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My new toy. No power steering, no ABS, no traction control, candled power heat lights...but they pop up! A 1980 Triumph TR7 drop head coupe (convertible) but I love it!
The TR8 drophead won "Best new sports car" by Road and Track magazine in 1980.
British racing green metallic coachwork with gold Compomotive light alloy wheels and a padded roll bar. She is running under V8 power (using a rebuilt Rover SD1 3.5L V8 engine, 9.35:1 CR). K&Ns filter air for a duet of SU's and the gases exit through a SS exhaust system. There's no viscous fan, just a Kenlowe driven electric unit in front of the radiator and a rather large oil cooler has also been added just behind. The transmission is a 5 speed SD1 box coupled with a 3.08:1 ratio diff so 70-90 mph cruising is possible while keeping the revs down. Cruising at 70mph with an indicated 2.5k revs is very smooth and quiet, even with the hood down.
Full tan leather with 4-point race harness and a roll bar make the interior covered by a rather nice black mohair hood. Spax adjustable shocks are fitted all round, the ride is a bit harsh on their current settings (the softest possible!) but there is surprisingly little scuttle shake. Traction from the 195 section Komo branded tyres is surprisingly good. The wheels are gold Compomotive CX and are 6" x 14". Unlike the Carlton you don't seem to get any under steer, it just grips, the first indication of too much speed in a corner is a gentle drift of the rear. Maybe this is due to the cars light weight and a big lump of V8 above the front wheels!
Ultimately it's the Carlton which can get you through the bends quicker as it has a little more overall grip, but the TR7 gets through them leaving a bigger grin on your face!
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And some dyno plots from the previous owner...the guy tuning it found some improvements after re-jetting. I've also found amongst my pile of receipts given to me by the previous owner that a few performance goodies that were added during the engine rebuild. Viper Hurricane Rover V8 cam shaft with a Rhoads high lift performance lifter set. These were supplied by Real Steel and apparently give up to 225bhp from the 3.5l lump. Along with the tubular exhaust manifolds may help to explain those figures! Rimer Bros quote a standard SD1 at 165bhp. Not bad in a car which weighs next to nothing!
Windows movie file .wmv, 178Kb: My TR7V8 in the summer 2002, shining :-)
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only 201bhp, but 222lbf.ft of torque in a nice flat line, 180lbf.ft from 1500rpm :-)
Wheel refurbishment, after a couple of winter (2002/3) month storage the wheels were looking a bit scruffy, corrosion around the outside and the tyres were starting to perish. Solid alloy wheel valves (gold anodised) cost £15.47 inc. from pug spares. A new set of centres were bought from Compomotive for £15.86. I decided to change the tyres to 185/60/HR14. The table below assumes a SD1 differential is fitted (as fitted to my car).
| Tyre Size | Tyre diameter (in inches) | Rolling radius (in inches) | change from standard |
| 185/70/HR13 | 0% | ||
| 185/60/HR14 | |||
| 195/60/HR14 |
A whistle from the engine bay at during part throttle acceleration (this may be due to the air rushing past the throttle plates, the K&Ns do little to quieten this apparently)
The drivers door sits a bit proud of the car side. Probably just a job of moving the catch inwards a little.
The aerial is not wired in...maybe an electric one needs to be fitted! But she came with a Sony 10 disc changer which looks a little bit too modern in this car!
The front bumper needs fitting properly. I have a brand new Rimmer Bros. fibreglass copy but it doesn't fit 100%. I think in the summer I will invest in a US spec big rubber bumper which in my opinion gives the cars a much sharper look. I hope it will 'go' ok with the standard rear bumper.
Fit a couple of lambda sensors so I can monitor the fuel/air ratios.
General TLC, and a good clean, there are a couple of surface rust spots which I hope the local paint guy will be able to fix up for the price of a few beers.
"Big Service"
Clean and re-oil the K&N air filters
Replace engine oil 10W40
Replace NGK spark plugs
Replace fuel filter (small in-line under bonnet)
Replace oil-filter
Owning a "classic" car does have it's advantages...events. First outing was to the MG Owners Club Mayday run (for charity), all car makes welcome. For more information www.
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Agreed value of £3,500, 1,500 miles per anum, my wife and myself to drive, fully comprehensive, store in a locked garage.
2002: Lancaster
2003: Sureterm Direct
Rimmer Bros TR7 spares
http://www.passport-group.com/wwwedge/
The World Wide Wedge
http://www.ss-preparations.co.uk/
SS Preparations TR7 spares
Compomotive alloy wheels
Spax suspension
The engine!