Lot number | 99 |
---|---|
Hammer value | £1100 |
Description | Triumph Dolomite Sprint race car |
Registration | TMM 966M |
Year | 1973 |
Colour | Mallard Green |
Engine size | 2,000 cc |
Chassis No. | VA4895DLO |
Engine No. | VA005086HE |
History
On its launch the Triumph Dolomite Sprint was the first British production saloon car with a 16 valve engine. This example was first registered in 1974 and has had three owners from new, the last of whom has owned it since 1979. He bought it as a road car and fitted it with a roll cage and other safety features and entered it into its first race at Brands Hatch on 2nd March 1980.
The car was raced in the Monroe and Wilcomatic Production Saloon Car Championship in the early 1980s on circuits that included Brands Hatch, Silverstone, Mallory Park, Oulton Park and Thruxton. It also raced at Donington Park during the first year it re-opened for racing. Best results include 3rd in the Wilcomatic. The car was mothballed for several years but revived again in the early 1990s winning its class in the 1991 Welsh Sports & Saloon Car and taking second in class in 1995. The car was also 1994 BARC Wales Sprint Championship winner and won its class in the 1996 Welsh Sprint & Hillclimb Championship with a particularly nice win at Llandow in the rain.
The engine was blueprinted by Roger Dowson (who was Gerry Marshal's mechanic at the time) and is said to have never missed a beat particularly after it was fitted with the proper radiator. Over the years it has been upgraded with ventilated front discs and limited slip differential but still runs with original overdrive gearbox and SU carburettors. It is in its original Mallard Green colour, is fully street legal and has an MOT until January 2008.