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On graduation night in 1972 I traded cars. I got to drive a TR-4, and it was love. But at 6′-4″ that love wasn’t going to last. Enter a TR-7 drop-head 25 years later. The car was cheap, I could fit, and I passed everything on the highway. I never had an issue with that car, well maybe one or two. Years later my wife and I found ourselves in Ireland at Delphi Lodge, a salmon fishing retreat. There we were at a very long table with the owner at one end and the chap who caught the largest fish at the other, and we being the only Americans in the group of 20 or more. The wine was flowing when I heard my wife say “Dave has an English sports car too!” She was across the large table as I reached out to her and uttered a very audible “NOOOO”. That, of course, got everyone’s attention. The chap talking to my wife then stood and said “Well… and what kind of car is it?” My wife announced to all it was a TR7 as my head hit the table. In good cheer that chap commented “a TR7! A TR7? Why it’s the ugliest car ever made! No one wants one! [enter perfectly timed pause for great affect] “Someday it maybe worth something, but of course you’ll be dead”, laugher followed and I believe a few drinks at the bar too. Upon my return to the States I decided to prove him wrong, I started on a Sprint upgrade along with a complete rebuild. I certainly bit off more than I could chew. But I love this car, it’s fast and nimble. The TR7 didn’t kill the Triumph, management, labor and the times did. Because of this car I’ve met great Minnesota foreign car enthusiasts and stumbled into another car to rebuild, an Austin Healey BT7 tri-carb. But my weird obsession with the wedge will never die. Even my daughters want to borrow it “cause it’s cool in a weird sort of way”. However, the other day when I was driving the TR7 I did hear two women talking, one said “I don’t care, I still think it’s ugly”. I assume they haven’t been in the driver’s seat.
Rally On, Dave, from Minnesota |
'For the Love of the Wedge: Owning a TR7' have 4 comments
September 16, 2016 @ 6:32 pm John, from Connecticut
I presently own a 1980 TR7 convertible (Brooklands Green). I bought it new, September, 1981, Competition Imports, Newport, R.I.. It was sticker priced just under $10,000 with a $1,000 factory rebate. British Leyland offered the rebate at the time. I do love the car but rarely drive it now. The car is known for it’s handling, but underpowered on the highways compared to modern day cars. I live in rural Connecticut and the roads are perfect for it. Great memories with this car.
November 14, 2016 @ 7:02 pm Dave Herreid
I prefer to believe it can still go fast enough to scare you and pass most of the stuff that gets in your way on the road.
I’m glad you still have car. My car guru (the guy I bought the BT7 from) says “the best thing you can do with an English car is drive it,” I say “Amen”. Why don’t you get in the car, go for a drive and take a picture of you and the car. Winter up north can get awful long and I bet if you see that picture every day in the morning I may see you at Road America next spring watching the vintage works of art whiz by. I find looking at cars makes me smile. Cheers, Dave
September 18, 2016 @ 9:21 pm Wilmer Sprunger
I used to own a nice red one in the 1980’s with only about 14,000 miles on it.
Two things gave me some trouble, but otherwise I really enjoyed it. First was the oil pressure sender unit. It just came apart (leaked) one night!
And the other I never could understand: One time while driving home at night – while observing the gauges carefully, it got so hot that WITHOUT it showing anything abnormal, it got so hot that it warped the aluminum head. But after grinding down the head and installing a new head gasket it turned out OK. Perhaps it later had a higher compression ration, I don’t know. Since I’m not a pilot I guess I had to settle for “flying low”. And yes, I got at least one speeding ticket with it!
Wilmer Sprunger
November 14, 2016 @ 7:20 pm David Herreid
My car over-heated when I got it. A head gasket had been replaced and it still didn’t solve the problem so the previous owner bailed on the car and it came to me. If the head was re-torqued after 500 miles my previous owner and I wouldn’t have had this problem. I learned this the hard way. The devil is in the details and that tweak was required for these cars.
Oh and I believe all speeding tickets tell a story and I might add remind us that we can still be fun, hopefully not dumb, and figure out ways to mystify our significant others. Cheers, Dave