After only putting on 22,683 miles in 43 years, the original owner of this 1980 Triumph TR7 convertible is putting it up for sale. The car is said to have been cosmetically restored both inside and out, and although we only have this single picture to look at, it certainly looks the part. The wedge is listed for sale here on craigslist with an asking price of $9,999 and is located in Advance, North Carolina.
By 1980, the initially beleaguered Triumph TR7 had morphed into a pretty decent little sports car. Labor strife and British Leyland plant consolidation had changed its UK production factory twice; from the original, quality-lacking Speke to Canley, and then again to the Rover plant in Solihull. A stylish convertible version had been created from a car that was only intended to be a coupe (due to expected US rollover standards that were never implemented). The original weak 4-speed transmission and rear axle had been replaced with the much stronger 5-speed SD1 gearbox and a much stronger rear end. There was even a short-lived V8 derivative, the TR8, that was starting to trickle in through coastal ports. By the end of sales in 1982, 28,864 convertibles had been produced, most of them for the North American market.
Triumph raced the TR7 throughout its production and was quick to advertise its success. One example I found here on YouTube shows the 1979 SCCA Runoffs D-Production race, with Lee Mueller winning in a TR7 convertible. That exact car is still vintage raced today! On the left, we have one of the more famous ads Triumph produced, showing the heritage of the Triumph TR series and calling attention to the 30th Anniversary edition convertible. My mother was lucky enough to own one of these cars and I enjoyed driving it a lot. The TR7 (and accordingly, the TR8) features a much more comfortable ride and seating than the earlier TR2-TR6s and much greater body shell rigidity. I can’t tell whether or not this car is a 30th Anniversary edition, but it does have the correct wheels and trim rings. The Moto-Lita steering wheel fitted to these cars is wonderful to the touch and the rack and pinion steering of a TR7 is a delight. I hope this TR7 is cherished by its eventual new owner and I see them at one of the North Carolina British car events I attend.
I thought I knew most of the history of the TR7/TR8, but one thing I discovered during research for this post was that the Triumph wedges were nearly sold as “Healeys” next to, of all things, the stainless steel-shelled DeLorean! Yes, that’s correct, there was a plan that almost came to fruition (detailed here) where the remnants of the DeLorean company would have purchased the rights to the TR7 and TR8 from British Leyland, given the car a minor styling update, and resumed production of the cars as the “Healey 2000” and “Healey 3500”. Unfortunately, the plans eventually fell apart, but it was amazing how far the entrepreneurs got with their plans! What would your plans be for this one-owner convertible?
The authors enthusiasm doesn’t convey the proper message, THIS was the car that sent British purists crying in their Bass Ale. We couldn’t believe this is what took the place of our beloved TR6. So much so, it was unrecognized in the circle, and sold poorly. One could say, this was the smoking gun that killed Triumph for us Yanks. Time passed, and looking at it today, it’s not so bad, really. It still provides top down, 2 seat cruising and a modern look, even though, many compared it to the Fiat, and in case you might not remember, Brits and Italians didn’t exactly get along. I think it was a cheap plastic rendition of what was usually expected from the British, but were good cars. All British products are good, and you shan’t ever convince me otherwise.
I agree completely. I owned and loved my TR6 and was so stupid to sell it when my wife and I started having children. Foe what I paid for the beauty I could have just put it on blocks and held it for a later date. Young and foolish.
“Sold poorly?” The TR7 outsold all previous Triumph models combined. How is that “poorly?”
The TR7 didn’t sell poorly until word circulated that it was horribly unreliable and badly built. If the saboteurs at Speke had let the production line run, the TR7 would have probably been the best-selling British sports car of all time. As it was, there were over 141,000 TR7s sold over six model years. TR6 production was less than 92,000 over eight model years. Without the labor issues at Speke, there was nothing about the TR7s styling, performance, or injection-molded interior that was stopping customers from buying in record numbers. And that was even before the convertible was offered.
To add to Howard’s comments, the 7s came with built in engine problems that previous British cars didn’t have. The earlier cars had their problems but engines weren’t one of them. They should have put the V8 into them from the start. Maybe that would have overridden the plastic car syndrome.
Actually there was a plan to badge it as an MG going into 1981. Grill change and some other minor cosmetic changes. Kabashed by corporate.
OMG!!! Thank goodness that didn’t happen. As a TR 6 owner, I always felt the TR7 remained me of a door stop.
My plans for this one:
Take the luggage rack off ASAP.
Enjoy.
I purchased a ‘78 TR-7 coupe from the factory and brought it back to W. Germany where I was stationed in the USAF. Worst car I’ve ever owned. Quality was poor all the way around and I get why there are low mileage versions still out there. Besides interior and exterior parts falling off constantly, the engine seized at around 20,000 miles….. I ended up abandoning it to the repair shop in lieu of paying to repair…… replaced with a used 914, which was much better in quality.
I feel ur pain. 80 tr 7. Might be my worst nightmare. the 83 Shelby charger I had was a very close second
The only real problem I had with my 80 TR7 was the transmission blew up on I5 in Orange county. I didn’t make any friends getting off the freeway, but I made it.
Otherwise, 3 years with few issues. 85-88
Very first day I drove the pos the throttle cable popped off the carburetor
I guess that was my warning
One picture in a garage!!!!!!!!! Nothing else, no perfect interior or engine bay, paint, ragtop, trunk, odo 22k miles, dash pictures!!!! A lot of plastic in a 7 that gets ugly with age alone. Nothing else, his garage is cleaner than mine. Seller should be bold and state runs and drives perfect needs nothing.
Seller should say rust free, anyone ever heard that on a LBC before? Rust really is free.
Good price at 10k, maybe to good.
Salute
When I was in Brookings,Oregon,I saw a White one
at a used car lot.After passing by it a few times,I just had
to stop and look at it.
They let me test drive it,and I came away impressed!
I wasn’t expecting to be,but it drove really well,had decent
power,& handled well.I was told that a local Coast Guardsman
traded it for a pickup to move with.I assumed that he’d sorted it and
fixed any problems on it.
It was still on the lot about a year later,& I went back
with cash to make an offer & buy it.
It appeared that they hadn’t even started it,or have done
anything at all to it.It wouldn’t start (dead battery),and there was
water on the floors,& rust appearing on the body.
For some reason I walked away from it. .
Owned a1980 Triumph TR-7 convertible. Problems was the twin Zenith-Stromberg carbs and Lucas electric.
Lucas. The old joke was this : Lucas, the man who invented darkness
So , these are great cars to restore , you only need to replace the engine , trans , diff and electrical, an easier way , is to walk away …
good comments. as noted in the main piece, the build quality for these cars started off awful and got progressively better as they moved production a couple of time, and by the end a car of this vintage were (relatively) well put together. Early cars, coupe only and old 4-speed transmissions are the last attractive option. later cars with 5-speed and eventually soft-tops are more viable.
I’ve often thought that one of these might be a fun, cheap, summer diver. We have a TR4 and Spitfire, and the TR7 never had the same classics charm, but you could probably get one cheaply enough and they are supposedly fun to drive, even if not really a performance car. There are a couple of companies that do conversions to fit the Rover 3.5 V8 ( ex Buick 215 design) just like a factory TR8 would be, or alternatively fit the 16-valve 2.0 liter Dolomite Sprint motor – which is a good bit more powerful that the stock 2.0 liter the TR7 came with – and interestingly, was intended by Triumph/BL to be fitted as a factory engine for the TR7 but that plan was changed ( I think the reason being lack of capacity to supply the engines in volume at that time?)
As another poster noted above, when the TR7 came out it suffered from “not being like it’s predecessors in the series” all TR2 – TR6 were subtle evolutions on a common theme… the TR7 was a complete departure, and you can see why maybe fans of the older cars might just say – it’s not a real TR anymore. it’s a bit like the hard time the Jaguar XJS had simply because it was “not an e-type” even thought it was a pretty awesome grand tourer, smooth V12 power, 150+ mph, excellent ride and handling.
It is worth noting, that the TR7 handily outsold every other TR model in the long series. 141,000 sold compared to 92,000 TR6, the next best selling. So, while it is never going to be held in the same affection as the TR2 – TR6 it was not a failure sales-wise.
I wonder if an LS would fit in it?
The body looks good and it’s light and handles pretty well. If it gets an LS and a gearbix that can handle it, and new wiring it would make a fun go-kart.
Doubtful. But a 3.8 V6 or a newer 3800 and T-5 from a Camaro has been done, with more power than the TR-8
http://www.brokenkitty.com/tr7/tr7new.htm
i owned a 77 TR7 im 6′ it had plenty of leg room and was fun to drive. Electrical was a huge problem with it however. I had problems with it stalling at the most unconvenient times and the roll up headlights were another issue.
I could put the seat all the way back and have the hottie on my lap with her back against the steering wheel. It was awesome for that.
Owned a 77 TR7 coupe for several years and only put a handful of miles on it. Not by choice.
Just picked up a white, stock ,78 coupe, last summer. It’s like a go-cart, old Rover 4cyl with a 5 speed. Corners, like it’s on rails. Not fast, by any means, but fun as hell, to drive. Put 3000kms on it so far. Now I get to see what a money pit it’s going to be ( would never get back, any $ I’d put into it, on resale, but who cares ) lol, but looking forward to every, dirty hand, second, to keep it on the road.
The TR7 was unfortunately built during some labor difficulties, (as others here have noted) and had oil and cooling problems early on. The shape was not what some die hard BMC fans wanted, but as CJ pointed out, they sold a good number of cars.
I was driving my TR4 in those days and had 3 or 4 TR7 guys ask ne to work on their cars. I turned them down because I had no knowledge of the engines and had already heard some unpleasant stories.
Too bad for all that the care did not fare better.
I love this car. I wish there were more pictures on the ad. I once owned a TR8 coupe the same color. One of the favorites I I ever owned.
I have owned three TR variants. A 1977 TR-7 coupe and two TR-8’s, a 1980 & 1981 both roadsters. Loved all three. Had a 1977 Z-28 Camaro after have a 1969 and I absolutely hated the ‘77. Sold it to buy the first TR-7 and never regretted it. Sold the last TR-8 to help with down payment for a house. Currently play cars with a ‘96 Carrera.
22k? That’s fairly high milage for a TR-7.
The lawnmower and spreader must be low miles too, since he couldn’t even be bothered to move them for the pic.
Manufactured by British Leyland too
Yeah. Everything from farm tractors and trucks to Jags.
The TR7 can be a decent car, or you can get a real lemon. But 40 years on I have to think all the lemons were squeezed in crushers long ago and the survivors are the better built examples.
I have a 1500 Midget and it is a fun reliable daily driver during the spring to fall.
Some love the TR7 styling and others hate it.
No one is indifferent.
I would buy one, I think this car is going to appreciate in value.
I bought a Lada for $25.00 – at the time the cost of a case of beer. Now the darned things are consistently selling for 10K.