As new TR7 2.0 -one owner- never washed from new
Discussion
Good lord! What a stunner! It might be the Auto, but I'm willing to bet that only makes it rarer! This is a genuine "never to be repeated" discovery, I have to confess if it were my inheritance (especially if they were a well loved relative) I'd be preserving it. Better to my mind to chop about a car that was going for scrap than a pristine wonder like this
Im conflicted about the TR7 design notes. I think the final signed off model is cleaner than the prototypes.
I remember when they came out in 70's being super keen.
It soon looked dated and now it looks like nothing else. I have a mk1 1985 pre facelift Renault traffic van and it drives beautifully and the design has aged into a modern classic. Same with Renault Espace mk1, some designs need a few decades to breath.
I remember when they came out in 70's being super keen.
It soon looked dated and now it looks like nothing else. I have a mk1 1985 pre facelift Renault traffic van and it drives beautifully and the design has aged into a modern classic. Same with Renault Espace mk1, some designs need a few decades to breath.
magic Monkey Dust said:
I'm conflicted about the TR7 design notes.
The tragedy was the decision to launch it as a coupe only, with that rather ungainly greenhouse stuck on top of a fairly elegant convertible body. It was around five years into production before they finally got round to building the convertible (and TR8 for US market) but by then potential buyers had really lost interest in them. The looks of the coupe may to some eyes be enhanced by means of a very 1970s "black vinyl roof" covering everything down to the bottom of the windows. My guess is that to have any significant value these days a 7 would need to be a convertible. By modern expectations the standard braking system must leave a lot to be desired and bigger front discs would be a good starting point.. Panamax said:
magic Monkey Dust said:
I'm conflicted about the TR7 design notes.
The tragedy was the decision to launch it as a coupe only, with that rather ungainly greenhouse stuck on top of a fairly elegant convertible body. It was around five years into production before they finally got round to building the convertible (and TR8 for US market) but by then potential buyers had really lost interest in them. The looks of the coupe may to some eyes be enhanced by means of a very 1970s "black vinyl roof" covering everything down to the bottom of the windows. My guess is that to have any significant value these days a 7 would need to be a convertible. By modern expectations the standard braking system must leave a lot to be desired and bigger front discs would be a good starting point.. The reasons behind Coupes only was very valid at the time, the car was 110% for the American market & it seriously looked as if DHCs would be banned. The strength of the shell is amazing. Massive chssis rails, door intrusion protection etc. Even my rusty/badly repaired one protected me in a shunt with a Securicor van.
Brakes were the only thing criticised at the time. Mine had Princess 4 pots, vented discs and an SD1 (or Sherpa!) master cylinder and was OK with 220BHP, my cousins had a Sprint engine and had the 2.8i Capri conversion which was OK.
But these were the brakes of the day. Times have changed.
tr7v8 said:
Panamax said:
My guess is that to have any significant value these days a 7 would need to be a convertible
Nope, coupes are very much the looked for ones mainly for competition. Also lot less coupes than DHCs so a smaller market to start with.Concours = £10,000/£12,000
A1+ = £7,500/£8,500
A1/S = £4,000/£5,500
Project = £1,500/£2,000
Factory TR8s and Grinalls are a different ball game, running £20,000/£10,000/£8,000/£3,000
The number of coupes built was four times the number of convertibles and the reason there are so few coupes left is because nobody wanted them in the used market. It's interesting to hear they've now become so very rare that prices have stabilised due to motorsport interest. It would IMO be a shame for this well preserved example to suffer the fate of a crash through Halfords. Hopefully someone might want one "as is" if and when OP parts with it. In a cupboard somewhere we still have red and black TR7 Scalextric cars.
I occasionally get tempted towards the thought of a really good resto-mod TR8 convertible but unfortunately struggle to convince myself the cost/effort would be worth it.
I occasionally get tempted towards the thought of a really good resto-mod TR8 convertible but unfortunately struggle to convince myself the cost/effort would be worth it.
The TR7 was really just a victim of timing and snobbery.
For timing a wedge was 100% the way to go when it was being designed - but by the time it came out both wedge design and coupe sports cars were going out of fashion, much of the traditional customer base walking into their local VW dealership to buy a Gold GTi rather than the BL one to buy a TR7.
And for snobbery on one side you had the old Triumph buyers who didn't like the modern world so were put off by cars that didn't have separate chassis/didn't look like some of the interior and exterior parts came out the same parts bin Triumph had been using in the 1930s. And on the other for some reason the TR7 is "an ugly wedge" while the Lancia Stratos (which really doesn't look too different to the TR7) is the work of God himself.
Personally I like the TR7 and know I'd be tempted if a good, usable couple with no sun roof came up on eBay. Unfortunetly they only seem to have sun roofs, be basket cases, or priced at £20,000 end of the market.
For timing a wedge was 100% the way to go when it was being designed - but by the time it came out both wedge design and coupe sports cars were going out of fashion, much of the traditional customer base walking into their local VW dealership to buy a Gold GTi rather than the BL one to buy a TR7.
And for snobbery on one side you had the old Triumph buyers who didn't like the modern world so were put off by cars that didn't have separate chassis/didn't look like some of the interior and exterior parts came out the same parts bin Triumph had been using in the 1930s. And on the other for some reason the TR7 is "an ugly wedge" while the Lancia Stratos (which really doesn't look too different to the TR7) is the work of God himself.
Personally I like the TR7 and know I'd be tempted if a good, usable couple with no sun roof came up on eBay. Unfortunetly they only seem to have sun roofs, be basket cases, or priced at £20,000 end of the market.
Agreed. TR7 would really have been more suitable as an "MGB replacement" than as a "TR6 replacement".
As you say, at that time the "fashion" was hot hatches from VW and Peugeot. TVR and Lotus made a decent go of wedge sales with their significantly more expensive cars. Trying to follow TR6 and Stag with a coupe-only vehicle pretty much killed the Triumph brand, along with that FWD Honda saloon.
Right now it seems to me that sports cars are "out" of fashion, having been fading from a peak in the 1990s. Only rarely do I see any on the road with Mazda and Porsche seeming to have 95% of the market.
As you say, at that time the "fashion" was hot hatches from VW and Peugeot. TVR and Lotus made a decent go of wedge sales with their significantly more expensive cars. Trying to follow TR6 and Stag with a coupe-only vehicle pretty much killed the Triumph brand, along with that FWD Honda saloon.
Right now it seems to me that sports cars are "out" of fashion, having been fading from a peak in the 1990s. Only rarely do I see any on the road with Mazda and Porsche seeming to have 95% of the market.
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