1. Pre-war Triumph Dolomite.
Both of the cars featuring on this page are pre-war Triumph Dolomite saloons, built in 1938. One belonged to Don, he purchased it for the princely sum of 14 GBP and ran it for a short time until he was side-swiped by another motorist. The other belonged to Howard's father, and is shown further down this page.
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Firstly, Don's Triumph Dolomite registration EGT 292. As mentioned he paid 14 GBP for the car, it was a toss-up between the Triumph and an MG J2 for the same asking price, the Dolomite won over thanks to it having a fixed roof on what was a rainy day. The full story of this, and several of Don's other automobiles, can be found on this page in the motoring memories section. The Dolomite photo also appears there, but as it's such a good shot of a rare car, I thought it also deserved to appear in the image archive.
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2. Howard's family Dolomite.
Howard kindly sent over this photo some time ago for inclusion on the site. He was quite young at the time, but remembers that it ended its days - as far as he recalls - being parked up circa 1960 outside a garage in Ripon, Yorkshire.
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Background to the Dolomite range.
Although most people will be more familiar with the Dolomite of the 1970s (for example, the Dolomite Sprint, photos of which are here), the name was also applied to a range of Triumphs produced prior to WW2. It first made an appearance on a sports car introduced in 1934, while the cars shown on this page were from a later Dolomite range built from 1936 to 1940. Some employed four-cylinder engines, while others benefited from a six-cylinder unit. Saloons (basic or DeLuxe), drophead coupes, and roadsters would all be offered during this model's brief production run.
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The Dolomite 14/60 was built from 1936 to 1940, and featured the 1,767cc 13.95HP (RAC) four-cylinder engine under its
bonnet. This model was joined by the 1.5 -Litre in 1937 (see below), powered initially by a slightly smaller four-cylinder unit of 1,496cc, also this was upgraded in 1937 to the 1,767cc engine while retaining the 1.5-Litre model name.
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In 1936 a six-cylinder variant, the 2-Litre, was introduced, and continued in production alongside the four-cylinder cars until 1940.
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The 1937/1938 Dolomite 1.5 litre.
Where they exist, pages such as this one benefit from the inclusion of contemporary advertising for the same model of car. Not only do such adverts give information regarding the vehicle's specification, they also shed light on how the cars were marketed, and thus might give a clue as to why the cars shown in old photographs were chosen when they were new.
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Here, the newly-launched 1.5 litre Dolomite is given the star treatment in a full-page magazine advertisement.
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It dates to late 1937, and describes how the 1.5 will look for the 1938 season ...
"The Smartest Cars In The Land".
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"This car is a 1938 addition to the Triumph 'Dolomite' range. The magnificent die-cast radiator grille, the clean-swept wings and valances blend in complete harmony with the body line, producing a car as conspicuously beautiful in appearance as it is perfect in accommodation and performance."
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"Finest quality materials are used throughout, and such expensive refinements as noiseless easy-change synchro-mesh gears, automatic chassis lubrication, telescopic steering column, centre-lock wheels, hydraulic brakes and Dunlopillo seating are outstanding features."
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"Designed and built in the Company's factories at Coventry, the 1.5 litre Triumph 'Dolomite' is a car of which one may well be proud in any company and under all circumstances."
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Return to Page 14 in the classic & vintage vehicle photo gallery.
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