TRIUMPH’S FORGOTTEN HERO

Given the conservative, perhaps even dowdy, body styling, perhaps there should be no surprise that the Triumph Dolomite Sprint is something of a forgotten hero. Yet in its day — and even now, among some British-oriented classic car folk — the Sprint is perhaps somewhat optimistically matched alongside BMW’s similar-era 2002 sedan.

When Bill Davis, managing director of Rover Triumph, unveiled the Sprint, he said, “It will lay the myth that the Continental manufacturers have a virtual monopoly of fast, medium-size cars.” But was he drawing a long bow?

Looking for all the world like a smaller stablemate to the Triumph 2000/2500, which of course it is, the nondescript British Dolomite sedan would never enjoy the larger car’s popularity in New Zealand, since availability was restricted to a few built-up examples. Indeed, the Dolomite Sprint only began appearing on local price lists two years after the model’s European launch in June 1973.

Predating the Sprint by 18 months was the standard Dolomite that was proving a popular seller in Britain. However, when the more powerful variant arrived, there was no doubting the intentions. A black-covered brochure