TriumphTR7

01

Origins

The TR7 of 1974 abandoned everything the TR badge had meant — no separate chassis, no walnut, no wind-in-the-hair, initially not even a convertible, because America seemed set to outlaw them. Harris Mann's dramatic wedge profile divided opinion instantly, with its swooping side crease that reportedly made Giorgetto Giugiaro walk around the car in disbelief. Under the skin it was conventional and capable: a 2-litre slant-four, sensible suspension, a comfortable cabin. What broke it was industrial: build quality at the strike-plagued Speke factory was dire, production moved twice, and the reputation never recovered even as later Coventry and Solihull cars improved markedly. A proper convertible arrived in 1979 and the Rover V8-engined TR8 followed for America. Around 115,000 were built to 1981 — the last TR, and the last mass sports car from Triumph.