Telford man triumphs at classic car awards

A stunning example of a 1982 Triumph Acclaim has scooped the ‘Survivor’ Masters of the Marque Award at the Great British Car Journey classic car museum in Ambergate, Derbyshire.

Callum Parry, from Wellington in Telford, bought the 43-year car 12 months ago. Until then the car had been in the same family for nearly 40 years and was used frequently until 20 years ago when it was stored in a garage and only taken out for its annual MOT.

Despite covering less than 20 miles a year for nearly 20 years, the car has still racked up an impressive 105,000 miles, with Callum now covering up to 5,000 miles a year in it under his ownership.

Callum’s Triumph Acclaim was awarded ‘Survivor’ Award due to its great condition and rarity. The Acclaim was the final model of the Triumph marque, which began manufacturing cars in 1923.

A total of 133,626 Triumph Acclaims were manufactured by British Leyland from 1981 to 1984 at Cowley in Oxford. During that period, the Acclaim was Britain’s seventh best-selling car in 1982 and the eighth best-selling car in 1983. According to the website How Many Left, today around only 100 Triumph Acclaims remain on the road with one of them being Callum’s

The Masters of the Marque awards, which are sponsored by Wera Tools UK and organised by the award-winning classic car museum in Ambergate, Derbyshire, honour people like Callum, who cherish their classic cars. 

The packed Triumph of Triumphs event attracted Triumph owners and their cars from all over the UK.

Richard Usher, founder of Great British Car Journey said: “We were blown away by the turn out of Triumph owners at the event. It’s wonderful to see such passion and a genuine appreciation for this marque and its cars. It’s owners like Callum that are helping ensure that Britain’s motoring heritage endures for future generations.”