1972 Triumph Toledo 1.3 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Drive one, and see how quickly it will take your heart and that of others

Faults:

Well it's a Triumph, I've only properly broken down once due to radiator gaining a hole on the way back from a 200 mile round trip. Everything else has been age related/service parts. Track rod ends, tyres, bushes, gaskets, oil etc. Remember it is 42 years old now.

General Comments:

Really great, better with age. Very rare now; less than 100 to be exact. Gets loads of looks and comments from people mistaking it for a Dolomite. Interior is very nice (I have blue vinyl, can't get that in a new car!). The boot, even though it has an awkward opening due to the shape of the lid, is still pretty big.

Standard wheels and tires are a handful in wet conditions if you aren't careful. Handling is pretty good overall, direct and easy to drive. Short diff ratio and only 4 gears means it can be pretty quick in town, but noisy above 60mph; it doesn't go much further than that in regards to top speed. I fit 13x7 wheels with Toyos and it sticks like glue around most corners now.

Suspension is comfortably worn, super soft with no anti roll bars from standard. I've since changed that.

The engine is easy to work on due to its layout and simplicity, parts are still reasonably easy to get hold of on the whole, including performance bits as it shares a lot with the more well known Dolomite.

Mine has an aftermarket Webasto roof, which makes driving in hot weather fantastic.

Brakes are drums all round with no booster, so don't expect to face plant the windscreen anytime soon, though they have loads of bite from cold.

Overall it's a great slightly bigger alternative to a Mini. Really fun first proper classic. Although if you can, find a bigger engined one to keep up on the motorway.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th September, 2014