Triumph Acclaim
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Triumph Acclaim | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Manufacturer | British Leyland/Honda |
| Production | 1981-1984 133,626 made |
| Predecessor | Triumph Dolomite |
| Successor | Rover 200 |
| Body style | 4 door saloon |
| Engine | 1335 cc Straight-4 |
| Transmission | 5 speed manual 3 speed automatic |
| Wheelbase | 91 inches (2320 mm) |
| Length | 161 inches (4095 mm) |
| Width | 63 inches (1600 mm) |
| Height | 53 inches (1340 mm) |
| Related | Honda Ballade |
The Triumph Acclaim was a front wheel drive medium-sized family car made by British Leyland (BL) from 1981 to 1984. It was based on the Honda Ballade and used a Honda-designed engine, but met United Kingdom component-content requirements. It was the final model of the Triumph marque.
The Acclaim was significant as the first essentially Japanese car to be built within the European Economic Community, to bypass Japan's voluntary limit of 11% market of the total number of European sales. The Acclaim was also a major turnaround point for BL itself, with the car sporting good reliability and build quality from the outset. It paved the way for the Honda-based, Rover-badged range of cars which BL (and its successors) would develop throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
The most notable outward change from the Honda was the appearance of a central badge on the grille. At the time, the Japanese model had "Honda" to the right-hand side of the grille. Other changes included twin Keihin carburettors (the Ballade only had a single carburettor), the mirrors were situated on the doors, the independent front and rear MacPherson strut suspension was tweaked for the UK market and the seats were based on Ford Cortina frames. The brakes were disc at the front and drum at the rear.
All Acclaims were powered by the all alloy and overhead cam 1335 cc engine found in the Honda Civic and the interior was nearly identical (except for the seats). The usual BL trim levels were offered: L, HL, HLS and the top of the range CD, which had electric windows and optional air conditioning. The car remained largely the same throughout its production life. The only changes were to the door handles, a restyled steering wheel, a restyled gear knob and the heater recirculation control, which was moved.
There was a limited-edition "Avon" Acclaim which had leather seats, wooden dashboard, wooden door cappings, two-tone paint and optional turbocharging.
The Acclaim replaced the Triumph Dolomite of the 1970s and was succeeded by the first Rover 200-series, based on the Honda Civic.
It was the last car to wear the Triumph badge. The last Acclaim off the production line is now in the Heritage Motor Centre and very few examples now exist on UK roads.
A total of 133,625 Acclaims were produced. [1]
