Going back to 1953 with the launch of the TR2, Triumph was quick to win the hearts of motoring enthusiasts throughout the world as a manufacturer of hairy-chested sports cars. While relatively primitive, the TR2 with its 2-liter engine was a car built for the enthusiast to be enjoyed and driven hard. They were cars offering that unique combination of speed, practicality, economy and value for money that many were after. That the TR could also win rallies and races was certainly on the minds of owners both actual and prospective.
This same ruggedness continued with each subsequent model, including the TR3, TR3A, TR4 and TR4A. Even when the TR sports car received the new Triumph six-cylinder engine resulting in the TR5, 250 and TR6, the DNA of the earlier cars carried through to the new, despite the more luxurious appointments on the latter models. Through the period of manufacture from 1953 to 1976, the Triumph TR remained true to the sports car lore, and Triumph was rewarded with more than a quarter-million produced and sold. As we all know, change happens, and by the early 1970s many were experiencing those winds of change. In fact, the British motor vehicle industry was changing very quickly too. In 1966, the British Motor Corporation purchased Jaguar, forming the conglomeration called British Motor Holdings (BMH). Then, just two years later, BMH merged with Leyland Motors to become British Leyland. It is interesting that earlier in 1960 Leyland Motors had purchased Standard-Triumph. All meaning that from 1968, Triumph was part of British Leyland. One suspects that the term “economic rationalization” was soon on everyone’s lips.
With the formation of British Leyland, the new company was building four different sports car marques—MG, Austin-Healey, Triumph and Jaguar. No doubt a situation that was causing headaches to the bean counters now in charge. Almost immediately, work started on a new sports car that was to be a closed coupe, as it was believed that proposed U.S. legislation would ban the sale of open cars on safety grounds. Within two years, the Austin-Healey name was killed off and work was afoot on a replacement for the Jaguar E-Type. British Leyland was under the control of said bean counters, and many of them had come up through the Triumph ranks.
Wedge
Italian designer Michelotti had been the guiding hand behind the Triumph TR4 through to the TR6, and his assistance was enlisted for a more modern replacement. However, when early drawings were shown to Harris Mann, who was in charge of styling at Austin-Morris, he quickly replaced them with his own of a futuristic wedge-shaped design. With a number of other Leyland designs also adopting similar wedge styling, Mann’s design was accepted by Leyland’s top brass. This new car was given the name of TR7, and while it was to be powered by a 2-liter version of the slant 4-cylinder engine as fitted to the Triumph Dolomite, right from the beginning a V8-powered example was also under consideration. The engine in mind was the aluminum, 3.5-liter Rover, which was rooted in the Buick 215. While Triumph had its own SOHC, 3-liter V8, as fitted to the Triumph Stag, it was decided not to use it due to weight and its poor service record.
Production of the TR7 commenced in late 1975 at the Leyland factory in Speke, near Liverpool, and it sold well. So well in fact that throughout its production the TR7 outsold the TR6 by some 18,000 examples. However, the Speke plant was besieged by labor relations problems, which also resulted in poor build quality. After a four-month-long strike by staff, production of the TR7 was moved to Leyland’s Canley plant in 1978 and eventually moved to the Solihull facility.
During 1977 about 150 pre-production V8 coupes were produced at Speke, and in the following year British Leyland Motorsport homologated a V8-powered version called the TR7-V8.
On Sale
Finally, in July 1979, the production TR8, in coupe form, went on sale in the U.S. and the convertible followed in 1980. The coupe version proved not to be popular and was phased out not far into 1980, soon after the release of the convertible TR8. Throughout 2008 a total of 2,088 convertible TR8s were exported to the North American market, the only market for the model. The following year just 405 were built for the U.S. market. Approximately 20 right-hand drive examples were built for the UK market. In total, there were just 2,850 factory-built Triumph TR8s that found their way to dealers.
The differences between the TR7 and TR8 are not just confined to the engine. Besides a different rear axle ratio, the TR8 was also equipped with a redesigned front subframe, power steering, uprated brakes and suspension, twin exhaust, alloy wheels, 5-speed Rover gearbox (with optional automatic) and almost all had air-conditioning.
Contemporary road testers were excited that just when they thought the days of the “lusty-hearted convertible sports car” were gone, along came the Triumph TR8. It was likened to buying a Sunbeam Tiger or an older Corvette. Enthusiasm was apparent with writers “exulting in the advent of this virile little roadster with its burbling V8 sound.”
Even in U.S. guise, the TR8 was a quick car with its 134 bhp giving it a top speed of 120 mph. Those few examples sold in the UK had engines that developed 155 bhp, which provided for quicker acceleration and higher top speed.
However, the writing was on the wall for both the TR7 and TR8, as British Leyland was losing money on every car. The exchange rate was turning in favor of the U.S., and therefore driving up the cost of British-built cars. On October 5, 1981, the decision was made to cease production of the TR8. British Leyland as a separate manufacturing entity lingered on until 1988.
While examples of the TR7 command lower prices, the same cannot be said for the TR8 as they attract almost twice the amount as their 4-cylinder cousins. Swapping the engine of a TR7 with a Rover V8 is not uncommon, especially in those countries where the TR8 wasn’t sold. However, care should be taken that the conversion has been done professionally.
To drive a TR8 could not be described as akin to any of the earlier Triumph TRs. It is styled and asks to be driven as a tourer and, with the top down and air conditioning on, it could be seen as the same as a modern convertible. The muted sound of the V8 is certainly not unpleasant, the five-speed gearbox is a delight and the wind noise while there, isn’t intrusive.
Driven Classics at a Glance:
SPECIFICATIONS
1980 Model
Production: 1979 – 1981
Chassis/Body: Unit Steel
Wheelbase: 85 inches/2,160-mm
Length: 164.5 inches/4,180-mm
Width: 66 inches/1,680-mm
Front Track: 55.5 inches/1,409-mm
Rear Track: 55.3 inches/1,404-mm
Weight: 2,565 pounds/1,163 kilograms
Suspension: (F) Independent by MacPherson struts with coil springs, anti-roll bar and telescopic shocks (R) Live axle, coil springs, anti-roll bar, radius arms and telescopic shocks
Engine: Cast Aluminum V8
Displacement: 3,528-cc
Bore x Stroke : 88.9 x 71.1-mm
Comp. Ratio: 8.1:1
Induction: Lucas/Bosch L-Jetronic
Power: 134bhp @ 5,000rpm
Transmission: 5-speed all-synchro manual (with optional auto)
Brakes: Front discs and rear drums
PERFORMANCE
Top Speed: 120 mph
0-60 mph: 8.4 seconds
Average Fuel Consumption: 22 mpg (imp)
VALUATION
Price at Launch: US$13,850
Excellent: US$24,000
Good: US$17,000
Average: US$10,000
Poor: US$5,000
