Triumph Dolomite Sprint (1973–80)

The Triumph Dolomite was a popular small saloon car produced by the Triumph Motor Company division of the British Leyland Corporation between October 1972 and August 1980. It was the final addition to Triumph's complex small-car range, which had started in 1965 with the front-wheel drive Triumph 1300 which was fitted with a 1,296 cc (79 cu in) engine. 

Designed as the successor for the upmarket variants of the front-wheel drive designs, the Triumph Dolomite was presented at the London Motor Show in October 1971. Initially, the only version available used the new slant-four 1854cc engine, which mated an alloy OHC head to an iron block, providing 91 bhp (68 kW) which offered sprightly performance. 

Although the Dolomite proved to be refined and rapid, competitors such as the BMW 2002 had a performance advantage which was costing Triumph dearly, both in terms of sales and prestige. A team of engineers led by Spen King developed a 16-valve cylinder head with all of the valves being actuated using a single camshaft rather than the more conventional DOHC arrangement. The capacity was also increased to 1,998 cc (122 cu in), and combined with bigger carburettors the output was upped to 127 bhp (95 kW). This represented a significant increase over the smaller 1854cc variant. The Dolomite Sprint was unveiled in June 1973. 22,941 Dolomite Sprints were made. (wikipedia)

(Photos from flickr.com, commons.wikimedia.org & simoncars.co.uk)