1983 TRIUMPH ACCLAIM HLS
Used car addict Keith looks back at his best – and worst – classic buys. This week, a Triumph Acclaim bought for his other half that proved to be rather impressive
WHY DID YOU WANT ONE?
I’d owned an Acclaim early in my driving career, so my car-induced selective amnesia meant that I had nothing but good memories of these cool little cars by the turn of the millennium. I was going through a British Leyland phase at the time, and despite having access to a brand-new company car, and my partner already having one of her own, I decided I needed something classic-shaped as a weekend toy – and ‘back-up’ to her Rover 800. So, when a bright red Acclaim popped up on the local bombsite car trader’s pitch around the corner from my house, I had a ready-made excuse to buy it. It was a Y-reg HLS with a beige interior and looked solid for the money despite having a slightly crusty front valance. The guy selling it was a bit of a misery guts, so haggling down from £500 to £400 was like pulling teeth, but we got there in the end, and I smiled to myself for once again being in the BL camp with this fine saloon as I drove off the forecourt.
WAS IT A JOY – OR A NIGHTMARE – TO LIVE WITH?
Unlike the first Acclaim I’d owned, which was wobbly and ran like a bag of spanners, there was little wrong with this one. With around 70,000 miles on the clock and in good, solid all-round condition, there was little to complain about aside from the aforementioned front valance, which I ended up tending to in time-honoured fashion by tidying it up using matt black Hammerite and a little P38 filler (I should have bought shares in the company). I found it a doddle to work on and getting parts for it was simple because my motor factor still had stock on the shelf and the scrapyards were full of them (ah, those were the days). Once I’d tended to it with my oily rag and serviced it successfully, there was little to complain about in the six months I had it – it was an object lesson in reliability compared with the similar-vintage Maestros I’d had.
WHAT’S YOUR ABIDING MEMORY OF IT?
I had it around the back of the house for a bit of routine servicing and thought that I may as well change the brake fluid as the pedal was feeling spongy. After emptying the fluid reservoir with my trusty turkey baster and filling it with fresh DOT4, my mate and I got down to the task of bleeding the brakes. He was at the back end tending to the bleed nipples, while I was upfront pumping the pedal. The offside rear bled nicely, but the nearside wasn’t so happy – nipple loosened, I began to pump again, when suddenly, the pedal went to the floor, and there was a ‘Woooah’ from the rear of the car. My mate told me to get out and have a look – where I was to find a growing puddle of brake fluid under the car. A pipe had burst and was going to need replacing. Luckily, my friendly local garage was very understanding and said that he would take it in for an emergency appointment if I could get it down to him. And so, early the following morning, I ended up driving to the garage on just the handbrake and with a new-found respect for brake lines…
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP TIPS FOR BUYING ONE?
More than 133,000 Acclaims were sold new, but according to howmanyleft. co.uk there are just 113 left today. Apathy and corrosion are responsible for that, which is a shame – these fine little cars deserved better. Be vigilant when looking to buy – check the sills, suspension mountings, front valance, wings and wheel arches for rust. Get past that, though, and the rest of it is solid – the Honda engine is rugged and just needs regular cambelt changes. A blocked idler jet in the twin Keihin carburettors can cause rough running but that’s easy to keep on top of. Beyond that, make sure that it’s complete – getting replacement body panels or interior trim pieces is the work of the devil, these days, although at least Club Triumph will always welcome owners with open arms and offer something of a support network for anyone in need of help.
ENGINE 1335cc/4-cyl/OHC POWER 71bhp@5500rpm TORQUE 80lb ft@3000rpm MAXIMUM SPEED 91mph 0-60MPH 12.7sec FUEL ECONOMY 30-36mpg TRANSMISSION FWD, five-speed manual