My Interest in TR7’s and TR8’s
I have had an interest in the TR7/8 from the late 70’s when having seen a yellow TR7 pass me most mornings in the Triumph Spitfire 1500 I owned at that time, I finally gave in and bought my first TR7. My brother once said to me why didn’t I get something else while he was running round in his Ferrari 308 and I replied, because the TR7/8 was the only car I ever wanted. I still think that way, and still have TR’s while his 308 is long gone and he drives something mundane now.
(1) 1979 – 1979 TR7 Midas Gold DHC Tan velour trim LHD European spec
Sadly no pictures of this car as I didn’t have it long before the engine had a fairly major issue and died.
(2) 1980 – 1980 TR7 Platinum Silver DHC with Blue check trim RHD UK spec
This one I had for longer until one day when returning to barracks a Dutch conscript guiding Leopard tanks out on to the range road I was travelling on, didn’t see me coming, and guided a tank straight out in front of me. A drophead to a quash head in an instant. Amazingly the doors still opened and I stepped out, but the car was finished. Sadly No pictures.
(3) 1981 – Brand New – tax free TR7 Pharaoh Gold DHC with Tan check trim RHD UK spec. REG ALL14B
This one I had until the late 80’s when the sound of the V8 version persuaded me I needed V8 power
(4) 1987 -1981TR7 V8 Conversion S&S Preparations Black DHC with Black velour trim RHD UK spec. REG MVP148X
Sadly this one was hit by another car coming out of a side road without looking and pushed into a wall in Tadcaster
(5) 1992 – 1981TR7 V8 Conversion S&S Preparations Black DHC with Black nylon early car trim RHD UK spec. REG BUA475X
This was my favourite V8 conversion plus it had a highly tuned engine so easily the quickest to date.
(6) 1993 – 1980 TR7 White DHC SPRINT conversion with Blue check trim RHD UK spec. REG RVR369W
Sadly no pictures of this car only a model of it I made for our wedding cake. It was supposed to be his and hers but after Alyson got pulled over in it for speeding it was sold on.
(7) 1995 – 1980 TR8 EFi Midas Gold DHC with Tan check trim LHD USA spec. REG BFU995W
Once I had a V8 conversion I always had a deep down hankering to have the real thing; as in “FACTORY BUILT TR8” this was the first one I owned. It would have stayed with me longer but then I found essentially a new unregistered one.
(8) 1997 – 1981 TR8 EFi Bordeaux Red DHC with Tan velour trim LHD 600 miles from new unregistered – converted to RHD USA spec. REG DWR
This one was essentially perfect, plus as brand new, given I was the first one to register and put the car on the road, It won pretty much any concours competition it was ever put in and eventually it became too precious to drive which kind of defeated the object of having it, so it was sold on and a more driveable one found.
(9) 2000 – 1981 TR8 EFi Silver Leaf DHC with Blue velour trim LHD USA spec. REG LOC238X (Owned at Present)
See the full story of this car in the link below
https://www.triumphtr8.com/loc238x/
(10) 2005 – 1980 TR7 Red DHC with Blue check trim RHD UK spec. REG UGF412W
This one was meant to be a run-around to keep the miles off LOC238X as at that time I had a long drive each day, but in the end its engine went and that was that. The shell was sold to someone who wanted to build a hill climb car or something like that as I remember.
(11) 2022 – 1980 TR8 Poseidon Green DHC with Tan velour trim RHD UK spec. REG NWK988W (Owned at Present)
See the full story of this car in the link below