1976 Triumph DOLOMITE Sprint

A rare Dolomite Sprint automatic first registered in April 1976, it has been restored to a very high standard back in 2013 and recently gained an MOT with no advisories, something it’s starting to make a habit of.

The vendor is a bit of an enthusiast – he owns four, hence this sale – and bought it a couple of years ago. He’s done some tidying up but now finds it’s surplus to requirements, so brought it down from Scotland for us to list.

Now in auction with no reserve, this is your opportunity to get your hands on a well-sorted Dolomite Sprint with which to recreate all your 1970’s TV car chases…

The vinyl roof was removed in 2018 to allow some localised repairs to be made. The front wings were similarly fettled, and the whole lot painted and the roof replaced. Both the wings and roof look terrific, so it was clearly a top-notch job – but then the size of the bill would have told us that…

The chromework is very good, as are the light lenses, glass, and badges. In fact, the whole of the exterior is still very impressive but rather than trot out the usual tired old clichés about shutlines and panel gaps we’ll just let you feast your eyes on one of the nicest Dolomite Sprints you’re likely to find outside of a museum.

If you’re a car guy or gal then wheels are going to be one of the things that first catch your eye, so you’ll be delighted to see that the original 13-inch alloy wheels are in a very good condition being free of scrapes, kerbing and other damage. Obviously refurbished at some point, they’re shod with matching Vredestein T-Trac tyres too, all of which still have plenty of tread.

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you an insight into their attitude towards maintenance.

It’s fitted with old school numberplates too, which is a lovely touch. As you’ll discover with the interior, someone has gone to an awful lot of trouble and expense to get it looking this good.

Problems? Well, the seams above the offside and nearside headlamps have been touched-in, the seal around the black trim at the front of the nearside quarterlight is a bit rough, and some of the chromework could do with polishing.

The interior is remarkably well preserved with good wooden veneer trim, carpets, and door cards. The seats are in great shape with no damage or any real wear to their facing; and while the fabric might be a little wrinkly in places, the underlying seats are still firm and comfortable.

The original steering wheel looks terrific, as does the twin-spindle Motorola radio and wonderfully of-the-period heater controls and selector-lever surround. The top of the dashboard, an area that often cracks in the sun, is solid and free of wear and damage too.

The boot is solid with an impressive absence of rust. Just as remarkable is the spare wheel, which isn’t only a matching alloy but is shod with a new Vredestein T-Trac tyre, just like those on the other four corners. The trim in there is excellent too, as is the underside of the boot lid. It’s the details that separate the excellent from the mediocre, isn’t it?

Concerns? Well, while the headlining is taut and undamaged but it is a bit stained on the rear lower quarters, and the lacquer on the wooden veneer trim has cracked.

Fitted with a recent steering rack and what looks to be a newish Lucas Classic battery, as you can see in the attached video it starts easily and ticks over nicely. Sure, there’s a bit of a squeal from the fan belt but that’s easily sorted – and the exhaust note more than makes up for it anyway!

The vendor says it runs well and doesn’t have any issues. We’ve driven it and can report than it drives as it should.

The engine bay is very clean and nicely detailed. It’s the same story on the underside, which is solid, straight and well protected. Even the wheelarch lips, which are usually crusty even on good cars, are free of rust and rot.

We know you might be sick of hearing it by now, but this really is a very well-presented example of the breed and a credit to its enthusiast owner.

The Dolomite’s MOT certificate expires in July 2021 and was gained without any advisories, something it’s been doing for a few years now.

It has a number of expired MOT certificates plus a few old invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

And please be reassured, we’ve undertaken a full COVID-assessment and put into place strict control measure to enable us to safely facilitate a no-contact, socially distanced viewing that includes disinfection of the vehicle before and after your viewing.

However, if you’d rather not come to see the car in person, please give us a call and we can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like us to concentrate on.

Or, even better, why not contact us with your mobile number and we can set up a WhatsApp video call? You get to direct us in real-time, giving you a virtual personal viewing experience while maintaining the lockdown. We like to call it ‘The Market’s 2020 Vision’…

While we are all happy to admit to lusting after a VW Golf GTI or a Ford Capri 2.8, are you brave enough to ‘fess up to wanting a Dolly Sprint in your life? Because we know that you, like us, really do.

And this is a very nice example of the breed. Sure, it’s got the automatic gearbox but then the Dolomite Sprint makes a better fast grand touring car than it does hard-edged sportscar (if you don’t believe us then just take a look at the width and padding of the front seats…) so even that isn’t necessarily a disadvantage.

And that really is the only possible disincentive to bidding on this one because while so many have rotted away or are being nursed from MOT to MOT, this one is restored, looking gorgeous and in need of little other than a light cosmetic refreshing.

It drives well too, which makes our guide price of between £8,500 and £15,000 an absolute bargain; when the rest of the world wakes up to how good they are – and that every genuine petrolhead lusts after them too – we can see their value rising just like almost every other performance car of the period.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.