It looks a bit like a doorstop on wheels. And they aren’t always that fondly recalled but they certainly made a visual statement. And there is something to be said, wistfully, as the car in question was the last of the storied marque’s sportscars. A Citi-Car? Nooo, it’s “The Shape of Things to Come”, AKA the Triumph TR7, of course. And here is a beautiful example of one of British Leyland’s most memorable (appearance-wise, anyway) vehicles, a 1979 Triumph TR7 coupe located in Cincinnati, Ohio and available, here on eBay for a current bid of $5,245, no reserve.

Produced between 1975 and 1981, Triumph saw about 112K copies of the TR7 leave their Liverpool and Coventry assembly plants. Offered in both coupe and roadster versions, there was also a small production number of V8 powered examples, referred to as a TR8. Not always remembered as a stellar example of automobile engineering, the TR7 frequently ends up on “The worst of..” compilations such as this “50 of the Worst Cars Made” article assembled by Oliver Hamilton and published on 4/21/2020. The good news is that is placed 39th, so it’s not considered the most ignominious. The biggest complaints? Seems to be all things electronic.

This TR7 coupe has only experienced 13K miles. OK, let’s get over the snark with a one and done, “13K miles! Really? That’s a high mileage example if ever I’ve seen one!” The seller states that this Triumph belongs to an elderly owner who purchased it new in 1979. Always garaged, it has been pampered and sparingly used. The Pageant Blue finish does present itself beautifully, strong, deep, and with no fade – no evidence of damage either. The black rubber/plastic trim, a trademark of cars from this era, has surpassed the test of time too as it is wrinkle and split free.

For power, the TR7 employed a two-liter, in-line, four-cylinder engine, good for 86 HP. The seller states, “This car is an absolute blast to drive. Everything on this car works exactly as it should. The car starts, runs, drives, shifts, brakes, sounds and handles excellent”. The engine compartment in this Triumph is quite tidy but it looks like it has ground out more than 13K miles; perhaps it’s just age-related “patina”. Power to the rear wheels is courtesy of a four-speed manual transmission.

The interior is a notable combination of beige, tan and brown. The cloth seating areas are beige while the side panels and door cards are tan – the carpet brings up the brown. Having darker colored carpet makes sense, it hides the inevitable dirt. This menagerie of color works, it’s just a lot to look at but it all appears to be in very good condition. The seller claims, “The entire (code CAAA), original beige cloth interior, looks, feels and smells like a new car. The rest of the inside is just as perfect – from the dash and door panels to the headliner, carpet, steering wheel, trunk and matching, original cocoa floor mats”.  I agree with the looks comment, obviously, I cannot vouch for the feels and smells part.

One of my best friends purchased a new 1977 TR7 at the end of ’76. He had just graduated from college and earned his first engineering job so he thought he should buy a new car to replace his wreck of a ’69 Torino college car. Ironically, he wanted something reliable as he had a pretty substantial daily trek. He seriously missed the mark with the TR7. The car became the bane of his existence and by July of ’77, it was gone. The issues mostly centered on all things electronic. The alternator stripped out of its bracket because the Triumph dealership had R and R’d it so many times trying to figure out what was up with the voltage surges and drops. The accelerator cable stripped out, at least once, while the car was engaged in expressway driving – a bad time to lose your power. On the last evening that my friend owned it, we went for a drive and he said, “Watch this!” The instrument panel lights were surging from normal brightness to super bright and when the cigarette lighter was engaged, it stayed in for mere seconds and then shot out of its socket glowing hot. To make matters worse, as I leaned into a padded cushion on the side of the center stack with my left knee, it popped, spewing an internal dust-like substance all over the place. There was a litany of other foibles too but as it was 43 years ago, and the car only lasted seven months, I cannot recall them all.

By all means, no discouragement meant on my part, I’m just sayin’…  There are three days to go with this auction and the current bid is reasonable. If the TR7 is a British sports car that holds your fancy, this example is probably as good as it gets and may be one that you should watch, don’t you think?