Most Triumph enthusiasts look right past the TR7. It was unloved by many and for good reason. It was a stark departure from the sports cars that the British manufacturer was known for. British Leyland wanted to take the TR into the future and in their attempt, Triumph lost many of its diehard fans. Gone was the body on frame construction and classic good looks, replaced by this odd wedge shaped machine. This particular car does have some redeeming qualities though. It’s a convertible which supposedly only has 30k miles on the clock. It was donated to Moss Motors to be used in a charity auction. They never used it though so the current owner picked it up and got it running. It was parked for 30 years before that, so it’s going to need a little more work before it can be considered a safe driver. So, if you are able to overlook the past, this TR7 can be found here on eBay for just $950!
I have ridden in these and they are not bad. I hate the front bumpers, and this one is on the wrong coast and still needs a lot of work.
Having said all of that, if one were interested in one of these, is there a modern 4 cylinder motor that can go in these to give them a little more go and reliability. I would not really want a TR-8 but maybe with a good Zetec and a nose job these could be fun. Has anyone done it yet?
KLH
Did read correctly that the vehicle is a right-hand drive? If so, why does the picture show the steering wheel on the left side of the car? Or, is the picture shown not the vehicle for sale?
Didn’t see any mention of it being RHD. Reading between the lines, I’m thinking there’s a fair amount of time and money required to put it right, though the basics appear solid.
With all that, these Triumphs still leave me cold, just as they did when new. Just can’t get past the looks….
Had a work associate who had one for a short time. His was used and found to have been a wreck poorly pieced together from two cars. Think he got his money back. This was purchased before salvage titles I believe.
This would be a cheap way to get into the hobby, a visual inspection would be a must.
I can think of Triumphs that I would like to own, but a TR7 isn’t one of them. Looks and poor resale value are against them. The one drive I had in one was underwhelming, so even if I could get past looks and resale value the fundamental reason for buying a special car aren’t there, especially when you have to maintain a 35 year old sportscar.
An MGB would be a better choice for all kinds of reasons, even if this TR7 owner wants only $950 for this low-mile, slightly special, not too bad car. No takers so far after a number of days on Ebay—-maybe the market is speaking. Or in this case, not speaking.
would this be a good way to get into $500 limit car racing? sell of some of the unneeded for racing parts and you could be under the cap. interesting find.
As a younger man, I held a second job at a body shop. Mostly sanding, disassembly, sweeping the floor, and more sanding. I distinctly recall one of these coming in with what appeared to be minor front fender damage. The job of removing that front fender was delegated to me, the lowly “shop boy”. After discovering the fender was not a bolt on proposition, I spoke with the owner who quickly chastised me for my inability to remove a simple fender on a simple car. As many who know these cars are aware, the fenders on these are integral to the chassis and are a major operation to remove & reinstall…think in terms of a steel Corvette. I never did get an apology from the shop owner, I can only take comfort knowing the pain of repairing the vehicle for his original estimate was justification enough.
I will admit to buying one of these brand new as a young soldier stationed in Germany. Went to England picked up a brand new 1977 Triumph TR7 hardtop. I was very proud of my first new car – but by the time I drove back to my duty station in Ulm, Germany; one headlight was up and one was down, the wipers quite working and the driver’s side outside mirror fell off the door. It had problems with bad head gaskets, starters – the list goes on I was able to unload the car a year later while stationed in Virginia. Never again!
Is that an MG T Series body tub in the background?
Nope. It has metal floors. And the cowl is flat. The rear shelf is all wrong (and metal).
Good spot though. Now I’m spending entirely too much time trying to figure out what it is.
mg Kent. Body in background is a JEEP CJ2/3 .
The TR-7 was a fun car, I actually looked at a nice convertible that didn’t run for some reason, in the LA Craigslist a few months ago for $1500.
What’s really interesting here, is the body standing on it’s tail in the background. I might guess it might be a Morgan. At first I thought it could be an early T-series MG , but it doesn’t have the correct top cowl profile, and it looks too big for a Lotus 7 or Spring Siata.