Sensible Secondhand Classics: 1981 Triumph Acclaim 1.3 HLS

Sensible Secondhand Classics: 1981 Triumph Acclaim 1.3 HLS - Lloyd Vehicle Consulting

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Жыл бұрын

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Welcome to Sensible Secondhand Classics, the series where we take a sensible classic car worth between £1000 and £5000 and put it through its paces in a very straightforward manner! This time we test a 1981 Triumph Acclaim 1.3 HLS, the last car to ever wear the Triumph badge. Join us as we discuss rust, placement of heater controls, Roverfest 2022, experience a wobbly camera mount and generally experience little of any consequence at all. Nothing untoward then!
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As an independent vehicle consultant, I take potential buyers through the whole car buying process from choosing a make and model to a vehicle handover and road tax. In addition to information on this service, I also have a selection of written and video reviews of cars that I have owned, hired, borrowed or have somehow come into my possession. Please use the Contact Me page on my website to get in touch, visit my Facebook page for latest updates and share this video if you like it! Thank you for watching.
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Пікірлер: 88

@paulie-Gualtieri. Жыл бұрын

The fact you got a rev counter and electric windows all round, plus electric door mirrors on the Acclaim CD, at time when the Austin Ambassador Vanden Plas, didn't have that much equipment is very impressive, on Hondas part. Absolutely another own goal for BL/Austin, for they're own models, I'm guessing the Ambassador Vanden Plas, was more expensive too. Thank goodness they finally, started to get things right with the Maestro & Montego range.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

It's really strange. It seems like the Ital, Ambassador and Acclaim were all aimed at different people. Not surprised that the range had been tidied up by 1984, and was probably much the better for it, as it would have been a bit confusing for most people.

@willswheels283 Жыл бұрын

I think the best thing that happened to BL/Austin Rover was tying up with Honda, their cars improved lots after that. Although I am a sucker for quirky cars which is why I liked and still like their 70’s and 80’s Austins. When I was a kid I hated getting lifts in Fords, Vauxhalls and Japanese cars as they weren’t very comfortable and sounded boring. The BL cars however had a plush interior(Vinyl seating excludes of course) and the sound they made was memorable which is why I still am a big fan of their cars today inc Rover cars.

@TPerry2828 Жыл бұрын

Wow, what a splendid example! Back in the early 80's the average UK motorist just wanted to buy a British-built car that was well put together and reliable; the Acclaim ticked those boxes. A neighbour owned one at the time and my abiding memory of the car is just how cramped it felt for a family car.

@paulie-Gualtieri. Жыл бұрын

A world of beige too absolutely incredible condition.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

They are a bit cramped, sir, which is one of their main disadvantages. I can't believe how original this is, an absolute privilege to drive this.

@robertevans8161 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for another great review. Growing up in the 80s I remember there being a LOT of these around, and even well into the 90s. One of the residents in my grandmother's sheltered housing had a mint pale metallic green one and a teacher at school had a rather rusty base model in solid blue. Interestingly I picked up an Austin Rover Group range brochure from December 82 recently and of course it features the Acclaim. It seemed light years ahead of the Ital and Allegro etc which were in the same brochure. The smart money then would have been on the Acclaim! When I was about to turn 17 I was captivated by a burgundy HLS for sale in King's Lynn. I always thought this colour suited it best (and features quite heavily in the above mentioned brochure). At the time I thought it was too big for a first car but I now wish I'd gone for it! Thanks again for the content; evokes many memories!

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

Yes, the Allegro went out of production in 1982, and the Ital didn't have long left by then at all. The Acclaim would have looked very modern in there indeed. Looks like I am not the only one who finds these seriously nostalgic. Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting, Robert!

@johnmarsh2078 Жыл бұрын

In the mid 80s my fathers Dolly 1850 was hit and the repairers lent him a Triumph Acclaim.he couldn't drive it because it wasn't an auto so i was his chauffeur most days. What a revellation. Pin-sharp steering, lovely smooth revvy engine, firm well damped ride and comfortable seats. The Dolly was unresponsive with a lumpy engine that cooked its head gasket twice. But it was good looking and had an interior to die for. On the strength of the Acclaim my father's next car was a Rover 213. Very underpowered with auto but amazingly reliable.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

It's funny, I did just drive a Dolomite 1850 on the channel! The chap who owned it is a friend of Matthew, who kindly lent me this Acclaim. They do drive very differently indeed, but I enjoyed both of them for different reasons. I have also covered a Rover 213 S on No Budget Reviews, which I think was even better than the Acclaim, personally. Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting!

@frothe42 Жыл бұрын

An exceptional example of a well loved classic! A Triumph that is a Honda and a Triumph; it looks like a Honda but it is not. I'm always surprised that UK 🇬🇧 vehicles have head restraints as an option! This is in exceptional condition! Thank you very much for featuring this Triumph Joseph.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

Yes, seat belts and head rests were both optional on this mid specification Acclaim. It certainly does look just like a Honda, and that is really because it essentially is one!

@markonmotoring Жыл бұрын

It's wonderful to see an Acclaim in the channel at last Joseph. Now you may recall me mentioning previously that my Grandfather owned an Acclaim and a string if Rhonda's that followed. Sadly my nostalgia for the Triumph doesn't equal that of the Rovers, perhaps because I was too young at the time or maybe because these cars not only had Honda Engineering but also strong Honda styling which doesn't really tie in with anything else that came from Triumph prior to this. There is no question though that these were indeed excellent cars and one of the most important cars in British automotive history. Without this car we probably wouldn't have had the SD3, the R8 or HHR and possible the larger shared platforms too. As you said, there is something endearing about the Triumph Acclaim and I sincerely hope that it brings its new owner a lot of happy miles to come.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

Yes, maybe the SD3, being slightly newer, is just that bit more nostalgic. Both cars are nice to drive and have quite similar engineering, if not styling, which looked far more modern with the SD3. Nothing really in common with prior Triumphs apart from the manufacturer, but would have probably appealed to a lower end Toledo/Dolomite customer.

@robtt997 Жыл бұрын

Great cars . Had a new one same age as this . Kept if for four years. Totally reliable in fact the most reliable car I have ever owned . Bar none. Only drawback I found was it would not pull fifth gear up the hills on the M62 ,with the family on board, a roof rack, and full boot of luggage !I did fit rear seat belts to mine . Really easy job

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

Yes, not really much power or torque for being fully laden like that! They just seemed to go and on, until they rusted away...

@roygardiner2229 Жыл бұрын

That car is over forty years old: its condition is outstanding. I find it totally charming.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

Yes, I was extremely privileged to drive it. Thank you for watching, sir!

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

Just wanted to clarify that the owner (Matthew) purchased the car from its previous owner privately, after the loan period had ended, and not from the Classic Car Loan Project itself. The CCLP only lend out cars, they don't sell them, so it would be wrong to give people that expectation.

@seancooke7332 Жыл бұрын

What you have achieved Sir, I think, is succeeding to drive an example of every single British Leyland or Rover car that was a result of the Honda partnership. Well done. All Very fine cars.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

It's hard to pick a favourite, really, sir.

@leehammett8717 Жыл бұрын

My first car was x reg, champagne coloured Acclaim. Loved it, just a radio and a choke inside - great car

@leehammett8717 Жыл бұрын

FGH 786X

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

Thank you ever so much indeed for watching! I hope that this brought back some memories for you.

@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain Жыл бұрын

Excellent review as always Sir, and what a lovely example of a Triumph Acclaim.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

Beige on beige, sir! Glad you enjoyed the video.

@Lot76CARS Жыл бұрын

Nice review Joseph, A real landmark car, the first Honda collaboration (and the last car to bear the Triumph name).. your Rover 45 was the last Honda collaboration as you know. That relationship with Honda could’ve been so much more (given time) had British Aerospace not sold the organisation to BMW.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

Yes, absolutely, it was working very well, and probably reached its zenith between 1989 and 1994 with the release of various R8 models. The Triumph Acclaim and Rover SD3 were also very good cars for their time, and I am very partial to Rover 800s too.

@jdnrotterdam2150 Жыл бұрын

This is a paint that you saw allot in the 70s and 80s. In the Netherlands anyway. I don’t know why maybe it was a basic color that didn’t cost extra? And that it was used by allot of brands in those decades? But i have allot of old family video tapes and photos and saw allot other films and photos where i saw cars in this color. This Triumph does have a little japanese ( Mitsubishi) style:flavor

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

Yes, very little was changed between the Honda Ballade (based on the second generation Civic) and the Acclaim, but then again, this was a first attempt, and it proved very successful. We used to call this shade "hearing aid beige".

@mattw8332 Жыл бұрын

Back in early 1989 I remember looking at an Acclaim up for sale on a 'bomb site' used car place. My sister (same one who later bought a 216 VDP) was looking for her first car. Our dad was also with us. She spent quite a long time looking at it. However, she ended up buying a 1981 (W) Escort GL. That too lacked head restraints. I once owned a copy of an Austin Morris sales brochure from 1983 and I was of the opinion that there was a bit of an overlap between this and the Morris Ital. I wonder if it would have been best to put the Marina series 3 out of production for good and offer a bigger engine option for the Acclaim. 🤔 The Ital still cost Austin Morris £millions to develop.

@paulie-Gualtieri. Жыл бұрын

Yeah the Ital was an utter waste of time and money as a passenger car. The vans weren't bad as being simply a van, Same with the Ambassador too old and outdated even when new.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

The Acclaims should have been used by driving schools, as they are so easy to drive, and much more pleasant than a Mark III Escort. The Ital was a more spacious and larger car, although technologically much less advanced than the Acclaim. There was a 1.5 version of this engine available in UK Civics, I believe, but it did not produce any more power.

@willswheels283 Жыл бұрын

A great car as a starter Classic I’d say, reliable, straightforwards fo maintain yourself. Only main prob is parts supply these days, but then that’s what sites like EBay are for. These must have been BL’s most reliable cars being Japanese designed , Honda engines, the last car to wear the Triumph badge and a worthy one at that. Thanks for the video Joseph.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

Yes, an ideal starter classic, if you can find one which is not rusty. Not the best for parts, as these are very rare now, but the lowest warranty costs ever in British Leyland's history, which showed that they could actually build stuff properly if they put their minds to it.

@willswheels283 Жыл бұрын

@@lloydvehicleconsulting yes BL/later Rover showed more than once that they could build a really decent car, the sd3, R8 Rover 200/400 was another example of this.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

@@willswheels283 , sir, we have enjoyed examples of all of those very much in the past.

@minimaxi802 Жыл бұрын

The Acclaim was the replacement for the Dolomite, and was generally a pensioners car. There was no fast version like the previous Dolomite Sprint.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

As I mentioned in the video, there was the Avon Turbo Acclaim if you wanted to go faster than the standard 71 bhp engine would allow, but it was limited production only.

@vernonmatthews181 6 ай бұрын

Wallet friendly nostalgic motoring 😂❤

@lloydvehicleconsulting 6 ай бұрын

If you can find one which is not rusty, then, yes!

@vernonmatthews181 6 ай бұрын

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Thanks for the narration, I even got to remember the take away message at the end !

@lloydvehicleconsulting 6 ай бұрын

Thank you very much indeed for watching and commenting!

@vernonmatthews181 6 ай бұрын

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Indeed the last Harrah for Triumph 🍻

@chrislockey7706 Жыл бұрын

Almost bought one of these when I passed my driving test Bought a Nissan Micra instead.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

Funnily enough, the owner also has a Micra, but his is a much more modern one!

@alaricbragg7843 Жыл бұрын

My friends University and Church mates called it the 'Hondamatic' and 'The Silver Bullet (It was Matt Grey.).'

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

Yes, the Hondamatic was offered in the Acclaim under the name "Triomatic".

@alaricbragg7843 Жыл бұрын

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Funny, Holden had a similar label for its automatic cars in the 70s. Those old Civics were actually quite nippy on the open road, even when loaded with gear, because of the light weight. What the Alfasud would have been in a different world.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

@@alaricbragg7843 , yes, cars like these really didn't weigh anything at all.

@alaricbragg7843 Жыл бұрын

@@lloydvehicleconsulting This shape Civic was the most popular 90s high school kid car in New Zealand, behind the Mark 2 Escort and RWD Starlet.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

@@alaricbragg7843 , probably Mark III Escorts would have been popular here, but the Starlets and Civics were not particularly.

@leonshackleford9585 6 ай бұрын

My Daddy owned a Beige Triumph Acclaim HLS Car 1983 X Reg Several Years Ago & My Daddies Best Friend owned a Red Triumph Acclaim HLS 40 Years Ago which my Daddy borrowed Off Rupert 40 or 49 Years Ago when the Starter Motor when off on my Daddies Old White Sherpa Leyland Van. My Daddies Next best Friend Clem owned a Beige Triumph Acclaim CD In Automatic

@lloydvehicleconsulting 6 ай бұрын

Thank you very much indeed for watching and commenting!

@mickles1975 Жыл бұрын

Your forgiveness is assured, Mr Lloyd

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

Did you enjoy it, sir?

@mickles1975 Жыл бұрын

@@lloydvehicleconsulting I did indeed.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

@@mickles1975 , Livestream in an hour, sir.

@mickles1975 Жыл бұрын

Thank you, sir.

@alaricbragg7843 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for this video. I have only seen one Acclaim in New Zealand - but its Civic cousin was extremely popular here. I have some great memories of road trips with my University mate in his three door auto Civic - his Grandmother's old car - and it lasted for years. By the way was that the same company as the motorbike Triumph? Never figured that out.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

The Triumph motorcycle and car business separated long before the Acclaim was made, sir. The second generation Civic and the Acclaim are extremely similar...

@alaricbragg7843 Жыл бұрын

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Thank you for the information!

@seancooke7332 Жыл бұрын

Well sir does this mean that you have now driven an example of every car from the era of British Leyland/ Honda and Rover/ Honda Cooperation.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

I believe so, sir, I must say that I enjoyed all of them!

@newblackdog7827 6 күн бұрын

I wanted my Dad to buy an Acclaim in 1982. He bought a Morris Ital instead! 😩

@lloydvehicleconsulting 6 күн бұрын

I think that the Ital was probably a bit more spacious, but this Acclaim is much more advanced.

@newblackdog7827 6 күн бұрын

@@lloydvehicleconsulting It was a terrible car! Just a rebadged Marina. Happily he had it about a year-then drove it into the back of a Vicar who was driving a Mk1 Golf cabriolet along the seafront with two teenage girls in bikinis 👙 in the back (another story) 🤣 After that he got a black Renault 20 which had a bit more street cred…😁👍🏻

@lloydvehicleconsulting 6 күн бұрын

A vicar driving along the seafront with two teenage girls in bikinis in the back? That is quite a story...

@newblackdog7827 6 күн бұрын

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Yep! 🤣

@lloydvehicleconsulting 4 күн бұрын

My goodness me...

@RideCamVids Жыл бұрын

So many parts on that interior are borrowed from the Honda Quintet.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

I have had a look, and you are absolutely right! The Quintet was sold as a Rover in Australia, of course.

@RideCamVids Жыл бұрын

@@lloydvehicleconsulting I have an Australian market Honda Quintet with an Australian compliance plate on it. This means that not all Quintets in Australia were Rovers. What's even more bizarre is the car never went to Australia but was ordered from Honda by a dealer outside of Australia. Back then in 1981 the only export RHD models from Japan were KE (UK) and KQ (Aus). I also have the parts book to substantiate this fact.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

@@RideCamVids , very interesting, thank you!

@Efferpheasants Жыл бұрын

Could this be regarded as the car that saved BL? BL until this time were perceived as making a load of old junk (I recall a rattle in a new Marina? was traced to a half sprayed coke can lying in the door panel). But when the Acclaim came people said "hey this is not bad at all" and long term proved its worth. Obviously that was due to Honda's input .Thatcher's government were keen to get the Japanese in to try and rectify the terrible reputation, but they came with stipulations, they would not tolerate union dominance and getting the Nissan plant into the NE was not easy, there was resistance by both other manufacturers and unions alike.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

This was a surprisingly nice car to drive. Much easier to drive than, say an Ital or a Dolomite, not that those aren't also interesting classics, of course, but this a design that is about ten years newer than both of those. It did at least show that BL workers could make good cars, if they put their mind to it!

@alaricbragg7843 Жыл бұрын

The same engine as my friend's old car! Surely you would not have run into copyright issues by playing Buck's Fizz on the tape deck?

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

I probably would have done, sir, as I have had three copyright notifications on the last nine videos which I have uploaded!

@alaricbragg7843 Жыл бұрын

@@lloydvehicleconsulting What about Agadoo by Black Lace? Surely no one has royalties over that, great period song too.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

@@alaricbragg7843 , sadly, sir, even Agadoo would probably result in a copyright claim. I wouldn't call it great, I am afraid.

@alaricbragg7843 Жыл бұрын

@@lloydvehicleconsultingIt went to number 9 in the NZ Charts!

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

@@alaricbragg7843 , no guarantee of quality, though, is it, sir?