“When I was at Thornbury Middle School we would walk past the Conservative Club on the way to the chip shop. There was a Sprint in the club car park - I would sit on a wall eating my chips and think ‘one day, one day’.

From a young age Trevor Hoyle had his eye on the Triumph Dolomite Sprint.

“I had always liked the look and sound of the Sprint,” he says. “At classic car shows I always made a beeline for the Dolomite stand.”

In 1997 the electrical engineer fulfilled his dream and became the proud owner of a Sprint in a striking magenta colour.

“I loved the colour - I hadn’t seen one in magenta before. Triumph only made them in that colour for two years, so it’s quite special.”

Even as a toddler Trevor was interested in cars. “My dad said that as soon as I could walk and was given a toy car I was engrossed. On the way to my grandma’s my dad used to ask me ‘What’s that car, Trevor?’ and I always knew.”

He was competent behind the wheel even before his first driving lesson. “I drove around for quite a while with my L-plates on, then one day Dad said ‘you really need to take your test’, and booked me some lessons. I passed after seven of them.”

He passed driving his first car - a Mini he shared with his mum Renee. “It was pageant blue and a good little car,” he recalls.

He later clubbed together with Renee to buy a Mark l Ford Fiesta. “I was still at college at the time and wanted something slightly bigger than the Mini. I also liked the way it looked. I’ve never chosen cars for the sake of getting from A to B - I like them to look good.”

A friend owned a Triumph Dolomite Sprint which he was dismantling for scrap. “I asked for the wheels for our Fiesta, but they didn’t fit,” he laughs.

Aged 21, Trevor bought Austin 1300 Vanden Plas. “It sat on the drive at mum and dad’s and I had great ambitions for it, but I didn’t have time to work on it, so I sold it.”

“I really wanted a Sprint which I could do up, but at the time I was living in a back-to-back terrace in Great Horton so it wasn’t possible.”

A move to Wibsey followed. “The house had a small garage which I replaced with a larger workshop where I could tinker with cars. I’ve got everything in there, including a few creature comforts.”

He spotted the 1975 Sprint in Classic Cars magazine. “It was only three or so lines. The owner lived in Devon. I don’t know what made me go for it, but I borrowed my boss’s car and hired a trailer.”

That was back in 1997. After working on the car, on and off, for 20 years, he was finally able to enjoy motoring around in it.

“I really enjoyed working on it - you get to know every nook and cranny. The underneath is as polished as the top. “In the pre-internet days I would have to go to shows all over the country to find parts.

“I have made some improvements to make it suitable for today’s motoring.”

His pride and joy, the car gets a lot of attention when he is out in it. “It is quick - 0 to 60 in eight and half seconds.”

Trevor also owns a Jaguar XE, which he uses for work. “It’s got heated leather seats which is a contrast to the Dolomite which is quite basic inside and draughty.”

He would love an E-Type Jaguar. “I have always liked them. In my office I have five pictures of Dolomites and four pictures of E-Types - but E-Types are a million miles away from what I could afford.”

Trevor is a member of the International Triumph Dolomite Club. “They give fantastic advice and are brilliant for sourcing parts.”

“We are also members of the Yorkshire Thoroughbred Car Club - they welcomed me and my wife Barbara. She is not a massive classic car person, but she indulges my passions,” he laughs. “She loves going out in the Sprint.”

His life in cars has also included a Rover Vitesse. “This car was so comfortable and quick.”

And what of the Sprint which Trevor admired all those years ago, eating his chips on the wall?  “I am a member of Thornbury Facebook group and there is a picture of it in the car park, from those days.”

*ytcc.co.uk; triumphdolomite.co.uk