"Although the Triumph Dolomite range, introduced in 1972, had proved to be refined and sporty, competitors such as BMW's 2002 had a performance advantage which was costing Triumph dearly, both in terms of sales and prestige. To remedy this, they unveiled the Dolomite Sprint in June 1973, although the launch had been delayed by a year, having been due to go on sale in 1972 alongside the main range. A team of engineers, led by Spen King, developed a 16-valve, single overhead camshaft head. The capacity was increased to 1998cc and combined with bigger carbs the output was upped to 127 bhp. This represented a significant increase over the smaller 1850cc variant, however, it fell frustratingly short of the original target of 135 bhp. As a result of this new engine, the Dolomite Sprint has a claim to be the world's first truly mass-produced multi-valve car and the design of the cylinder head won a British Design Council Award in 1974. Performance was excellent, with 0-60 mph taking around 8.4 seconds and a maximum speed of 119 mph.
Registered on 6th July 1979, this late model Sprint was originally a Leyland works car. Leyland sold the car to Aston Hall Ltd in July 1980 and, remarkably, the invoice from Aston Hall Ltd to the second owner, a Mr. Walker, is included in the car’s incredible history file showing he paid the sum of £3,250 for it. The car itself can only be described as the best Dolomite we have ever seen, with its concours winning history backing it up. Equally as impressive as the condition of the car, if not more so, the wonderful history file includes a record of all of its awards together with what appears to be every MoT test certificate from its entire life, a very rare original brochure, handbook and the service passport booklet with no less than 14 stamps in it. The accompanying BMI Heritage Certificate confirms the car to have been delivered to the ‘Service and Parts Division’ in Cowley and that the car is matching numbers and in its original colours.
Supplied with its UK V5C registration document, MoT test certificates, photos, BMI Heritage Certificate, record of awards, service history, original brochure, handbook and service passport. The combination of condition and meticulous history, truly sets this car apart."