The Triumph Dolomite Sprint – The Affordable British Answer To The BMW 2002

The Triumph Dolomite Sprint is one of those classic cars that probably deserves to be quite a bit more famous than it actually is. The Sprint was developed to take the fight to the BMW 2002 and the Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV, however it never achieved anywhere near the same level of universal admiration.

For a number of reasons the Dolomite Sprint was an important car for the British motoring industry, when it was released it was the first mass-produced British car with alloy wheels as standard, and Triumph claimed that it was “the world’s first mass-produced multi-valve car” – the clever design of the cylinder head won a British Design Council award in 1974.

Fast Facts – The Triumph Dolomite Sprint

• The Triumph Dolomite Sprint was first released in 1973 as a high-performance member of the Project Ajax family of small cars developed by Triumph.
• The Sprint featured styling from Giovanni Michelotti, long a favorite designer for Triumph and also the designer of the BMW 2002.
• The Dolomite Sprint was designed to offer sports car-like performance in a saloon car package, much like the German 2002 and the Italian 2000 GTV, to meet the market demand for practical cars that were also fun and engaging to drive.
• Power was provided by a 1998cc single overhead cam inline-four with 16 valves, offering 127 hp and 122 lb ft of torque.

The Triumph Dolomite Sprint – A Practical Sports Car

When BMW released the 2002 in 1968 they struck gold, it was a smaller sized two-door saloon offered seating for four adults, ample trunk space, and all the practicality of a sedan while still offering sports car-like performance and handling.

The Michelotti-designed Triumph Dolomite is a four-door sedan with moderately sized trunk and space inside for up to five passengers.

The 2002 was named for its 2,000cc engine and two doors, 2000 + 2, and there were also 1602 and 1802 models offered. Cars that made use of a similar concept had been in production earlier of course, but the BMW 2002 became arguably the most famous example of the breed during its lifetime, having a significant influence on other manufacturers and on BMW vehicle design going forwards.

The standard Triumph Dolomite (the non-Sprint version) was released in 1972 with a more traditional slat-four engine that had pushrod actuated overhead valves, a swept capacity of 1,854cc, and a power output of 91 bhp.

The Triumph Dolomite Sprint would start life using the same basic body and running gear of the normal Dolomite, however things would change significantly in the engine bay. A team of engineers led by Spen King, working in conjunction with Harry Mundy and the engineers at Coventry Climax, would develop a new head for this inline-four that featured 16 valves all actuated by a single overhead camshaft.

The swept capacity of this new engine was increased to 1998cc, larger twin carburetors were added, and a series of other changes were made to increase power up to 135 bhp (SAE), or 127 bhp (DIN). This ~40% gain in power combined with the far more sporting nature of the new 16 valve engine transformed the Dolomite into a genuine competitor for its German and Italian rivals.

The top speed of the Dolomite Sprint was 119 mph (192 km/h) when new, a heady figure for a 2.0 liter sedan at the time, and the 0 to 60 mph time of 8.4 seconds was equally impressive.

When it was released, Triumph claimed that the 2.0 liter, 16-valve, inline-four used in the Dolomite made it “the world’s first mass-produced multi-valve car.”

The Sprint version and the standard Dolomite were among the most 70s-style cars ever made in Britain, they were originally finished in yellow but this soon gave way to a popular shade of brown and they often had vinyl covered roofs. There were other colors offered of course but brown does seem to have been remarkably popular during the age of disco, for reasons that are lost to history.

Although it does use unibody construction the Dolomite Sprint did still have a live axle rear end, albeit one sitting on coil springs, with independent suspension up front along with a front disc brake and a rear drum.

This more rudimentary suspension didn’t seem to impinge its performance in any significant way however, and out on the race track the car proved remarkably successful, competing in the British Saloon Car Championship from 1974 to 1978.

Andy Rouse and Tony Dron won the Manufacturers’ Championship in 1974, Rouse went on to win the Drivers’ Championship in 1975, and Dron very nearly won again 1977 – having won seven on the 12 races during the season he retired from the final race with a tire failure.

Perhaps unsurprisingly today there are relatively few surviving examples of the Sprint in good condition, with vastly fewer over in the United States were they were never officially imported. Some estimates put the number of Sprints privately imported into the USA at fewer than 10.

The interior of the car featured ample wood panelling and a well-equipped dashboard with all the dials you need for sporting driving, including a tachometer and various temperature and pressure monitoring gauges.

Although the car will likely never be as famous or beloved as the BMW 2002 or the Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV, there can be no doubt that it deserves better than its current place in the automotive world as little more than a curiosity that can’t even be correct identified by many classic cars fans.

The Triumph Dolomite Sprint

The Triumph Dolomite Sprint you see here is just about a perfect example of the species, it’s finished in that famous shade of 1970s brown with the black vinyl roof, and interestingly it was originally a Leyland works car.

This Sprint is a multi-award winner, having claimed a fair amount of silverware at various concours events over the years – all of which is included with the car now. The history file is extensive, including every MoT the car has ever had, it also comes with a rare original brochure, an owner’s handbook, and the service passport booklet with 14 stamps in it.

The car is now due to roll across the auction block with Historics Auctioneers on the 25th of September in England with a price guide of £12,000 – £15,000, this works out to approximately $16,600 – $20,750 USD.

If you’d like to read more about the car or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

Images courtesy of Historics Auctioneers

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20+ Years In Storage: A 1975 Alfa Romeo Montreal Garage Find

This 1975 Alfa Romeo Montreal has spent well over 20 years stored away in a garage gathering dust, it’s now being offered for sale as a rolling restoration project that appears to be in remarkably well-preserved condition.

The Alfa Romeo Montreal is a relatively rare classic with just over 3,900 examples sold between 1970 and 1977. The car was styled by the great Marcello Gandini, the designer of the Lamborghini Miura, the Countach, and the Lancia Stratos, and it was powered by a race-derived all-alloy 2.6 liter dry sump cross plane 90º V8 engine with double overhead cams per bank.

Fast Facts – Alfa Romeo Montreal

• The Alfa Romeo Montreal is famed in equal parts for its avant-garde styling and its advanced alloy V8 engine that had been modified from the engine used in the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale and the Tipo 33 sports prototype racer.
• Marcello Gandini designed the Montreal during his time at Bertone, he had risen to global prominence just a year before the unveiling of the Montreal when another of his automotive designs set the motoring world alight – the Lamborghini Miura.
• The Montreal is 2+2 coupe with a steel body based on the Alfa Romeo Giulia GTV platform.
• The car was named by the motoring press and the general public after its debut at Expo 67 held in Montreal, Canada. Alfa Romeo later officially adopted the name for the production cars.

The Alfa Romeo Montreal – A Concept Car That Went Into Production

The Alfa Romeo Montreal is one of those rare cars that goes into production with only limited changes from the original concept car – we’ve all seen stunning concept cars in the past only to be let down by the eventual, usually boring, production vehicle.

In this regard the Montreal was a breath of fresh air, and the motoring media published extensive positive reviews.

“The fastest, smoothest, quietest production Alfa Romeo ever made, the current Supercar of the species” – Car and Driver Magazine

This is the original 1967 Alfa Romeo Montreal concept car, the external design changed relatively little with the production car. Image courtesy of Alfa Romeo.

Whereas the concept car had fixed headlight louvres and a more economical 1.6 liter engine from the Alfa Romeo Giulia TI, the final production car introduced in 1970 had a fire-breathing, race-bred 2.6 liter dry sump V8 with double overhead cams per bank and 230 SAE bhp at 6,500 rpm with 199 lb ft f torque at 4,750 rpm.

This power is sent back through a 5-speed ZF transmission then via a limited-slip differential to the rear wheels.

The Montreal rides on independent front suspension consisting of double wishbones with coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers with an anti-roll bar. In the rear you’ll find a live axle with coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers, and disc brakes are used front and back.

“Riding that fine line between sports car and grand tourer, the Montreal is one of the most desirable Alfa Romeos ever made” – Motor Trend Classic

The performance of the Montreal was brisk by the standards of the day, the top speed was 224 km/h (139 mph) though this varied among the different media tests performed, typically by a few miles per hour either way. The 0 to 100 km/h time (0 to 62 mph) was 7.1 seconds, and the car would do a standing quarter mile in 15.1 seconds.

Ultimately the Montreal would prove to be a success for Alfa Romeo, helping the Italian automaker reinvent itself for the new decade of the 1970s. Though sales would fall short of 4,000 units the Montreal had been priced at the upper end of its market segment – it was more expensive than the Jaguar E-Type and the Porsche 911 when new.

Sales of the car would likely have been higher had Alfa Romeo developed a version for the North American market, however the expensive of meeting emissions requirements was deemed too high and the car was never officially offered for sale in the United States. Despite the car’s name, it was never possible to buy a new Alfa Romeo Montreal in the city of Montreal.

The styling of the Montreal is entirely unique, and it’s often pointed to as one of Gandini’s most enduring designs.

Surviving examples of the Montreal are now much sought after by collectors, prices for pristine examples typically run well over $100,000 USD.

Due to the fact that Bertone took the unusual step (unusual for the 1970s) of carefully degreasing the cars after they were built and adding a zinc phosphate coating before applying paint, many of them have survived with far less rust than their Italian contemporaries from the era.

The Alfa Romeo Montreal Shown Here

The Montreal you see here has a backstory that is equal parts tragic and sentimental, the current owner found the car in remarkably well-preserved condition after 20+ years of garage storage. His plan was to restore it so that he could have adventures in it with his wife.

Sadly his wife passed away suddenly in a tragic accident, understandably the restoration was no longer a priority, but he kept it safely stored away out of the rain and weather.

The decision has now been made to sell the Montreal to someone who will complete the restoration, and the funds from the sale will go towards funding a trip to New Zealand to scatter his wife’s ashes.

If you’d like to read more about this car or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing on Historics Auctioneers. It’s due to roll across the auction block on the 25th of September with a price guide of £28,000 – £38,000, which works out to approximately $38,500 – $52,300 USD.

Images courtesy of Historics Auctioneers

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$200,000+ Engine Project: An Original Porsche Fuhrman Four-Cam Engine

The assorted engine parts you see here combine to form one of the most famous, and most important, engines in Porsche’s long history – the Fuhrman Four-Cam.

The Porsche Four Cam engine was developed by legendary engineer Dr Ernst Fuhrmann at the request of Porsche, who needed a new engine for the Porsche 550 Spyder to replace the antiquated pushrod unit it was originally fitted with.

Fuhrman developed what would become known and the Type 547 engine, a quad cam, air-cooled, flat four with swept capacities that would eventually range from 1.1 liters up to 2.0 liters. Power would range from ~100 hp on the smaller engines up to 185 hp on the later, larger engines fitted to the Porsche 904 Carrera GTS.

It may not look like much now, but this Porsche Fuhrman Four-Cam Engine is worth close to a quarter of a million dollars in its current condition, and considerably more once it’s been restored and reassembled.

The small physical size, high power output, and remarkable complexity of the Fuhrman Four-Cam has become the stuff of legend. It’s said that it would take a highly trained Porsche technician 120 hours to assemble just a single engine, and the surviving examples easily sell for a quarter million dollars apiece – if you can find one.

The Fuhrman Four-Cam you see here is listed as engine number 99071, it comes with the original block (pictured below in a crate), with both sets of heads, and a vast array of other parts to assist in the reconditioning and assembly of a running engine.

If you’d like to read more about this unusual Porsche Type 547 engine project or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing on RM Sotheby’s. It’s due to cross the auction block later in September with a price guide of $200,000 – $225,000 USD.

Images: Drew Shipley ©2021 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

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1932 Ford Supercharged V8 Woodie Surf Wagon

This is a 1932 Ford Woodie Wagon that’s been comprehensively restored and rebuilt into a classic mid-century surf wagon, complete with removable rear seats and a Hawaiian-made Dick Brewer longboard on the roof.

Unlike the original surf wagons of the era, this ’32 Ford is powered by an Edmunds supercharged Ford Flathead V8, producing vastly more power than the original which was turning out just 65 hp in naturally-aspirated form.

Fast Facts – The ’32 Ford Woodie Surf Wagon

• 1932 is a year that Ford first introduced the Flathead V8 as an engine option, making V8 power affordable to the American people for the first time.
• The ’32 Ford, often just called the “Deuce,” helped to kickstart the Hot Rod revolution thanks to its inexpensive V8 power, and today it’s remembered as one of the most important American cars of the 20th century.
• Surf wagons like this first rose to popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. Surfers would load their boards on the roof and sleep in the back of the car, traveling up and down the west coast looking for waves.
• The ’32 Ford you see here is fitted with a supercharged Flathead V8 built by TATOM Custom Engines, it has a 3-speed manual transmission and a 1939 Carson City quick change rear.

The Game-Changing 1932 Ford

When the Ford Model 18 was introduced in 1932 it’s unlikely that executives at the company could have known just how revolutionary the car would be. For the first time in history a powerful (for the era) V8 engine was available at an affordable price – and the American public bought them in huge numbers, beginning a love affair with the V8 that would still be going strong almost 100 years later.

The Ford Model 18 is mostly referred to simply as the Ford V8, it was powered by the first generation Ford Flathead V8, a 221 cubic inch (3.6 liter) V8 producing 65 hp at 3,400 rpm and a healthy 130 lb ft of torque at 1,250 rpm.

Although these power figures may seem low by modern standards they were revolutionary in the 1930s, and as many future hot rodders would learn, the Flathead V8 responded well to tuning and it would become a staple of many disciplines of American motor racing for decades to come.

As was common fo the era, the ’32 Ford had a steel body mounted to a steel chassis, and the front mounted engine sent power back through a manual transmission to a live axle rear end. The vehicle used leaf springs for suspension front and back, a 3-speed transmission with reverse, and mechanical four-wheel drum brakes.

The Flathead V8 would prove to be a remarkably long-lived design, it would remain in production from 1932 until 1973 powering cars, trucks, tractors, boats, and even tanks. The engine remains a popular choice for modern hot rodders, and there’s a huge aftermarket parts market dedicated to tuning the Flathead V8.

The Rise Of The Woodie Wagon

Woodie wagons rose to popularity in the early to mid-20th century, their unusual wooden bodies evoked the styling of the horse carriages that had come before them. Many woodies were built by coachbuilding companies however there were some built by major automakers, like Ford, Chrysler, Nash, and Packard.

Later examples of the woodie wagon would essentially just be wood panelling glued to steel bodywork to give the desired look, this form of woodie would remain in production into the 1960s until the look fell from popularity.

There are still a small number of specialists who can build and restore woodies, it requires an unusual combination of metal working ability, carpentry skills, and mechanical aptitude. Original and restored woodies remain a popular subculture within the classic car community, particularly in the United States and Great Britain.

The 1932 Ford Woodie Surf Wagon Shown Here

The car you see here is a one-off creation, it’s a 1932 Ford with a highly-modified supercharged Flathead V8 under the hood and a classic woodie wagon body.

The centerpiece of the car is sitting in the engine bay, once opened you see a towering polish alloy Edmunds supercharger bolted to a Ford Flathead V8 that’s been rebuilt with a slew of performance parts including Edelbrock heads.

A set of custom tubular headers direct exhaust gasses along the underside of the car through twin pipes exiting at the rear. Power is sent back through a 3-speed manual transmission with updated with Zephyr gears and into a 1939 Carson City quick change rear.

The car is fitted with the original dashboard and instrument cluster, a reupholstered interior, and the back seat is removable should you wish. The car comes with that Dick Brewer longboard that was made in Hawaii in 1998.

If you’d like to read more about this unusual woodie wagon or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing on Mecum.

Images courtesy of Mecum

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$250,000 Project Car: A Stalled Lamborghini Countach 5000S Restoration

This is a 1982 Lamborghini Countach 5000S that ended up pieces as its planned restoration stopped suddenly in 2008 during the disassembly phase, due to the fact that the company in charge of the project went out of business.

The car has been frozen in time like this for 13 years, it’s now being offered as a project with its engine, transmission, and all the major parts required to complete the restoration and get the car back on the road.

Fast Facts – The Lamborghini Countach 5000S

• It’s a well-known piece of automotive trivia that Lamborghini name their supercars after famous fighting bulls, names like Miura, Jalpa, and Murcialago. The Countach is an exception to this rule, it was named after the word “Contacc” in the Piedmontese language, an exclamation of shock or surprise.
• First introduced at the  1971 Geneva Motor Show, the Countach sent shockwaves around the world with its bold angular styling and phenomenal performance abilities.
• The Countach was designed by Marcello Gandini, the same man who had designed the Miura, the Countach was a paradigm shift forwards in automotive design that is still influencing supercar design to the modern day.
• Lamborghini would keep the car in production from 1974 until 1990, offering a number of model variations including the 5000S which was introduced in 1982 with a more powerful 4.8 liter V12.

The Lamborghini Countach 5000S

The Lamborghini Countach 5000S was developed under the direction of the Mimran brothers who had taken control of the Italian automaker in 1980 after a lengthy period of financial instability.

This Countach has been in storage for 13 years in its current state, it’s now for sale with all the major parts required to finish it.

Plans were put into action to create a new Lamborghini at a more affordable price point than the Countach, it would be based on the earlier Silhouette model and it would be called the Lamborghini Jalpa.

Further plans were developed to create a new and more extreme version of the Countach, which was already getting long in the tooth by supercar standards. The styling had been updated by its original designer in 1978 for the LP400S model, fiberglass wheel arch extensions were added and a V-shaped rear wing was available as an option.

This redesign was deemed perfect as-is, so the plans for the 5000S (the LP500S) instead concentrated on the drivetrain. The V12 was enlarged to 4,754cc (4.8 liters), a sizable increase over the 3,929cc (3.9 liters) of the outgoing model.

This newly expanded engine offered 375 hp at 7,000 rpm with peak power now coming in lower in the rev range, torque was increased by a little over 40 lb ft as well, up to 302 lb ft at 4,500 rpm in the 5000S.

The compression ratio was lowered slightly on the new engine, but power still went up due to the increase in swept capacity. The legendary 60º Lamborghini V12 lost none of its charm, or any of its complexity, with double overhead cams per bank and six sidedraught Weber 45 DCOE carburetors.

The chassis of the 5000S remained unchanged from its predecessor, it’s a complex tubular steel space frame. The bodies were largely made from aluminum alloy and the Countach made use of fully independent suspension at each corner, with coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers, and anti-roll bars front and back.

With much of the interior removed you can see the usually hidden elements of the tubular steel space frame chassis.

Today we remember the styling of the Countach 5000S, and its successor the LP5000 Quattrovalvole, as being the quintessential 1980s-era Lamborghini, and one of the most memorable supercar designs of all time.

A Stalled Countach 5000S Restoration

The 5000S you see here has a fascinating history, and hopefully an equally fascinating future. It was formerly owned by Daniel Sefton who loaned it to the British motoring television show Fifth Gear for use by presenter Vicky Butler-Henderson back in the early 2000s.

The car was also featured (pre-restoration) on the front cover of a book called “The Spirit of The Bull,” by Paul W. Cockerham.

In 2004 the process of restoring the car began, the engine was stripped and rebuilt, and a new clutch was fitted by Lamborghini London. There are invoices for over £10,000 for this work on file.

Things began to go pear-shaped in 2008 when the Countach was put into a body shop for a full strip and respray, and an interior refurbishment. The car was stripped down however the body shop went out of business, and the car entered a long period where it was essentially frozen in carbonite as you see it here.

It’s now due to cross the auction block with Historics Auctioneers on the 25th of September in England. The price guide is £145,000 – £180,000 which works out to approximately $200,400 – $248,800 USD.

If you’d like to read more about the car or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

Images courtesy of Historics Auctioneers

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