Car Guy Magazine Car Guy Magazine Issue 1114 | Page 23

body engineer, the sleek body featured a long bonnet and sweeping fenders that
gave it the illusion of moving fast – even when it wasn’t in motion. Those original fenders were later replaced with bicycle-style fenders similar to those on the
Alfa production cars and, in the end, the car bore a striking resemblance to the
8C2300 Alfa – right down to the small fin on the rear deck.
The Dolomite made its racing debut at the 1935 Monte Carlo Rally, but
then saw its dreams smashed in a collision with a train. It was rebuilt and was
entered into the same race the following year, where it made a respectable showing by finishing in eighth place.
Despite its promise, the Dolomite project faced a quick demise. A high
price tag made it desirable but not necessarily practical, as it out-priced even the
uber-expensive three-liter Bentleys. At the same time, Triumph’s financial stores
were dwindling. The company sold off its bicycle and motorcycle businesses in
1936, but it wasn’t enough to save the ambitious project. In the end, only three
cars and six engines were ever produced. By 1939, the company went into receivership and although it retained ownership of the Dolomite name, which was

used on later models, the cars themselves were sold.
Rumors surrounding the Dolomite’s demise, however,
have been greatly exaggerated. Or, at least the facts surrounding it have been changed.
While most accounts point simply to a business decision
– the car didn’t sell well – a much more colorful rumor gives
a different reason as to why Triumph’s finest creation couldn’t
make it off the showroom floor.
“Over the years, it has been incorrectly rumored that the
reason for the demise of the Dolomite project lay in Alfa Romeo threatening to sue Triumph over patent infringements,”
said historian Simon Morre. “Nothing could be further from
the truth.”
In fact, Healey always claimed that Alfa was pleased that
a company of Triumph’s pedigree would choose the 8C2300 as
the basis for its new racer. Triumph was open about emulating

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