Triumph Acclaim

Just recently received a 1983 Triumph Acclaim Manual CD.. I know it's not quite a classic yet. Anyone got any tips or pointers they'd like to pass on, or just want to agree with me on how nice a car it is? :)

Reply to
shell
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The car you have is basically a Honda Civic with a boot. Badge engineering and a 'stop gap' car.

The main weak points I remember of this car was the carbs, which have a tendency to run rich which quickly ruins good engine, and rust predominantly rear inner wheel arches. I still have a couple of pairs of good carbs laying around gathering dust.

Some parts are now unobtainium, apparently lower ball joints/ lower arms are no longer available.

Dixie

Reply to
dixie

predominantly

Discovered this problem... (sils)

Reply to
shell

What ever.. It beats any of the crap like ford fiestas etc half its age *any day*.

Reply to
shell

...maybe, but I bet it starts every time. Anyway, what's wrong with badge-engineering? That doesn't necessarily make a car crap does it?

If I remember correctly the Acclaim/Honda was quite a neat little package - smooth 1.3 engine, capable 5 speed box and very economical. Regardless of cachet and looks wasn't it the most successful Triumph after the Herald? Anyone?

Reply to
DocDelete

I believe it was THE most succesful (in terms of sales) Triumph. Period. Never owned one myself, I know lots of people who've got involved with them in recent years and all speak highly of them. Now that I can add one cheaply to my TSSC insurance policy maybe I should give one a try - it will go nicely with my other badge engineered Triumphs (Heralds), Cheers, Bill.

-- Rarebits4classics .......just what you've been looking for

PO Box 1232 Calne Wiltshire SN11 8WA United Kingdom

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Reply to
William Davies

Oh yes, and where will you store one of these then Bill?

Actually both my father and brother had one: went like sewing machines. Strangely, they both had the (Trio)matic versions which were a bit sluggish. I think they had two speeds, slow and slower.

Apparently main problem nowadays is lack of body panels, so there's another reason for Bill Davies to buy one: he can use it a as a mould to build panels for everyone else!Yet another Rarebit.

ken

1981 TR7 DHC
Reply to
Ken Forrest

In article , shell writes

Absolutely. Much as I hate to say it, being a "proper" Triumph enthusiast, the Acclaim was actually a very nice little family car with quite a sporty feel. Quite frugal too. But not nearly as solid as the "real" Triumph saloons.

Reply to
Robert Pearce

In article , dixie writes

Actually, no, it's a Honda Ballade. It may resemble the Civic quite closely but they're not the same thing.

Agreed, but BL specialised in that well before the Acclaim

Interestingly, it was a stop-gap for the Maestro. BL had basically already decided not to build any more Triumphs (the Dolomite face-lift was clearly a dud), but the Acclaim was shaping up into something just a little too "plush" for an Austin. Or perhaps just a little too nice to replace with the Maestro :)

Reply to
Robert Pearce

It is good to see some interest in a car which you do not now see on the road in any great numbers. When they were first launched I did not like them and correctly referred to them as re-badged Hondas. With their styling I think that they stand out now and are some what appealing as maybe a daily runner. Earlier in July I went to the show at Powderham Castle in Devon and one of the stands their had a champagne beige Acclaim on show, and it was in very good condition. Horses for course is what they say and if people are prepared to save them then they should be encouraged (Michelle). I suspect that there are still quite a few tucked away in garages yet to be discovered. Ian

Reply to
barcodes

Having said that, they seemed to have survived in fairly large numbers - despite "banger" maintenance etc

Reply to
Samuel Clemens

Please dont bother ading and abetting the preservation of these heaps...an almost equally bad car as a Marina. The Dolomite was far more succesful in terms of numbers sold and surviving too. They only made them 3 years dont forget til replaced by the almost equally abominable rover 200 series...another act of badge desecration if ever I saw one...

Jonners

Reply to
Jon Tilson

Hi Jon, What is specifically bad about the Acclaim? All of the owners I know, both enthusiast and 'normal' drivers have always spoken very highly of them.

I don't have figures to hand (I'll try and put that right this evening), but I had always understood the Acclaim to be the highest selling Triumph.

Well there are plenty of 'real' Triumph owners who will decry anything built post war as "badge desecration" - it just depends wheere you're looking from. You don't have to own one - why be offensive to those who want to? Cheers, Bill.

-- Rarebits4classics .......just what you've been looking for

PO Box 1232 Calne Wiltshire SN11 8WA United Kingdom

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Reply to
William Davies

Pull the other one its got bells on it.

The Dolomite wasn't exactly successfull but due its plywood dash it sold to the grey rinse set which is why so many survive, in real life the Marina wasn't up to much compared to the oposition being litttle more than an updated Morris 8 but its was a safer buy when new than a Dolly -- a Marina would at least have some resale value.

The reason why acclam was only production 2 years was the Honda policy of needless reshelling of all its cars every 2 years (now put on a back burner since the yen fell on hard times) , the reason for the name change to Rover was the Tr7, Stag Toledo and Dolomite had done so much damage to the Triumph name. The succeeding 3 box Rover 213/216 was a pretty good car that handled better (in an oridinary saloon sort of way) than any Rover/BL of any era car I have driven.. The only major fault was the eletric choke device on the SU carb fitted on the poverty spec non injection 216 models and of course like most modern cars it had a timed self detruct life -- at exactly 6.5 years old everything starts to break/rot at the same time .

Reply to
AWM

I can't remember off-hand if it was Rob Henderson or not, BUT, in the biannual Round Britain Triumph Run last year, his "usual" mount expired and he bought an Acclaim a couple of days before the event. I think it was about to be scrapped. Anyroadup, after changing the oil & plugs, he made it to Lands End - John O`Groats and back without further ado. I think he was the quickest car to do the run as well!

Who cares about badge engineering if they work? Maybe the Ballade wasn't such a bad car after all?

No-one criticises VW for making the Fabia / Polo and Ibiza or, better, the Octavia / Leon / Golf and A3 all on the same floorpan do they?

It's just marketing, otherwise we wouldn't have both the new Rover 25 and MG ZR vans today would we?

ken

1981 TR7 DHC 2000 R25 Steptronic
Reply to
Ken Forrest

That was Rob Newton-Allen, Colin Murrell and Sean Jones - the car didn't even use any oil! Rob did the run 2 years earlier in his 1959 Herald Coupe with Derek Giles co-driving. The plan last year had been to take Colin's

2500S, but there was a problem of some nature so the Acclaim was bough 48 hours before the off! Colin's still using it (though it is for sale) and it's still going strong, Cheers, Bill.

-- Rarebits4classics .......just what you've been looking for

PO Box 1232 Calne Wiltshire SN11 8WA United Kingdom

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Reply to
William Davies

In article , William Davies writes

My brother owned on for a while, at the same time as I had my 1850 Dolomite. The Acclaim was far quicker round country lanes, and off the mark, and approximately equally good at high speed cruising. The two cars were similarly comfortable, but the Dolomite had a nicer ambience. Fuel economy was about 25% better on the Acclaim.

Inferior in every way to the Dolomite? Jon simply has to be joking!

Reply to
Robert Pearce

Dolomite is streets ahead, but as a *car* (y'know - the things most normal people

How so? It was noisier, slower and handled less well (all IMO) than an 1850 HL dolomite...(the original Dolly was always 1854) I agree the smaller engined ones are no balls of fire but I'm often surprised by their willing nature whn I drive them and put in some very good cross country times in a lowly 1300...flat out and a chassis good enough not to slow down much. Now an Acclaim as I remember was typical undeveloped Jap attempt at fwd...never wanting to play and terminal undesrteer at every attempt. Torque free screamer of an engine too....hard work in short and very hard to like. Throw in a tendancy to throw cam belts and I cant see how its superior as a car either.

transportation.

I agree and the Dolomite has it in spades and all ours work hard for a living. Son's is in Wales on a 4 up camping trip as I write. At 12k miles last year not bad for a 32 year old...eh? Sorry you had such bad memories Bill...try a good 1850 again sometime and you will be pleasnatly surrpised. Some of the 76-78 Dollies dd rust well but then so did everything esle BL made at the time too. Cant remember when I last saw a Princess...Thats the crap steel and not the design thats faulty.

Jonners

Reply to
Jon Tilson

Not a Dolomite fan then? I'm surprised since most of your posts are quiet sensible...:-)

to the grey rinse set which is why so many survive, Err no...most were BMW 2002 eaters. Your thinking of yhe lowere order ones taht started out as Toledos.

in real life the Marina

Ha ...when and what are you remebering? I was a young blade when Dolomites were in production and it was always too dear...nearly new ones only dropped by a hundred quid or so and dealers could shift all they could get. Marinas...especailly the face lifted one with the curved dash...were what nobody wanted. If you were a rep and Kennings or Wadhams did your contract hire and you got a Marina as a company car you were a joke... When I did a bit of dealing...I would never take in a Marina...it was about as sellable as a Lancia Beta. Dolomites OTOH were very easy to shift...even scabby ones. It was the most requested car 2 years after production in Car Data...that online telephone buying service that seemed so new at the time. So I disagree...and there's the evidence. Jonners

Reply to
Jon Tilson

In article , Jon Tilson writes

Your opinion conflicts wildly with my experience.

I had a 1500 and found the chassis adequate. The 1850 actually handled slightly better, but it wasn't all that good.

What do you mean by that? My brother's was always happy

No, it had nicely balanced handling. Sure it lacked the gross oversteer you could provoke a Dolomite into, but that's not a particularly desirable characteristic in a road car.

Yes, it's a revvy little number. That, and the lightweight body, is how it manages to be quicker than an 1850 Dolomite.

Not at all. Yes, I preferred my Dolomite, but the Acclaim was nicer than most modern cars I've driven. I do wonder whether, if I hadn't owned nothing but RWD Triumphs since passing my test until a few years back, I may have preferred the Acclaim. There wasn't all that much in it.

I've never heard of them throwing cam belts. The engine and gearbox on the Acclaim has a far better reliability record than the 1850 ever had.

Reply to
Robert Pearce

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