Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Ellis]

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Over the years I've owned five Triumphs - two Dolomite Sprints, a 1850HL and two Stags and always had an admiration for the marque. I searched in vain for a very late (1971/72) Triumph Vitesse at the end of the 1970s and once was offered a low mileage early Triumph 1300 in a probate sale.

In August 1982 I went to collect my mother's new Metro 1.3 HLS and also awaiting collection by new owners at the dealership were two new Triumph Acclaims, a white one and a metallic burgundy one. The latter, a HLS version, had been bought by friends of my mother who lived in a nearby town.

Although the Acclaim was unveiled in 1981 I hadn't taken much notice or interest and had read that Triumph enthusiasts were less than impressed that the new Triumph was a Cowley built Honda Ballade.

I was to drive the metallic burgundy one in November 1982 to take it's owners to Manchester airport to take advantage of a late bargain holiday.
I thought it was delightful with a smooth almost inaudible engine. The controls were light and positive and the 5 speed gearbox was a novelty. It felt like a quality motor car and I was impressed.

The Acclaim had less warranty claims than any other British Leyland car of the period and over 140,000 found satisfied owners in the three years of production. Many owners were elderly or retired and the car suited their needs well.

Whether a Triumph Acclaim will be collectable I don't know but one, a 1983 HL version was sold locally two years ago. It had been bought new by a retired bank official and he used it regularly until about 2000. He moved to a residential nursing home later and his family tried to sell his possessions.
The Acclaim in a beige colour had only done 23k miles but nobody bought it for the advertised £750 and it remained for sale for months. The family finally accepted less than £400.
Sad.

What are your opinions on the last Triumph car?
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[Penman]

Hi
The last Triumph but the also the first British built Japanese car.
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[pogo]

I have very fond memories of the acclaim. I worked in new car sales for a BL dealer when the acclaim was a new car.
It was a lovely car to drive, outshining the escorts and maestros etc. Nothing sporty about it, and not really a fitting ending to the Triumph marque, but just taken as a useable car, it was very pleasant.
After I changed careers, I used to snap up any cheap ones and resell them. more as a hobby All the buyers were suprised how nice they were.
I would certainly be tempted to buy a similar good condition acclaim for £400ish, just for nostalgia.
Doesnt every car become collectable eventually?

Paul
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[Bitumen Boy]

Acclaims are great cars - reliable, economical, comfortable and excellent hill climbers. I've actually lost count of the number my dad has had since the mid 80's and I had one myself for a couple of years. I understand what a lot of people will say about it not being a proper Triumph - there are no "parts bin" bits common to previous models for a start - but anyone who's driven one will, I feel, consider it worthy to wear the badge. As for it being collectible, I fear the future for the Acclaim is not rosy. Despite some optimistic adverts (been there when trying to sell mine) values seem to be heading inexorably down, numbers are continuing to fall and spares are getting increasingly hard to come by. It's at the point where most of the survivors are being run a shoestring, they aren't worth spending money on because you know if anything major goes wrong you probably aren't going to be able to get the parts to fix it. For instance, once upon a time you could get NOS mild steel exhausts cheaply, but now the supply has dried up and you're looking at a custom job costing as much as the car is worth, one of the main reasons (the other was the road tax on a car I hardly used, being out of work at the time) that I sold mine. Maybe the parts are out there on the autojumble circuit, but not having the time or cash to drive off all over the country on the off chance, and buying stuff up just in case it might be useful someday, it lost out to the Herald when deciding which car would be the one to go. Heart still regrets seeing it go, head still says it was the right decision at the time.

Still have some photos of mine, if anyone wants to see them just say.

[Greg]

My Grandad bought an Acclaim after somebody driving a Land Rover, approaching a roundabout had the brakes fail, hit and wrote off his Morris Marina.
From what I remember, he loved it and was very impressed with his Acclaim...which was also a Burgandy Met. Red

[Ellis]

[mikeC]

I cannot say I was impressed by the Acclaim I ran (as a four or five year old car): comfortable, yes, but so bland to drive that I have no real memories of it, other than its total inability to put the drive down in slippery conditions. I resorted to strapping a large bag of sand onto the front bumper, and even then had to plot a route which did not involve any steep road junctions!
Over the years I have owned well over fifty cars, and although I think I ran it for a couple of years it is one of no more than three or four that I have no photograph of, nor can I remember its registration number.
I was very relieved when it expired in a cloud of steam and a blown head gasket; I dumped it a the nearest garage and told them they could keep whatever they could get for it...

[clan chieftain]

I often fancied one of them. I have only ever seen one at a car show.
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[Rick]

I can't claim to have owned nor driven in one, so I can't comment on their actual merits, but being a re-badged Honda - and looking like an old Honda - means I couldn't be less interested in finding out more about them to be honest. Plus it's from an era that, by and large, I have no interest in either.

There's one mouldering away in a driveway about 5 miles from here, getting mouldier by the year, but I've never felt the urge to knock on the door and try to buy it. I might take a photo sometime if I remember and pop it on here. Hopefully a few will survive, for curiosity value, but they're not something I'd want to spent £ and time on, sorry

Do many of the Avon Turbo cars survive?

RJ
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[Journer]

This one looks nice with a nice price.

http://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/classic-car-page/204134/1982-triumph-acclaim-hls/
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[D4B]

[Richard H]

My dad used to have a Triumph Acclaim. VRY 972X, a rare CD spec model with chrome bumpers, blue velour seats and electric windows on all four doors. It also had the Triomatic (Hondamatic) three speed semi-auto gearbox. It was also black, which is a rare colour for Acclaims and I think it may have been special order.

It was a very nice car to drive, nippy, economical and reliable. It took 5 of us to North Devon and back, with a trailer tent on the back, without missing a beat, and it was over 20 years old by then. Sadly the rust was starting to break out (wheelarches and bootlid) and my parents needed a bigger car, so it was replaced by an E Class Merc estate from memory.

Drawbacks I remember were very little rear seat legroom, and the car was so low I used to bump my head getting in and out of the back.

As to all the people saying "it's not a real Triumph?". The Acclaim is very very rare now, most having either rusted away or been plundered for their engines for MK1 Civics. I can't speak for anyone else on the forum, but while most shows contain rows and rows of "classic" Triumphs (over-polished Stags and TR6's mainly), you're unlikely to see one Acclaim there. And when you do, the other Triumph owners will look down their noses at it. These same people would probably sneer at a Mayflower as well! I know what I'd rather see.
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Richard Hughes

[Rick]

[Rick]

[Salopian]

Good grief I'm in full agreement with Rick!! Can only add I always thought it smelt of desperation as so many swan song models do. Perfectly adequate transportation but rather grey porridgy. Rather like my fridge in that it does the job bought for then is thrown away on expiry without a second thought.
Mention of the amazingly gutless Mayflower reminds me of the old period joke "but it never did".
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