The popular Triumph Dolomite small car was produced by the British Leyland Corporation's Triumph Motor Company division in Canley, Coventry, between October 1972 and August 1980.

Dolomite was the final addition to the Triumph range of small cars (codenamed "Project Ajax"), which started in 1965 with the Triumph 1300. Designed to be a replacement for the rear-wheel drive Triumph Herald,  the 1300 was originally equipped with a 1,296 cc (79 in) engine and front wheel drive. The later model, introduced in September 1970 as the Triumph 1500, featured a remodeled front and rear, styled by Michelotti, and a larger 1,493 cc (91 cubic foot) engine.

Triumph was, however, dissatisfied with the performance of the 1300 market; although it was moderately successful, the higher price and greater complexity meant that sales never reached the levels of the simplest and cheapest Herald that preceded it. In an attempt to improve things, the car was extensively redesigned. Launched in September 1970, the Triumph Toledo was a cheaper and basic version of the 1300, but with conventional rear-wheel drive. This new model was assembled alongside the front-wheel drive version now of larger engines (the Triumph 1500) which was launched at the same time as the Toledo.

Although Dolomite was refined and fast, competitors like BMW 2002 had a performance advantage that cost Triumph dearly, both in terms of sales and prestige. To remedy this, Triumph launched the Dolomite Sprint in June 1973, although the launch was delayed for a year; should be on sale in 1972.

A team of engineers led by Spen King developed a 16-valve cylinder head with all valves being driven using a single camshaft instead of the more conventional DOHC arrangement. Capacity has also been increased to 1,998 cc (122 cubic feet) and, combined with larger carburetors, production has been increased to 165 Nm (4.5 lbf) and 127hp (95 kW) at 5,700 rpm. This represented a significant increase in power over the smaller 1850cc variant, however, it fell short of the original goal of 135 hp (101 kW).



Although BL engineers were able to extract a reliable 150 bhp (112 kW) from the test engines, the production line was unable to build the engines to the same level of quality, producing 125 bhp (93 kW) at 130 cv (97 kW). This led to the designation of the original model, the Dolomite 135, to be replaced in the short term by the name of Sprint.

As a result of using this engine, the Dolomite Sprint was claimed to be "the first mass-produced multivalve car". While other multivalve engines (especially the Lotus 907) were produced in volume, they were not used in mass production vehicles until after the introduction of the Dolomite Sprint. The cylinder head design won a British Design Council award in 1974. Performance was excellent, with 0–60 mph taking about 8.4 seconds, with a top speed of 119 mph (192 km / h). Trim was similar to that of 1850, with the addition of standard alloy wheels (another first for a British production car), a vinyl roof, front spoiler, twin exhaust and lowered suspension. The seats were now made of cloth in 1850, and these were also adjusted to the Sprint.

Due to the increased power brought about by the new engine, the rest of the drive line has been upgraded to withstand the extra torque. The gearbox and differential have been replaced by a version of those fitted to the TR and 2000 cars, albeit with a gear ratio close to the gearbox. The brakes have been updated with new padding materials at the front and the installation of larger drums and a load sensing valve at the rear. Other changes to the Dolomite standard included the option of a limited slip differential. The optional overdrive and automatic transmissions for the 1850 model were also offered as options on the Sprint. Initial models were offered only in "mimosa yellow", although other colors were available from 1974.

At its launch, the Sprint cost 1,740 pounds, which compares extremely well to similar cars from other manufacturers. The press gave Dolomite Sprint an enthusiastic welcome. Motor summed up his road test (subtitled "Britain is leading the way") with brilliant praise:

... the Sprint must be the answer to many people's prayers. It is well equipped, compact, but deceptively spacious. Performance is there in abundance, but the economy is good and the model's manners are impeccable ... Most importantly, it is a tremendously satisfying car to drive.

A press release dated May 1973, from the Public Relations department of BL, states: "To recognize performance

The Triumph Spitfire is a small British two-seater sports car, presented at the London Motor Show in 1962. 

 The vehicle was based on a project produced by Standard-Triumph in 1957 by Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti. The car was largely based on the chassis of the Triumph Herald saloon, but shortened and without the stabilizer sections of the Herald. The Herald's landing gear and standard SC engine were also transported. Spitfire was manufactured in the works of Standard-Triumph in Canley, Coventry.

The body was mounted on a separate structural chassis, but for the open-top Spitfire convertible the stiffness of the backbone chassis was increased by the use of structural components within the body, with the rear arms being attached to the body instead of the chassis. The Spitfire was supplied with a manual soft-top for protection against the weather, improving the design for a folding hood for later models. Rigid drums manufactured at the factory were also available.

Origins

The Triumph Spitfire was originally created by Standard-Triumph to compete in the small sports car market that opened with the introduction of the Austin-Healey Sprite. The Sprite had used the Austin A30 / A35's basic drive train in a lightweight body to make a cheap sports car; Triumph's idea was to use the mechanics of its small salon, the Herald, to support the new project, which made the vehicle a classic parts compartment. The triumph had an advantage, however; where the Austin A30 range was of unitary construction, the Herald featured a separate chassis. It was Triumph's intention to cut the chassis and apply it to a sports body, saving the cost of developing a completely new chassis unit.

Italian designer Michelotti - who had already designed the Herald - was hired for the new project, and came up with a traditional body. Wind-up windows were provided (in contrast to Sprite and Midget, which still featured side screens, also called curtains, at that time), as well as a single-piece front that tilted forward to provide easy access to the engine. In the early 1960s, however, Standard-Triumph was in serious financial trouble and unable to put the new car into production; It wasn't until the company was acquired by the Leyland organization that the funds became available and the car was launched. Leyland officials, evaluating their new acquisition, found Michelotti's prototype hidden under a sheet of dust in a corner of the factory and quickly approved it for production.

Spitfire was named to honor the WWII fighter plane of the same name.

Spitfire 4 or Mark I (1962–64) The production car changed little from the prototype, although the full-width rear bumper was dropped in favor of two curved partial bumpers on each corner, with overriders. The mechanics were basically from an arsenal of actions with the notable addition of front disc brakes. The engine was a four-cylinder 1,147 cc (70.0 in.), With OHV pushrod cylinder head and two valves per cylinder, smoothly adjusted for the Spitfire, powered by two SU carburetors. Also from the Herald came the front and pinion suspension and front suspension with coil and thorn, courtesy of the former company Alford & Alder that had been acquired by Standard-Triumph in 1959. At the rear there was a single cross-leaf balance axle arrangement . . This turned out to be the most controversial part of the car: it was known to "bend" and cause violent oversteer if driven too hard, even in the Herald. In the sportier Spitfire (and later the six-cylinder Triumph GT6 and the Triumph Vitesse), this led to severe criticism.

Known fixes for this include things like camber compensators (essentially a single spring suspended under the vertical links), or simply getting more negative camber on the rear wheels can help handling become more manageable. The body was locked in a heavily modified Herald chassis, the outer rails and rear stabilizers were removed; little of the Herald's original chassis design was left, and Spitfire used structural exterior sills to harden its structure.

The Spitfire was a small, low-cost sports car and as such had a very basic finish by today's standards, including rubber mats and a large plastic steering wheel. However, it was considered quite comfortable, as it had folding windows and external locks, as well as relatively complete instrumentation. These first cars were referred to as "Triumph Spitfire Mark Is" and "Spitfire 4s", different from the Spitfire Mark IV. The name "Spitfire 4" indicated the possibility of the appearance of a six cylinder version

 

The Triumph TR5 is a sports car built by the Triumph Motor Company in Coventry, England, between August 1967 and September 1968.

Visually similar to the TR4 (also styled by Michelotti),

 the TR5 roadster sported Triumph's much more powerful 2.5-litre straight-6, fitted with Lucas mechanical fuel-injection and producing 150 bhp (110 kW). Price pressures and tighter emissions standards in the U.S. resulted in a much less powerful carburetted version, the TR250, being sold on the North American market.

At the time, fuel injection was uncommon in road cars. Triumph claimed in their sales brochure that it was the "First British production sports car with petrol injection".

TR5
Standard equipment included front disc brakes, independent rear suspension, rack and pinion steering and a four speed gearbox. Optional extras included overdrive and wire wheels. In 1968 the basic price of the TR5 in the UK was £1,260 including taxes, with wire wheels being another £38, overdrive £60 and a tonneau cover another £13.

The TR5 was available with the "Surrey Top" hard top, a weather protection system with rigid rear section including the rear window and removable fabric section over the driver and passenger's heads.

A curious feature of the TR5/Lucas petrol injection system was the very frequent occurrence of an intermittent power failure when the fuel tank was no more than a quarter full. In order to provide fresh fuel at the distributor, free from overheating/soak, unused fuel was returned to the tank where it entered very close to the high pressure fuel pump. When the fuel level fell below critical (about 3 gallons), sloshing would cause the pump to pick up a slightly aerated mixture which was sent to the fuel distributor. Unused fuel (still aerated) then passed back to the tank and was discharged close to the pump, a proportion of it being picked up and recycled to the distributor. As this cycle was repeated, gradually the volume of air in the pumped fuel reached a level where it began to affect the running of the engine. Adding as little as one gallon to the tank seemed to cure the problem. The similarly engineered contemporary saloon overcame this problem with a petrol tank specially designed for the fuel injected model. This incorporated an anti-slosh cup to ensure that the fuel outlet remained covered with fuel when the tank level was low.

The Triumph GT6 is a 6-cylinder sports coupé built by Standard-Triumph, based on their popular Triumph Spitfire convertible. Production ran from 1966 to 1973.

Development history

In early 1963 Giovanni Michelotti was commissioned by Standard-Triumph to design a GT version of their recently introduced Spitfire 4 (also designed by Michelotti).[1] An unmodified Spitfire 4 was delivered to Michelotti's design studios in Italy and late in 1963 the prototype Spitfire GT4 was returned to England for evaluation. The styling of the vehicle was a success but the extra weight of the GT bodyshell resulted in extremely poor performance from the Spitfire's 1,147 cc (70 cu in) Standard SC engine, and plans for producing the Spitfire GT4 were shelved.

Michelotti's fastback design for the Spitfire GT4 prototype was adopted by the Triumph racing programme for the 1964 season, as it was deemed to provide an aerodynamic benefit over the standard Spitfire body shape. Fibreglass copies of the Spitfire GT4's fastback were grafted on to the race-modified Spitfires destined for competition. The Spitfire racing programme was successful,[1] and in 1965 resulted in 13th overall and a 1st in class at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans (beating their main rivals, the MG Midgets). The Spitfire's competitive success and the continuing commercial success of the production vehicle led Triumph to re-evaluate its shelved plans for a GT version of the Spitfire. To overcome the lack of performance inherent in the heavier body style the Spitfire's 4-cylinder engine was replaced with the more powerful 2-litre (1998 cc) Triumph inline 6 originally derived from the SC and then in use in the Triumph Vitesse (which shared a similar chassis with the Spitfire and Triumph Herald). The car was further developed and refined and eventually launched as the Triumph GT6 (dropping the "Spitfire" prefix) to emphasise its GT styling and its 6-cylinder engine.

Contemporary Triumph marketing advertised the GT6 as being developed from the "race winning Le Mans Spitfires" to capitalize on their aesthetic similarities, whereas the Le Mans Spitfires and the GT6 were actually two entirely separate development programmes (the GT programme pre-dating the racing programme). However, the marketing spin was so successful that many people erroneously believed the Le Mans Spitfires to actually be GT6s.

Models

The following models were produced during the production run:

Model name Engine Year Number built

GT6 Mark I 1996 cc inline 6 July 1966 – Sept 1968 15,818

GT6 Mark II 1996 cc inline 6 July 1968 – Dec 1970 12,066

GT6 Mark III 1996 cc inline 6 Oct 1970 – Dec 1973 13,042

Production Total (all models): 40,926

GT6 Mk I

Triumph GT6 Mk I

The new car was introduced in 1966 and called the Triumph GT6. The new body was a sleek fastback design with an opening rear hatch, earning the GT6 the nickname of poor man's E-Type.[ It was really a 2-seater, but a small extra rear seat could be ordered, large enough for small children. The family resemblance to the Spitfire Mk II was strong, the longer 6-cylinder engine necessitated a new bonnet top with a power bulge and the doors were provided with opening quarter light windows and squared-off glass in the top rear corner. The 6-cylinder engine was, like the Vitesse 2-litre, tuned to develop 95 bhp (71 kW) at 5000 rpm, and produced 117 lb⋅ft (159 N⋅m) of torque at 3000 rpm.

The increased power necessitated certain changes to the Spitfire mechanics; the radiator was new and mounted further forward in the car and the gearbox was the stronger unit from the Vitesse 2 litre, with synchromesh on all 4 forward gears. An optional Laycock de Normanville overdrive was offered giving a 20 per cent overdrive on 3rd and 4th gears. In effect this added only one ratio as overdrive 3rd was identical to 4th without overdrive. The overall gearing of overdrive and non-overdrive cars was not different as the non o/d cars came with a 3.27:1 differential while the overdrive cars’ diffs were the same as the Vitesse 2 litre at 3.89:1. Front springs were uprated to cope with the extra weight of the new engine. The overall vehicle weight unladen was 1,904 lb (864 kg).

The interior of the GT6 features a wooden dashboard housing a full complement of instruments, with carpets and heater included as standard.

The new car's engine provided a 106 mph (171 km/h) top speed and 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in just under 12 seconds, a little better than the MGB GT. Moreover, the unit was comparatively smooth and tractable, in dramatic contrast to the MG's rather harsh and outdated 6-port head 4-cylinder engine.[citation needed] Fuel economy was very reasonable for the period at 20mpg, and the interior well up to the competition.[citation needed] The only major criticism was of its rear suspension; the GT6 inherited the swing-axle system from the Spitfire, which in turn was copied from the Herald small saloon. In the saloon it was tolerated, in the little Spitfire it was not liked and in the powerful GT6 it was heavily criticised. Triumph had done nothing to improve the system for the GT6 and the tendency to break away if the driver lifted off the power mid-corner was not helped at all by the increased weight at the front of the car. The handling was most bitterly criticised in the USA, an important export market for Triumph, where they were traditionally very strong. Similar criticism was being levelled at the Vitesse saloon, which shared the GT6's engine and its handling problems.

GT6 Mk II (GT6+)

Triumph GT6 Mk II

Triumph realised that they needed to find an answer to the handling problem, if only to maintain their reputation in the U.S. Their response came with the 1969 model year, with the introduction of the GT6 Mk II, known in the States as the GT6+. The rear suspension was significantly re-engineered using reversed lower wishbones and Rotoflex driveshaft couplings, taming the handling and turning the Triumph into an MGB beater. The Vitesse was also modified, but the Spitfire had to wait until 1970 for any improvements to be made.

There were other changes for the Mk II; the front bumper was raised (in common with the Spitfire Mk 3) to conform to new crash regulations, necessitating a revised front end, and side vents were added to the front wings and rear pillars. Under the bonnet, the engine was the uprated Vitesse MkII unit developing 104 bhp (78 kW) with a new cylinder head, camshaft, and manifolds.[1] The major changes were altered valve timing and larger inlet valves, with an increase to the width of the head. Performance improved slightly to 107 mph (172 km/h), but perhaps more noteworthy the 0–60 mph (97 km/h) time dropped to 10 seconds.[1] The fuel economy was also improved to 25 mpg‑imp (11 L/100 km; 21 mpg‑US) average.[1] The interior was updated with a new dashboard and better ventilation, a two-speed heater fan and a black headlining. Overdrive remained a popular option for the manual transmission with the same specifications as the Mk I.

GT6 Mk III

Triumph GT6 Mk III

The final major facelift for the GT6 came in 1970 in the form of the Mk III. This time the entire bodyshell was revised to match the changes made to the Spitfire Mk IV: modifications included a cut-off rear end, recessed door handles and a smoother front end. Only detail changes were made to the mechanics, but in 1973 – close to the end of the car's production life – the rear suspension was changed again, this time for the cheaper (but still effective) "swing-spring" layout fitted to the Spitfire Mk IV. This was a modification of the swing axle rear suspension used on the Herald-derived models, with the transverse leaf spring mounted on a pivot, eliminating roll stiffness at the rear, and thus greatly reducing the jacking effect under cornering loads. To compensate for this loss of roll stiffness, a larger front anti-roll bar was fitted. A brake servo was also added in 1973, and seats were changed from vinyl to cloth. There was still a fairly comprehensive options list, but the knock-on wire wheels were no longer available. The unladen weight increased slightly to 2,030 lb (920 kg).

Engine power and torque for the Mk III was similar to the Mk II, but better aerodynamics led to a new top speed of 112 mph (180 km/h) and a 0–60 mph (97 km/h) time of 10.seconds.Performance was now comfortably ahead of the MGB GT, which reached about 105 mph (169 km/h) and 60 mph in approximately 13 seconds. Fuel economy was also improved to 28 mpg‑imp (10 L/100 km; 23 mpg‑US).[1] The last USA models performed relatively poorly, owing to the compression ratios being reduced to allow the use of lower octane unleaded gasoline.

The Mk III never sold in the numbers hoped for by Triumph, and was comprehensively beaten in the marketplace by the MGB. Triumph refused to release an official convertible version of the GT6 and, after poor sales, it was dropped from the Triumph range at the end of 1973, although a few cars were sold the following year

 

The Triumph TR2 is a sports car produced by the Standard Motor Company in the United Kingdom between 1953 and 1955. It was only available in roadster form.

The car had a 121 cid (1991 cc) four-cylinder Standard wet liner inline-four engine from the Vanguard, fitted with twin H4 type SU Carburettors and tuned to increase its output to 90 bhp (67 kW).

The body was mounted on a substantial separate chassis with coil-sprung independent suspension at the front and a leaf spring live axle at the rear. Either wire or disc wheels could be supplied. The transmission was a four-speed manual unit, with optional top gear overdrive. Lockheed drum brakes were fitted all round.

A total of 8,636 TR2s were produced. It was replaced by the TR3 in 1955.

History

Standard's Triumph Roadster was out-dated and under-powered. Company boss Sir John Black tried to acquire the Morgan Motor Company but failed. He still wanted an affordable sports car, so a prototype two-seater was built on a shortened version of the Standard Eight's chassis and powered by the Standard Vanguard's 2-litre straight-4. The resulting Triumph 20TS prototype was revealed at the 1952 London Motor Show.

Black asked BRM development engineer and test driver Ken Richardson to assess the 20TS. After he declared it to be a "death trap" a project was undertaken to improve on the design; a year later the TR2 was revealed.

It had better looks; a simple ladder-type chassis; a longer body; and a bigger boot. It was loved by American buyers, and became the best earner for Triumph. In 1955 the TR3 came out with more power; a re-designed grille; and a GT package that included a factory hard-top.

As of 2011 there were approximately 377 licensed and 52 SORN TR2s of the 8,636 TR2s produced registered with the DVLA in the UK;

in the United States 1,800 were known to survive.

Performance

A car with overdrive tested by The Motor magazine in 1954 had a top speed of 107.3 mph (172.7 km/h), and could accelerate from 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in 12.0 seconds.

A fuel consumption of 34.5 miles per imperial gallon (8.2 L/100 km; 28.7 mpg‑US) was recorded. The test car cost £900 including taxes and £56 for overdrive.

The magazine also commented that the TR2 was the lowest price British car able to exceed 100 mph (160 km/h)