toledo in the 80's - Lovely car

[@RetroRelixRestorer]

As a young boy, my father bought a second hand pageant blue Dolomite (DPU 635T from memory). I loved it !

[@IvelLeCog]

This is fast becoming a repository of automotive history. Great content as always. Congrats on your first 100k subs, on to the next 100k!

[@julianwalch3567]

Thanks for the video-takes me back 35 years to my 1500 on which the big end went on the M.1. at the Luton junction!

[@andrewclarkehomeimprovement]

My mum had an 1850HL slant 4 with the single ohc and bucket valve springs. It also had an electric overdrive by Ferguson. Loved that car. I had to 'decoke' it which as a young guy was my excuse to take the head off, very glad I did, one valve spring was bust. Wasn't happy about coming off either, ally head on a cast iron block, ended up with a scissor jack on one corner. It came off ok, and a miracle, went back on ok too, no warping as was a regular thing with them due to inadequate cooling. Fun times!

[@jasonhesson1030]

Another classic, cheers. Keep em' coming!

[@billharris3650]

I had a Dolly Sprint called Horace. Bloody great car.

[@johndoyle4723]

What a complicated history, so many models and engines. Yes of course everyone of my era wanted a Dolly Sprint.

[@DreamCarGarage1]

Excellent video. Really appreciate the tremendous research that must go into every one of your videos.

[@lossadjuster1]

I used to love my 1500TC!

[@mattheweddy753]

I loved my 1500tc tc aswell 1973 in maroon red colour with wood and chrome it was beautiful and very comfortable to drive had lots of fun with it my first car back in early 90,s

[@NLBassist]

I saw one in France some weeks ago, and here's the vid. Right in time!!

[@enzot6283]

I took my lessons and passed my test with BSM in 1979-80.It was in a Triumph Dolomite.

[@racingrooster4642]

I worked as an apprentice in a Triumph dealership in 1970, so fondly remember all the cars mentioned ,Oh and they were the good old days imo. Great video thanks for the memories.

[@STKSOUND]

every time i'm reminded of the dolomite i hear in my mind richard hammond saying "thats not gone well! sorry!"

[@martintaper7997]

Unkind to ask ridiculous feats from ancient cars but Richard and James were at least the kindest, not like the other fuckwit.

[@Henry_Jones]

Thanks!!! BL cars all have entertaining stories behind them. The more BL the better! Till now the only vid Ive seen on the sprint is the Top Gear BL episode with Richard Hammond at the wheel.

[@aakeister]

I joined Standard Triumph in 1970 as an apprentice working in Materials Engineering, I can possibly fill in a few gaps. The Sprint was never supposed to be a model, but the development was all done in a dolomite body, even though it was for another car, and was found to be such a great car it was decided to make it a model on its own. I gad an 1850 HLS and a sprint, loved them both. The SD1 was forced by the bugger names at Rover, who always looked down in Triumph, and of course Jaguar looked down on Rover! but ut was flawed design, very heavy, originally to have a 2ltr engine, but we took it from Canley to Solihull on a test run and the engine blew near Stonebridge, hence the 2200, 2500 and eventually the 3500. The SD2 (which is in gaydon motor museum) was a much better designed car, especially in estate form. (Then again, lynx was a better looking car than the TR7, but that’s another story. ) the us sue with BL apart from crap unions, poor management, was little islands of individual companies who wanted to keep their independence from others. When the Ballard was talked about, there was much mirth, but when we saw the first version, we were amazed at where Honda had removed weight, like the roof, bonnet and boot, we certainly learned a lot from Honda and shoukd have been the company we merged with instead of BMW (spit)

[@deano3580]

I was one of the many owners of vermilion Sprint EMW463W about 30 years ago. Great engine with a lot of low down grunt and a real rush at the top end. You could wait behind a queue of traffic at 50 mph in 3rd high, flick it down to 3rd low instantaneously on the OD switch, floor it and and then fly past. Great fun.

[@thomaswykes3647]

My first car was a Dolomite. I still have it!

[@RoadCone411]

I've been waiting for this! Thank you., Big Car! The comparisons of Triumph to BMW are fair, and maybe if things had been very different, the Triumph brand wouldn't have died as a Japanese-designed British-built economy car. One big difference - and again, this comes from corporate BL's corporate ownership - was that BMW was selling strongly in the US. Yes, the 2002tii was small, expensive and somewhat of a novelty at the time, but the only Triumphs on sale in the US by the late 1970s was the TR7. Had the Dolomite been sold over here, even with ungainly 1970s bumpers and other federalized requirements, I'd like to think that it might have also developed enough of a following to preserve the brand. It's all wishful thinking though, the Dolly would have needed extensive reworking (and air conditioning) to be sold in the US, and I'm not sure the US buyers would have tolerated paying a very steep price for a poorly-built, unreliable small car, no matter what sort of performance it promised. At least the BMWs had a chance of starting in the morning.

[@BigCar2]

An interesting perspective. It might have helped, but I think BL was in such a death spiral it wouldn't have helped.

[@RoadCone411]

@@BigCar2 I suppose you are right. I guess 40 years on, it pains me to know Triumph had a competitive little gem of a car, albeit in need of updating and some much-needed improvements, but like everything else BL touched it was destined to wither away and die. ‘Not enough money for investing in a new model’ might as well have been BL management’s mantra. It’s sad.

[@cliveyboyb5770]

@@RoadCone411 When Rover finally went bust my first thought was they never shook off that BL image despite building many fine and award winning cars. People just associated them with the troubles of the 1970s.

[@sanatandharma4435]

I had an 1850HL Dolomite and loved it, it was fairly fast, quiet, reliable and comfortable. Unfortunately I put it in a ditch and that was that! Thanks for the great stories.

[@AnthonyJordanWairoaboyNZ]

New Zealand loves your channel...well worth the time to watch your videos. Many thanks

[@pod9538]

Another fantastic vid mate . that is all I have to say.

[@fewielgo]

I've never been into british cars but you make their history interesting even for me. I'm very thankful for your work.

[@BigCar2]

Thanks! I love history, and there's an interesting story in every car if you look.

[@finjames5305]

Thank You So Much Big Car!

[@richardrichard5409]

Great trip down memory lane😎 always had a soft spot for Triumphs myself, great styling, great interiors too but.... Shame the best Triumph ever built was a Honda.....from an ex owner of a Triumph Stag, Spitfire, GT6, 2500 and TR7....all very pretty, all pretty woeful in their own way😉 I remember the habit those fwd Trumpets had of pulling driveshafts out of the outer CV and, therefore loosing all drive...just simple steering stops needed as this only happened on full lock, small badly designed spring clip all there was holding it all together 😓 I always remember the Classifieds heaving with cooked Dolly Sprints, or kettles as we called them, always boiling over😊 They went well, when they went. I remember working on a Sprint head like a Fyffes banana, it had a 2mm (yes 2mm) warp in the head....skimmed so much off it we had to back the dizzy timing right off to stop it pinking on 4 star but, saved the car being scrapped at an early age. At least we got the head off, many could never be pulled due to corrosion around the studs thus, scrapping the lump. Triumph dealers would keep 16v heads in stock, my bosses new Dolly cooked its (first) head under 800 miles from new, no quibbles though, just slapped a new head on, and a block n rad flush to clear all the sand out from the casting process😊 I guess the usual BL complaint of 'under cooked' engineering couldn't be applied to that engine afterall😉 I worked with a bunch of ex Triumph R&D guys in the 90's, their old stories were pure gold.....I remember the Triumph front brake upgrade for the additional speed and weight the Dolly carried....harder front brake pad materials but, with larger rear drums out of the parts bin.....the cheap fix then caused the tail to lock up too early, ergo, a real safety issue even BL couldn't ignore, therefore rear brake balance valve had to engineered in, thus negating the cost saving of the quick fix, gems like this are priceless. Strangely the first early builds of Dollies (2000 odd?) were all Mimosa Yellow....reason being a simple mistake on the factory order build sheets but, took BL weeks to rectify the simple paperwork error....a case of everyone noticed but, nobodys job, they were all selling regardless.

[@deptusmechanikus7362]

according to himself Bender from Futurama is 40% dolomite. And in one episode he was also a car

[@aniloveindividudumm9416]

Ha! One of my favorite British Cars! Thank you for it! Greetings from Bavaria

[@danielrussell446]

Loved my neighbours dads french blue dolomite sprint auto he had growing up it was such a lovely car always loved the wooden dash of the triumph and the big squashy seats they were a lovely place to sit even back then

[@gerrymcdonaldno1]

Great video again 👍. Liking the old production line videos. Right up my street (I own a 1974 Toledo).

[@-Loki--]

Triumph cars are one UK brand I would love to see make a comeback, that with Hillman or one of the other Rootes Group names. If made in the UK they would sell.

[@Perkelenaattori]

I would rather have Sunbeam back than Hillman. "Parempi ilman kuin Hillman" they used to say in my country and it can be translated as "better to be without a car than to have a Hillman."

[@-Loki--]

@@Perkelenaattori I was more focused on the brand names than the actual cars, perhaps this is true for yourself too, because Sunbeams were just rebadged Hillmans.

[@Perkelenaattori]

@@-Loki-- Oh of course they were but Sunbeam was definitely more upmarket than a Hillman. Here in my country they used to sell Imps, Avengers & Arrows as Sunbeam. In any case I would definitely not want a bastardization like MG currently is.

[@-Loki--]

@@Perkelenaattori Agreed, the thing with the MG cars of today is that no one is fooled, a famous badge on cars wholly unrelated to the heritage? It could have been so much more if they had just put one decent two seat sports convertible in the line up, but the current owners don`t seem to care, no market for them in their country of origin? I think it would have been worth the gamble to produce something as a cheap alternative to the still selling Mazda MX5.

[@SDZKProductions]

"Its a car with no one behind the wheel, it must be Richard Hammond, and its a Dolomite Sprints!" [ edit Top Gear ]

[@parrotantics2046]

*Dolly Sprint. But that's not a big mistake - it's still Dolomite.

[@iankemp1131]

Brought back happy memories as I had a blue Dolomite 1850HL for 6 years. Also fascinating to hear the early history as my elderly neighbour had a FWD 1300 in the back of her garage for years, a collector's item that went to a good home eventually. I had always wondered why they swapped from FWD to RWD. My Dolomite was very comfortable, nice interior, pretty quick and not bad on reliability, though the cylinder head gasket went once and I learned all about using Hammerite. Eventually it had to go when I jacket it up for a pre-MOT check and the jack went through the sill rather than raising the car. The overdrive was quite fun, although 3rd high was the same gear ration as 4th low which seemed a bit pointless. In its later years it tended to stick "on" when hot, which was interesting as the manual said that under no circumstances should you engage reverse with overdrive on. I got good at driving up hills and rolling back to do 3 point turns. The overdrive would unstick after cooling down for about 30 minutes. Could be worse, I had a Fiat X1/9 as a toy which wouldn't start when hot! Again, cool for 30 minutes and it was fine. Did the recommended action of finding a Fiat Strada in a scrapyard and putting the heat shield on the X1/9, but made no difference. Modern cars are ridiculously reliable!

[@mrr2880]

I loved my 1850 Dolomite (GGO 96N) ... compared with all the other bangers I was driving at the time like Hillman Avengers etc it really felt like a quality car, smooth drive an and element of luxury inside , the clocks n dash etc Had some fun times in the old girl and some I'd rather not mention. problem was being a kid I didn't have the money to keep her running, auto box starting going wrong, propshaft center bearing eventually collapsed, twin SUs were never balanced properly, bodywork started rusting and finally the windscreen shattered driving down the A2. This was forty years ago.. how time flies.

[@italktoomuch6442]

I do wonder how many of British Leyland's problems stemmed from the fact that their dealerships were competing against each other. The idea that one division can screw over another by transferring a model between brands is just insane to me.

[@BigCar2]

I think that’s ok in principle (VW, Skoda and SEAT dealerships compete with each other), but they were competing for an increasingly smaller piece of the pie.

[@lotusgroup123]

It was all rather more complicated than that. Independent, rival companies were made to join forces in order to compete with European competitors. They had their own managements and engineering teams who had their own design ethos and history, which meant something to purchasers and marketing teams, and none of them wanted to be sacrificed in favour of their rivals. Imagine forcing English football clubs to merge in order to take on American football teams. There were strong political influences in play, with government money being constantly invested to keep the companies afloat and maintain employment. The new politically appointed managers were not welcomed, as their brief was to cure the patient by amputating various limbs. Rationalisation was imposed on the companies so the competing model ranges no longer existed. Morris eventually died to allow rival Austin to carry on. Triumph suffered the same fate, effectively absorbed by its rival Rover. And that was just the beginning.

[@willgeary6086]

Whenever I see something on BL all I think is, this company was too big for it's own good.

[@philnewstead5388]

I was working in the a BL main dealer at the time and there was not as much direct competition between the marques as you might think, a Marina customer was much more likely to upgrade to a Princess than to a Dolomite for example and when they stopped production of the Triumph 2000/2500 we lost an awful lot of customers to the Granada rather than customers moving from the Triumph to the SD1. One of the problems with BL was its refusal to rationalise technology, why for example did we not use the Triumph OHV engine across the range instead of having the A and B series for AM and a separate series for the Triumph range, why also did they use different but similar paint colours for each marque in some cases even using a different supplier and so it went on. Of course BLs problems were far more complicated than just internal politics but as I say the competition between the marques wasn't as detrimental as it may appear.

[@italktoomuch6442]

@@philnewstead5388 I suppose that is the big difference between BL and a modern multi marque company like VW Group, who rationalise platforms and engines to within an inch of their lives.

[@Renegade666]

BL is the epitome of the "what could have been" story. So many flashes of brilliance marred by mismanagement :/

[@torstenscholz6243]

BL is really just the worst example of Murphy's Law in automotive industry history. The management was unbeatable at running even the most hopeful projects (of which there were plenty) into the ground. It really takes a lot to have so many great, valuable brands (Rover, Triumph, Austin, Morris, Standard, etc.) and kill all of them off and make what was once Europe's second biggest car industry the laughing stock of the automotive world.

[@BenjaminGrimley]

My mother had a yellow Dolomite Sprint in the late 70s. I loved that car. She traded it in for a Ford Capri 3.0.

[@Jester-Riddle]

Wow ! This brought back many memories ... Loved my Triumph 2000, Herald and Rover SD1 (V8). There was a Dolomite in the family and it was rated as good by a family member that drove an Alpine Sunbeam !!! My Triumph 2000 was an old ex-police car and was very reliable despite its age, plus very cool in design, leather & walnut. I think it had been tuned up for the Police ! The SD1 V8 was magnificent ... when it worked ... and cost a large fortune in ongoing repairs ! The Herald was just a nice little car, with some style ... but always made one hanker after a Vitesse ... Thanks for the interesting vid.

[@johnnodge4327]

Nice video. By the way. The mini gearbox sat under the engine, not over it. ;)

[@BigCar2]

I knew that, but must have said it wrong. Another mistake that got through!

[@Locomattive8572]

I’d love BMW to bring the Triumph name back. Small electric cars and sports cars.

[@RichieRouge206]

Not really because BMW would make another lardy hateful electronic box like everything they do now.

[@anthonyfrench3169]

The most surprising thing for me (being an American not knowing much about Triumph...)out of this episode was there was a car with the same name as my Hometown. .. The Toledo!!

[@PazLeBon]

which of course is a Spanish town and you Americans kinda stole every name you have :)

[@anthonyfrench3169]

@@PazLeBon hahaha yuppers it's our Sister City and yup we steal other names and can't even pronounce it probably...how rude! :D :)

[@PazLeBon]

@@anthonyfrench3169 You have my hometown Birmingham, down in Alabama I believe :)

[@TheLRider]

I had two Dolly Sprints. Loved them and have some very fond memories of the late 70s and the early 80s.

[@anthonyperkins7556]

The Dolly was among the first cars to get 16 valves

[@disruptfulninja9188]

What about 2 valve 8cylinderss? I'm sure you meant 16 valve 4cylinder

[@anthonyperkins7556]

@@disruptfulninja9188 I did mean 16 valves with 4 per cylinder!

[@disruptfulninja9188]

Had to troll you mate. It was too easy lol

[@leonardgoldberg2879]

I owned two Dolomite Sprints in the 80's. They were a very comfortable car to drive but the front nose rotted off them.

[@jonathandrake1945]

One of my early cars was a dolomite 1850 with twin strombergs. It had been at a garage for ages but the owner hadn’t collected it because he didn’t want to pay the bill. I ended up paying him and the garage as I wanted it so much. It was a classic even then! Thanks for these videos they are informative and promote discussion.

[@TheLifeEvents]

I like the videos re Triumph, BL, Mini etc. My dad had a Triumph 2000 in 65, Export model, since we lived in Nairobi. We then brought back an "H reg" Morris 11oo from Uk to Kenya in 1970 . Lovely car. After coming back to the UK in the 70s I had some early minis, and a great F reg Mini 1000. I then got a Mini 1275 GT 1976 Reg. What a complete piece of Junk! My Car loan was for 2 years, but it was so bad I got shot after 18 months. Rusted out doors, Rusted out fuel tank, broken steering rack, and collapsed suspension. Red Robbo had done a great job. I wanted a Triumph Dolomite Sprint, but no, I went and got a Toyota in 1980 instead. Now on my 12th shortly interrupted by the allure of a Volvo S40 in 2009. Another piece of Junk! Oil links, ABS failure, Electrical issues. I am now back to Toyota and not moving.

[@bobrose7900]

Another slightly depressing but great video.... The Dolomite Sprint looked wonderful on the road and performed well. The industrial strife snuffed out so many potentially great cars. Shame.

[@wilsjane]

The real failure of British Leyland was that along with poor quality control, they never bothered about rust. On some models, holes were appearing within 2 to 3 years. The steel was poor quality box sections had no internal protection and as far as I know, they introduced Zintec steel.

[@bobrose7900]

@@wilsjane Hi wilsjane, hopefully you won't mind me responding. No manufacturers galv'd their cars back then until much later when the government forced the anti-perforation warranty requirements in legislation, I forget exactly when. The best you got was a zinc rich primer, which Triumph amongst others used, and this was quite effective. Rust become a problem with the switch to unitary body construction from the separate chassis and bolt on bits. Cars were treated as throwaway back then and three years was a good life for a car, crazy! I had a friend with a Mk2 Escort which was parked on the roadside - 3 years later it was written off because of the corrosion on one side caused by the grit lorries... With the introduction of the Rover series and the tie up with Honda, quality was much improved, and electroplating was a requirement. Unfortunately for Rover (BL) BMW got a finger in the pie for a short while, causing Honda to withdraw and they then pulled out taking Mini with them leaving Rover with no investment and no money, the nail in the coffin. Quality was an issue with earlier cars in the '70s, the era of Red Robbo and flash strikes - 530 in 30 months meant cars were delayed to market costing the company an estimated £200 million. As a child I remember my dad coming home at lunch time saying they've walked out again. The number of stoppages was crazy. Sorry about the long response but you've only got to look at the number of "historic" car rebuilds that were originally produced by the Leyland group of companies.. Such a shame, but we still have LRJ luckily, albeit with foreign owners.

[@wilsjane]

@@bobrose7900 What you say is true, it is just a pity that it needed government legislation to resolve the problem. In some ways Ford were even worse. A friend bought a Capri in the 60s and within weeks what looked like orange peel paintwork started popping off to reveal large areas of rust. It transpired that during the refurbishment of their paint plant, completed body shells and panels had been stored in a field for months. The rusting bodies were then painted, frequently with the remains of bird excrement barely rubbed off. With BL, the biggest problem was failing to protect the cars from weld spatter during assembly. The worst area was the area between the C post and the rear wing. Apart from zinc coating, the composition of the steel itself was a major factor and all the car manufacturer were looking at was the price. These beautifully restored cars that sell for £50,000 + always make me laugh. They are like the famous original broom that had 6 new heads and 3 new handles. 😊

[@cliveyboyb5770]

I think the other big issue was BL had several different Brands and none of them seemed to get on with each other so not much cross over of parts or cooperation. Meaning more expensive development costs, No V8 Rover engine for the Stag etc I honestly believe when Rover Group eventually collapsed part of the problem was they never managed to shake off the BL stigma.

[@wilsjane]

@@cliveyboyb5770 I can give you a perfect example. When the first Austin Ambassador style car was manufactured, the old style rubber CV joints kept breaking up and had to be redesigned into the ball bearing joints that we see today. The design team producing the new Princess hatchback replacement worked from the original drawings unaware of the update. During the tool up, all the workers spotted the mistake, but instead of pointing it out, they all laughed and waited for the fireworks. Is it any wonder that the company failed with attitudes between the designers and the shop floor like that. In Germany, they all work together, knowing that everyone's future depends on efficient and error free production.

[@Howlingd0g]

Lovely car, but as soon as I hear "Dolomite" I just think of Rudy Ray Moore!

[@dr.leftfield9566]

Fond memories of triumph. My Sunday school teacher had a ridiculously immaculate yellow toledo and my Dad borrowed a later shaped 2000 in that mid-blue for a few months that everyone thought was an undercover cop car whilst his Ford Capri 3000 went in for surgery.........again.

[@worigami]

Thanks, interesting jump back in time. In the 80's a friend at work had a white Dolomite Sprint which I lusted after. My budget curbed my aspirations and I soon picked up a blue 1850HL. I loved the car except for the rust, as I remember the sills didn't last long and the edges of the roof soon followed.

[@garygriffiths2911]

I once had a beautiful 1850HL automatic that shamelessly pretended to be a more sporty and desirable 'Sprint' model via the fitting of those iconic alloys. I much loved the old girl until the old tin worm eat it. By the way, the 1850 engine was never referred to as a '1900' to the best of my knowledge. That SD2 prototype is surely one of the most hideously styled cars ever to emerge from the dark ages of the British motor industry. Just think - some fool in BL management actually approved that awful design at some stage. One of a series of decisions that methinks go some way towards explaining why BL ceased to exist.

[@1MrBryn]

"I'm not driving a Mini Metro"

[@jdb47games]

No no, it's different. it's called a Rover Metro now.

[@0898007]

They rebadged it you fool.

[@markymark560]

Go on keep talking see what I do.

[@hoffwell]

Tell me about the ladyboys.

[@41708]

This is an excellent video, many thanks. I had a "sprint" it went well enough, it was just 2 years old and low mileage. It blew a head gasket in cornwall on holiday, I got it back home by using pure glycol as coolant. the Head problem was due to corrosion between it being aluminium and the cast iron block, I fixed it and noted that it should only have used 50% glycol as coolant, many garages used 33% alcohol at that time which causes electrolytic corrosion. Then it accelerated well but ran out of steam when accelerating hard for a prolonged period. That problem I eventually found when testing the fuel lift pump it only gave 0.5 psi instead of 3.5 psi, a new pump (£19) cured it and then it was incredible!! I was in Italy in Rimini and the Italians were ecstatic at the sight of it. Then it was stolen from a car park in Leeds, never seen it since. However my previous Marina TC with corsair back springs, telescopic front shock kit and half race MGB motor was as fast, more fun, and handled better. and the SD1 v8 that replaced the sprint was faster over long distances.

[@PhD63]

Loved this video, brought back many happy memories. My first car was a Triumph Herald 13/50 then later a Triumph 1500 and my dad had a Toledo. I remember always hankering after a Stag, luckily I couldn't afford one.....

[@cliveyboyb5770]

I owned a couple of Stags when I was a young lad. Both pretty rough but I still miss them. I still think its one of the most beautiful styled cars.

[@dxutube]

12:54 Lada Samara lookalike

[@owenshebbeare2999]

More the other way around, given the Samara came later, but maybe both were reflections on dodgy bolshevik thinking when it came to design.

[@Decrepit_biker]

Good lord that SD2 looked AWFUL.... THANK GOD that it died before production. How did BL manage to get it so wrong so often 😫

[@thepumpkingking8339]

The SD2 smelled a bit Citroen to me somehow.

[@Decrepit_biker]

@@thepumpkingking8339 it looked like a Citroën if you had never seen a Citroën and had tried to draw one from just someone's description ....

[@ethelred2648]

Reminded me of a Pontiac Aztec.

[@Decrepit_biker]

@@ethelred2648 enough said.... 🤮

[@barrywebber100]

Great history, thanks for posting.

[@chriswilliams5498]

I am lucky enough to have driven an 1850 as a teenager in NZ, loved it, beautiful cloth seats , wood everywhere, that dashboard was the best ever, little leather spoked steering that went up down in and out. And one thing that was missed on this vid was the fact that the 1850 and sprints seats went up and down. So you could get it suit anyone. Also the 1850 came out in 1972. It was streets ahead of anything at the time for the money. And could do the ton. And was quick of the mark. And as I recall was very long legged with its gear ratios.

[@kennyriach]

yes - I owned one as well - frequently used to leave the hoon in their big V8's sitting still at the traffic lights in Newcastle when I was at uni in the late 80's. Easily run it up to 60 kmh in first gear before changing!! Was a car you sit in and drove...nothing I have owned since has come close to the drivability of that car...esp. a 2014 Prado!!!!!

[@rodoherty1]

Another wonderful video! Thank you!

[@jrushen4235]

Your research and presentation are outstanding. Loved it. Thanks.

[@BigCar2]

Glad you liked it!

[@davidpeters6536]

I've seen this story told before and have to say thank you fer a clear and easy to follow explanation. Triumph was a great brand and although it has gone it is only slightly stained by the Acclaim as the last car badged Triumph. In the early '80s I wanted a TR7 Sprint with a tuning pack, alas I bought a flat in North London and got a 2CV. My Dad had a 2000 and when they stopped making them he got a Saab.

[@bondbug73]

My first car was a 1977 Tahiti blue Dolomite Sprint. Had it for ten years until 99. No mechanical problems with the engine or drive train. I had it restored, but it didn't take long to rust. Interior was nice, except the front parcel shelf cardboard made it look tatty and you could see the wires. Fantastic in a straight line. The overdrive was an experience. It was like having six forward gears. Utter crap in snow.

[@markmatrix9287]

Thank you again.

[@vulture3874]

Thank you too for the Toledo references. My grandmother, a tiny woman of about 4'8" used to have one in red before buying a yellow S reg 1500 Dolomite. She still had that when I learned to drive in 1992.

[@ianclare5721]

I learnt to drive in a BSM Triumph Dolomite in 1980, still holds a lot of good memories for me.

[@torgeirbrandsnes1916]

Great vlog as always!

[@PRESTIGEANDCLASSIC]

This was a good one, really enjoyed this :)

[@LMCarneiro]

Great video. Thank you. Very interesting story. Not many Dolomites in Portugal, but their performance is legendary!!

[@Krka1716]

There were quite a few, my father and my uncle have owned Dolomites...

[@davefarrow4351]

Another great video, thank you.

[@decab8292]

Italian styling at its best in my opinion. I owned a 1500HL walnut trim electric overdrive in Carmine red, what a classy looking car back then.