Corgi VA05311 Triumph Dolomite 1500HL in Sandglow (Hidden Treasure)

Decertificated by Corgi, no Limited Edition certificate

The Triumph Dolomite had a very unusual gestation; for its basic body architecture started out as project 'Ajax', the front wheel drive Triumph 1300 of 1965. Then Harry Webster and his design team at Triumph, ever unconventional in their product planning, re-engineered the basic shell and made it rear wheel drive in 1970, initially as the Toledo and then as the four door Dolomite. Like their decision to build the Herald on a chassis eleven years earlier, a 'new' rear wheel drive design may, on the face of it, seem perverse, for it certainly flew in the face of fashion. However it actually made a lot of sense; they got two model ranges for the price of one and had identified a market trend for compact, prestige performance cars, which they exploited with the 1850 and Sprint. Triumph were ahead of the game, BMW have never switched to front wheel drive.