The car and driver test triumph tr8

Having bought a new fiat x19 in 1974, im somewhat biased. Sadly it arrived too late, was in production for less than two years and nearly all were lefthand drive. Triumph tr8 history the triumph tr8 is an eightcylinder version of the wedgeshaped triumph tr7 sports car, designed by harris mann, and manufactured by british leyland bl, through its jaguarrover triumph jrt division. Of all the modern triumphs, the michelottipenned tr4 is my handsdown favorite. Upgraded water pumps are available and the kavanagh car needed one since misaligned pulleys dating back to the cars conversion to righthand drive had damaged the original pump. Comfort is a major tr8 attribute the roomy cabin and decent levels of legroom complemented by a welldesigned and easytouse hood.

We found this quite rare triumph tr8 in the california usa and bought it from the first owner. Interest in these cars is finally starting to rise. The dealer i bought it from had one new 1976 tr6 left in the showroom. It probably doesnt even make it in anybodys top 10 list of most desirable sports cars of its own era. The body has been provided in fresh persian aqua metallic. I reckon its an attractive car though, even with the lurid gold alloys. Despite its problems, the car was a practical enough daily driver and sold well. You can also sign up for email notification when such cars are advertised in the future. See more ideas about british sports cars, classic cars and triumph motor. For the money, the triumph tr8 is a blast to drive in an undeniably appealing package. The engine itself was derived from an early 1960s buickoldsmobile allaluminum v8 215 cu in 3. With a brilliant cockpit the tr7 is surprisingly spacious, inviting and civilised plus theres a roomy boot for touring, all making this triumph an excellent daily driver. The triumph tr8 is an eightcylinder version of the wedgeshaped triumph tr7 sports car, designed by harris mann, and manufactured by british leyland bl, through its jaguarrovertriumph jrt division.

Youll enjoy the tr8, it was a good car, and i feel the best car they ever built. Soon he was driving a triumph tr8 for bob tulliuss group 44 team. Read the drivers comments at the 1979 triumph tr8 discussion. Jan 28, 2014 its also by far the cheapest way to join the ranks of triumph tr ownership.

Strong and smooth rover v8 engine allied with the convertible body style made for an extremely appealing car a kind of latterday mgbv8, in fact. As a result, john black asked richardson to redesign the tr1. Rt 34 motorsports online at to see more pictures of this vehicle or call us at 63054 today to schedule your test drive. I always liked triumphs, ive owned a tr2rhd project car, 2 tr4s, a tr6 and a tr8. The road was flat and straight, and i saw them coming toward me from.

The triumph tr7 and tr8 have long provoked extreme reactions on both ends of the spectrum. Because of its outstanding performance, the tr8 was often dubbed the english corvette. This was the car the tr7 should have been after all, it was designed to accept the rover v8 engine from a very early stage in the project. To satisfy the requirements of the buyers, british leyland took a vshaped eightcylinde. Buying a car starts at carsplusplus get a list of related car models before you buy this triumph. I remember test driving a couple in the early 80s, before i bought my tr7. This article is a road test and has nice pictures of a new triumph coupe, equipped with a 2.

The tr8 finally joined triumphs lineup for the 1980 model year. Of all the modern triumphs, the michelottipenned tr4 is my handsdown. It was first shown to the public at the paris auto show in late 1950. This is an original 3 page article carefully removed from car and driver magazine 1977 on the 1977 triumph tr7 sports car. This was a great little car, i bought it in florida while in the service in the late 80s. For all the rumors of unreliability, i had surprisingly little trouble with it. Dont forget that our parent club, the vintage triumph register has a forum for all marques, not just the tr7 and tr8. Oddly these cars are now starting to stand the test of time and look almost modern these days compared to other cars of the era. And ive lately realised that in almost every new car i drive, i halfgrit my. The hagerty classic car valuation tool is designed to help you learn how to value your 1980 triumph tr8 and assess the current state of the classic car market. In may 1980 this tr has been build in the canley factory and wasnt registred until 1985. The triumph tr2 was ready for the geneva motor show in march 1953. Mar 30, 2019 it also helps that the tr8 was the most modern and advanced triumph made. The tr7 and tr8 shared dealership floor space, and both could be had in coupe and convertible forms.

Although the tr8 is a decent enough car, i really dont think it can compete with modern sports cars, performance wise. I am fortunate to have stumbled on an amazing car, where one of the previous owners lavished enormous dollars to convert the car to full original tr8 specs, and lavished by others since. I am very excited, as i have taken delivery of my australian engineered tr8 today, a spur of the moment decision, all done inside 24 hours. Basing my comments only on a fairly lengthy test drive, the tr7s cockpit was roomier, it had more pep, but the engine wasnt as much fun or willing to rev and the handling was comparatively subpar. Jan 28, 2014 1980 heralded the introduction of the triumph tr8, but unfortunately for british triumph fans, it was made available in the usa only. For export to the us market, triumph created a much more powerful triumph tr8 model in 197778, which was a tr7 with a 5 bhp 101 kw 3. There are driving impressions, performance and handling, detailed specs of the car and more. The triumph tr8 is an eightcylinder version of the wedgeshaped triumph tr7 sports car, manufactured by british leyland bl, and then jaguarrovertriumph jrt. In short, it was a lot of car for not a lot of money.

The tangled history of the unloved and illfated triumph tr7 and v8powered triumph tr8 sports cars. The triumph tr7 is a sports car manufactured from september 1974 to october 1981 by the triumph motor company which was part of british leyland in the united kingdom. And with a little patience fewer than 3000 were built, the huge step up in performance and rarity from the tr7 to the tr8 is a tempting value. While earlier triumphs lacked electronics and plastic components, rusted easily, and tended to overheat, the tr8 skirted those issues and emerged as a reliable driver. In longer races, bedard became the third driver in the group 44 jaguar xjr5. The tr6 that was replaced in 1975 by the fourcylinder tr7 was without doubt a flawed and oldfashioned design. Triumph tr7 nostalgia ride leaves me stirred, not shaken autocar. The engine is now in and tuned, so its time for road testing. Although i was too young to drive at the time, i remember seeing these triumph sports cars on.

An increasingly rare sight only about tr7s on uk roads now. Road test magazine named the tr8 its best new sports car of 1980, saying the v8 transforms the car. The triumph tr7 is a compact, twodoor sports car, introduced in 1974 as a. It is a fun car that fills a need in the marketplace for a performance sports car. The car took a few months to sort out all minor issues. It was my daily driver for at least 2 years in florida and was a fun summer car once i moved back to ohio.

Lastly, tr7 prices have a natural ceiling, commonly known as the tr8. In the triumph tr7 and later tr8, they did manage to bring a cleansheet design to u. Curing the blahs with a nearly original 1980 triumph tr8. Almost all of the tr8s built ended up in the united states. From here on in all tr7s and tr8 s share the same series of numbers, individual letters are now the only way to differentiate between a tr7 or tr8 different market cars fhc or dhc. Lot of 2 triumph tr8 and tr7 car brochures british leyland.

Because triumph used a variety of different chassis numbering systems this page attempts to explain what each letter should mean while this will be correct for the vast majority of cars you should note that i. Make no mistake, the tr7 in convertible form, is a fine car is very thoroughly developed and is excellent for longdistance cruising in the sunshine. Tr6 was a real triumph true the far rarer tr5 and tr250 model for the north american market will always trump the tr6 in terms of value but with some 83,480 cars produced the reach of the later. I could go on but suffice to say, youd be forgiven if you thought a 1980 triumph was something youd only consider when equipped with a generouslyproportioned barge pole. Mar 20, 20 bags of grininducing mindless fun, yet surprisingly well built especially compared to the car it inspired, the tvr 350i and really rather refined, it is no wonder road and track magazine awarded the triumph tr8 sportscar of the year in 1980, calling it nothing less than the reinvention of the sportscar. The triumph experience is a highly frequented forum with a lot of seasoned tr7 and tr8 owners there with a lot of knowledge, and british car, and the british car forum are good ones too. In the us market, for which the intended model tr8, car needed more power. Triumph even added a convertible version to the lineup for the 1979 model year. Unmodified examples arent that great to drive, tr8 is rare here with lots of fakes.

Triumph tr7 and tr8 all you need to know about this british. British leyland revived model mg8, setting the vshaped eightcylinder engine, in the same way and improved model triumph tr7. Car and driver put the tr8 on its cover, calling it nothing less than the reinvention of the sports car. The triumph tr8 is an eightcylinder version of the wedgeshaped triumph tr7 sports car. The triumph tr7 is a compact, twodoor sports car, introduced in 1974 as a replacement for the tr6. This works better than both the really poor mans tr8. It sounded like a muscle car, i probably should have kept it. Selfdriving cars to learn from previous experiences, navigate. The car driven here is one of many tr7s since converted to v8 power. Sadly it arrived too late, was in production for less than two years and nearly all were lefthand drive examples sold in the usa.

The shortlived triumph tr8 finally provided a triumph sports car with serious performance but check carefully for authenticity if its on your menu. The idea of a v8powered wedge had been shelved, but not forgotten. Tcv s ome cars were built with chassis numbers from tcv 200001 upwards for the 1979 model year, exact amount unknown. It was initially produced at the speke, liverpool factory, moving to canley, coventry in 1978 and then finally to the rover plant in solihull in 1980. Mar 14, 2007 the triumph tr8 was an eightcylinder version of the wedgeshaped triumph tr7 sports car, manufactured by bl ltd.

It was still a welcome addition to the sports car class, though. Classic triumph tr8 for sale classic cars for sale. Anyone whos ever owned a factory triumph tr8 will know that this is palpably not the case. The triumph tr8 was an eightcylinder version of the wedgeshaped triumph tr7 sports car, manufactured by bl ltd. In the universe of performance cars, not everyone saw it that way, or still does. Only a handful of genuine, factory tr8s were built with righthand drive. Brought to america, it ended up in british leylands press fleet, accumulating some 4,000 miles laid on by automotive writers. Triumph tr8 prices have increased 27% over the past 3 years, according to. Maybe if they brought out the v8 powered tr8 first thing might of been different. Its also the car i took my drivers test in and the. The fiat x19 was the most obvious car to compare to the triumph tr7. And check out the cars 1979 triumph tr8 for sale on our car classifieds.

To address the latter concern, triumph introduced the tr8, which was a tr7 powered by the aluminum buickoldsmobilepontiac 215c. Triumph tr7 and tr8 mailing lists, forums, and clubs. Nice price or crack pipe npocp 1980 triumph tr8 custom cars. Envisioned as a personal luxury car, it had envelope styling with aluminium body panels, spats over the rear wheels, electrohydraulically operated seats, windows, and top, onboard hydraulic jacks, electricallyoperated hidden. While some genuine tr8 models stayed in britain, these examples are exceedingly rare. Model tr7 appeared in 1975, but the engine volume of 2 liters gave only 69 of the inland transport committee. Triumph was on its last legs in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but it still managed to make at least one cool car, the tr8. Triumph didnt build many, so finding them for sale is tough. This 1980 triumph tr8 is one of the hot v8powered roadsters produced in very low numbers, rather than the four cylinder fitted to the tr7. I have about 7k into my car, it is a fun weekend car on nice days.

Virtually every journalist to test the tr7 has commented on the interior space and comfort and against the smaller fiat there really is no contest. Note, tr8 is different to a converted tr7 v8 of which many were homespun conversions, so expect differing standards of quality and workmanship. Triumph tr7 classic cars wiki fandom powered by wikia. Its vin shows that it was the 20th such car built at solihull for the 1980 model year. The triumph tr7 makes a great solution to britains blistered asphalt. My french blue 1974 tr6 was my daily driver for about 3 years that i bought in 1976 when i was 21 years old. Once triumph did by 1981with the stylish convertible, the monthly, in a twin test with the midengined fiat x19, commented. After all if triumph as a car manufacturer is going to be remembered for anything then the tr6 pi must surely be right up there as one of their best. As press and pr officer of the tr register, the largest car club dedicated to all triumph trs, he looks after the rare, club owned cocacola levis promotional tr7. It was initially produced at the speke, liverpool factory.

The tr8 is the finest british sports car i have had the pleasure to drive, one that, by itself, could change the entire image of united kingdom industry and workmanship. Just having a quick drive with my buddy in his triumph tr8 v8. Weve seen a couple of poor mans tr8 race cars in the 24 hours of lemons. The triumph trx, also known as the bullet, was the first triumph car to use the tr designation. I turned it on its lid in a hill climb at the critical point where i ran out of driving talent. This very car ended up on the covers of both car and driver and autoweek. This one is in periodappropriate gold, with an awesome beige tartan plaid interior.

This is a 1980 triumph tr8 classic car in san juan capistrano ca posted on oodle classifieds. Here we have a 1980 triumph tr8 that seems to have stood times test. Its also the car i took my driver s test in and the. After putting in an after market distributor 5 years ago, the tr8 has never failed me. Teknikens varlds famous moose test driver ruben borjesson. Basing my comments only on a fairly lengthy test drive, the tr7s.

Most of the 400 preproduction cars were automatic coupes and amazingly, were sold via the jaguarrovertriumph dealer network as used cars after the evaluation period ended. Our members and their cars reside throughout the world, from north. Triumph tr8 the triumph tr8 is an eightcylinder version of the wedgeshaped triumph tr7 sports car, designed by harris mann, and manufactured by british leyland bl, through its jaguarrover triumph jrt division. Watch as hagerty classic cars magazine executive editor stefan lombard. Mechanic and test driver ken richardson had taken the tr1 out on a test drive but stopped it early due to his intense dislike of the car and called it a deathtrap. I own a triumph spitfire, and thats a low car, too, but getting into the tr is even more of a. Most of the 400 preproduction cars were automatic coupes and amazingly, were sold via the jaguarrovertriumph dealer network as used cars. The triumph tr8 is a classic v8 british sports car which popular. All of aronlines triumph tr7 and tr8 stories in one place prototypes, development history, and other great features about this brilliant classic car. Jan 25, 2020 the triumph tr7 is a sports car manufactured from september 1974 to october 1981 by the triumph motor company which was part of british leyland in the united kingdom. The tr8 can singlehandedly rekindle mans love for the automobile. Initially tr7 was brutally criticized, while the tr8 was named 1980 motor trend car of the year.