Triumph TR7 және TR8 спорт автомобильдері

Triumph sports car

Power is provided by a 1,998 cc eight valve four cylinder engine that shares the same basic design as the Triumph Dolomite 1850 engine, albeit increased to 2 litres and fitted with larger carburettors, mounted in line at the front of the car. Power is at 5,500 rpm, maximum torque is at 3,500 rpm, the North American version produces Australian buyers received the same version in order to meet local emissions regulations. The European version was tested as having a 0– time of around 10 seconds, with a top speed of Drive is to the rear wheels via a four speed gearbox initially, with an optional five speed manual gearbox and a three speed automatic available from 1976. The front independent suspension uses coil spring and damper struts and lower single link at the front, and at the rear is a four link system, again with coil springs. There are front and rear anti roll bars, with disc brakes at the front and drums at the rear.

The interior trim was revised in March 1977, with the broadcord seat covers being replaced with red or green "tartan" check inserts with black leather effect vinyl edging. The tartan trim is also reflected in the door cards in padded matching red or green tartan cloth inserts in the black leather effect vinyl.

For export to the US market, Triumph created a much more powerful Triumph TR8 model in 1977/78, which was a TR7 with a 3.5 L Rover V8 engine. While some genuine TR8 models stayed in Britain, these examples are exceedingly rare. Most TR8s went to the US, where they did not fare well, owing to Triumph's poor build quality at the time and the unusually strong pound, which peaked at around $2.40 by 1980, making Triumphs fairly expensive compared to competitors. The TR8 was only launched as a convertible (DHC) model. However, about 400 hard top (FHC) TR8s were produced at Speke and Canley, as these were needed (possibly with some TR7s converted by BL to TR8 specification) for the Group 4 homologation of the TR7V8 rally car.

In 1980, a limited edition version of the TR7 Drophead was launched for the US market by the US importer. Called the "TR7 Spider", it was available only in "maraschino black", with reflective red striping and badging plus black interior trim. Alloy wheels and the steering wheel from the TR8 were fitted, along with a "pewter grey" carpet and grey striped upholstery. Based on an exhaustive inventory of the factory build cards at the British Heritage Motor Centre archives, it has been confirmed that 1,070 carburetted Spiders were built at the Solihull factory with an additional 548 fuel injected (Bosch L jetronic) Spiders built specifically for California. VIN numbers for Spiders run from 400301 to 401918 overall and for the fuel injected version from 401374 to 401918. All the Spider specific equipment was installed at the factory, with the exception of the radio cassette, which was stored in the boot and installed at the port of entry.

Slightly less than a decade after the original TR7 ceased production, another British manufacturer, Grinnall Specialist Cars modified existing TR7 and TR8 cars. TR7 cars were upgraded with TR8 subframes and dash. They then installed V8 engines (optionally bored to larger capacities), and other parts like suspension, gearbox and brakes from the Rover SD1. The front and rear wings were widened to match the SD1 axles and suspension. 350 convertible cars were produced, each with Grinnall badging.

[[File:TR7 Sprint from rear. JPG|upright=1.33|thumb|TR7 Sprint from rear, showing side stripe intended for the production version These cars were built at the BL plant at Speke, at the same time as the pre production runs for the convertibles and TR7 V8s, including a run of about 30 cars built on the line during the factory changeover to the 1978 year model in June 1977. However, it is claimed that some cars at least were converted at Canley from completed TR7s built at Speke. Production of the TR7 Sprint stopped with the closure of the Speke plant. However, the failure of the TR7 Sprint to go into full series production is also blamed on BL's sales and marketing department because they claimed its performance was not sufficiently different from the TR7, though its top speed and 0– time were almost identical to those for the US specification carburetted version of the 3.5 litre Rover V8 powered Triumph TR8. Also, the Sprint engine was unsuitable for the emission control equipment necessary for sale in the US, which was Sales and Marketing's main target market for the TR7 and TR8. Even so, BL required some, probably about 50, 16 valve engined TR7s suitable for normal sale before the end of 1977. This was for the rehomologation of the 16 valve head to allow the 16 valve TR7 rally car to be used in the 1978 season following a change to the FIA's rules. That the TR7 Sprint was used in this is shown by a series of six photographs in the British Motor Museum's archives, taken on 1 November and listed as TR7 Sprint Homologation. The 16 valve head was approved for use with the Group 4 rally car a second time in February 1978 in time for the Mintex Rally. Converting a two valve TR7 to the four valve Sprint specification is relatively simple, compared to conversion to TR8 specification, because the TR7 and TR7 Sprint have virtually identical engine blocks. As a result, there are a number of such converted TR7 models around: "There are a [comparatively] large number of privately built Sprint conversions about  Buyers should beware of this if they are asked a premium price for an alleged 'genuine' TR7 Sprint."

In early 1979, a joint MG Triumph project to produce a new sportscar based on the TR7 was started under the name Project Broadside. This was based on the TR7, with a wheelbase stretched by , with either an O Series or Rover V8 engine, and both drophead and fastback body styles. Project Broadside was cancelled later in 1979, owing to a lack of funding.

About 25 or so prototype/development TR7s fitted with the BL O series engine were built. Build dates are not currently known, nor when the programme was cancelled. However, there are records showing these cars were either partly scrapped to rolling shells or converted to TR8 spec., before being sold off in 1983. At least one of these O Series TR7s (KPH 537V) was fitted with an early (Canley developed) version of the O Series turbo charged engine. This was recorded as being the fastest ever Triumph on the test track at MIRA achieving an average lap speed of and a flying speed of both figures being almost faster than the fastest recorded TR8 (KPH 574V) at MIRA.

British Leyland ran a team of TR7s in rally competitions from 1976 to 1980. These cars initially used the 16 valve Dolomite Sprint engine and later switched to the Rover V8 engine (before the introduction of the TR8, so dubbed "TR7 V8"). They were reasonably successful on tarmac events but were less successful on gravel sections. The most successful driver of these cars was Tony Pond. John Buffum won the SCCA PRO Rally Championship from 1977 to 1980 driving TR7 and TR7 V8 cars. The TR7 V8 models continue to be successful in classic rallying events. Group 44 ran two TR8 cars in TransAm and IMSA Championship from 1978 to 1981, while in Canada a third IMSA car was run with support of JRT Canada and was raced until 1985. The Group 44 effort lead to many wins of the TR8 in USA and was the most successful campaign of this type of car. The fastest road race TR7 was built by RMP Motors in Canada, winning two back to back GT1 championships in 2012–13. The 16 valve engined TR7 rally car was homologated for group 4 in October 1975, well before any 16 valve TR7 Sprints are known to have been produced. This was possible at the time using the "100 off rule", as John Davenport called it, in the FIA's appendix J to the International Sporting Code 1975. This 100 off rule described a list of "Optional equipment which may be recognized with a minimum production of 100 units per year to equip 100 cars" and requirements for their use. However, it did not require that any cars actually be so equipped, just that 100 of the "bolt on option kits" be produced, listed, and made available for sale. As well as alternative cylinder heads with different numbers of cams and valves, this list of optional equipment also included many other engine, suspension, and transmission components, and so covered the use of the 4 speed, close ratio gearbox and overdrive from the Triumph Dolomite Sprint (the heavy duty axle from the 5 speed TR7 was initially homologated for group 3 by another, less clear, route, though re homologated later, presumably on production of 5 speed TR7s). In 1975, Appendix J listed yet more modifications allowed, with restrictions, to cars for group 4, including pistons, manifolds, carburettors, and suspension, etc., that could be fitted without the FIA needing to recognize or approve them. However, the BL rally team had to regain approval for the 16 valve head for the 1978 season, and several others such as Lancia, Toyota, Vauxhall, and Ford had similar problems at that time. Quality improved when production was moved to the Canley plant in Coventry, and later Solihull. However, it was too late to save the car's reputation. In its Frankfurt Motor Show preview edition of September 1977, the German magazine Auto, Motor und Sport reported that the engine of a TR7 press car had given up the ghost and "started to boil" while undergoing a maximum speed measurement exercise over a stretch of track as part of a road test. At the time of the report the cause of the problem was still unknown; British Leyland technicians had already been investigating the car, without comment, for nineteen days. People often cite that the TR7 failed to sell in the same volumes as its predecessors, however this is complete Urban Myth when you consider only 8,484 TR250's, 2,947 TR5's and 91,850 TR6's were produced vs 115,000 TR7's. By the late 1970s, sports cars were becoming a low volume niche product that British Leyland could ill afford to support, given its volume car business was already struggling. A rationalisation plan introduced by incoming BL chairman Michael Edwardes saw the TR7 put on life support by axing the MG MGB as it was felt that the latter was cannibalizing the TR7's sales however this controversial decision failed to revive the TR7's fortunes when it too was axed in 1981, with the end of car production at Solihull, which was to become exclusively a Land Rover plant. The demise of the TR7 (and the Dolomite a year earlier) marked the end of the lineage of Triumph sports cars, with the marque continuing on the Triumph Acclaim until 1984. The Acclaim however was a licence built Honda Ballade, built at the Cowley assembly plant and was pitched as a family saloon rather than as a sports car.