There are a few classic cars you get used to seeing in the 2020s. Even with numbers a fraction of what they were in the 20th century, their popularity and historical significance make for plenty of survivors. You know the type: Capris, Escorts, Cortinas, the odd Vauxhall and Rover. The classic British sports cars too, of course, from Austin Healey, Jaguar, MG and the like.
Even the odd Triumph roadster has remained, thanks to a dogged determination to keep Stags going and the fact that a lot of TRs remain very pretty little drop tops. People are even paying tens of thousands to restore TR7s, so those that are left seem safe. More than 40 years since the name was retired, you’d imagine that those Triumphs remaining will be lovingly cared for. They’ve made it this far, after all…
The Dolomite Sprint, however, has for a long time been one of those old Triumphs you just never, ever see. The sports cars are inevitably the more evocative, romantic choice for a garaged classic, though even allowing for that the 16-valve Dolly has become seldom seen to the point of invisible. You’d do well to see one even at a classic show. Whereas Escorts and the like will be everywhere.
The Sprint, as you likely well know, was introduced to give the rather sluggish standard Dolomite some much-needed pep to take on the fast Fords. A 16-valve (but single-cam) cylinder head for the slant four, with a capacity increase and some input from Coventry Climax engineers, meant 130hp at almost 6,000rpm - finally making a proper sports saloon out of the Dolly. At the time an RS2000 was making 110hp or so; 16 valves and 2.0-litres put the Triumph at BMW 2002tii levels of power.
Don’t forget, too, that the Sprint earned some competition pedigree, winning the British Saloon Car Championship in 1975 (with Andy Rouse driving, no less). By all accounts, it was a smart handling little car, too, and the manual gearbox really brought the best from the engine. Little surprise that more than 20,000 found homes in the '70s - it makes the tiny amount left even more shocking.
But this survivor, a late 1980 car with just 43,000 miles, must be one of the best. So many will have succumbed to corrosion over the years (or overenthusiastically driven into solid objects), yet here we have a Dolly Sprint that’s managed to make it through 45 years unscathed. Better than unscathed, in fact, because the advert suggests it’s been subjected to a recent and extensive restoration. Certainly it looks absolutely fabulous, with gleaming paintwork and a museum-grade interior. Those unmistakable alloys are in superb condition as well. It all points to an awful lot of time spent and love invested, which would explain the £30k asking price. But just think what a comparable RS2000 might cost…
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