1980 Triumph TR7 Sprint Coupe

Description

The TR7 – like Mazda’s RX-7 – had been conceived for a post-convertible world, thanks to anticipated US safety legislation which was never passed. Although early product planning was for a two-seater sports car, it was rapidly changed for a coupe. Power was supplied by the Dolomite sedan’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, rather than the advanced 16-valve unit fitted to the Dolomite Sprint, but there was a slick-shifting five-speed gearbox. A very small number of TR7 Sprints were produced with the high-po engine, but this version was never commercially available. Production records at the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust cover 58 prototype and pre-production cars, all coupes, built between February and October 1977. There were perhaps two or three others, making a possible maximum of 61 cars, of which several still exist in the UK and elsewhere. These TR7 Sprints were built at the BL plant at Speke, at the same time as the pre-production runs for the convertibles and TR7 V8s, including a run of about 30 cars built on the line during the factory changeover to the 1978 year model in June 1977. However, it is claimed that some cars at least were converted at Canley from completed TR7s built at Speke. The standard TR7’s excellent dynamics served to accentuate the feeling that the performance, though respectable, was a little tame. An extremely well-located live rear axle contributed to the TR7’s great handling and no-one lamented the old IRS as found in the TR4A, TR5 and TR6! Harris Mann’s radical styling was polarising but certainly contributed to the TR7’s unique character. In many respects, the TR7 represented a departure from previous TRs, which had always been noted more for performance than dynamics – here was a Triumph sports car that was a truly superb handler, which was made very obvious when Leyland Australia ran a racing series for the TR7, the Barclays TR7 Pro-Car Series (and Pro-Am series which followed) with local heroes such as Jim Richards, Bob Morris (the eventual winner), Colin Bond, Allan Grice and Tony Longhurst indulging in fierce contact sport.