Donald Healey might not have been a trained engineer, or a trained stylist, but he always managed to inspire his teams to produce exceptional cars. The distinctively shaped Triumph Dolomite Roadster was a fine example.
Already famous for winning the Monte Carlo Rally in 1931, Donald Healey joined Triumph in 1933, soon rising to become the company’s tech-nical director. Having been allowed one expensive indulgence, which was the supercharged Dolomite Straight Eight, he then up-graded Triumph’s production car range of Glorias and Vitesses. The arrival of a new Dolomite range (no relation) denoted the launch of a new family of four- and six-cylinder engines.
One feature of the new Dolomites in 1936 was their ‘waterfall’ style of radiator grille, which stylist Walter Belgrove had produced as an obvious inspiration from the latest Hudson Terraplanes. This was distinctive enough, but when added to the style of body which appeared in 1938, it produced a real effect. Well trimmed and furnished, the Dolomite Roadster, which was produced in very limited numbers, was more ‘drop-head’ than ‘roadster’, and it was available in two forms: a four-cylinder 1,767 cc type, or a six-cylinder 1,991 cc model with a longer (and even more elegant) wheelbase. On this body the waterfall grille was matched to a two-seater front compartment, and a long sweeping tail concealed a lift-up panel which hid two further ‘dickey’ seats. Although this was already an obsolete feature, and the whole thing was a trifle over-the-top, it was striking, and attractive. |
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When the six-cylinder engine was fitted, the top speed was around 80 mph, enough to make it a useful rally car. For the well-to-do middle class sportsman, who could choose between Triumph, SS-Jaguar, Riley, MG and other substantial cars, this was an intriguing contender and, at £450 for the 116 in/2,946 mm wheelbase version, it was good value.
Seat trim was in pigskin-grained leather, winding windows were provided in the doors, there was a disappearing front arm rest between the seats, and discreet steps were fitted to allow access to the dickey seats, for which there were no doors. In the rather genteel British motoring competitions of the day it was a sure-fire contender for Concours awards.
Elegant by the standards of the day, it died at the outbreak of war, for post-war Triumphs were really modified Standards, and a new-generation Roadster was not nearly as smart as the original.
Distinguished by the ‘waterfall’ style of its radiator grille, the Dolomite Roadster had a sweeping tail which concealed a lift-up panel with two middle ‘dickey’ seats.
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