Which Car For My First VTR?
By Richard Truett
DETROIT — With a week to go before my first ever VTR, I’m still not 100 percent certain which car I will take on the 550-mile trek from Detroit to Valley Forge.
Last night, I drove both my 1981 TR7 Sprint convertible and my 1977 Dolomite Sprint. Both are running perfectly. Both are completely restored and should be competitive in their classes.
And both are likely to be the only ones at VTR.
I wish I could take them both.
Likely, I will make the trip in the Dolomite Sprint. The car is amazing on the road. In overdrive 4th, fuel economy is around 32 mpg…not bad for a car using carburetors and a distributor. Some modern 2-liter cars don’t even do that well. The Sprint’s suspension and interior room are also likely to take less of a toll on my 46-year old body.
The Sprint, in Leyland white with a black cloth interior, was restored in England in the 1990s. After some minor mechanical refurbishment on my part over the last two years, the car is close to showroom condition. The Dolomite Sprint is rare sight here in the States. I bet a lot of Triumph fans at Valley Forge would like to see a Dolomite Sprint up close.
But then I’ve just finished the restoration on my silverleaf TR7. Not only did that include an engine bay respray, but also a new Sprint engine cranking out about 180-horsepower.
The car has about 700 break-in miles and all the kinks are worked out. I’m dying to show off the car. With its upgraded suspension and brakes and rev-happy 16-valve engine, it’s proof that the TR7 would have been a world beater, if only British Leyland would have used the performance hardware already in the corporate parts bin.
So, with a week to go, I am weighing the pros and cons of each car. I love the idea of hitting the road in a Triumph two-seater, top down and radio blasting. But there will be a bunch of TR7s and TR8s at Valley Forge. My car might just get lost in the crowd.
That makes me think that it should be the Dolomite Sprint that goes to Valley Forge. But Triumph sedans were never popular in the USA.
Decisions…decisions…
Got any suggestions or comments? Leave them here and I will check them out.
