Triumph's 8C Masterpiece

The eight-cylinder Triumph Dolomite is one of those mysterious prewar supercars that seems more of a legend than a reality. Few enthusiasts have had the opportunity to examine one up close, and for years the model was shrouded in mystery. How many were built? What were they built for? Was the engine really a direct copy of the Alfa 8C? If you pick up this month’s issue of The Automobile magazine, all will be revealed.

In fact, only one complete car was built by Triumph, with a second built up slightly later by Robert Arbuthnot’s High Speed Motors. The two cars have recently been reunited for the first time since World War Two to celebrate the publication of a new book on the fabled model by Jonathan Wood, which is due to be published early in 2018.

Photographs by Nick Clements