40 YEARS OF THE TRIUMPH ACCLAIM

Forty years ago, British Leyland unveiled the last car to wear the Triumph badge and the first Japanese car to be made in the UK. To celebrate, here are 20 facts about the Acclaim:

• When the Triumph Acclaim debuted on the 7th October 1981, the advertisements promised ‘sheer driving pleasure.'

• Back in 1978, Mark Snowdon, the Director of Product Development for BL’s Austin-Morris Division, considered the possibility of collaborating with another manufacturer.
• The first choice of partner was Chrysler UK, with Honda as a second choice.
• Leyland also contemplated an agreement with Alfa Romeo, AMC, BMW, Fiat, Ford, General Motors, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, PSA, Renault, Saab, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen or Volvo.
• Chrysler’s sale of its UK and French operations to PSA ended any chance of a joint line-up. BL’s initial plan was for the Horizon and the Alpine to replace the Allegro, Maxi and Marina, with the Tagora supplanting the Princess and the Rover
• Formal talks with Honda began in October 1978.
• The two companies finally signed an agreement on the 26th of December 1979 to build a version of the Honda Ballade in Crowley. It was codenamed ‘Project Bounty’.
• Local modifications to the Acclaim included the twin Keihin carburettors, the seats and some minor alterations to the suspension.
• BL invested some £80 million in the Cowley plant to prepare for the new model.
• Honda never sold the Ballade in the UK to further assist the Acclaim’s sales prospects.
• At the time of the Acclaim’s launch, some observers noted as certain historical irony Leyland making a Honda. Between 1953 and 1959, Nissan built the Austin A40 Somerset and the Austin A50 Cambridge under licence.

• The sales publicity boasted how every model featured a push-button radio, rev counter, digital clock, servo-assisted brakes and five-speed transmission as standard.
• The flagship CD offered headlamp washers, tinted glass, electric windows and even a ski-hatch in the rear seat backrest.
• Autocar thought the Acclaim “a good replacement for the ageing Dolomite. It is fast, economical, and should prove very reliable”.
• What Car regarded the Acclaim as “a good new car and it displays all the qualities needed for success in this section of the market; refined engine and transmission, fine crisp handling, creditable comfort and a good economy potential”.
• Fleet buyers were assured that the Triumph was “Totally Equipped for Business”.
• During its first complete sales’ month, the Acclaim was the UK’s fifth best-selling car.
• Socially ambitious motorists could order the coach-built ‘Avon Acclaim’. The Warwick firm also offered the rather remarkable Avon Turbo, with a 105 bhp power output and suede upholstered seats.
• By 1982 the Triumph Acclaim was the UK’s seventh bestselling car. It held eighth position in the following year.
• When the SD3 Series Rover 200 replaced the Acclaim in 1984, BL had made 133,625 examples.

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