The Delightfully Untraditional Triumph Tr7

Automobile styling sometimes can be controversial. Remember the Edsel and the crude comments people made about its grille? Or the Bathtub Nashes, and that awful Pontiac Aztek? 

One foreign car with styling that was controversial when it debuted was the Triumph TR7, introduced to the American market as a 1975 model. Initial comments by the motor press in England made it seem that the new sports car might be rejected on its looks alone. Thankfully, after a second look and some time to evaluate the car, both the public and automotive journalists began to accept the Triumph’s untraditional styling, allowing it to achieve the success it deserved.

The initial controversy mainly settled around the TR7’s total rejection of “classic British” styling themes, i.e., rounded body lines and a long hood and short deck, both about the same height. In comparison, the TR7’s body lines were sharply angular, the rear deck was high and the low nose slanted down like a hungry anteater searching for breakfast. The visual impression it gave was of an exotic, mid-engine sports car, although the TR7 is, in fact, a conventional front-engine, rear-drive automobile.

Why, one might wonder, did Triumph’s parent company, British Leyland, take this approach when styling its new car? It’s my belief they did so simply because they worried that many potential buyers had become weary of “traditional” British sports car styling. That view seemed to be verified in sales of new Triumphs and MGs, which had been drifting downward for several years. British Leyland hoped that offering styling that was different and very modern would attract existing Triumph owners looking for something excitingly new. It might also connect with all the “other make” buyers who ordinarily didn’t even consider purchasing a British sports car, because of the old-fashioned styling.

I want to point out one additional controversial feature: the TR7 was initially only offered as a hardtop coupe rather than the traditional convertible. The Datsun 240-Z/260-Z coupe’s surprising success was probably a prominent factor in Triumph’s decision to follow suit, because the 240-Z clearly proved that tastes were changing in America’s sports car market.

That said, it also was pretty obvious that a TR7 convertible would eventually join the lineup. The TR7’s terrific styling fairly demanded one.

Although one source claims the new car replaced the old-but-beloved TR6, in truth, the two models were sold side by side through 1981, when the TR6 was finally dropped from the U.S. lineup.

I remember the first TR7 I saw in person, not long after they were introduced to America. Although I loved my 1967 TR4A IRS, I thought the TR7’s sharp wedge shape was absolutely stunning. The car was so unusual-looking that my initial reaction was jumbled a bit — I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about it. On one hand, I, too, was becoming a bit bored with British Leyland’s too-traditional sports car styling. On the other hand this new Triumph was so different it was a little difficult to accept. It almost seemed that British Leyland’s styling had leapt ahead by two full design generations in order to bring to market not just the very latest in design, but something that actually advanced the progression of automotive styling by a significant degree. Triumph proudly called its new TR7 “The Shape of Things to Come.”

It looked as modern as tomorrow. The sloping hood plunged so low I wondered how engineers were able to fit an engine under it. I later found out the trick was done by moving the engine back as far as possible in the chassis, which not only helped streamline the exterior, it also improved the vehicle’s handling. The TR7 might properly be termed a “front mid-engine car” along the lines of the classic TVR 2500M, in which the engine is located much farther back in the chassis than usual, close to the center. The result was much better chassis balance and greatly improved handling without having to deal with the packaging and servicing headaches of a traditional mid-engine car.

Breaking further with tradition, Triumph jettisoned the conventional frame, designing the TR7 with a light-but-stiff unibody. In profile, the sleek body sides were highlighted by a bold, sharply sloping crease line beginning at the rear side marker lens and sloping downward to terminate just before the front wheel opening. Blacked-out rocker panels and bumpers helped visually lower the car.

Inside was a fashionable and roomy cockpit with lots of soft vinyl surfaces and seat upholstery that included stylish tartan plaid fabric in a choice of colors. The instrument panel was more logical than in previous Triumphs, with controls that were easier to identify, and which provided all the information a driver needed. Although interior trim materials looked quite stylish, some durability problems showed up a bit later, with dashboard covers prematurely splitting and seat seams coming undone — the sort of thing that isn’t all that terrible, but can be very annoying. 

The engine fitted was a modern overhead-cam, inline four-cylinder engine with a cast-iron block and light-alloy cylinder head; essentially, the 121.9-cid (1998cc) powerplant used in Triumph’s home-market Dolomite sedan. With two carburetors and 8.0:1 compression, it booted out 85.5 hp at 5,000 rpm. With a curb weight of just 2,241 lbs., this was sufficient power to provide sprightly, satisfying performance along with good fuel economy — important in that fuel-short era. The standard gearbox was a full-synchromesh four-speed manual; optional transmission choices included a delightful five-speed manual with overdrive on the top gear, or a British-built Borg-Warner three-speed automatic transmission.

To help it stay glued to the road, the TR7’s front suspension was MacPherson struts with coil springs and a sway bar. The rear suspension used a rigid axle with radius rods, trailing arms, coil springs and a sway bar. Modern rack-and-pinion steering provided excellent road feel. The brake system included power-assisted front discs and rear drum brakes.

Base price for the new Triumph was $5,100, quite a bit higher than the Spitfire’s $3,745, but more than $1,000 less than the new Datsun 280-Z, which was just arriving to replace the trouble-prone 260-Z. Options included air conditioning and a choice of AM, AM/FM or AM/FM stereo cassette. In a sign of its popularity, as well as the inflationary time in which it lived, the base price had risen to $5,595 by 1976.

Sales were good from the start, so product improvements and refinements came slowly at first. Wider tires and a new front air dam were fitted for 1978. In 1979, the lovely TR7 convertible debuted. Because of the TR7 coupe’s unibody structure, braces and reinforcements were added to strengthen the TR7 soft top’s body and chassis, including braces behind the seats, across the cowl and at the rear of the body. All of these were to reduce chassis flex and prevent, or at least reduce, “cowl shake” as much as possible. (Cowl shake is a common problem with soft top vehicles. The cowl of the car tends to shake noticeably as one drives over uneven surfaces, an indication the chassis is not as stiff as it could be. Since it occurs literally in front of the driver’s eyes, it’s a bit disconcerting, although not terribly unsafe.)

Once American buyers grew used to its styling, TR7 sales took off, pulling up the total annual sales numbers of the Triumph lineup. From a disappointing 18,396 Triumphs sold in the United States during 1974, Triumph sales rose to 22,803 for 1975, soaring to 28,238 in 1976 and 29,258 in 1977.

That was the good news. The unfortunate news was that the new factory near Liverpool, where TR7s were produced, was home to a very militant union that seemed bent on disrupting TR7 production as frequently as possible with gratuitous and unwarranted labor disputes and strikes. All this was part of the sad self-destruction of Britain’s once-enviable automobile industry, which the labor unions unwittingly annihilated over the course of years. A frustrated British Leyland moved TR7 production to Coventry and, later on, to Solihull, in an effort to improve quality and have production run at a steady rate, which would greatly improve quality and profitability. I don’t think that ever happened.

Production of the TR7 ended in 1981 after a bit more than 113,000 were built. Before the end, Triumph attempted to spur interest in its cars by adding the TR8 model, powered by the Rover (ex-General Motors) 215-cid V-8, which produced 133 hp. In the end, only about 2,300 TR8s were sold in America, which is a shame because it was a unique product.

But time had run out for Triumph. The combination of quality problems, a disruptive and short-sighted union and the naturally limited market for two-seaters made Triumph an untenable brand. The better-built, higher-quality Mazda Miata would fill the gap left when Fiat, MG and Triumph disappeared from the marketplace. It was too bad.

The good news is that the rate of TR7 survival seems to be pretty good, especially for the soft top models, so supply is good and prices seem very fair. A quick online search found some nice convertibles and a coupe with less than 17,000 miles, each of them under ten grand. Plus, finding one with air conditioning is more common than with earlier British sports cars, which is always nice. Good hunting! 

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