Looks like I've "Acclaimed" a new project! "Added photos!*

[calebaaront]

With the Skoda sold I thought I'd introduce my newest addition. 

This absolute beast of a machine 

A 1984 Triumph Acclaim HL.

I've been after one of these for a while and when my friend offered me this one it was hard to say no! 

 

It needs a little bit of welding (normal for an Acclaim)

Comes with 2 new wings and exhaust. 

 

More pics soon

[Talbot]

14 minutes ago, calebaaront said:

It needs a little bit of welding (normal for an Acclaim)

Are you absolutely sure about that?  @captain_70s might have thought the same once-upon-a-time too....

[calebaaront]

7 minutes ago, Talbot said:

Are you absolutely sure about that?  @captain_70s might have thought the same once-upon-a-time too....

And @Weird Car 😅

[HMC]

Looks fantastic!

[sierraman]

34 minutes ago, Talbot said:

Are you absolutely sure about that?  @captain_70s might have thought the same once-upon-a-time too....

https://ebay.io/m/p6MMY1

[calebaaront]

35 minutes ago, HMC said:

Looks fantastic!

He also has this identical one that he's owned for a long time. Mine was basically a parts car incase he needed it. 

[inconsistant]

Looks nice. Are you suggesting his was too reliable for him to need the parts car? That must be the Honda engineering…

[stuboy]

loos like a great project.. good luck

[lisbon_road]

Good luck.  These were really good cars.  And (in my opinion) they really didn't go that rusty - unlike the next generation which were horrendous.

Of course, given the age anything is possible.

Let us know how you get on.  

[captain_70s]

2 hours ago, Talbot said:

Are you absolutely sure about that?  @captain_70s might have thought the same once-upon-a-time too....

Dunno what you're talking about...

[Spottedlaurel]

Looks like the same colour and spec as our old A-reg Acclaim. Mildly updated model with digital clock rather than analogue?

Ours was ace, took us to France a couple of times and served as Mrs SL-to-be's daily driver for a few years.

Good luck with it!

[grogee]

Had one in (I think) same colour - Oporto Red. Mine was a CD. 

Best of luck with it, I'm amazed any are left. Mine wasn't rusty but then again I am talking about 1995. I went through two head gaskets but then again I drove it like any other twenty year old red blooded male, ie flat out. 

My favourite bit was the COIN tray. 

[adw1977]

1 hour ago, grogee said:

My favourite bit was the COIN tray. 

Interesting purchase, I'm looking forward to seeing more of it.

[High Jetter]

The dealer I worked for let me use a demo Acclaim to go up to B'ham for a residential parts training course, brilliant cars.

[trigger]

I had one back in 2013 that I bought from this parish for £800

Thankfully rust wasn't too much of a issue although it had seen the sparky stick a few times.

I took it on a 800 mile round trip for Shitefest 2014 and it was faultless, probably the best car for reliability that Austin Rover sold! 

The only real gripe for me was the leg room, great if your a short arse but if your over 5ft 10 things started to get a bit cramped behind the wheel. 

 

[cobblers]

I used to walk past a very similar (but hopefully very different!) one of these on my way home from infants school. I would stop and marvel at it, parked on the concrete drive on a 1950s semi, absolutely hanging rotten.  I distinctly remember coming past one day and the drivers side front wing had come away from the A post about 6 inches at the base and the whole front chassis leg was pulled out of the bulkhead. You could see the pedals from the outside of the car!

This would have been at the latest august 1991, meaning the acclaim was less than 9 years old at the time.

[mcmolloy1]

If you're looking for a parts car, there's one on Copart at the moment:

1982 TRIUMPH ACCLAIM HLS | Additional Info | Mon. Sep 28, 2026 | ROCHFORD | Copart

[egg]

I think all the remaining Acclaims should be owned by forum members. It's what this place is all about.

[Jimblob]

Yep I would love an Acclaim, but I am sticking to exclusively French tat as I like fixing all the electrics and rust, most satisfying 

[calebaaront]

Some more photos of her, 

 

Not that rotten to be honest! 

Sans mirror and door card but those are in the car 

[Nibbler]

Oh lovely! This is quite exotic for a Swede as we didn’t get the Ballade or Acclaim here. Good luck with it and I’m looking forward to see future posts.

[High Jetter]

There's a lot of shite in that last pic!

[calebaaront]

1 hour ago, High Jetter said:

There's a lot of shite in that last pic!

All belonging to my mate. I seriously need to introduce him to this forum. 

[calebaaront]

This is the "worst" of the rust I've found so far. 

[timolloyd]

Either that’s an arm/thumb edging into the final two photos, or you really are very very pleased with your Acclaim.

[Shite Ron]

On 24/09/2026 at 21:05, calebaaront said:

All belonging to my mate. I seriously need to introduce him to this forum. 

I agree, I would love to see more of the A60 estate.

[Pat Earrings]

On 24/09/2026 at 18:56, calebaaront said:

Some more photos of her, 

 

Not that rotten to be honest! 

Sans mirror and door card but those are in the car 

Always liked these, hopefully you save it!

Admire your optimism re the rust but, MOT history (I know it’s exempt but still) tells a grim consistent tale. Get this on a lift and have a good prod.

[grogee]

They are/were an interesting vehicle. A rare moment of BL logic, taking a proven Honda design and slightly Britishizing it. Bit weird that it ended up with the Triumph badge, but I suppose they did have history with sporting saloons. 

They really did go well for a 1300, twin carb oomph and were much revvier than BL  stodgy engines. Great gearbox too, 5-speed standard. 

Not great at stopping or going round corners, but baby steps and all that. 

I'm not tall so I didn't struggle with interior space, but they're not ideal for getting larger people on board. Apparently Honda designed it around Japanese mannekins, shorter than your average European bod. 

[RoadworkUK]

On 23/09/2026 at 22:05, adw1977 said:

On 23/09/2026 at 20:57, grogee said:

My favourite bit was the COIN tray. 

 

I also loved the COIN tray, but my favourite feature was (post-update), the digital clock on which you had to press the flip-down cover to make it glow into life when the ignition was off.

Mine (ELR90Y, or Elroy) was my first car. Consequently The Best Car Ever. An HL in Champagne (er... beige, really). I'd love to drive one again to see if it's as great as I remember.

[captain_70s]

1 hour ago, grogee said:

They are/were an interesting vehicle. A rare moment of BL logic, taking a proven Honda design and slightly Britishizing it. Bit weird that it ended up with the Triumph badge, but I suppose they did have history with sporting saloons. 

I think BL had already decided that they were likely going to kill off the Triumph brand in favour of Rover so it was a good tester without potentially damaging a brand they were keeping.

It was sort of aimed at replacing the OHV Dolomite models, which are pretty porridgey already.

I like them. Good engine, 5-speed box, passable brakes and suspension. Interior space is limited

Rust wise they can go anywhere and everywhere, but the important bits are the rear sill/trailing arm mount area, chassis rails and the rear strut towers. They're common rot areas which can cause rapid adjustment of suspension geometry - not ideal at speed!