The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

Does anyone know where FRW is now?

I went to a Dolomite Owners Club meet near Rugby in 1989 (I think, or maybe it was 1988) in my Dolomite 1300 and I was approached by an elderly gentleman who said that he had the first production Sprint for sale.

I followed him back to his house and sure enough FRW 805L was sat rotting away on his driveway. It was part obscured by undergrowth and it needed quite a bit of bodywork, in fact, from what I can remember, the shell may have been beyond saving. He claimed it had an LSD fitted and I think he wanted quite a lot for the car. I was quite young and wasn't able to weld then, so I said I wasn't interested and went back to the show. When I mentioned it at the show, several people told me that the old chap would often turn up and try to persuade someone to look at the car. I suppose he could have put FRWs plates on any old Mimosa Sprint, we did check the chassis number too but he could have made up a VIN plate as well.

I've always wondered whether it was the real FRW and what happened to it.

This sounds very similar to the story of FHP923L..

The first production Sprint (VA1) resides in the Coventry Motor Museum and was FRW 797L. The next oldest one (VA6) is owned by Paul & Polly B and is FRW 802L. If they all had sequential registrations then FRW 805L would be VA9 and would make it the 3rd oldest surviving Sprint. VA14 was kicking about recently. The first I knew of it was when it belonged to somebody by the name of Neil (who also had a green Sprint that was featured in Life on Mars). He ended up selling it to Julian (tinweevil). Following the sequence, it should've been FRW 810L. Julian, if you're reading this are you able to confirm this? I know VA14 was subsequently scrapped as it was too far gone.

Julian's Sprint was VA41!

Howard81 wrote:This sounds very similar to the story of FHP923L..

Maybe it was FHP 923L. Thinking about it overnight, it was 1988 (not 1989 as I had my Sprint by then), so it is now 26 years ago and I can't recall the exact details.

I think I have got confused with FRW 805L as it is on the cover of TRIUMPH CARS by Graham Robson which I have had since the 1980's.

In which case, if it was the one sat on the drive in Rugby, what happened to FHP 923L? Also, was it actually the first production Sprint? Not having the ability then to do anything with that car, and consequently not buying it, has always been a slight regret.

I see from Toledo Man's post that it obviously wasn't VA1. Seems that the old chap was trying to fleece me!

GlenM wrote:

Howard81 wrote:This sounds very similar to the story of FHP923L..

Maybe it was FHP 923L. Thinking about it overnight, it was 1988 (not 1989 as I had my Sprint by then), so it is now 26 years ago and I can't recall the exact details.

I think I have got confused with FRW 805L as it is on the cover of TRIUMPH CARS by Graham Robson which I have had since the 1980's.

In which case, if it was the one sat on the drive in Rugby, what happened to FHP 923L? Also, was it actually the first production Sprint? Not having the ability then to do anything with that car, and consequently not buying it, has always been a slight regret.

If you scroll up to the top of your screen you'll see a link labelled "Search" which is next to FAQ. If you click on the link and then use the facility to look for "FHP 923L" you'll find numerous references to it - it's been discussed on here many times before....but to cut to the chase, it was scrapped.

Howard, you are correct which means it wasn't FRW 810L. Sorry for any confusion!

[/quote]If you scroll up to the top of your screen you'll see a link labelled "Search" which is next to FAQ. If you click on the link and then use the facility to look for "FHP 923L" you'll find numerous references to it - it's been discussed on here many times before....but to cut to the chase, it was scrapped.[/quote]

Thanks, I used the search for FRW but had to go out this morning, just got in and done the same for FHP.

Looks like he was telling the truth about the car then. Apologies to the old chap, who must have long since departed this world. It was a pre-production Sprint converted from a LHD 1850. I wonder if BL used it to test the LSD axle, he was adamant that it had one.

There are various links to e-bay in the old discussions, which obviously don't work anymore. Does anyone have any photos of it as it was in Mr. Maxy's garden? If it was featured in the club magazine in 1994, there might have been photos. Also what year was it finally scrapped? I can find no mention of this, only that it was still in the garden in about 1997 when Tahiti Sprint's friend saw it.

I've got some back issues of DM so when I get a moment, I'll dig them out and take a look.

Glen, your original question referred to FRW 805L which was one of the press cars. FHP 923L was originally an 1850 used to create a pre-production Sprint.

FHP was indeed a pre production Sprint. I recall sometime, probably during the early 1990s there was an article in DM about this car being 'rescued' I believe that it remained in Rugby and was latterly owned by the proprietor of a fish and chip shop, Lower Hillmorton Road area if my memory serves me correctly from when I worked in Rugby.
But going back to VA9 there was another letter in DM around the same time regarding this car in response to a letter from the previous owner of VA6, the guy I bought it from in 2003. VA9 was still just about in existence somewhere in the Lake District at this time. Sorry I can't check the dates on this as I ditched all of my back issues of DM back to that time a couple of years ago.
Ian

Toledo Man wrote:I've got some back issues of DM so when I get a moment, I'll dig them out and take a look.

Glen, your original question referred to FRW 805L which was one of the press cars. FHP 923L was originally an 1850 used to create a pre-production Sprint.

That would be great if you could find the back issues.

Yes, my original question did relate to FRW because over time I had forgotten that it was FHP 923L that I actually looked at all those years ago.

Unfortunately, I've nothing from 1994 so I'm unable to help. Sorry!

Toledo Man wrote:Unfortunately, I've nothing from 1994 so I'm unable to help. Sorry!

Thanks for trying.

Can anyone else help?

Hi Glen, check also this thread.
The story has another twist