Dolomite Sprint: A Second Bite Of The Cherry

Mike Taylor meets Charles Squirrell and samples Dolomite Sprint motoring at its best.

 

- Mike Taylor

'I grew up in South London surrounded by cars,’ recalls Charles Squirrell with a grin, owner of this exquisite Mimosa Yellow Triumph Dolomite Sprint. ‘My father had various cars throughout his life including several Rover 3500S manuals, one of which is still in the family. In 1978 I was able to buy PMC, a May 1973 Triumph Dolomite Sprint when I was just 19 years old. I then went for an interview at Henly’s, the British Leyland and Rolls Royce dealership in Catford for a job as a junior car salesman on £25 per week. The boss asked me how I was going to travel to work and I pointed to the Dolomite; it turned out he had an Inca Yellow demonstrator Dolomite Sprint, and I’d parked next to it. I got the job’

We’ll get back to that Mimosa Sprint in a moment, but first a short digression into the model’s history. By the early 1960s the charismatic Triumph Herald was beginning to look dated. With funds from the Leyland takeover in December 1960, a budget was earmarked for a Herald replacement, codenamed Ajax. Initially of two-door design, the concept would feature a monocoque body shell with contemporary lines –gone were the Herald’s rear fins from the 1950s to be replaced by a bolder body envelope. However, introduction of the 1147cc Herald 1200 and the six-cylinder Vitesse boosted sales volumes and project Ajax was upscaled into a four door saloon.