1974 - 1981 Triumph TR7 car brochure review

The wedge-shaped Triumph TR7 was a bold new design for the 1970s, eschewing the rugged four- and six-cylinder TR lineage that had come before it, introducing a softer, fixed-head, two-seat sportscar to the British Leyland/Jaguar-Rover-Triumph range, to sell alongside the pensionable Spitfire and MGB. The drop-head would only come on stream years later.
This classic car brochure dates to September 1977, during the TR7's spell in production at the Speke facility in Liverpool. It was powered by a 1998cc four-cylinder engine (a few 3.5 litre TR7 V8s / TR8s and TR7 Sprints would pop up briefly later), being an enlarged version of the 1850cc unit found under the Dolomite saloon's bonnet.
Public reaction to the TR7 on its debut was muted, and the lack of an open-top version combined with Harris Mann's wedge-like styling, led to mixed reviews with buyers and journalists alike - not unlike with the XJ-S. Quality control issues and erratic production didn't help either. Had the world of British Leyland in the 1970s been a more harmonious environment, and the car fully developed before its launch, with a drop-top version offered from the outset (US roll-over regulations were the issue here), then maybe it would have fared better than it did. The styling was bang up-to-date, and the interior - whilst a sea of black plastic - was no worse than anything else at the time. A mass-produced TR7 with a fully-reliable 16v Dolomite Sprint engine under its bonnet as standard, would have been a real shot in the arm to the BL range of the mid-1970s. Alas only a small number of TR7 Sprints were assembled, for homologation purposes only.
In this brochure there are details of:
TR7 interior
TR7 engine
TR7 styling
TR7 specification
Thanks for watching.
#triumphtr7 #tr7 #britishleyland

[anthonyhfe]

I have a '77 TR7 5-speed fixed head coupe. These also have the stronger rear axle than the 4-speed offering. It's a fun, well designed, and comfortable car. Mine has twin zenith stromberg carbs. The 2.0L OHC engine revs freely and with the 5-speed, has no problem cruising at 65 - 70 mph, which is unheard of with some of its predecessors. This car was made with the American market and highways in mind. And they succeeded. My car is stock but a previous owner upgraded the ignition module to a Crane. The gas mileage is great on this car too. It handles well and stops well due to its light weight. It took me about 18 months to get this car to be a reliable vehicle, but that's not the car's fault. And I certainly took my time on it. It just didn't get the care and maintenance it needed. So I give the TR7 5 out of 5 stars. Why? There's simply nothing else like it. I'm glad I took a gamble and bought one. No regrets. But keep in mind, your results may vary. Happy Motoring !

[davidm-tb]

Had a 1976 ex-speke coupe (carmine red). No real issues, although rust became an issue. Owned for five years. 1982, bought brand new convertible (183 before last one). Great car and for the time, good looking. Again, no issues other than rattle on gearbox layshaft in neutral. Sold in 2002 after 40, 000 miles. Sp in my experience, no major issues, but maybe i was lucky :)

[ericblair]

I own a ‘81 TR 7 conversion ... which means it has some modifications, most noticeable the rover v8 with the Holley 4 barrel carb and the 3.08/1 five speed trans. I really enjoy the ride, handling, and power of this car. It always puts a smile on my face and it gets a lot of looks whether the top is up or down.

[Jaxs]

TR7s I've had fixed heads, have been nothing but a pleasure, fantastic car, folk maybe just thought another British Leyland disaster, yes the Dolomite Sprint engine was a headache needed tuning all the time, but I would say the worst thing on a TR7 is the brakes but that's it really and you can upgrade them nowadays 🤔 All cars of the 70s suffered corrosion so just look after them and your fine great car 🙂👍

[nickyboy.]

Nice video with interesting narrative.

Some constructive criticism - the clockwise and anticlockwise pen movements were quite distracting and annoying. There is a young you-tuber called Twin-Cam who does similar videos reviewing car brochures and in my opinion his hand movements are better.

[MrLeeflemwell]

I owned two TR7's, they were old cars back then. I had an early 4 speed hard top and a later convertible. Loved them both, no real reliability issues, only what you'd expect from an old car.

[austinswallow]

Wish I had kept my collection of 1970's car sales brochures from when I was a kid! Never had this one and I do like the styling, very much of its time, way ahead thinking, like the Princess wedge, truly modern unlike the boring stuff that grace our roads now - very few stand out as being an attractive design, I think car designers may have lost the plot since the 1980's, all boring, bit like house architecture, that has also lost its way and is mostly bland!

[Bigbuddyandblue]

USA - I owned a British Racing Green 77 and my wife had gold 78 convertible. Both were really fun cars to drive, you could really just toss them around. The convertible was especially fun and invigorating to drive. Comfortable on several long road trips. Mountain roads especially fun. Reliability and quality were on par with most 70’s era cars. Design really drew a lot of attention, so different from the typical bland cars of the era, and people always asking about the cars. Wish I’d kept them both.

[stevetaylor]

That pen waving about is really annoying.

[aptexp]

dash very nice but plastic cheap and rattles so bit of sealant sorts this, brakes crap sp put vents with princess 4pots on front and its ok, suspention way to soft so harder springs a must, electrics lots of probs but easy fixes, wheels and tyres way to small so set of 15" and few inches wider dramaticaly improves handling, anti rollbar to high but 1/2" washers sort this redusing nose diving, as for engine bin it and replace with somthing with power. all in all a very strong and capable car as long as few mods are done it can be extreem fun so much potential if only they had ironed out the bugs

[generatorjohn]

I own a 1980, TR7, convertible, Brooklands Green. Bought it new 40 years ago.
Only thing that doesn't work now is the air conditioner. Car runs very well in cool weather. Not fun to drive if air temperature gets above 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The catalytic converter sits underneath the driver's side foot well and gets pretty warm especially in the summer time. Too hot for my liking. Other than that it's a nice car to take out on pleasure drives.