Triumph Acclaim

triumph
Triumph Acclaim (1983)
Acclaim
Production period:	1981-1984
Class :	Compact class
Body versions :	limousine
Engines:	Otto engine : 1.3 liters (52 kW)
Length:	4089 mm
Width:	1600 mm
Height:	1346 mm
Wheelbase :	2311 mm
Empty weight :	785 kg
Previous model	Triumph Dolomite
successor	Rover 200 series

The Triumph Acclaim was a car of the lower middle class with front-wheel drive , of the BLMC was made from autumn 1981 to summer 1984th It was based on the ballad and had an engine designed by Honda . Many parts of the vehicle were made in Great Britain.

The Acclaim replaced the 1970s Dolomite and was itself replaced by the first Rover 200 series , based on the next edition of the Honda Ballad .

It was the last car to bear the Triumph badge. The last Acclaim produced is now in the Heritage Motor Center in Gaydon ( Warwickshire ).

history

In the 1970s, Triumph was represented in the mid-size sedan segment with the rear-wheel drive Dolomite model, which conceptually dates back to 1965. From 1970 Triumph worked on the successor model SD2 , which, however, was not developed for series production due to the economic difficulties. After the termination of the SD2 project, a delegation from British Leyland began discussions in 1978 with those responsible at Honda about the design of a small family sedan. On December 26, 1979, Michael Edwardes officially signed the British Leyland-Honda cooperation agreement. Eighteen months later, production of the new car began under the names Triumph Acclaim and Honda Ballade. After the end of production of the Dolomite and TR7 / TR8 models , the Acclaim was the only new vehicle from 1981 to bear the Triumph emblem.

The Acclaim was the first mainly Japanese car built in the EC (now the EU ) to circumvent the Japanese self-restraint on 11% of vehicles sold in Europe. Also, the Acclaim was a major turning point for British Leyland itself as this was the first car from this manufacturer in a long time to show good quality and reliability from the start. It paved the way for the Honda-based cars that BLMC (and their successors Austin-Rover and MG Rover Group ) would develop under the Rover name in the 1980s and 1990s.

The most noticeable change was the company emblem in the middle of the radiator grille, the Honda emblem was on the right side. Other differences concerned the Keihin carburetors (the Honda Ballade only had a single carburetor), the door mirrors, the chassis with independent suspension of all wheels on MacPherson struts , which was specially modified for the British market, and the seats, their frames as in the Morris Ital were built. The car had disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear.

All Acclaim were powered by a four-cylinder in-line engine with overhead camshaft (ohc) and 1335 cc displacement, as was used in the Honda Civic, and the interior of both vehicles was almost the same (except for the seats). The usual equipment levels from BL were L, HL, HLS and the top equipment CD, which offered electric windows at the front and rear, a headlight cleaning system and, if desired, air conditioning. No significant changes were made to the model during the entire production period. Small changes affected the door handles, the steering wheel, the gear knob and the control element for the air circulation, which was moved.

In 1982 and 1983, the Acclaim was among the top ten selling cars in the UK - the first Triumph model since records began in 1965.

The Ladbroke-Avon bodywork in Warwick presented a stylistically revised and high-quality version of the Acclaim in 1983. Marketed as the Avon Acclaim, the car featured two-tone paintwork, a vinyl roof, and a chrome grille. In the interior there were seats with leather Conolly were based, and real wood inserts on the dashboard and on the door upper edges. From 1983 a turbo engine developed by Ladbroke-Avon was available. The cars were available through selected Leyland dealers; the renovation cost was £ 2990. The demand remained far below expectations; only "a handful of copies" were sold.

successor

In the summer of 1984, the production of the Acclaim was discontinued, with which the Triumph brand disappeared, as the company was renamed Austin-Rover and in future only produced cars of the Austin , Rover , Land Rover and MG brands .

A total of 133,625 copies rolled off the production line, most of which were sold in the UK. Its successor was the Rover 200 .

Web links

Commons : Triumph Acclaim  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Triumph Acclaim Club Forum

Individual evidence

1. ^ History of the Avon Acclaim on www.aronline.co.uk (accessed February 13, 2019).
2. ↑ Production figures . ( Memento from July 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) In: AROnline (English)