I've gone and bought another car....Update now in daily use!

[Tonka]

Despite being determined not to incure the wrath of SWMBO by buying something, other than the Jago Samurai I've agreed to buy her and collect at Christmas I've gone and bought another car I don't need, have no room for and can't afford............

 

It's a beige 1983 Triumph Acclaim L with 40k on the clock, basically a one owner car from new, the V5 is now in the daughter's name as she has had to store/SORN it since her Father passed away. As I explained to those I met at the NEC it was outside the MOT garage we use at work where it had been fetched in for MOT''ing before going up for sale but the garage said by the time they had paid for the welding on the sill ends and freeing off the brakes etc it would probably cost more than the car might fetch.

 

I mentioned I might be interested if the price was right as the car looks half right and is solid underneath and had been started up regularly whilst in storage, I made an offer which was accepted, if all else failed and it wasn't worth doing I saw it as a way of getting a cheap twin carb engine for my Mk1 Civic (a popular swap). Tonight after work I called on my way home and paid for the car, collected the keys, quite a few receipts and every MOT from 1986 drove 300 yards to the garage where it's been sat since last week where it started first time and sounded perfect so I moved it up and down the forecourt then stuck it out of harms way at the back while I finish the garage extension I started a few weeks back, it can stay where it is for a couple of weeks so at the end of the month I'll do the welding and brakes and take it for the MOT.

 

I was going to get them to test it anyway while it's sat there but because they have already given it the once over for the owners they said to just take it away do what it needs then fetch it back rather than having to stick to the retest period so fingers crossed it won't cost me much to get it roadworthy, pics to follow tomorrow when I pop round in daylight on my lunchtime walk.

 

The ironic thing is even though it's been stored near work and almost next door to the MOT garage for a while the address on the bills is the next road up from my house....must be fate.

[dollywobbler]

Brilliant. Look forward to those pics! I'd still love an Acclaim. Almost bought one a while back, but it smoked like a Chinese factory.

[Shep Shepherd]

Good buy. I like the Acclaim for some reason, so much so that I had a vivid dream the other night in which I bought one very much like yours

[qwerty]

Sounds great! Best colour too!

[ashmicro]

Accraim FTW. Nice one.

[Albert Ross]

I saw this parked by the chain link fence the other day. It made me smile. Now I know it's yours I am

[Skizzer]

Pics! Pics! Pics!

[Tonka]

Camera is on my desk here, will take some at lunchtime, sorry guys can't upload them until tonight.....

[M'coli]

Good saving. I have unfinished Acclaim business after buying one at auction in 1996 but returned it when the paperwork didn't materialise - I should have just bit the bullet and stuck it in for an MOT, but finances were already stretched enough in buying it - at £127 !! It's things like that that remind you the good old days weren't quite so good!

[Spottedlaurel]

Good save, look forward to seeing it. I think they're cracking cars, really liked the one we had:

 

Triumph Acclaim HL by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Sadly it started getting smoky and was going rusty in some odd places, it ended its days as a banger.

[Tonka]

 

It has had a bit of "pensioner touch-up in places

 

 

 

 

A few spares plus his overalls etc still in the boot

 

 

 

 

Notice the wax dripped on the sills, he must have coated everything! back seat looks OK will remove the front covers once the work is done.

[joethornton1986]

Beautiful ... had a few of these, cracking cars and make excellent daily runners

[trigger]

That looks really good!, Proper OAP spec!, also what is the green car next to it? Is it a Vauxhall Victor PC?

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

I am loving the seat covers. Keep'em on!

[Tonka]

It's an FC Victor 101, I believe it belongs to a guy who has premises on the industrial estate repairing HGV's, it was one of my spots a while ago but has since been repainted and has been sat in that spot since May, making me realise I don't need to rush to move the Acclaim...... seriously though I want it here by the end of the month, I can see a tax disc looming soon.

 

The Acclaim needs a bit of work on the rear arches which I will sort when I weld the sills, the plan is to make it sound and roadworthy, touch up the worst bits and give it another chance at life but not before I've used it a bit which will then give me time to finish my Fiesta, then the Jago, then the Civic.......

[boobydoo]

Mate, that is awesome!! I bet the old boy p-exed an Allegro for it. Deffo.

[Tonka]

Funnily enough there was an Allegro at the garage a while back, they get quite a few older vehicles in for repair/MOT as their Dad has been involved with the same local classic car club as me for many years.

[Tonka]

 

The Allegro in almost the same spot as the Acclaim is now.

 

 

As far as I know this is the same Victor pre-respray and before it moved next door to the Acclaim.

[dollywobbler]

Fabulous. Love the seat covers!

[RoadworkUK]

That's cosmetically almost identical to my old one, an HL in Champagne. ELR90Y. Another on the "should never have got rid of" list.

[garycox]

That looks great! I had a gold A reg HLS a wile back but sadly it was scrapped when I had too many cars and not enough space.

[retrogeezer]

love that, always liked Acclaims myself and that looks ace.

[Tonka]

After what seems like an eternity I've finally found room in the garage for the Acclaim so I drove it home tonight, it's only about 4 miles but it drove faultlessly and has the makings of a great daily driver so between now and the new year I am going to do the two bits of welding on the sill ends and overhaul the brakes so it can go for an MOT ASAP.

 

[Pete-M]

Top shiteing. Beige bonus points too.

[ProgRocker]

OOh that looks like a peach. A beige one but a peach nevertheless.

 

Shite 'L' spec too.

[Tonka]

Original "Triumph" radio cassette fitted, only MW and LW and spookily tuned into something playing 80's music when I set off tonight!

 

Having got some paperwork out of the car it's history has become a little more clear, it was a leasing company's car when new, it has the original supplying dealers front plate which was the Retford branch of a local company my mate at work worked for for any years before he moved to Kennings, the leasing company's offices were on the road you turn off to mine, it did 900 miles in the first 7 months and at some point was bought by a gentleman who it turns out lived in the next street to me until he died a year ago, his daughter Sorn'd it in her name hence I have yet to confirm the exact date he bought it as like fool I forgot to look at the V5 when I signed it!

 

I have every MOT from '86 to '03 when he had to stop driving due to failing eyesight and it seems to have done a little under 2000 miles each year through it's life until he was left with only being able to move it up and down the drive for the last 6 years or so.

 

I hope to fill in the missing bits of the story once it's up and running as I've promised to take it back to the family so they know for sure it's been saved from the weighbridge.

[blguy1975]

Ohhh,I Want,I Want,I Want

[Felly Magic]

That sounds liks the same Motorola stereo my old MG Maestro had. Giffertastic and full of epic winnage

[wackywacerwill]

GR13.5 purchase.

I've had a few of these, 1 in russet brown and pretty tidy and the other the same as this in beige but the giffer repairs were hiding (not very well) plenty of pudding. Both soldiered on tremendously, superb little engines.

Pretty sure I've a re-con rad in the garage still and possibly a few other bits too including some handbooks and what not.

[Tonka]

It's got an MOT for the first time in 7 years..........

 

Welded up the sill ends and around the inner arch and lip, fitted new front pads, free'd off a sticking handbrake pivot, fitted the "new" spare tyre and a pair of wiper blades, took it today and it went straight through with no advisories the CO was just 0.275% !

 

It amazes me how tight it feels on the road so it's tax disc time just as soon as I've painted the repaired areas at the weekend, just need to keep away from the next street don't want the widow thinking he's back......