For a period about 10 years ago, I autocrossed a fair amount, and dipped a toe into winter rallying. There was a big part of me that wanted to go headlong into motorsports, eventually getting into proper track days. As often happens, life had other plans, and I also lost interest in building a dedicated track car. Still, there’s no denying that builds like this rally-spec 1981 Triumph TR7 are hugely appealing, and offer a turnkey approach into competitive driving events. At this point, all you need are the skills to drive a car like this at its limits, but you also have to buy it first. Find the Triumph here on Iconic Auctioneers website.

Not only is this a properly kitted-up rally vehicle, it also appears to be done in homage of sorts to Triumph’s history of entering works-built racers in a variety of rally events. Sadly, the history of these cars is sketchy at best, as Triumph would often rebuild the same car multiple times, but give it different registrations at each event. Therefore, there may be a few different owners claiming to own a car that is the true competition vehicle, but there’s really no way to verify. This TR7 makes no claim to being an actual works vehicle, but it does wear the paint scheme that is very similar to the factory race cars.

We don’t get much in the way of specs in the listing, but there’s little reason to doubt that this Triumph has been built to be driven hard. The cage, seats, wheels and tires, plexiglass windows, raised suspension, and various body armor all suggest a very thoughtful build that can (hopefully) withstand the rigors of rallying. The bodywork looks quite tidy, which is a shame as it’s likely to get banged up once it begins hanging its tail out and bounding over dips and jumps through an English forest. Yes, it’s overseas at the moment, so you’ll need to import it if you’re determined to own it.

We did find some details online that mention this TR7 sports a rebuilt 3.5-litre Rover V8, custom coilover suspension, a stainless steel exhaust system, twin fuel pumps, and bigger brakes (thanks, Grassroots Motorsports.) There are undoubtedly other improvements we can’t see, and likely will only be fully appreciated once you take the TR7 rallying. Triumph was quite competitive in these grueling events and likely doesn’t get enough recognition by the hobby for its contributions to motorsports, but this comprehensive tribute build is a good starting point.