North Bay British Car Club
INTRODUCTION
-Triumph
TR7 & TR8
It's now 20 years since the first
Triumph TR7 rolled of the line and into dealer showrooms. Billed as The Shape
of Things to Come by British Leyland, Triumph's parent company at the time,
the entire concept of the car caught people by surprise. The big issue for sports
car enthusiasts was figuring out how the car had evolved from the earlier TR
range, and the obvious and perplexing conclusion was that it hadn't. The TR7
was clearly unlike any TR before, but it was also unlike virtually everything
else on the road as well. What, then, to make of it? To answer that question
requires some understanding of the emerging North American market for cars in
the early to mid-seventies, and how transformations taking place in the British
automotive industry related to that market.
From the beginning of TR7 development, British Leyland saw North America as
a primary destination for its new sportscar. Codenamed "Bullet" by
the factory, the car was to be the first of a new line of Triumph cars with
a selection of engines, including a long-wheelbase 4-seater hatchback called
the Lynx. There was a big problem, though. Legislation was expected which would
ban convertible cars, so British Leyland made the decision to produce a sports
coupe, rather than a more traditional open-topped car. Related to safety legislation
in the US was a requirement for bumpers that could withstand a 5mph (8kmh) crash.
Under that legislation you would be able to drive your car into a post at 5mph,
not damage the car's body, and have the bumper able to regain its original shape.
Additional legislation specified minimum bumper height and minimum requirements
for headlight height.
This proposed legislation had a direct impact on the way the TR7 was to look,
and was to be built. Unfortunately for Triumph, the ban on convertibles never
occurred, and American legislators halved the 5mph bumper rule to 2.5mph. This
left Triumph to introduce their new big-bumpered coupe at a time when you could
still buy a convertible TR6 (see picture at the left of screen), Spitfire or
MG, as well as a range of European alternatives.
So one reason why the TR7 didn't owe much to earlier TR sportscars was because
of the constraints imposed by proposed legislation in the US. Another reason
had to do with the way British Leyland rationalized its holdings in an attempt
to make itself profitable into the future. Part of the company's reorganization
involved the decision not to further develop the MG line of sports cars, in
favour of Triumph. Apparently the Triumph factory was more modern than that
of MG, and MG was working on a new mid-engined car that BL had no interest in
at all. So Triumph got the nod for development, a decision which MGB enthusiasts
have not forgotten to this day.
The principal designer of the TR7 was Harris Mann, a stylist working in the
old Austin-Morris design studios. The earlier TR range was heavily influenced
by the Michelloti studios in Italy (TR4) and the Karmann studios in Germany
(TR6). But the TR7 was entirely an in-house project: a completely new car for
a new era. Different it was -- low front, high tail, wide, looked like a wedge
-- was this really the shape of things to come? For many people it just didn't
look right, and from the beginning the design suffered the slings and arrows
of people who couldn't or wouldn't adapt to its revolutionary shape.
The Shape. That's what the advertisers fixed on as the defining feature of the
car. The Shape of Things to Come, Get into the Shape, The Shape of Things that
Win, and simply, The Shape. But by 1976, the scramble was on to change the shape
by getting the roof off the TR7. For this task, Triumph returned to the Italian
design studio of Michelotti, and by the time of its NA introduction in 1979,
what some thought an ugly duckling had certainly turned into a swan.
PRODUCTION
HISTORY
Unravelling the production
history of the TR7 and TR8 is a challenging endeavour. Three factories built
the cars during their production run from 1975-81: Speke, Canley and Solihull.
During some periods, two factories assembled the cars so production overlapped.
At other times the lines were shut down, but some cars were apparently built
even then! Launch dates for various models were announced, revised, and postponed,
sometimes for years. Vehicle identification numbers were not consecutive, appear
randomly assigned, and sometimes defy interpretation. Many TR8s actually have
two vehicle identification numbers (a North American number, and a factory number),
and inconsistent codes for equipment, trim, and body paint confuse things even
more. So be warned!
It is generally agreed that cars built at Speke suffer from more problems than
cars from the other two locations, with cars from Solihull most desirable largely
because they are the newest. Labour strife plagued the entire British automobile
industry in the mid-70s, with strikes and sabotage common. The Speke factory
was in the thick of this and even though it was only 20 years old, the company's
final solution was to permanently close the Speke operation in 1978. Production
of the TR7 then moved to Canley. If you have a TR7 with original paint, you
can immediately tell if it is a Speke car by the big TR7 decal on the nose.
The decal on the Canley cars changed to a large wreath with the word Triumph
in the center. A black badge with gold wreath and Triumph lettering identifies
the Solihull cars. While styling differences between NA and rest-of-the-world
specification cars are not large, there are significant differences in TR7 engine
specification. From the beginning, Triumph supplied engines in three states
of tune. Outside NA, the engine used twin SU carburetors to develop 105hp, but
in 49-State tune the car ran twin Zenith-Strombergs and made 90hp. In Californian
tune the car was only able to generate 76hp due to emissions equipment and a
single carburetor. The California cars subsequently received twin Stombergs
from 77-79, and fuel injection from 1980. All 1981 US cars were fuel injected
using a Bosch L-Jetronic system (with the TR8 getting a specially designed Lucas
ECU), although Canadian TR7s continued to use twin Strombergs. Related Topics:
2litre engine
Early cars came with 4-speed transmissions and 175/70-13 tires for all markets,
but by 1977 Triumph offered a superior 5-speed transmission. A higher final
drive ratio of 3.9:1 came with the 5-speed 'box, as did high performance 185/70HR-13
tires. Triumph standardized this specification for the NA market, but due to
supply problems it was only briefly offered, then dropped, for the home market.
The option was not reliably offered again outside NA until production moved
to Canley in 1978, for the 1979 model year. Triumph also introduced an automatic
transmission from 1976, mabye earlier, but it was never very popular.
The 1977 model year also saw the general introduction of catalytic converters
(Californian cars had them from 1975) and the elimination of the small British
Leyland badges at the bottom of the fenders, behind the front wheels. By March
1977 the wheel center rings changed from black to silver, and a fabric sunroof
became an option. Still fiddling with the look of the car, Triumph engineers
lowered its rear by 1 inch, and changed the interior from a spun nylon corduroy
to a very distinctive red or green plaid. This was not an understated plaid,
and if the idea was to draw peoples' attention away from the car's controversial
shape, then full marks should certainly be given. When selecting an adjective
to describe this particular plaid, the word loud comes fairly quickly to mind.
These days, fans of the early TR7s regard this interior with great affection,
as do owners of the Speke-built pre-production TR8 coupes, and early production
coupes that also received it.
In October 1977, workers at the Speke factory went on strike. This, of course,
coincided with the introduction of the 1978 model TR7, with the result that
very few 1978 TR7s exist. Even though the factory resumed production in March
1978, its operation was short-lived: It closed in May for good. Production of
the TR7 moved to Canley (Coventry) and resumed in October 1978, which meant
that Triumph missed almost an entire model year. None of this inspired buyer
confidence.
While the Canley TR7s didn't look significantly different than those from Speke,
they did receive a number of improvements. A nicer steering wheel was fitted,
and the hood (bonnet) acquired a small power bulge. Alloy wheels and a front
spoiler became a dealer option. The five-speed gearbox was finally standardized
across the range, coupes got a sunroof, and many changes improved the operation
of the car, including upgraded instrumentation, cooling and electrics. Advertising
of the day emphasized these changes: "A team of 67 inspectors constantly
monitors the Canley assembly line. Then a second group of inspectors monitor
the 67 inspectors." "But that's not all," the copy continues,
"each TR7 is given a further 58 point post-assembly check, then another
multi-point inspection." Get the point? There was a whole lotta checkin'
goin' on at Canley, not to mention that "craftsmen and engineers with 50
years of inherited sportscar expertise" were now building TR7s. No mention
was made of Speke.
The big deal for 1979, though, was the introduction of the TR7 convertible,
finally. These cars hit NA showrooms in late summer, 1979, but the rest of the
world had to wait until 1980. Triumph invites you to a new opening, was the
heading on the two-page colour ad in the August 1979 issue of Road & Track.
And there was a white TR7 drophead, black roof, shiny black bumpers, sharp red
and black plaid interior. Very nice.
It was at Canley as well that production of the TR8 finally began. Triumph introduced
the convertible car to the US press in March, 1980,?? and offered it for sale
the following May. However, this was not the first time the press had been invited
to drive the TR8. A Road & Track article of June, 1979 documents the driving
impressions of automotive journalists in what must have been winter 1978 (snow
is on the ground in the accompanying pictures) in Donington, England. This would
suggest that production of TR8 coupes actually began in late 1978, shortly after
the TR lines began at Canley. The point is important to make, as several writers
suggest there were no TR8 production coupes built. On the contrary, Road &
Track, in June, 1980, reports that 10% of (approximately 250) TR8s were expected
to be coupes, and, as mentioned earlier, 47 of these cars have their TCN-style
VINs currently listed with the TR8 Car Club of America, the earliest one having
been built in November, 1978. There is also a factory sales brochure for the
TR8 coupe, and this, interestingly, was printed in September 1977, a month before
the Speke strike.
Links to Other Marques
| TRIUMPH Intro | Spitfire |
