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Dashing Dolly - 1980 Triumph Dolomite 1850 HL
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- čas přidán 12. 08. 2024
- Today, it's a brown Dolomite! I reckon it's the most beautiful saloon car ever to have come out of Britain.
The Dolomite and its contemporary, the Triumph Toledo, replaced the more advanced but less sporting Triumph 1300 and 1500 models, which never hit the heights of their predecessor, the Triumph Herald.
Note: I meant the 2002 tii, not the 2002 Turbo.
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It is so refreshing to see a young person with such passion and no pretension produce such watchable and informative car programs - Thank you!
Thank you for giving us a positive view of a BL product. You are a refreshing change from other motoring journalists
A HUbnut in the making.....
@@tnticesp Thank you. I do not think that is very likely because I do not own a car. My only car was a Citroën C5 1.8. I do have an interesting in motoring history. I think that much of the denigration of BL is right wing political propaganda (anti public ownership and anti trades unionism) and nothing to do with the cars themselves.
@@adampowell5376 No... I meant twin Cam
@@tnticesp Twin Cam is very talented. As far as I know HubNut has a higher skills level because he restores cars in addition to his reviews. As far as I know, Twin Cam does not restore cars.
@@adampowell5376 I would hardly describe Ian as a restorer of cars. I doubt he sees himself as that either ....
This brings back wonderful memories! I had a 1980 Triumph Dolomite 1500 SE, which was a special edition towards the end of production available only in black. Like this car, it had the wheels from a Dolomite Sprint, and had been converted to look a bit more like the upper models (1500 HL, 1850 HL and Sprint) with a four headlamp conversion, which was standard on this 1850 HL, of course. Absolutely brilliant to see this car on your channel, Ed, thank you!
Triumphs, in my opinion, were always such GREAT LOOKERS!!!!!!!!
Dolomites, Toledo, 2000, Herald, Vitesse and the GORGEOUS Stag!
Looking at this fab Dolomite ; just what red-blooded bloke *wouldn't* have wanted to be seen in one of these?
A family car that can at the same time give you street cred.
I really enjoyed your introduction of the Dolomite - looks like the British version of the Alfa Romeo Giulia.
Greets from Germany
As a 5 year old travelling on one of these, I used to be transfixed by the dashboard, and even now the warning dials in the middle still amaze with wonderment!
Drove a Saab 99 for a few years. Dashboard looks quite similar as this one. It was almost nostalgic for me to see this dashboard design. It is very handsome.
Had a Sprint in the 80's. Wish I still had it. What a car !!
I had an M reg white Sprint. In 1976
Great car. Fast for it's day and nice interior.
Thank you for that video, you are rapidly becoming the best UK classic car channel on CZcams. I had a 1500TC back in the day and the exterior was virtually indistinguishable from a Dolly, I put the alloys, the sprint spoiler, laurel leaf decal on the bonnet and it looked the business. The 1500TC was front wheel drive and has a few issues with corrosion... like the subframe mountings disintegrating. I recall you could tell a Dolly from the back by the exhaust that always looked like it was about to fall off, I see this one has been modified. I think I paid about 150 quid for it and drove it for over a year before swapping it with a mate at work for a Suzuki GSX550E motorbike. I also owned a Toledo which I think was a very much underrated car.
I feel I need to expand on my statement that "you are rapidly becoming the best UK classic car channel on CZcams". Obviously there are channels like Harrys Garage that are great and in a totally different class, however for me the fantastic thing about CZcams is that enables the likes of Twin-cam to put stuff out there and compete on virtually zero budget and instead rely on enthusiasm and show that you have really done your homework on the subject.
I had a green 1850 with a tan interior and tinted windows, the English Alfa Giulia, with overdrive and I bought a set of Sprint wheels for it, then a guy came to me and kept nagging to buy it of me, eventually I sold it to him and he has still kept it to this day.
Still remember the akward positioned water pump on the RH side of the engine.
It was one of the first cars that had plastic inner front wings to prevent corrosion
Learned to drive in a Triumph Dolomite (1300) back in early '81. I then, upon passing my test, bought a second hand Triumph 2.5PI. Skinned me alive running it as a 19 year old apprentice, so didn't have it long however I absolutely loved her. A 2.5ltre straight six engine that sounded gorgeous, wood finish and that overdrive switch...lush.
Love your channel and nice to see such a young fella presenting so eloquently and enthusiastically about all the cars our generation grew up with/drove. Keep up the good work.
Thanks mate ☺️
I do love a 2000. Fabulous things, though I prefer the petite-ness of the Dolomite!
This video was a long time ago now, and I can confirm that my newer stuff is much better 🤣
Pretty car even by today's standard.
they were a stunning design for the time , still look cracking today
My first car was a 1967 triumph 1300 front wheel drive. Loved that car, I often think about her, my wife started to get jealous. Never felt like that with a car since.
I think these are absolutely gorgeous when I saw one for the first time in that Top Gear BL episode, this one is even better looking.
Thank you for the memories. My first ever car was a 1973 Dolomite 1850hl, I've had many cars since but nothing that comes close. It was a beautiful maroon and black version, what a car.
Thanks John :)
I was just talking to a mate I have not seen for years, we joked about racing our cars when we were teenagers,
and his twin cam Triumph always stuck in my mind all these years, lucky to have these years as we took some risks
on the road....those were the days of youth :)
I had my first Dolly when I was 17. A Pageant Blue 1500HL. Some 16 Dollies and 31 Years later, I'm on the verge of buying myself a 1975 Sprint. My favourite car and your enthusiasm for this beautiful machine is heartwarming 😁. Good on you chap!
Thanks mate ☺️
Thanks for another great review.
I have to say, the Dolomite has really neat styling!
Love the dash!
Bri-nylon seats 😁
Great review, many thanks for posting.
I must take you up on the idea that a 4 speed plus overdrive was an inferior option over a five speed only box. I had the pleasure of owning a well used Sprint and the 4 plus overdrive was a great configuration. This was so because overdrive was operational on both third and fourth. This resulted in, basically, a six speed box!
If you were feeling 'sporty' 3rd and overdrive was the way to go, fourth being irrelevant on anything but the straight bits!
Also, I believe that the tail pipe on the Sprint was a duel outlet affair...
Nice video review, good to see the dashboard instruments and dials close up.
The Dolomite was always a great looking car, Vanguard/Lledo made a diecast model of the Dolomite, yellow with black roof, with nice detailing I still have this displayed.
In Series one of the Professionals, made in 1977, Bodie and Doyle had a white Dolomite, reg POK 79R, shows still as taxed.
that brown was an awesome colour it was deep rich and classy
Lovely video! What a shame you can't get insurance to drive it. My Dad got this exact model in British Racing Green not long after I passed my test and it obviously wasn't much to add the 18 year old me to his policy. He always said it was the best car he ever owned, and it is still one of the nicest I ever drove. Spot on about the seats being super comfortable, lovely to see your closeups of the dash, and overdrive - very cool superboost and worked in 3rd and 4th.
I hadn't even thought about these for years, but this review got me searching the classics to see how much they cost! Great review and thanks for posting.
You’re very natural and ooze motoring passion. Very informative and well presented. Keep going. Thank you.
Thanks mate :)
Happy Days - passed my test first time with a 1500, in 1980 in this colour.
Haha 😎 Passed mine in 86 in a 1500 HL 😊 what a car.
We had one of these new in 1976 in Australia. On gravel roads we had to drive with one wheel on he centre of the road and one wheel on the side. Sometimes we gave up and it just let the front spoiler scrap . These were such good cars and I agree that they are among the best looking sedans ever.
You have got good taste, young man.
Great to see young people taking interest in older cars and not just Ferrari`s etc.....this car was a true classic .....take this car to Arnage town ( near Le mans ) on race weekend and I promise you a standing ovation .
I love your videos
A normal person reviewing normal cars, and it’s clear you know your stuff.
Real interesting and I hope you carry on
Stunning car. A friend had a dolly sprint which was both beautiful and very quick. keep these great vids coming.
Had exactly the same car in the same colour in 1987. Brought back so many memories, it was like I was sitting in the drivers seat again!
I also had a Triumph 1300TC as my first cat and a few years later a Toledo. All really reliable good cars.
Good video keep it up 👍
The overdrive wasn't 'stupid'. It enabled the use of a 4 speed box with a electrically selectable ratio on the back of the gearbox. The overdrive worked in 3rd and 4th. Effectively giving six ratios. The provision of an overdrive reduced stresses in the main 4 speed gearbox by keeping the speed up, and torque down. This meant that the 4 speed box didn't have to be redesigned to achieve a longer overall ratio and better economy. Most importantly. It's way cool to have a switch on your gearstick.
That brings back happy memories, I passed my driving test in one of those, back in 1979 (Triumph Dolomite Sprint). I seem to remember that only the Sprints had those wheels. My uncle had the same wheels, on his Stag; which was the same colour brown.
My driving instructor was a Rastafarian; and quite often, we’d pick his mates up along the way 😂
Passed first time too.
I don't know where you find all this stuff - I haven't even seen most of these cars on the other channels! Keep up the good work mate! 👍🏻 The colour is "Russet Brown" by the way.
''The children are smoking slightly less than the adults?'' What a statement haha
I'd love to get a Dolly Sprint one day. I've got a GT6 though, one of my dream cars.
I had an S reg one of these in yellow with a brown vinyl roof (NOT a Sprint) and matching brown corduroy upholstery. The chrome trim inside and out always seemed like it was about to fall off. The car was bought off an elderly lady whose husband had died, and the car only had 35k on the clock despite being ten years old, and it looked immaculate. When I mentioned my new purchase to my mechanic he told me to get shot asap. The overdrive used to jump out on the motorway and the only thing fast about it was the clock, which could gain several minutes an hour. I later discovered that the doors were mostly filler though it had been done very professionally. I took my mechanic's advice and sold it after 3 months. It definitely wasn't mega. I bought a Renault 4 and felt like I'd suddenly become 20 years younger. The Renault WAS mega, and amazingly nearly as fast as the Dolomite.
Hi. I'm new to your channel, and am motoring through cars of my time with great pleasure. Your narrative and knowledge are unbelievable.
As a teenager in the late 70s, I collected brochures, including those for cars. Seeing some here I definitely had. How I wish they hadn't been thrown out when I wasn't looking. Next-door in the early 70s had a Herald, which he traded for a 1300.
Early 80s and I was a regular front and rear seat passenger in a 1978 racing green sprint. Its owner got 100 out of it on the M56 one Sunday evening.
Thanks again and keep them coming.
Aww thanks Simon, that’s very kind ☺️
I remember my father having a burgundy/maroon 1978 T registration Dolomite 1300 as a customer courtesy car at his car repair business. I loved that car. Gutted I never got to drive it.
I agree that these are some of the best looking BL saloons. I don't think the Dolomite was ever exported to the US or at least I have never heard of these showing up here.
Please do a video one day of the Dolomite Sprint. I would love to hear the exhaust note and know more about those cars too.
Always loved the Dolomite - so much more attractive than the early sibling 1300s and Toledos. It's as if the Dolomite is what the Toledo aspired to be. In the 70s I always hoped that I'd be able to have a Dolomite when I grew up. And, like others, I was fascinated by the 'Dairylea cheeses' warning light cluster; such a great design feature. I knew an elderly person who owned a bright red Sprint in the late 70s...never went more than 30mph in it. You'd sit there in the back willing him to put his foot down! It even had Dunlop Denovo tyres - quite a talking point back then. Great vid on a great British classic.
Absolutely agree with you, always been one of my favourite looking cars, EVER
Took driving lessons in a Dolly - it was bright yellow with a black vinyl roof,enjoyed driving it,nice smooth gear change,plenty of power,great to see one again in your review - thankyou.
Thanks David ☺️
What a beautiful car! Sounds just like my ‘83 SAAB when it’s running but looks less dated.
Nice. The Sprint was pretty damn quick in it's day, very heavy steering though (wide tyres, no assistance). Triumph were going for the more up market buyer hence all the wood and stuff. Real shame the BL troubles meant the build quality was mostly junk. Ho hum. Try and find a 2000/2500. They were very much a Rover rival.
brilliant nice to see someone has looked after this great car
another cracking review from this fine young gentlemen. i am wondering twincam, would you consider reviewing a Tiger Avenger in yellow and black? that was also a lovely car. I had that Dolomite brochure as a youth along with an entire collection including the Jaguar XJS with tracing paper as every other sheet. when I left home for college my dear mother threw the lot out. yes, i know
I remember getting in one when as a kid I was born n the 70s and I remember the seats being well soft and comfy good looking motor
Great detailed video ! - Very nice car which is a masterpiece and a true 1970's icon ! 10/10 !!
My elder bro had one best car he has owned.
One of the best cars of the 70's.
I have 2 cars that I’ve always wanted to own one is the SD1 Vanden Plas 3500 and the other is a Dolomite Sprint. Love how you manage to find such brilliant cars. Keep up the great content 👍🏻😊
Quarter light openings. Brilliant. If you were a smoker you opened the quarter light and because the car’s forward motion created a draught along the car you could just hold your ciggie by the open quarter light and the smoke and ash would be drawn out.
Another advantage was that if you’d locked your keys inside the car, the quarter light was fairly easy to force open and then reach in to open the door.
I had mine stolen after the quarter light was forced!
I had a 78 1500HL in red, wish I still had it. The car was used in a documentary/film called operation Julie, when it was owned by the previous owner.
Thanks for the memories of when cars had style and character.
That blue 1850HL in the brochure is fooking stunning, I would love that exact car!
Always loved Triumph Dolomites, and older Triumphs, like the TR4 and TR6. Proper British cars to rival anything that was produced on the continent.
The "Dolly's" were one of the best, and definitely one of the most handsome cars to come out of BL. But the Jaguar XJS and the Rover P5 and SD1 are my all time favourite cars from the BMC group. Such a shame it all went wrong.
I had one in 86 as my first car. Loved it
You brought back so many happy (and some not so happy) memories of my 1972 Emerald Green Dolomite - no such thing as an 1850HL then. I loved it and hated it in equal measure. When it was running it was superb. When it wasn't, it was a b*st*rd. I would love to have another drive of one, but I wouldn't want to own one. Thank you.
Starting the engine brought back to me memories of this much underrated car
I recognize that Dolly. I came across it about 10 years ago. I'm glad that Ben still has it and has looked after it. You've got your facts right but you didn't mention that it was designed by Giovanni Michelotti who designed most of the Triumph cars of that era. Notable exceptions are the TR6 (Karmann), TR7/TR8 (Harris Mann who also desinged the Princess & Allegro) and the Acclaim (Honda design). The upholstery is a tan bri nylon fabric. There are different types of poly bushes. I wonder if Ben used the orange Polybush bushes which are harder than rubber. I've rebushed the front end of my own Dolomite (an early 1850 auto) with SuperFlex bushes which are not much harder than rubber so you get the best of both worlds. The Triumph Dolomite Club is the best club for keeping these cars on the road and I noticed the club sticker in the windscreen.
For the TR6 Karmann just changed the front and rear design. The rest was still Michelotti.
Fantastic review, takes me back to the one I had, although even back then it wasnt in such good nick. I always wanted the Dolomite Sprint so cant wait to see a review of this if you do one. Well done mate !
As a young lad this was my dream car and i still love it now, we had a well to do neighbour who had a white Dolomite Sprint with a four set of Cibe Oscars and Porsche Martini racing stripes maybe not correct but in the day it was mega, i seem to remember some sort of after market front bucket seats with multi point harness.
Well you've done it again. Great video. I remember as a young lad a trip from Bewdley to Tamworth in a yellow "dolly" sprint, driven or "piloted" by my mates mom. She was quite a driver and managed to ring out every ounce of speed and exploit the handling of the sprint. At one point hitting 120mph (probably optimistic) on the Speedo. Cousin had a modified 1850 that twitched when you blipped the throttle. Probably due to worn engine mountings. You're right about the styling though. Keep em coming ..it's great having a wander down memory lane.
Thanks Terry ☺️
I had one - inca yellow with full length sun roof! To this day still my fave former motor.
Excellent video thank you. Quite familiar with these cars as I used to work for a BL garage back in the 80s we used to get them ad trade ins. My mate had 2 back then an 1850 HL then the Sprint he loved them both. I used to find the ride a bit bouncy to be honest the the shocks were probably gone haha. I have that brochure too.
I had an Allegro back in the early 90s russet brown. I used to kid people it was Bronze 😉.
Great work.👍
You are absolutely right - I had a Triumph Dolomite 1500 SE in black
beautiful car but unfortunately I wrote it off. The engine however may still be going and was in Southampton.
I still have the front passenger seat in my loft - grey velour colour
My parents had a white 1850 similar to this. I have a few vague memories of it. They got rid of it in around 1991 when I would have been 3 years old, hence the very vague memories. The most vivid of which was me sitting in the drivers seat, with the huge ( at least it appeared to be) steering wheel in front of me.
"The children are smoking slightly less than the adults" BRILLIANT! lol
Brings back some good memories, my dad owned a Dolomite *SE* from new in 1979 ( XRV 224V ), Black with silver stripe down the sides, grey velour interior, it had a few extras like walnut trims & twin carbs. It looked really smart but the gear change was very rough. My dad sold it after 4 years & bought an Austin Maxi which he kept for 27 years! This was sold in 2011 when he gave up driving. The Vermillion red Maxi ( HRU 398 V) is still on the road, I recently saw a photo of it on a classic car forum.
I owned one of these in the mid to late eighties, bought is as damaged repairable, rear end shunt, I made it roadworthy but not pretty and used it as a cheap hack. A very nice car to drive, the 1850 had good low down torque, it was very driveable.
Trying to balance the rubber mounted carbs was a nightmare, the outer throttle cable was mounted on the engine the inner cable was connected to the carbs, when the throttle pedal was depressed, the wobbly carbs moved slightly relative to each other thus throwing them out of balance as there was a solid fixed linkage between them, not a good feature.
Overheating was a problem, until replacement of the clogged radiator, probably caused by bad maintenance of previous owners.
Nice car, wish I still had it!
Love the Dolomite. Nice video. Just to increase your love, the reason you have an overdrive rather than a fifth gear is, overdrive having its own flywheel is more economical. That’s why the revs drop off by about 800rpm when you switch it in. I had it on my beloved 1963 Mk1 Humber Sceptre.
Love your channel. Well done, keep it up!
Thanks Steve ☺️
Remember these cars very well they were one of the must have cars back in the day they were quick 👍🏻
Great review as always Ed. This brings back memories of my Uncle's Dolomite Sprint in Magenta, now that was a colour! Personally I think they look stunning in white, it really compliments the black vinyl pillars/roof and rear panel 👍
Lovely example of the marque. Great review. Lovely car. 👍
I had the Dolly 1500HL. I use to drive to and from college in. Reg FUB 512T. Loved it.
Great video, they are gorgeous cars and led the way for the BMW 3 series and that class of car.
I had a 1979 1850HL in the mid 80s in exactly those colours, but it was a plain 4 speed that didn't really need overdrive because of a geared up back axle.
As shown in the brochure the 1850 HL always had the Sprint type front air dam / chin spoiler, certainly from when it changed from the original Dolomite (1850 only) which had nice chrome hubcaps instead of the later plastic discs.
I put a gold TR7 laurel leaf sticker on the bonnet of mine and some wider TR7 steel wheels instead of sprint alloys.
Shame you didn't comment on the special Triumph sound when you close the bootlid !
It was a pleasure to polish all that chrome on cars back then and see it all sparkle in the sunlight - unlike the modern cars of today thats coverd with wall to wall plastic.
Always liked those. A real cut above the Fords and Vauxhall's
I love Dollies and especially the larger-engined models and agree they are very good looking, but still think the XJ6 is the best looking British saloon. Great series of vids - thank you.
This is exactly the same Dolomite that I owned; it's even the same (Brasil?) brown shade as my old Dolly. I wish I'd looked after it as well as the one you're showing.
Excellent presentation.
My fav is the yellow Sprint, simply beautiful. Cars from that era had soul and character unlike today's euro box's. I can remember my dad's lovely Triumph 2000 in that very same brown and you are correct about the rear ash trays as when I was 10 my father would only let me smoke 10 Regal a day..... Ahhh the good old days where cars looked like a proper car and women weren't ashamed of their mustaches.
Right....... Bar keep.... I'll have a pint of bitter, a canny bag of crisps and 15 pickles eggs please..... By ekk.....
Ps...... Brilliant video young man..... Well done.
The warning light cluster was called 'all systems go'. My first car was a '76 1500HL. Mates had Escorts and Chevettes, but the Dolly was much more special. Thanks for the excellent video and stirring a few memories. If you like the Dolly, you'll love the 2000/2500/2.5
Mine too, in Inca yellow.
I had quite a few 2000's and 2.5's.from bog standard to a fully tuned 2.5PI running about 180bhp.The Triumph straight six engine is a lovely smooth motor with plenty of torque.
Nice video. I owned a Triumph 1500 which was the immediate predessor of the Dolomite and the first to have the twin headlamps. Styling of the 1500 and the inside was very similar to the Dolomite and I was often accused of owning a Dolomite. The main difference (maybe the only difference) was that the 1500 was front wheel drive.
Excellent video. I had an 1850 Automatic back in the mid 80’s in Honeysuckle :)
My first car after passing my test was a 1979 Dolly Sprint and I loved it (even though it was very rough!) I would love another.
dandandan389 imagine the equivalent today, regarding insurance?
My Dad had Dolomites as his first two company cars. Beautiful cars; he absolutely loved them and was very disappointed when the range ceased. Unfortunately i never got to drive them (I was learning in a Triumph Toledo at the time) but as a passenger I do remember the cool dashboard warning light cluster. A strong model line-up in the 70's, such a shame that inept management and union militants turned Triumph into Disaster.
Really enjoying catching up on your videos, Ed.
Thanks Dave
I had one.
My wife helped me tune the carbs; she had a father who was a Spitfire mechanic so she learnt a lot from him. I then took it down the M27 and got dun for speeding. Mine was white with a vinyl-roof.
Agreed. Could have been a world beater - if it hasn’t been plagued by BL.
A mate of mines dad had a dolomite sprint in red when i was a kid nice car, he swopped it for a metallic red granada 2.8 ghia exactly the same as the one george the cow cowley drove in the professionals, They fit an overdrive when there's no room for a five speed box it works on 3rd & fourth not just top
Id have a late 70's mini clubman in russet brown tomorrow gorgeous colour , keep up the good work in finding these gems
It's not really anything to do with packaging, and all to do with technology. They only started fitting overdrives because they didn't want to develop a new gearbox to stay competitive while manufacturers started to bring out 5-speed 'boxes.
They had their place back in the day while the industry started to switch to 5-speeds, but there's a reason they don't exist anymore.
@@TwinCam sorry i beg to differ there, alot of vehicles wouldn't have taken a 5 speed box without re designing the transmission tunnel but they could easily fasten an over drive on the end of it was normal practice in the 70's when this car was designed most cars were still only 4 speed with no overdrive option 5 speed didn't become the norm in average cars till the mid 80's no which i would choose
That’s the reason. It was easy. It worked well, but on a high-spec Triumph it’s a bit mean by 1980 to only be offering a 4-speed.
i remember the top gear episode where hammond showed up in one of these, i was like: holdup, why does it look so damn good!?
My dad sold these. In 1976 we went on holiday in a brand new one in pimento red. It was only run in by the time we came back and really started to show its performance. Dad then sold it to a farmer who used it to carry sheep in the back seat!
Great video and fantastic car, but i have to correct on one point. All 1850HL's came with the front spoiler, not just the last ones.
If you want to look cool you drive one of these.
Awesome car.
Great video presentation, too.
Good to see a Dolly again! I had a 1300 which was a sound car but slow and a bit boring but upgraded to a white 1850HL with a black vinyl roof and full length sunroof. A lovely car, went well, had character I guess compared to today’s offerings. The twin SU’s were forever needing replacement rubber mountings otherwise it ran like a dog! It was fast for the day, but not Sprint fast, (always an aspiration but never achieved). The wood dash, various dials such as volts, temp and fuel along with the circular warning light dial made it something special in my eye.
Thank you for all your positive comments about the Triumph Dolomite which has been somewhat forgotten and perhaps lost in the wild variety of BMC cars of the day. At that time I found myself entitled to a company car - the suggested one was the Ford Granada, but I wanted an Alfa Romeo. That was not allowed as it was "foreign" - remember those days? I compromised on the Dolomite Sprint in dark blue. It was a lovely car, neat, unpretentious and fast. The handling was not quite as good as my old Lotus Cortina (which was eminently "throwable") but was way ahead of others on the road. My regular runs from London to my parents in Aberdeen was sufficiently fast that Mum got upset when she learnt how to calculate average speeds. In those days speed cameras had not been invented and the 70 mph speed limit was looked on as somewhat optional.
I think the Dolomite, some of its Triumph contemporaries, and some of the brilliant cars BL did occasionally produce get lost in the midst of BL-bashing and the fact that these companies don't exist anymore. That does a lot to future interest of younger car enthusiasts. Anyway, the Dolomite is a fabulous looking car. A proper sporting saloon. However, you mentioned Alfa Romeo. It would be very hard for me to choose between a Dolomite and a Giulia.
Your not wrong about it being one good looking car and in that fetching shade of brown it really is a belter 😲😍👍
Love Russet Brown!
Probably the best colour for a Dolly. Or maybe white 🤔
the Dolomite sprint was the car i used to drool over at the dealership in the late 70's , still looks the dogs bollocks today , the chap who owned the dealership let us sit in them on our way home from school and gave us those brochures ( future buyers) , what a great car eh :)
I had an 1850HL (RLK 126R) as a daily driver around 2013 or so, was competitive with modern traffic, very comfortable and surprisingly economical (35-40mpg on a run) but the rust got the better of it in the end...
In America we call quarter lights "smoker windows." They were popular back when cars were less likely to have A/C. I remember that the Lincoln Town Cars stopped having them with the '90 redesign. Beautiful redesign and was the last favorably designed Town Car IMO. But to the point I think some cars have got smoker cars now, but mostly for a fake aesthetic. It'd be interesting to see to what extent they could revive them in a modern format. Also it looks like those ashtrays in the front would not catch all the ash. I LOVE the real wood trim on the doors and dash. It's beautiful, even if small.
Splendid report young man....Dolomite family since ‘71....1500FWD, 1850HL, and 2 Sprints ...
Simulated leather - love it!