idriveaclassic's video: IDRIVEACLASSIC reviews: 70s Triumph 1500 FWD

Today we're looking at the lesser spotted Triumph 1500 FWD from the 1970s. The video is sponsored by Adrian Flux insurance. The VoiceOver content is below. I find it hard to hear at times, and it may help some of you in the same boat! With less than 250 left on the roads of the UK today, the Triumph 1500 is a car which you rarely see outside of the world of car shows today, so when I got offered this daily driven example for a video, I jumped at the chance! The Michelotti designed 1500 was the successor to the 1300. The front wheel drive element of the car was retained but the body was given a makeover to take the 60s styling of the 1300 and create a more 70s feel for the 1500. All the cars were 4 door with the 1500 engine and As we look around the car you’ll see many changes including the the twin headlamps, the new grille, the rear light clusters…but there are many improvements and benefits to the 1500 including the pre-engaged starter motor, servo-assisted brakes and the new rear suspension. Overall there were around 40 changes and new special features on the car which were built in for luxury, comfort and safety. Really interestingly, especially for a 70s car of this calibre, the seats were designed with real comfort in mind and the fabric you’ll see the seats are made from later in the video were designed with perforations; this was put into the car to keep driver and passengers cool, even on the hottest days. But I assume like most vinyl seating of this era, one sunny day and you’ll be peeling yourself off the seat like a stamp off a postcard…except with more burnt legs involved! The drivers seat was so adjustable it offered a combination of 81 positions and with the steering column also adjustable, it gives every driver the tailored motoring experience. Essentially as you’ll see throughout this video, the car is so much more than a car, it’s a properly wonderful motoring experience in a way you just don’t seem to get with cars anymore. The dreaded R word, rust, has been thought of and the body on these was rust proofed and we start to see the beginnings of safety features with zebra zone toughened safety glass windscreen, forward hinged doors fitted with anti-burst door locks, toughened safety glass side windows and adding comfort to that safety, pivoting anti-draught side vents. I mentioned the new rear suspension on these, but as a package, the suspension was well thought out and as you’ll see when we go driving, really makes a difference to the whole experience. At the front it’s independent suspension with coil springs and telescopic hydraulic damper units operating on upper wishbones. At the rear you’re working with a 4 link system with lower links carrying combined coil springs and telescopic dampers. Links attached to tubular beam axle and body with inner sleeve type rubber bushes. Steering on these is rack and pinnion and it’s three turns lock to lock. The brakes are calliper disc brakes to the front, self adjusting drums to rear with that servo assistance on the brakes I mentioned. So Triumph had the styling, the consideration to the driving experience and to some extent, the safety aspects all neatly wrapped up. But no car is complete without decent performance and to be honest, the Triumph 1500 doesn’t let down on that side either. You’ve got fully synchro 4 forward speed box and that 1500 engine which will give you 0-60, if you’re going up through the gears, in 18 seconds and a maximum speed of 87mph. This might seem quite tame today, but in the era of release, this was a respectable set of figures. Before I hand over to Kev, please note the car we’re testing today is the 1500 front wheel drive and not the later 1500TC which is of course, rear wheel drive. Enough from me for now, over to Kev!