1979 Triumph TR8 news, pictures, and information

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One of two TR8s built to compete in the TRANS-AM and later IMSA race series. The car features the Rover-Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac aluminum V8 stroked to four-liters and producing just under 400 horsepower. These are the fastest Triumphs ever built and are capable of over 180 miles per hour.

This car won the GTO class at Daytona in 1980, and with its sister car, gave Group 44 2nd place in IMSA's GTO class having run only two-thirds of the races.

The Triumph TR8 was produced from 1978 through 1981. It was similar to the design of the TR7 with the big difference being the power-plant that powered the vehicle. The TR7 was powered by a four-cylinder engine that produced around 100 horsepower while the TR8 was given an eight-cylinder unit. Instead of using the company's single overhead cam V8 which could be found in the Stag, it used a Rover V8. The Triumph V8 was plagued with reliability issues so the Rover unit served as a suitable replacement. Most used twin Zenith-Stromberg carburetors but in 1980 the vehicles earmarked for California were given a Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection system.

The TR7 and TR8 were very similar in design. In comparison, the TR8 had upgraded brakes and a revised axle ratio. Alloy wheels and leather steering wheels were a few of the more obvious differences. The battery had been moved to the trunk in the TR8.

The cost of a TR8 in the United States was around $11,000 with production never reaching any significant numbers. The TR8 did rather well in sporting competitions where it could often be seen in SCCA and rally events. Morey Doyle and Ted Schumacher ran in the SCCA's Showroom stock series where they had mild success. Schumacher was close to third overall but an accident prematurely side-lined his efforts and resulted in a seventh place finish. In modern times, the TR8 vehicles can still be seen racing around the track.

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