On the road
Triumph’s 1296 powerplant was exceptionally smooth and flexible; its only significant weakness was a tendency for the crank thrust bearings to wear – scarcely noticeable in service but rendering the block potentially unusable at rebuild time. Get someone to depress the clutch while watching the front crank pulley to see if it moves back and forth – any noticeable movement is too much. Stroking the unit to get 1493cc put higher loads on the three main bearings: 1500s have a limited life, but changing bearings at 50,000 miles or less will help to avoid severe crank wear.
Low gearing gave lively performance, but the penalty was high fuel thirst if driven hard. Idler gears were used to take drive down to the gearbox; engine, gearbox and diff each had their own oil but the quill shaft transferring drive on 1300s was a weak point. Canley Classics made uprated ones; 1500s are stronger but not interchangeable. If it’s difficult to select the gears, be very wary.
The wide track and long wheelbase provide safe handling, with understeer predominant. The 1300TC had 23% more power: it was the quickest of the cars reviewed here, but Motor headlined its test ‘Performance replaces refinement’ and many owners prefer the single-carb version.
Turning a long-wheelbase, front-drive car into a rear-drive model meant that the Toledo needed a centre propshaft bearing – driveline vibration probably points to wear in this. The Toledo had its own innovation – polycarbonate bumper underriders – and, despite being a deliberately cheapened model, remained refined, with good handling and remarkable economy.