Triumph TR7 - The Face of Failure

[@100forks]

I had a shop that repaired and renovated classic British sports cars. When I first started working on the TR7, I had heard how problematic they were and was apprehensive. What I quickly found out is that they were very nice to work on and their biggest problem was the loose nut behind the wheel (the driver). People never did any routine maintenance. Never checked/changed the oil, the antifreeze, fan belt, etc., until there was a problem. Usually a warped cylinder head. I always kept a totally reconditioned head, in stock, so that I could have their car back on the road the same day. Once I got them on a regularly scheduled service, the problems stopped. I loved the cars, especially the convertible. Wonderful to drive, comfortable and no wind buffeting when the top's down. I recently had a desired to buy another one but the prices have really gone up. The big killer of the cars, as with so many European sports cars, was rust. I feel so blessed to have grown up in the golden age of British sports cars. When a nice, used, 1966 Austin Healey 3000 cost $1,200 (my 1st, car) and my second was a $25, 1966, Triumph Spitfire. MGB's and Midgets for $200 or less. Those were the days. After watching this vid again, I have this to add. I had forgotten about The USA wanting to band convertibles and all the other trash they wanted to implement in cars. I was terrified that the ban would go through. In reality it was the USA that had a major bearing in TR-7's demise. Just think if the convertible had been introduced in 1975. The convertible was such a beautiful car. Also, the vid stating that the front engine, rear wheel drive, was outdated, is debunked by the Mazda Miata sports car. It was such a shame that the employees of the Speke plant, deliberately sabotaged quality and went on strike, in order to harm the company. What did it get them? They lost their jobs. Just think, if this did not happen, there would have been thousands of more cars build. Meaning thousands of more TR7's on the road today. I truly miss that car.

[@sw651]

I paid $400 for a 1973 mgb gt in the 80's and $300 for a 73 mgb conv. I feel bad for kids today.

[@UNUSUALUSERNAME220]

Now that's justified.

[@finlaymcdiarmid5832]

They are either fine or pretty bad it seems, my dad got his 82' TR7 back in about 2014 and after he fixed the problems it had its never had a serious problem since.

[@travelbugse2829]

"...back on the road the same day." Great heavens - tell that to Tesla!

[@anthonyhfe6450]

"the loose nut behind the wheel (the driver)" So true!! Some folks just put gas in a car. You need to be "in tune" with a TR7. Take care of it, and it will take care of you.

[@saxon-mt5by]

I'm not a big fan of the TR7 - I've owned a couple and they have not been amongst my favourites - but love it or loath it you cannot claim it was a failure. The TR7 outsold all the preceding TRs lumped together. Leyland build quality was not the best, but nor was the build quality of Fords or Vauxhalls of the time (or Renaults, Fiats, and many other manufacturers worldwide); but BL was heavily financed by the British government so it was seen as an easy and cheap target by the British press - then and now.

[@TheStwat]

Well said.

[@montinaladine3264]

Excellent reply. Exactly what I was thinking.

[@jonathansimmons5353]

Renault still subsidised by french government via RCI its banking arm which french government backs to the hilt..backdor cash for lacklustre models

[@seanm2511]

Failure to me implies one tried in the first place. Not sure the TR7 is in this category.

[@gavinmatthews5903]

It is fair that the TR7 outsold the previous Triumph models. At the same time, that, practically speaking, only includes the TR3, the TR4/5, which are practically the same car, and the TR6. Equally important was remembering what the TR7 replaced: it not only inherited the sales of a TR6 replacement: it also replaced the Austin Healey 3000, the Triumph Stag, and attempted, with some limited success, to replace the MGB. On that note, while the TR7 did outsell the prior TRs, what it did not do was truly outsell the MGB. Sales, at least in the American market at which the TR7 was squarely aimed, prevailed for the dinosaur MG, especially as the new Triumph's "quirks" became known to the public. While the slaughter of the TR7 as a measure to try and right the mostly-underwater ship that was British Leyland cannot wholly be blamed on the car's merits, it is hard to hail the TR7 as a success, considering its attempt to launch Triumph into the future terminated with the death of the marque only 3 years after that of the car itself. I agree that it wasn't a failure, but it certainly wasn't a success. More a symptom of a company running headlong into the ground than anything.

[@nottiification]

A friend of mine in highschool had a TR7... I loved it... what a cool car. One time he actually got it running... what an afternoon that was!

[@henrydedrick8482]

O' don't be that way!

[@Arltratlo]

my BMW drove 14 years... BMWs are still build, how many TR´s are build right now?? my sisters BMW is 27 years old!

[@devonnewest7990]

I grew up in the era of these cars and thought they looked awesome.

[@tonyb9735]

Me too. Still do.

[@cruiser6260]

Plus 1

[@daveconleyportfolio5192]

Ditto. *"The shape of things to come."* That was the slogan in the ads and it seemed very cool.

[@elimgarak7330]

I was a teenager when The Wedge came out, and I hated its looks immediately. Still do.

[@MrWhoevr]

The first thing I noticed when getting into one was how low I was. It felt like my butt was less than a foot above the ground and the car looked great. My brother tried to scare me by going fast and I just smiled. I thought it was a very cool ride.

[@BigCar2]

Thanks - a great overview of what I thought was an amazing looking car when I was a kid (I still do!). I recently visited the British Motor Museum and took a whole lot of video. If you want to use any of it, please let me know.

[@KarlHamilton]

Oh hello you! We really need to stop bumping into each other like this! Merry Christmas to you and yours :)

[@VauxhallViva1975]

Yes, I love the LOOK of this car.

[@BigCar2]

@@KarlHamilton 😀 Hey Karl. Merry Christmas!

[@CL-vz6ch]

Praise indeed from Big Car!

[@alphagt62]

You should post your video! Edit it down to the best shots and load it up to youtube, I’d love to see your trip to the British car museum!

[@kevinroberts9829]

I bought a TR7 brand new in 1980 and drove it for six years. Just did routine oil changes and basic maintenance on it and never had any major problems. A fun, very reliable car.

[@anthonyhfe6450]

My '77 Triumph TR7 5-speed is a blast to drive. The OHC 2.0 liter revs freely, and returns great gas mileage - around 30 mpg. Because of its wide track, it can take turns at a rather high rate of speed. I especially like that my TR7 is old enough that it's easy to work on (unlike any new car), but has very reliable, upgraded solid state ignition. It is also surprisingly very comfortable, and unlike many British sports cars, this one can do over 100 MPH out of the box. So yeah they did have a rough start, but are not as bad as the media makes them out to be. I'll bet there are many cars that are much worse, but don't have the publicity the TR7 has. Don't crush them, maintain them !!

[@Effonefiddygarage]

Very easy to work on!

[@Martin-oy2cw]

Drove it once, enjoyed every second

[@philiprhodes5537]

Id love one of these especially the v8 version.. As a kid in the seventies i loved the tr7 for its sporty looks and performance which at the time was quite awesome.. Good old british engineering easy to work on no stupid engines sensors to go wrong and a thouroughly engaging drive so i beleive.. Cars to own before you die this is on my list👍

[@rallypoint1]

I had one too!! A ‘76 4spd. I had so much fun with that car. Got in ‘87 while a senior in high school so imagine the hijinx!!! Worst car?? Not by far!!! Ya I was stranded by it once(fuel pump) Didn’t care…still kept it. Only pain was sourcing parts. Had to order from some place in Pennsylvania. Had to let her go eventually but still miss her a lot!!!

[@1990-t1j]

Well said. The TR7 was a very desirable car.

[@yabbadabba1975]

Bought a 77 TR7 brand new. I went back and fort with a inept dealer for about 6 months while they fixed all the things not fixed at the assembly point. After replacing the engine, 4 cylinder, the car ran like a top for 5 years, even making two VA to CA round trips. It was a blast to drive it through rural backroads and anything else with lot of turns and elevation changes. Probably the second most fun I ever had in a car, regardless of all the bad press. Reality was not that bad. 77K miles in three years.

[@ericcriteser4001]

When I was born, I came home from the hospital in my dad's brand new Pimento Red TR-7. He had traded his Autumn Leaf '73 MGB the day before! We kept it 'till 1984. Great memories.

[@twsmotors]

As we've built our business on the TR7 and TR8 we couldn't agree more with your video. It is nice to see that the enthusiasm for the cars has not wained and only grown over the years!

[@johnburns4017]

The soft top version, the TR8 was a superb looking car, even with a V8 engine. Holds up even today. I saw one in London in summer, people stopped and looked commenting. It came too late for Triumph.

[@sunsetlights100]

Yup stag was only other similar UK V8 2dr... Which one was better!

[@johnburns4017]

@@sunsetlights100 Mechanically the TR8 as it used the Rover engine.

[@robertcooke1774]

@@sunsetlights100 dont forget the sunbeam tiger, better than the t8 and the stag in my opinion and far better looking.

[@mikeholland1031]

@@johnburns4017 which was a Buick design. Triumph V8's sucked badly

[@johnburns4017]

@@robertcooke1774 The Sunbean Tiger was the Alpine body which had an old fashioned bland female image. The car was designed for the USA market looking like a sort of 1950s Corvette in miniature - not butch enough for the UK. It had a Ford V8 shoehorned in.

[@van84agon]

Fond memories as a 7 year old when my brother bought a new TR7 here in Canada, brown with tan seats, 5 speed, webasto sunroof and Chuck Mangione playing from the cassette player. Thought I had died and gone to car heaven. It got traded in for a Honda Accord liftback in 1980... oh dear

[@beeblebrocks8050]

Sounds similar to my experience. My brother bought a Ford Capri in JPS paint scheme. Gave him a lot of mechanical grief, but was wonderful on mountain roads. He traded it in for a Civic.

[@BeholdPontiusPilate]

As a youngster in the 70's (also Canadian) I remember seeing the TR7 and thinking it was so frickin cool, like nothing else on the road😁

[@irvhh143]

My grandads European gf had a tr7. I thought it was the coolest thing short of an Xwing fighter. The reality was you could pick up a Z28 for less money, reliable as a hammer, and parts were dirt cheap.

[@totalrecone]

The similarities between British Leyland and the current Boeing management are striking.

[@theextremeanimator4721]

...so...when do we expect for Boeing to be finished off by something?

[@tetchuma]

@@theextremeanimator4721 Well, none of Boeings management have been arrested for ‘death by gross negligence’, yet. The horror stories my dad told me about owning his ‘72 MGB, makes it a miracle I was even able to be conceived! (Driveshaft fell off, fire started under the dashboard, passenger floorboard fell out on the freeway -taking his briefcase and lunchbox with it, roof ripped off while at speed after the latches failed, differential locked up -again on the Dallas freeway causing several accidents behind him, etc.) I think the MGB GT is one of the prettiest cars made by BL. But I would NEVER own one. With my luck, it’d break down on a Dallas freeway, and I’d get hit by any number of the Ford F-350 Heavy Duty’s around here. (Would definitely be a closed casket funeral)

[@ScottRothsroth0616]

For reference: Boeing 737 MAX groundings

[@totalrecone]

@@theextremeanimator4721 You won't because a. U.S Govt. military contractor b. Too big to fail.

[@theextremeanimator4721]

@@totalrecone B has been proven wrong from time to time.

[@v.e.7236]

In my Senior year of High School ('79) I was determined to own one of these "wedge" cars and dedicated myself to acquiring every cent I could in preperation for said purchase. After a very long year that had me doing everything from yard maintenance to car service in the form of tune-ups, brake jobs and oil changes, I had collected the necessary funds for my dream car purchase. When I went to a dealership I knew exactly what I wanted and told the salesman my list of demands (deletions) - no radio, no A/C, just a bare-bones car that I could race on the weekends, w/o saying so. There were two upgrades I asked for and that was bigger brake rotors w/ 4-piston calipers up front and a LSD differential atthe cost of about $1000, but so worth every penny. Never had so much fun in a car before driving that TR8. The first upgrade I made was a set of wider tires, the next was chopping a coil and a half off the suspension springs to lower the stance and provide better handling. There were no after market parts for that car, so I did the best I could w/ what I had available to make it my personal daily driven race car. I raced all manner of "hot" cars to see how good I was and just how quick that little wedge was in the twisties and put several Porsches and a few Vettes to shame. Too much fun! Til the insurance companies started putting the screws to all vehicles they deemed as "sports" cars. Took about another two years before I finally gave up the no-win financial battle and sold it in '81 to some middle-aged fat boy and cried as it drove away. sniff

[@arthurthedane9204]

Great video for me. I bought a new TR7 in 1979 in Crawley, West Sussex. I used it daily to commute to my job in Wimbledon & then my wife drove it on to her job in Motspur Park. I did 35000 miles in the first year. I then transferred jobs to Oslo in Norway & took it with me as my daily drive. I drove it (with studded tyres in winter) in the next year with a winter of -30 degrees centigrade & a summer of +30 degrees centigrade. My 50000 miles in the 2 years I owned it was absolutely fault free & it never let me down. I only sold it as the import tax to keep the car in Norway for a 2nd year there was punitive, so I brought it back to the UK & sold it here. I then bought a LHD Norwegian registered car there.

[@porcelainthunder2213]

BL wasted so much money on designing new models on a shoestring budget, and then not building them, that when they did build them, they were compromised and couldnt afford to do it right. Instead of picking one car from the beginning, proprrly funding that one model, and getting it right, they'd let each brand design essentially the same car to compete against each other. Look how many versions of the mini replacement they made over 20 years, and finally the Metro was built. It was too late by then. And the Mini even outlived it. The mini even outlasted it by 10 years. Such a poorly run business, no wonder it folded.

[@spyrosspyrou9432]

This was my first love, you can never get over it. Even though it kept breaking down and finally blowing the engine miles from home, I still will never forget my first drive and how it felt, it was like I was in a Ferrari. It felt exotic back in 1978 for a 16 year old kid. I remember at high school and coming out at lunch and there was a crowd of kids around my TR7. Everyone was looking at it like it was an exotic and wondering who owned this amazing looking car.

[@grahamp3234]

Have had my convertible TR7 since new in 1981. So much fun over the years, fun to drive and, so far, never broken down.... Like every classic, needs looking after but at least its easy to work on and service...

[@feldons5621]

I do not see the TR7 as a failure ! It was a design ahead of its time, further improved with the introduction of the soft top, At launch it offered a superb wide cabin with fair performance but very economical in its day (1970's) Ride and handling were also very good. It was a very safe car. I had a few of them from new. The TR7 was the best selling Triumph sports cars outselling other TR series such as TR6 and it even outsold the Spitfire on an annual basis 19150 pa vs 17500 pa. This was achieved despite the fuel crisis. The only error was building it at Speke and not Canley which would have saved cash and improved assembly integrity .

[@johnburns4017]

As many here have written, testing and quality control were minimal at best. Line workers were pressurised into turning them out quick no matter how poor the quality. Look what we got.

[@aloysiussnailchaser272]

The place in Liverpool is called Speke, not Spake! I was on the bus in Liverpool years ago. Someone got on and asked the driver 'Is this bus going to Speke?' From the back of the bus in a loud Liverpudlian accent came ‘I doubt it. I’ve been on it since the Pier Head and it hasn’t said a word yet!'.

[@marksbikeexports5123]

I have to say the soft top has aged incredibly well.

[@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188]

As an owner of a brand new 1966 Mini, quality was an issue indeed! Its front window leaked in the corners, its sliding door-windows, the frame missed a full cm in hitting the body and needed some brutality, a knee between, while bending the window-frame in place, and don't leave anything in the doors, or inside, as water poured in from anywhere. And don't drive too close to a lorry in front, during rain - as its engine would cut, as it electrical system became flooded, with plugs and distributor unprotected just behind the open grille!! And soon loose paint round the outside hinges and the outside lists in the corners. Giving it the same kind of streamlining as a barn-door! Not to forget the long gearstick, which felt to not being connected to anything and with an un-synchronized first gear, as many of at least English cars by that time. But still I loved it, as my first car at all.

[@alanjones6359]

My dad had a mini in the 60s he taught me drive in it on a runway of a disused airfield , I decided one day to drive into his garage , moved forward but I pressed the accelerator instead of the brake car shot into the garage going straight through the back of the garage into the garden , the car was perfectly OK but the garage was a mess shows you how tough that little car was , dad wasn't too pleased with me !! Stopped my pocket money for a while but that mistake made me a careful driver

[@georgebeaton4544]

I loved the look of the Tr7. It looked liked the future in a world of mundane looking cars such as the Maxi, Austin 1100, Marina etc. It was a bold design with clean lines and pop up headlights……..Fanbloodytastic

[@DTD110865]

I agree. All the other Triumphs and MG's looked like they were left over from the 1950's to me. The only thing I felt contradicted the reputation of it being "the shape of things to come" as was the slogan in ads at the time, was that it still had round headlights. GM was just starting to use square headlights in 1975, and other car companies would soon follow that trend. I sat in one at the New York Auto Show back in the day. But at 5'11 1/2" there's no way I'd even try to get into one now.

[@cruiser6260]

Yeah here in Australia, they appeared alongside the fiat x19 and did have a similar shape, but that was no bad thing. Very sleek compared to the local muscle cars of the time. Maybe an Alfa Romeo gtv wedge shaped was in the ballpark, also Porsche 924 as modern but much bigger. Really it looked great and should have been like a Mazda MX5. MGB and TR6 were very dated by comparison.

[@stephenbrookes7268]

Such a shame it was lambasted for its looks at the time. I love Triumphs, and have had a few. My favourite for looks was the Stag. However my Spitfire remains the love of my life.

[@jamesbehrje4279]

With a name like "Austin 1100" do you expect anything else other then mundane??? Lmfao😬

[@davidtomlinson6138]

I agree ! Even mazda copied it's designs , with the mx5 , it's just that things were put together better with the japs .

[@rimfire2642]

I grew up in the 80s, we had a neighbor down the street that had a TR7. Man, that thing was PILE OF JUNK! About 1-3 times a year I'd see him driving it down the street, only to be parked for months after that because it broke down again. I have forgotten a lot of details as I really haven't thought about this for years. I think part of the reason it may have been broke down so much was parts availability, topped with obviously being plagued with anything on it going wrong at any time. I don't recall it's model year, but it couldn't' have been more than 5-10 years old. And he already had the car in primer! I don't really remember any more if it was paint problems or maybe he just wanted to change the color, if I recall it was yellow originally. But I LOVED how TR7s looked. At the time I didn't really know they were all junk, but we always seemed to love the styling.

[@JR-bj3uf]

I put over 90,000 miles on my TR7. I was handy with a wrench in those days. I put no fewer than 5 head gaskets on (at five different times.) I suffered two gear box failures and water pump seal leaks to name a few of the problems. Overall I really liked driving the car and used to commute to work in it.

[@simaesthesia]

As a child, I always wanted a TR7. But kids are kids and later I wanted an MR2! Now I just want my old classic Mini back :(

[@jimtaylor294]

Well the Mini is an all time classic :D

[@coffeehigh9611]

A nice restored Mini is still cheaper, more reliable and economical than most new cars on sale today. That’s why I decided to buy 8 old British cars instead of one new car… and combined it still cost less than one new car!!!

[@jakekaywell5972]

@@coffeehigh9611 Which new car did you base your pricing off of though? A Camry, BMW, Rolls-Royce, what?

[@little_britain]

Always loved this car - I even liked the bumpers. I remember seeing Tony Ponds slewing a TR8 round a corner at a rally, with the whole top crushed in by a fallen tree! It was ahead of it's time, and killed by poor production quality.

[@alancarter4282]

Good enough to win the Manx Rally though

[@calmkenny4175]

I went to a rally in Wales, along with fellow Austin Apprentices, in late 76, I think. At the first stage we got to, dark and early in the morning, we were the only spectators walking up the stage. Not many cars were coming past as dawn broke and as we were now able to see a hundred yards or so ahead, a TR7 was revealed to us, quite a way down a ravine. When we got to the car, Tony Pond and Fred Gallagher came out of the woods. Amazingly they were ok and they said that they'd been there a while, waiting for rescue. No other car going passed would have seen them or the wreck, so they could have been in serious trouble if trapped. We collected some of the pace notes etc that had been scattered and handed them back. They let us have one of the pop up front lights. Given the size of the incident, it was impressive how calm they were.

[@AntonHu]

No, killed by politics - it was selling well enough.

[@AntonHu]

Tony Pond had prodigious talent. Walter Rohrl said he was the driver he rated most highly as an opponent.

[@SOTM73]

Totally agree.

[@davidjones-jb2sn]

Sounds like this was written by someone who has had no first hand experience of owning and driving the TR7. Owned a drophead with 5 speed gearbox. And as been pointed out previously sold in larger numbers than the rest of the models.

[@walterdavis4808]

Agreed. I loved my 77 tr 7.

[@jeffhopkins5704]

I had a 78 hard top back in the early 80`s imo one of the best looking affordable cars of the era that was decent to drive. Would love another one.

[@stevecooksley]

I wonder what's more of a sheep in wolf's clothing, this or the DeLorean.

[@markw208]

I appreciate all of the research, effort and heart you put in to this video. In the late 70’s early 80’s I worked at a dealership that sold British Leyland and Volvo cars and serviced any British car. Although it’s undeniably true British cars REQUIRE, DEMAND much more attention and adjustment of the “fiddley bits” they certainly have an undeniable charm. During my time at that dealership they sold every MG and Triumph they could get their hands on. Jaguars and Rovers were nowhere near as popular. If BL had supplied 3 times as many MGB’s, Midgets, Spitfires and TR7’s we could have sold them all. Regarding the reliability, there were certain parts that routinely failed on the MG’s, but not on the Triumphs. If the build quality had been better and the parts integration had been designed better . . . Well, most owners tired of the routine maintenance and somewhat delicate interior parts. Most people liked the overall design but the side scallop seemed odd. I think if the line had been straight it might have looked better. Also there were comments about the unusual British colors and the plaid cloth.

[@cameraman655]

While I was a mere a youngster when this car was advertised in the US, I was smitten. Too bad it was poorly designed and marketed, it was a sharp looking ride.

[@owenshebbeare2999]

Much of the design was fine, rather it was the build quality from corrupt unionised workers. The US had similar issues, and couldn't even claim good design either in the Malaise Era.

[@hkraytai]

I remember the TV commercials: the shape of things to come 😍

[@mjookie]

My father who sold them the steel for the TR7 said at the time it was well named The Bullet, as in it needed one…

[@HamiltonStandard]

If any car cemented the term "perfect" on its preceding model when comparing the two - it was what the TR7 did for the TR6, lol... Having owned a rattle-trap TR4 I was absolutely jealous of my friend's smooth TR6. That model managed to even cope with the 5-mph bumper in as acceptable way as possible. Radial tuned suspension and red-striped Pirellis , and that slight spoiler on the boot. Man, that was one sexy roadster...!

[@benjamindyer8249]

Loved the TR7 it was for me as a 10 year old a dream car and the future looked bright. Every car was going to be space age! All I could afford was the Dinky versions and still today I can only afford the toy car version. My dad's friend had one and it was brilliant. Not biased just knew the guy who owned it loved every second.

[@LongStripeyScarf]

The poor old TR.7 was scuppered in my opinion, by the hideous looking back end. The first thing to get right is the outward appearance. I can’t sit behind a TR.7 in a traffic jam!

[@andrewdolinskiatcarpathian]

I have fond memories of my used TR7. Bought in the early 80’s. Yes it had flaws, not least rust, it was a fun motor. It’s a bit harsh to call it a ‘road going joke’. 🥴

[@thebollock9427]

Mine was an electrical nightmare. Fabulous BL build quality, all the switchgear fell apart in your very hands 😂

[@andrewdolinskiatcarpathian]

@@thebollock9427 My car did suffer with one particular electrical fault. A tiny low tension wire with an undetected break. Only became an issue once the engine was hot. Man did I suffer some bad misfires. Cost £100’s to detect. Found a replacement wire from a TR specialist for £5 and the engine then ran perfectly. Those were the days 🤣

[@ElliotFlowers]

Never owned one, but even in '77 it just looked plastic. Like an anorexic Austin Princess. Maybe it was the plastic, horrible smelly 70's plastic....Renault 14 all day!

[@davec8730]

it is 'harsh' to call it that, but is only the other end of the scales from those 'championing' it. people with the money to buy one new were likely in their 30's or older, and more traditional.

[@kellybreen5526]

As crazy as it sounds, the value of the TR7 is slowly climbing. They can be found relatively inexpensively in Canada but they may be the car to watch in the next 5 years as Mustangs and other muscle cars price themselves out of the classic car scene for the average car enthusiast.

[@jimtaylor294]

Yup. They're also a more common sight in the UK today, than the once vastly more common Marina/Ital.

[@cimarronperformancewerks6611]

As a young Yank when the TR7 was introduced (about 14 ish), I thought the thing was pretty cool in appearance. Very advanced. My older brother had a TR6 that I found quite a fun drive. I also liked the Stag’s appearance, if I am being honest. These cars would probably have faired much better if the quality and power were better. Another friend said that all British cars needed a complete restoration from the factory. I am a die-hard, life-long Porsche “fan” (I have owned some 23 911 and a couple 914 over a 50 year period) and to hear the desire of BMC to “compete” with the 911 and 914 was, shall I say, intriguing. Anyway, I enjoyed this video. Thanks for putting it out there.

[@CL-vz6ch]

That's Britain for you...

[@jimking2299]

I was very amused at the idea that this would appeal to buyers of high-end European sports cars. Really? They probably should have make it look more like a car and less like a vacuum cleaner.

[@lqr824]

I have no idea why the voice-over is comparing this to Italian sports cars. It's real competition was the Camaro and Firebird, Mustang, Dodge Charger (2.2L front wheel drive but up to 200HP), and Celica (and Celica Supra) in the US. It was quite appealing if you wanted something a bit different. I was in high school at the time and never loved them but did have a bit of fascination. If I could have any of that peer group in mint condition today it might well be a TR8 drop-top. (But more likely the Supra.) The bumper was actually good, I think. Sure, it wasn't "integrated" but neither are the other functional parts of the car:wheels, tail lights, windows, etc. News flash: cars are made of parts. The trick is simply to make them look good together, and they did, I think.

[@m.g.540]

I had an early TR7 which i concluded it was, by the labels that were affixed to the car had notations of "Bullet" next to the item number, never the less the car was actually quite reliable and easily diagnosed and repaired, the interior was spacious for a two seat car and it had a nice ride with very predictable handling that never gave any surprises, The supposedly "bad" engine that i always heard about from other sport cars enthusiasts never gave any problems for me, I did do a few minor tweaks to the dual strombergs and deletion of some emission equipment that made it run very well, the lack of a 5 speed box in this early model was missed as the 4 speed did make the engine busy in high speed highway use, but it still returned good fuel mileage. My son who was a rather unattentive driver did find a way to kill it, and it certainly wasn't the fault of the car

[@johnburns4017]

_Bullet_ was the codename for the car when under design and plant setup. You will find in the factory it would always be called _Bullet._

[@smorris12]

"Giving customers more of the same", translation: "Let's serve up something from 1954. Again."

[@jamesrevell6475]

Thanks for this video. I remember in high school, my best friend and I would frequently go to our towns foriegn auto dealership just so we could sit in the fancy European sportscars. I remember this car very well because it was my favorite. Years later I tried to find more information about the Triumph but my searching came up with nothing. I was starting to think that I just dreamed all those childhood memories. Thank you for confirming that I did indeed bare witness to this car and I'm not losing my mind after all. Those were good times.

[@josecuervo1747]

I loved the look of the TR7 when it came out. Not long after, GM made the Fiero and that’s what I bought. Same shape. To this day, however, my fave is the TR6. Simple, beautiful design. Like a Fender Telecaster guitar. Classic.

[@MrWhoevr]

My brother had a TR-7 and it was great. It didn’t have the reliability issues of most British cars and was fun and good looking.

[@alunjones2550]

Sadly the British Leyland car industry was ruined by poor management, poor build quality and hard-left unions. As a TR7 convertible owner I met Harris Mann in the early 90's. A lack of proper investment was the cars downfall. I think its design has aged really well.

[@davec8730]

i was watching a programme the other night out of my eye corner, i caught a glimpse of a tr7 from the bumper upwards towards the windscreen, turned out it was a lambo or something of that ilk, anyone know what it was?

[@finlaymcdiarmid5832]

The work quality was so bad that alot of cars still had sand in the engine from when the engine was cast... god knows what else happened.

[@timhancock6626]

@@finlaymcdiarmid5832 The parts supply logistics turned into farce when the production line was in Merseyside and the parts manufacture was in Coventry. Cars were stockpiled with missing parts until a consignment eventually arrived. This destroyed the morale of the workforce and was at least partly responsible for the poor assembly quality. It also collided with US legislation that looked likely to ban soft tops. It's a very sorry tale.

[@finlaymcdiarmid5832]

@@timhancock6626 the workforces morale doesnt matter, they are there to work not to win a war they arent expected to solve supply chain issues just to do what their told. My dad is a coachbuilder and every single day he is repairing buses that have been crashed and some days he would be 2 hours late home yet you dont see him sabotaging things at work and being useless in general. It annoys me so much because you get guaranteed a monthly or yearly pay even if your not guaranteeing your quality of work to be consistent and yet gobs that worked there just expected to be paid great for doing crap work. nowadays people are angry when they dont get paid on breaks! not having a go at you just pisses me off.

[@davec8730]

@@finlaymcdiarmid5832 OH!

[@marshalllucky]

My uncle has two brand new TR7`s , he used to run a Leyland dealership hat folded in 1980 and some of the inventory found its way into his barn ;-) they even have the original wax coating and plastic covers on the seats . a car magazine has been trying to do a feature on them but my uncle wont budge as he has a few other cars that would cause quite a stir .

[@PlugInRides]

It's hard to say this car was a "failure", as it was a huge sales success in the United States. I remember seeing TR7s and TR8s throughout my teen years, and the TR8 was an aspirational sports car. As a British sports car, the construction and reliability of the TR8 was no worse than the MGB, or the Triumph Spitfire. Everything made back then was junk, and Datsun 280Zs were not terribly long-lasting either. Most cars were considered "worn out" as they approached 80K miles, and virtually unwanted if they passed 100K miles. Any cars exposed to winters with road salt, or ones that lived near the ocean, rusted away in 5 to 10 years.

[@finlaymcdiarmid5832]

Everybody forgets to mention how bad the strikes were at triumph, it was so bad they couldnt call the sprint a sprint 125 i think? Because they couldn't guarantee it would even get 110hp because of the shocking work quality of saboteurs.

[@travelbugse2829]

Alfa Romeo withdrew from the UK market for many years because they had so many issues with rust. People used to make jokes about watching bits drop off them while they were parked. My boss (in the late 80s) here said he wanted to buy up MoT - yearly test - failure Alfasuds, because he could get low-mileage ones for peanuts, do a quick weld and track race them. I moved jobs, so never found out whether that panned out for him. Lancias, Fiats were also iffy.

[@toshibavoodoo]

TR7 White / black top was my first sports car and how I learned to work on Sports Car. Have found memories, but my MX5 I have now is a bullet proof sports car that NEVER is down. GREAT VIDEO!

[@cbayer5012]

Personally, I love the styling of the TR7, very odd but very interesting

[@alanthomson1227]

Had two convertibles , loved them both .

[@blxtothis]

A rather classic case of a Millennial re-writing History. The most disappointing thing about the TR7 was it’s reliance on outmoded Engineering concepts. It was a mid engined design with a conventional front power unit. The Fiat X19 showed how it ought to have been produced.

[@eviltriplet]

3:10 - I didn't know Sid from Sid's Cafe in Last of The Summer Wine also designed the TR7?

[@terrykrall]

Friend of my brother bought a new TR7…. On the first weekend the transmission broke, he called the dealer and let them know he would not make another payment until it was repaired and told the where the car was parked. he didn’t have it long.

[@jimfrodsham7938]

I had a TR8 for a short while in the mid '80's. I sold it on to my brother, he's never forgiven me.

[@oldfatbastad6053]

🤣🤣

[@SOTM73]

You should of kept it.

[@jimfrodsham7938]

@@SOTM73 hardly, the bloody thing spent more time in the garage being fixed by mechanics than on the road.

[@SOTM73]

@@jimfrodsham7938 as did most cars of that era, especially BL cars. They were shoddily built, which is a reflection of British car manufacturers at the time.

[@jimfrodsham7938]

@@SOTM73 True.

[@jimholmgren]

I love my TR8. The Rover V8 is the engine that car deserves and should have been offered with from the start. Just the right amount of power, so smooth and it really makes a proper noise when you step on the loud pedal. It's a smooth, comfortable, drivers' car that you can still take out on the highway here in the US without fear.

[@rachelbethney3199]

i owned a tr7 as a daily driver for just over 7 years i found it reliable comfortable had reasonable miles per gallon i never had a garage and the car lived out side all the time i had it , the last year of owner ship we had a frosty snowy cold winter, the salt on the road did not do the body a lot of good and the rust stains appeared for the first time , being white showed up, i only sold the car due to needing a 4 door car,

[@rustyturner431]

I managed a dealership that sold TRs in the 1970s and have always thought the 7 was a better car than it's reputation. The cars had a few build-quality issues, but most could be fixed easily at dealer level. The main issue I saw was that the car required a fastidious pre-delivery servicing, and that was something that many dealers short cut. Especially the torquing of the cylinder head: do it right and you had very few problems, do it wrong and you better have a LOT of head gasket kits in the parts department! One of the car's main selling points, at least in Texas where I was, was the excellent A/C. A/C in sport cars at that time, even very expensive ones, was “adequate” at best; the 7 would freeze you. And we sold every one of the things we could get, for excellent margins and at full retail. Imagine that!

[@rustyturner431]

@tacfoley I lived in the UK, 1971-74 and I don't remember needing/wanting A/C except on the rarest days...not that any of my cars ever had it! I was pretty far outside Manchester and not in a dense city. I did have a Lotus Elan that was only too keen to let the weather inside, however; it was a lot like riding a motorcycle. When the weather was cold, so were you, and when it rained you got wet. Never did understand why Brits had so much trouble with keeping the rain out, given the climate...the TR7 whould have been a succes in home market on that feature alone

[@rustyturner431]

@tacfoley Hmmm... Cyprus in the 1970s and happy days. I'm not sure that computes: I had a Brit journalist friend who wound up in the middle of the '74 Greek Cypriot coup and was literally lucky to escape alive. Myself, I got stuck in Tel Aviv in '73 during the Yom Kippur war and everyone I met was sure I was CIA! Puts flesh on that old saying, "May you live in interesting times."

[@1951GL]

BL Speke and Rootes Linwood - both disastrous units, poorly managed, badly trained or untrained workforces. The TR8 could have worked with something resembling a budget behind it.

[@thebollock9427]

Gotta love those militant unions of the UK in the 70's and 80's. Strike strike strike!😂 The carry on film 'Carry on at your convenience' takes the piss out of it all.😂

[@Pmjs]

The Hillman Imp was expected to be built by Ship Builder's at Linwood.

[@badkittynomilktonight3334]

I actually really like the cheddar wedge design, the interior was very nice and like the Stag it should have been a winner, but the end result was a rolling example of everything that was dysfunctional Triumph/BL. My memory of the one I got into was that it had one of the worst gearboxes ever, only the Renault R5 Le Car was worse. My Beetle was so much better to drive. Long term it simply fell apart, not just mechanically but in fit and finish. Every car of this era had issues, but BL had a knack for being exemplary at putting everything wrong or badly designed or badly built into their products. Production and Management just pointed fingers at each other but refused to even TRY to fix their problems until they mutually antagonized each other into ruination.

[@CannonFodder873]

The Stag's engine was poorly-engineered "junk"🤔

[@kyo778]

The early four speed was a piece of garbage. The five speed was actually very good, pretty much bullet proof and could easily cope with 3x the power the 4 cylinder engine could put out

[@peterfinucane8122]

Friends in New Zealand had one. The pop up lights popped up at different speeds. More flaws than a skyscraper!

[@popuptoaster]

Lots of cars with pop up lights or light covers did that back in the day, many were pneumatic powered.

[@coffeehigh9611]

You would have hated my 1972 Charger S/E 440! Creeeeek!!! Clunk… Clunk! Headlights are open! Also my 1988 RX7… pop pop drop drop! If you flick the switch fast enough the lights go winking back and forth!!! I guess those cars had more problems than a stupid person whose only concern is if the headlights open evenly.

[@Neil-Aspinall]

My Father used to say if something was poorly built, Pommy built!

[@JBofBrisbane]

@@coffeehigh9611 he did say something about "more flaws (sic) than a skyscraper", so I'm guessing the assymetric headlight deployment was the least of his worries.

[@bimble7240]

First, Speke is pronounced "Speak". I served my apprenticeship as a mechanic at a BL dealership in the 70's. Leyland cars were often rushed to market without proper final testing so faults were often rectified (and sometimes not) after the cars were given to the press and initial customers. The Marina is a great example, with the first models having positive camber on the front suspension leading to dangerous understeer. Also Marina Deluxe (basic) 1800 models were supplied with drum brakes on the front and no servo, resulting in inadequate braking on these heavier cars. Servo assistance and front discs were a cost option, and no road testing had been done on the basic models. These issues should have been picked up in final testing, but they didn't do any. These handling inadequacies often came as an unpleasant surprise to buyers because in those times it was quite usual to buy a car without driving it first, (only about 20% did so) so it only came to light after they had bought it. Similar problems occurred with overheating on the MGB V8 and Stag, for example. Also quality control in some factories was abysmal. One famous case which was reported in the press was of a customer's complaint that his Marina 1300 pulled strongly to one side under heavy braking. It was discovered that one front brake was a drum and the other was a disc! These issues were not unique to BL. Rootes had similar issues with the Hillman Imp: e.g. excessive front camber and the notorious pneumatic accelerator linkage which made smooth gear changes very challenging. Both of these issues were only resolved some time after the car went on sale.

[@iandavis4419]

I've seen the Lynx at the Gaydon motor museum and it's a really attractive car. So I take it that we can mostly blame the Scousers for the thing not going into production then?

[@anthonypetty9288]

I'd agree that it's a reasonably attractive looking car, I think there are subtle 'almost Alfetta GTV' hints to the C-post styling (see around 7:15). I would imagine that it would've been quite interesting with the Rover V8 in it.

[@originalkk882]

I saw various drawings of the Lynx when at BL, and always hoped they would make it. I think it overcame much of the TR7's heaviness in the rear looks department, whilst giving practicality and, with the V8, power and smoothness.

[@robertx4550]

I think your attitudes are rooted in the '90s Ruairidh. Time has moved on and these are pretty cool little cars.

[@jakekaywell5972]

Totally. I'm actually considering one of these to go with my '62 Studebaker GT Hawk. More economical and better through the twisties, although that Stude is still better at both those than a typical American car of its era.

[@coffeehigh9611]

What you’ve created here is a beautiful video of propaganda and contradiction. I usually found your videos to be fair and balanced, you usually present both sides to a story, but it looks like you decided to go with the narrative written by the anti-Tr7 people. That’s fine, but try not to contradict your own facts so much or get everything incredibly wrong or inaccurate, just to support and prove the narrative you chose to present. History is written by the winners, but it’s also written by the loudest and most angriest voice. Shout and print B.S. long enough and it becomes common knowledge… not fact. I thought about trying to correct you but it’s a waste of time. You have decided that the world agrees that TR7 is the most horrid thing ever made by British Leyland. If you watch your own video over, ask yourself if you got it right. Why was this horrid mistake the best selling TR series car ever? Is the Dolomite engine really just the 2.0 liter TR7 engine, and why was this engine design also found in SAAB? If most of the parts found on the TR7 were generic parts bin items used on many other cars, then why are almost every one of the parts listed as unique to the TR7 and TR8 at places like Rimmer Brothers and Moss Motors? If people thought that the TR7 was derivative of Italian sports cars, what did they think of nearly every Triumph up to that point designed by an Italian? On that same note, you suggest that the TR7 copied the Fiat X1/9, a car designed at the exact same time. It’s mentioned earlier that it was copying the Porsche 914, which is it, German or Italian thievery? You state that the American public was reluctant to buy a V8 powered car at the time of the TR8’s launch. Any fool could look up sales figures for the 1979 to 81 model year and see that the top best selling vehicles in America were all V8 powered. This was starting to change but when it came to sportscar sales, Corvette was still king, with Camaro and Firebird not offering an Iron Duke 4 cylinder until 1982. Trans Am was always V8, and Ford had the 302 (later called the 5.0) fox body mustang. This is just a case of open mouth, insert foot on your part. Perhaps a disclaimer at the beginning of your videos in the future would help. It should read “I don’t know anything, I wasn’t there and I don’t know anything. I am only repeating what I half read online and came to a conclusion based on ignorance. I am presenting it as fact even though my research is contradictory and lacking data. I have a lovely speaking voice though, even if I can’t pronounce the word Speake.” If it weren’t snowing, I would take my 1979 TR7 out for a fast drive down some curvy roads. I know that today it is a car that is derided on nearly every level of its construction, it’s poorly performing engine goes quite fast in such a small and light car, gets great fuel economy, and starts every time with reliability and dependability that I can’t find in most late model cars, or any car 40+ years old for that matter. Out of all my British Sports cars, (I have 8) the TR7 gets the most looks, questions and approval by people. Everyone must not know how ugly it is, perhaps you should shout your angry louder?

[@Terminus1962]

I owned a 1976 TR-7. It had it problems and needed tender loving care, but it was a spirited ride and could do some evasive maneuvers that would have ended in accidents on other vehicles. Once I was hit head on by a tire that had come off a 79 Impala on the other side of the freeway. I was going about 65-70 mph and that tire was easily going over 80 mph. By the time I saw it, it hit me almost perfectly in the middle. It was one helluva impact, but the wedge shape made that tire shoot straight up. (Never found that tire). The cop said that you combine speeds and it was like a 150 mph impact force. The TR-7 sputtered, but I nursed it to a convenience store to call police. I got in the car and turned around and found an abandoned Impale missing left rear wheel. That person's insurance refused to pay a "non-contact" accident! Non-contact my arse! Thing darn near killed me and my passenger. My insurance paid me 2k, which was quite a sum back then. I pocketed the cash took a rubber mallet and popped the dent up; polished the rubber stamp tire left. The Triumph TR-7 "adjusted" itself, and I just kept driving it just fine. Say what you will. It was an amazing car for a 19 year old in the early 80s. A real head turner. The company failed, not the car.

[@Zveebo]

I think in retrospect, the exterior was actually quite nice. Even the back end had a certain unashamedly boxy charm. The rest was a total mess though.

[@nygelmiller5293]

To Sheena from Nygel Miller. You LIKE the rear end? The stick out bumpers ruin it at both ends, for me! Do you remember a (then - fashionable) fibreglass bodykit, featuring smoothed - in bumpers and different sills? The makers should have swallowed their pride, and fitted the bodykit themselves! However, I admit I liked the rear end of the black convertible shown, because the stick out black bumpers don't show so much on an all black car! And I couldn't help being being impressed by the eye-catching colours, which were SO shiny and SMOOTHLY painted! So it really wasn't so one sided as people say today, about Triumph being poor quality. It's just that since standards have risen, and that time didn't have as well made cars, in general. That convertible! I WANT IT! I WANT IT! I WANT IT!

[@nygelmiller5293]

From Nygel Miller. Oh, dear! Curse of the (so - called ) SPELLCHECKER! I didn't mean to write SHEENA the interfering "SPELLCHECKER changes what you write sometimes - but YOU will know WHO you really are, having liked the car from the back!

[@montinaladine3264]

What, so you think the whole front part was a total mess? Really? I think it was simple, elegant, very nice and ahead of it's time. Could you design something anywhere near this? I think not.

[@TexasCat99]

@@montinaladine3264 And besides, the bumper issue was typical of ALL American sold cars. A bit of an improvement over the early 70s. Nowdays, we have nice looking rubber bumpers with little structure behind them. Like no actual wheel well, that's just plastic .

[@SOTM73]

I like 5be front better than the rear

[@giancarlomoscetti215]

The TR7 was the first new car I bought for myself at 18 years of age. I was making minimum wage then ($2.35 per hour) and owning this car took literally ALL my money I made, lol! But there were a bunch of us 'British Car Nuts' in my town, guys with MG Midgets and MGBs, Spitfires, TR6s, and when I got my TR7 I was the KING, man! The car really only had one mechanical Achille's Heel: The aluminum cylinder head was very prone to warping. ELECTRICALLY it was a whole 'nother disaster, as the well nicknamed 'Prince of Darkness' Lucas electrics were abysmal beyond belief. Mine went thru 3 complete engines, 7 cylinder heads before I got things figured out. I also eventually rewired damned near the entire thing, and it became very reliable. It was a fun car, VERY stable...it was simply amazing how fast you could go around freeway entrance/exit ramps...Out of the dozens of British cars I've owned, my TR7 will always have a fond place in my heart.

[@GearHeadBoris]

The TR7 was not a failure at all. I remember when they were released and I worked on many of them when I was an apprentice. It was a great little car and pretty flashy in its day.

[@Tom-ok3le]

Worked in main dealership ,it wasn,t a bad car ,but sure not a real 'TR' ! like a TR4A , TR5 Pi, or TR6 PI. , for sure !! Pre 73 TR6,s had 150 BHP , later had 125 , but it took the TR8 , to even come close to that output , I worked on them all in the workshop and the TR7 dIdn,t lace the real ''TR,s boots to be fair . :-)

[@Sudique1]

My ex-husband and I had a maroon TR7. Within the first 3 months it developed a cracked engine block. Our problem wasn't with the car; our problem was with the dealership and the poor quality of maintenance. When the car was working, it was so much fun to drive; 5-speed overdrive transmission. And talk about 'get up and go'! A year after we moved to Chicago, the heater went out. Driving 60 miles round trip to work, in the winter, with no heat was not fun. We finally decided to give up the car for a Honda Accord Hatchback. Even though it's been about 40 years, I think I could still drive a car with manual transmission. I LOVED shifting gears! BTW, the first winter we lived in Chicago, there was a really bad snowstorm. We were the only people who didn't have trouble finding our car... the cheese-wedge shape of the snow mound was a dead give-away!

[@swordscot]

Given the design and interior is around 50 years old, I think it still holds up well today.

[@LN997-i8x]

While the interior styling has somewhat held up, the materials definitely have not. The ones I've seen have all been disintegrating to various degrees inside.

[@user-ue6iv2rd1n]

@@LN997-i8x Mine was perfect.

[@beingtelevisionradionetwork]

I owned a '76 and '79. Great cars! Comfort, performance and handling. Very economical too so much fun to drive. Everyone loved the styling. The X19 wasn't even in the same league. It was truly the shape of things to come, and decades ahead of it's time. It was bo Toyota, but you couldn't get the driving experience of this car from a Japanese sports car in the '70s. I could whip it around a 90 degree turn and it was as if it were on rails. On the highway it was one of the most stable vehicle I have driven to date. It begged for more!

[@ernestschultz5065]

I loved the TR 7. Thought it was the coolest looking car ever when I was a kid. Glad a happened upon this video.

[@barryervin8536]

I worked on a few TR7s years ago, I wasn't impressed. I had a friend back in the mid 80s who drove a TR7. He loved it, even though it was almost always in the shop being repaired. And I once bought a set of TR7 seats and installed them in my 71 Saab 99. They were nice.

[@davec8730]

not the dysentery beige valour ones?

[@jasongray7683]

Those seats probably felt right at home with the Leyland sourced engine that Saab also used on the early 99!

[@barryervin8536]

@@davec8730 No, as I recall they were a sort of black/ white checked velour stuff? It's been about 35 years and many cars ago and I don't remember clearly.

[@barryervin8536]

@@jasongray7683 Yes, they were very comfortable and a nice place to sit while waiting for the tow truck. Actually I only ever had one breakdown, on I-10 in Arizona on a cross country trip when the fuel pump failed, and managed to coast into a small town where I bought a small electric pump and was soon on my way. I later had a 78 99 EMS. I loved Saabs until they decided to become a "sporty luxury car" to compete with BMW and Mercedes and priced themselves out of my income bracket (and eventually out of existence).

[@davec8730]

@@barryervin8536 i think you're right, when i saw them it made me feel sick.

[@evo5dave]

Harris Mann always complained that his designs were ruined by the time they reached production but his design for the TR7 looks even worse than the final monstrosity. It certainly looked a lot better as a convertible though.

[@jakekaywell5972]

I wouldn't have worried much if I were him. The TR-7's styling was always ace. I'm actually considering a coupe version to go with my Studebaker as a second car, as I simply don't like convertibles of any stripe. Ironically, finding a solid TR7 coupe is much more difficult today than a convertible, even though many more examples of the former was produced.

[@stephenjones9444]

I bought a new 1979 TR7 and thankfully sprung for the 3 (or maybe it was 4) year extended warranty. I sold it a month before that warranty ended becuase the car was the ultimate lemon and I was not willing to pay for repairs. In the time I owned it I replaced under warranty the following items: Two new constant velocity driveshafts. Three headlight motors. Four window winder assemblies. Electrical problems galore where the interior switches would not work or would turn on the wrong unit. The jackshaft pin broke resulting in an engine disassembly to replace it. The fog lights would stop working and then start working again for no apparent reason. I'm sure there is more but I forget after 40 years going by. One thing I learned for sure is that LUCAS truly is the Prince of Darkness. I also rode Triumph Bonneville 750 motorcycles and they were not known for reliability either, but at least I could easily fix them myself!

[@stephenjones9444]

Oh yes I also had to have the entire car repainted because the paint began to bubble all over at about a year old.

[@SOTM73]

Could have been a very informative and interesting video, if it wasn't for the slating of the TR7 at every opportunity. The TR7 sold more units than all the other TRs combined. The car didn't fail, BL did. Of course there were build quality issues, and it should have had the V8 engine and soft top from outset, but that wasn't the cars fault, was it!

[@railmaster.7752]

Excactly my opinion too!

[@pucmahone3893]

I concur! As a previous owner of a 1980 TR-7 convertible, I loved that car! And if they did, at the get go, used the 215 c.i ( GM licensed ) aluminum block V-8, would have been a much better choice. And yes it had its nagging faults, ( Lucas electronics ) it was such a blast to drive!

[@NorthernChev]

@@pucmahone3893 …but they didn’t. So…. There you go.

[@WrightsW5]

The workers destroyed the company, everytime they went on strike, everytime some lazy f-wit couldn't be bothered to fit a door properly etc., another nail in the company's coffin.

[@kellypunteney]

I bought a TR7 hardtop and drove it for 5 years. Sold it to the neighbor and he still had it 20 years later. Must have got lucky and got a good one.

[@Robinallenyukon]

i remember seeing the TR 8 at the Canadian Exhibition ... I fell in love ! lol I've always wanted one I did own a 68 spitfire !! someday maybe my dream will come true !!

[@JackF99]

I recall seeing a new TR7 sitting next to a graceful TR6 at a car club meet, the contrast making the TR7 with its tall stance, small wheels and huge bumpers look to me more like some government-sponsored safety vehicle than an evolutionary sports car.

[@Redgolf2]

I love the TR7, almost bought one as my first car. Ah regrets I’ve had a few! 😔

[@georgeatkinson759]

I was driving to work in the 80s when I witnessed a TR7 take off going over a hump backed bridge...It landed perfectly in a large oak tree...the driver opened the door and climbed down the tree...when the car was recovered the poor old oak tree was the biggest casualty...

[@WelshyM]

Hardly a "failure" the "bullet" model was the biggest selling TR model of all time. What killed it was the exchange rate in the early 80s, 💵 v 💷 which meant by this time although sales had held up and the Tr8 was coming on line, each one sold lost BL money. Simple economics (oh and the closure of the Solihull plant)

[@jontemple1038]

Economists call it the 'Dutch Disease', after the guilder was boosted in value in late 50s by the big gas finds in the Netherlands. In the UK, North Sea oil pushed up the currency, making domestic manufacturing (with its poor industrial relations record) almost impossible, to be competitive, and investment abroad for the banking sector more appealing. Add the Tories immediate abolition of Tony Benn's oil-based sovereign wealth fund/national investment bank and we are where we are today.....

[@seangould3664]

In high school my girlfriend’s dad had a TR7, and he dearly loved that car. I can count on one hand the number of times he was actually able to drive it, since it was usually in the garage being worked on. Back in the mid 80s though, it was a cool looking car.

[@brendangarvin7787]

My Fantasy British Leyland game has Triumph's management and R&D put under Jaguar, with the two companies sold off together as a broad luxury and sports/executive car company.

[@markrl75]

That would have been interesting. They did actually create a sub division of British Leyland called JRT - Jaguar Rover Triumph. Pretty much everything BL touched it ended up destroying.

[@manoo422]

Whilst not the greatest car ever made it was by far the best TR ever made.

[@christopherpaine56]

My Uncle test drove one and bought a Datsun Cherry the next day, enough said.

[@DaveSCameron]

Yers, Datsun Cherry 🍒

[@jimtaylor294]

Ah yes, the dad of the Alfa Romeo Arna *XD*

[@simonflack5467]

I’ve had both the Cherry was dreadful

[@brianpercival1829]

I purchased a 79 in 82. I was drawn to the wedge shape and sporty look. It had the 2 liter and 105 hp and thought it was peppy for a 4 cylinder. It handled well. I guess I was lucky and nothing went wrong for the 3 years I owned it. Only paid $4000 for it and was a fair bargain. No rust the whole time, and went on to a younger owner as I was starting the family and Fiiat 128 with a back seat came after, then another baby and a Mini van and full dad responsiblities. I traded it for $3500 and held the value for me. Lots of interior room for a 2 seater and fair size trunk, even took it camping a few times. Always got us there and back. In my car history it was a better car than a few I had. Bought a second car for my wife, a 86 Honda Civic that dissolved in the driveway as it rusted away and engine blew up at 40,000 kms. After that vowed never to buy Honda again.

[@TheManFrayBentos]

I often watch your videos, but this one is terrible. The TR7 wasn't a failure. True, it suffered from some assembly issues and some warranty claims, but it certainly wasn't unique in that. Some people didn't like the styling. Well, tough shit, nobody forced them to buy one. Fortunately, plenty of other people liked it enough to buy one. I honestly don't think you know what you're talking about half the time, and the other half is bullshit, too.

[@jakekaywell5972]

@@mbryson2899 Love it or loath it you cannot claim it was a failure. The TR-7 outsold all the preceding TRs put together.

[@jonsmith6497]

Yes I like the way he always he makes comments like 'the worst car ever built'. Total rubbish. The Speke ones had poor build quality due to industrial problems at Speke. The Canley and Abingdon ones were much better. The rising exchange rate in the US finally killed them off. As for parts bin engineering, well all manufacturers do that! As to the styling, at the time everybody was doing wedges, Lotus, TVR and they did sell well in the US. Body panels never detached, you must make this up!!!!

[@user-ue6iv2rd1n]

@@jonsmith6497 I thought the same thing about the styling, very similar to other cars of the era.

[@irsw51]

You're right there, nobody forced them to buy one which is why the BL story is of continuous decline to extinction. I say this as one who had only BMC/BL cars for the first twenty five years of driving!

[@SOTM73]

@@mbryson2899 nonsense, the car outsold all previous TRs. If the factory hadn't kept closing, and the build quality was better, it would have been even more successful. BL collapsed due to management incompetence, not because of the TR7.

[@WS-1]

Thoroughly interesting insight into the history of this car , as well as the British motor industry at the time . Thanks for posting .

[@crustyoldoffroader7436]

Two things I remember about my TR7: it had a VERY narrow power band, and it was the best handling car I had ever driven - at that time

[@WildRoverSailing]

Yeah you gotta wring it’s neck to get power from it.

[@randallstewart175]

A former college roommate of mine had a girlfriend who bought a TR-7 new. (He was addicted to a TR-6, so he thought that was a great idea at first.) Right off the showroom floor, it had electrical and ignition issues. They started looking into replacing the entire engine electrical system with an after-market Bosch system which was then being offered to deal with this common issue. Before they got to that, one day the entire , and rather large and heavy, dashboard literally detached from the firewall and fell in the owner's lap while she was driving it down the street. Luckily she was not injured. When he asked my opinion on what they should do with the TR-7, I said he/they were idiots for buying a well known piece of junk, and she should had it patched back together and unload it while it was still nearly new. He didn't take that criticism well, so I never learned what they did with it. It was pretty cool looking, not badly priced, and handled fairly well. Too bad they let it be assembled by as bunch of drunks.

[@paulc9588]

Great video. Anyone else out there have the Dinky TR7 which came out at about the same time? It was a good model, probably the last decent casting released by Dinky before parent Airfix closed them down in 1979.

[@randolfo1265]

I know a guy who has a 1982 convertible, one of the last ones. He is a mechanic and is the original owner and has swapped in 3.5 Rover to make it a TR8. It really is a clean, still modern looking design. The secret to longevity is having a daily driver or a winter car, especially where there is snow and salt (which we have). Any car can last long, it just needs love and care.

[@moosecat]

From all the videos I've seen on British Leyland's products, it's almost like the entire organization had a deathwish.

[@Effonefiddygarage]

In fighting, British style. TR8 was ahead of it's time, if they just did a proper UK/Europe release, the late 80's would have been glorious.

[@tempestfury8324]

My dad used to take me to car showrooms to see what's new. In 1976 (I was 8) we went to check out the TR7. Back then they had wonderful full color brochures, they even gave me a poster, and I loved the wedge-shaped design. After a test-drive, my dad came back saying "this thing is crap". That same year, dad ended up buying a Toyota Celica GT notchback with a 5 speed manual. Although it didn't have a lot of power, it was light and nimble and within 5 or so years I discovered how much fun that car was to drive. Perspective means everything, especially here in the States when we were still reeling from an oil crisis, and heavy gov't regulations especially in California. At the time a Chevy Corvette had only about 180 hp (at best) but it was about 1,000 lbs heavier than the Celica. The Camaro had less power but still heavier, and the Ford Mustang II was a complete joke. My first car (I bought with my own money at the age of 15) was a 1964 Ford Falcon Futura with all the Sprint accessories. Only changing to a four barrel carb, I could routinely beat new Firebirds/Camaros and Corvettes....off the line anyway because I had no real top-end.

[@raywest3834]

Just as the awful Pontiac Aztek was used to project failure in "Breaking Bad," Toby Jones drives a yellow TR-7 in "Detectorists."

[@jean-charlesseverin9759]

I had a used TR7 for a couple of years. I really like/d the styling. I don't think it looks like a Fiat X1/9 at all. (And that is a good thing) Also I was very pleased with the bumpers for the American market. They make the car more masculine. Interior was lovely too. Brown /sand clan fabric. The red or blue clan fabic looks awful in my mind. Everything worked perfectly, engine, pop-up headlights and all. You could drive any distance and be sure to get there - in style! The only reason I sold it was rust. issues over the windshield. Great car!

[@shoominati23]

I remember working next door to a place with a dyno many years ago, and a TR7 with a very hot 3500 came in and the boss took it for a run and believe you me when I say it went like a scalded cat

[@jimcraig6523]

"Deride on every area of construction" Obviously never owned or worked on it or any of its contemporaries for comparison. Poor performing engines? Absolute crap. The Dolomite engines were as good as anything on the market at the time and were the basis of the Saab 99 engine design refined over decades. The Buick V8 was legendary. The model was only seen as an unattractive imitation of Italian cars by the media and not by most sports car enthusiasts. At the time the only true angular wedge shaped designs were Italian supercars which were fantasies for most people and some only predate the TR7 by one year. It was never ever a road going joke.

[@b4mouse]

Not sure it was the joke you state? It was the best selling TR, fact.

[@nuclearvacuum]

Not mentioned here, but there was also a serious attempt to redesign and build the TR7/8 at the DeLorean plant in Belfast. This was mostly orchestrated by the factory workers to salvage DMC following John DeLorean's arrest and withdraw from the company.