1979 Triumph TR7

The Triumph TR7 was introduced in 1975 and continued the sports persona of its preceding TR5 and TR6 siblings. It abandoned the traditional separate chassis, six-cylinder engine, and independent rear suspension setup of the prior TR5 and 6, and replaced it with a 2-liter, single overhead camshaft, four-cylinder engine. The suspension comprised MacPherson struts at the front and a live axle at the rear. A five-speed manual gearbox was standard, an automatic transmission was optional, and a Convertible joined the original Coupe version in 1979. Pricing for the coupe was approximately $5,100. Its exterior design was 'wedge' shaped and was commonly advertised as 'The Shape of Things to Come.'

Engine
The 121.9 cubic-inch four-cylinder engine had five main bearings, a cast-iron block, a light alloy head, and two Stromberg carburetors and produced approximately 90 horsepower. Steering was by a rack-and-pinion unit, and braking was by discs in the front and drums at the rear.

Competition
Following industrial and corporate strife, the V8-powered TR8 finally arrived in 1980, roughly two years behind schedule. Prior to its launch, British Leyland's frontline works rally cars were the TR7 Sprint and TR7 V8 prototypes. The works rally team's special TR7 prototypes with V8 engines achieved several creditable performances in tarmac events, including two outright victories in the Ypres Rally.

At the end of 1980, British Leyland closed its works rallying program, and the TR7 V8's last official outing was at that year's RAC Rally.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2017