Wonderful video. Full of all the things I love. A TR7, a V8, top down driving, beautiful English country lanes and an owner who loves to drive their car. Bravo.
Growing up my parents next door neighbor had a TR7 v8 which he used for racing (this is 30 odd years ago) I was always impressed with the noise it made as a child. Many years later as an adult I got talking to the guy who still lived next door to my parents and still owned the Triumph - and he took me out for a spin. As I recall he said the engine had been taken out to 4.6 litres, it had almost ultra stiff suspension, and a full roll-cage fitted. Absolutely terrifying! LOL.
Never popular...but i always had a HUGE soft spot for the cheese wedge. Especially with a V8. Once helped a customer (when i was a saturday boy in a local garage) work on his TVR powered TR7. That was a metallic Purple, darker than Fords from the 1300e. It was lovely and thats where my love grew from.
Funnily enough, I had a Saturday job at a garage that specialised in MGBs. They also had a few TR7s in stock. My boss thought I was weird for preferring the TR7s. But the super futuristic shape (for the late '70s anyway) and the bright and wacky colour schemes, really appealed. I guess if they were appealing to teenage boys, BL were doing something right.
Great video, I really enjoyed it. Great to see Sheldon's expression when Sam put the pedal to the metal and feels more like Sheldon's channel with Sheldon in front of the camera. And what a knowledgeable and articulate man Sam is, happy to explain his fabulous TR8 mods in detail and Sheldon commendably, rarely interrupts Sam's flow, Sheldon ever the consummate professional; questioning intelligently, listening intently, digesting thoroughly and offering pertinent considered responses. 👍😎
Very nice. Never seen one with so little rust underbonnet!. I had two convertibles in the late 80's - a gold TR7 (WDS 679W) which ended up a basket case, and then a green TR7/8 (BHA 567Y) which had been converted by S&S Preparations in Ramsbottom. It had a mad loud exhaust which my wife told me could be heard a mile away - she made me change it!!. Loved that car, took it to Le Mans a few times but it went the way of all my cars and off to another owner in 1994. Given the complexity of modern cars it's one I'd have again just to mess about with. Big fan of the Rover V8 and Sam's sounds particularly lovely. Well done, and nice video.
Love to see you review one of the larger engined TVR Wedges from the late 1980's early 1990's. 390SE, 400SE, 420SE or one of their special light weight cars 420 SEAC or 450 SEAC.
I had the standard TR7 convertible, not even the Sprint engine and it felt a bit heavy and very sluggish, This is exactly what it needed. Great car and video.....thanks
I'm 58 years of age and in my 20,s I owned two TR7,s i loved them both and still have a soft spot for them . They had history of problems but luckily I had none with mine , if they manufactured more TR8,s for the British market they would have sold a hell of a lot more and if there weren't so many strikes . Great motor featured here , the sound of that V8 is awesome too , probably does about 10mpg but you don't drive cars like this for economy lol.... Thank you for sharing.
I had a standard x reg one that was restored but standard gutless 2.0 ltr engine TR8, good for rear end fun but i always wanted the TR8 after having the pleasure of being a passenger once and the noise was intoxicating. Love it and i was like the passenger in this clip.
It definitely wouldn’t do you channel any harm to have the occasional drive in something interesting like this. Back in the day my dad built a number of TR8s from new body shells just up the road from you in Weston-Super-Mare, so I have fond memories of these cars. As you pointed out, these cars were in many ways superior to the US market ones as they weren’t choked to death with all the emissions gubbins.
Ahh those tight Cornish lanes, made worse on a sunny day with every man and his dog trying to squeeze through! Brings back a lot of memories. Still nice to see them again from the front seat of a lovely sounding TR8.
Beautiful car, had a Grinnall V8 converted in 80's from my Tritan green TR7. Engine was standard but had a single 3" bore exhaust on it, sounded great too & I did the whole south of France in it back in '92!
I drove my 67 Herald Convertible to, and past, the Arctic Circle, in Finland. I got as far north as it's possible to go, which is Nordkapp in Norway, and back, and that was in 1986.
I love your channel had many classic British cars a rover sd1 P5b over the years including a TR7 coupe, my friend had a TR7 v8 convertible and the acceleration scared the living sh*te out of me too keep up the good work!
Nice! I’ve got two Factory TR8’s here in Canada. I have an 81 that has the stock PI system on it. I have an 80 with similar mods to the one in the video except mine is a 4.6L Rover V8. It’s pretty quick and a blast to drive.
I happen to have a genuine Triumph UK Speck TR8 that my late father brought new in 1982. It is a UK right hand drive car that we think was originally meant to go to the United States as it has the Bosch L-jetronic fuel injection system and as the history books show these cars were meant only to go to the United States? I also have a 1977/78 TR7 V8 SPRINT prototype that my late father also brought back in 1979. Although the TR7 isn't road worthy I don't think it would take much to make it road legal? The TR8 on the other is in perfect running condition and will remain in my private collection!
If my memory serves me well, I believe there were 14 officially British built right hand drive TR8's (I'm sure someone will correct me on that) built for dealers, all in a metallic silver blue. I saw my first one in Duncan Hamilton's showroom in Bagshot in 1985, I then saw another one at a Club Triumph meet at Beaulieu in about 2008, then another one at specialist car dealer in exotic cars in Poole, it the mid 2000's. I'm sure if BL had decent management and an even better workforce the car would have gone into production. It was thanks to Michael Edwards who got the production closed down at Speake, due to dreadful industrial relations and build quality, that the car came to Solihull where the best TR7's were produced and survived until construction was closed down. A much maligned car, because it was a good handling car.
I had the opportunity, some years ago, to drive an unmodified TR8. Struck me as a very civilised car that holds up well against more modern vehicles. Certainly very worth owning.
An acquaintance of mine here in the U.S. put a GM 350CI into his TR7. Straight U.S. rear axle. It was Dragster fast. He always ran into problems with breaking motor mounts and drive shaft joints. Also, rear axle mounts. He spent more time repairing than driving. It was just too much motor for that light car. Looks like this one is just right. Lovely video. Thanks for sharing . P.S. i believe he used an automatic transmission. It was a GM 350 turbo hydromatic. I think if he used a manual transmission, he might have avoided the many problems he experienced.
wow,what a super car,just love this Sheldon,love to be given the chance for a drive in that. Super sound and wow factor, Would have this any day over Borrriinnggggggg modern Bemmas and Mercs ,love more videos like this Sheldon :)
Very nice. In the 80’s when I passed my test I had all sorts of cars. The TR7 was never one I fancied- I always thought they looked a bit wrong. I had an X1/9 tho as it was considered a bit more modern.
Back in 1986, I bought my 1st car. A 1979 TR-7 convertible with a very rare automatic transmission. The color was called Platinum. Still had it until 1996. I was about to put a V6 into it when a drunk t-boned me at a light and totaled the car. I miss that car. It was so fun to drive.
In NZ there is a white painted TR7 with a 4bbl 4.4ltr all alloy Australian Leyland P76 V8 mounted in it. Sitting in it as a passenger was fun because in a straight line it DID have VERY strong acceleration on the motorway onramp..!! It was still a project vehicle however as corrosion was evident around most of the lower panel areas, and white is a somewhat difficult colour to ever maintain pristine. NZ is a very windy and salty maritime country. All of our vehicles used to rust away in front of our eyes until the ex-JDM vehicles began to arrive, and in particular since '94, when whole body galvanized dipping became the industry standard in Japan. Australian-made vehicles kept on rusting beautifully however. In 2006 i received a spanking new (white-painted) Falcon work ute, zero kms on the clock, with seeping brown RUST stains on both door seams and front pillars, already..!. It was just bare unpainted steel on the insides of the body panels . . 😵💫
I once read a detailed article about the prototype Sprint engined TR7. The Dolly Sprint installation had a dreadful exhaust manifold which was one of the reasons the Sprint only had 127 bhp against the 135 that Triumph apparently originally aimed for and the decent 4branch manifold that the TR7 had room for added the missing horses. The around 60 prototypes were very popular with the Triumph development engineers who found them very well balanced cars. The main market was however the USA and it was unlikely the Sprint engined cars would meet californian emission requirements. So the Sprint version was still still born
This is the car British Leyland should of replaced the TR6 with. The 4 cylinder TR7 was such a disappointment especially after having a 150bhp fuel injected TR6!
I had two Conv TR7s and Leyland were quite right to HAVE built it , the oil crisis dictated that the 2.5 six in TR 6 was too gutsy to have been continued . Faster than the two seat Morris Oxford ,MGB , and hand,Ed well too .
@alanthomson1227 that's the forgotten truth. Britain LOVES the V8 but more so HATES the running costs. Add the OPEC oil hostage situation (oil crisis) & BL were spot on axing the TR8 when they did. It would never have sold.
I know that it was common to deride the TR7 as the worst of British Leyland's output of the 70s, and true, the build quality could be at best variable. I never owned the V8 version but I had two of the 2.0L and it was easy to see the potential. I loved mine and through a process continuous improvement they became very driveable, enjoyable and practical cars.
Brilliant, your face is so expressive, conveys the terror and excitement perfectly, very amusing. Did you require a change of underwear 😅 More videos like this please!
Hey up sam when you said of cam issues was it to do with having flat tapit lifters? Remember when these came out as V8 rally when was living in oz which is one ov the V8 loving countries of this world, top marks mate like your style
That air filter looks very restrictive. what's needed is a larger rimmed large area K&N or equivalent. I have done enough David Vizard spec'd V8 (Chevrolet) builds to know that good filter flow is the first step to good power, along with good fuel delivery (carbs, EFI), intake manifold, heads and exhaust. Lovely car though.
I owned the only TR8 experimental convertable built by British Leyland.. 21,000 mls 5 speed manual factory black absolutely mint..they were no big deal..I owned also a red fixed head Tr8..that was in 1995
I remember when those first came out. Hideous thing! There’s a famous quote from the italian car designer, Guigiaro, upon first seeing one at a motor and looking at it first on one side…..then: “My God! They’ve done it to the other side as well!” 🤣
The fabric roof kinda sucks. They don't seal very well around the windows. If you are going to keep a nice car , any car for that matter, keep them garaged.
Back in the 1980's, I knew someone who built one of these with twin turbos! He could dip the clutch in 3rd at 70mph, get the turbos onto full boost, drop the clutch and accelerate into the distance in a cloud of tyre smoke! I don't think there was hardly anything on the road back then could touch it!
Loved the TR7/8 and was desperate to get a Lynx then Micheal Edwards canned its (not his fault really). The exhaust does not sound that loud to me, I am next to A30 in Surrey and we have loads of people with straight pipes which dwarf the noise of this car.
This car is most likely fun in a straight line. As it is I'd wager it's a death trap around winding roads being quite small, light, nose heavy, and only rwd. I have no doubt about this unless its had some serious suspension mods (including wheels and tires).
@@classic_britain Well I'm not familiar with the TR7 suspension set up for V8's. I suppose it being a 3.5 litre doesn't quite qualify it as heavyweight territory for V8's. I'm very familiar with how horrible manual 5.0 litre V8 Mustang fox bodies are around corners at higher speeds. Cheerio!
The RV8 weighs less than the Triumph 2.0 slant four,and the TR7 having a reasonably square wheelbase/track dimension, the opposite applies to its handling characteristics.Having owned a couple of Grinnalls over the years,they didn't handle badly overall and that they are in fact quite twitchy at speed in a straight line,the front lifts at speed.But for their time they are surprisingly good round the bends,with a slab of torque and rwd, throttle input can massively assist turn In on tight corners and at higher speeds on faster corners rwds are generally more stable mid corner. I run a 1979 Capri with a 5.0 TB BV RV8 that's far wilder than this car,but you can still use it in anger without fear of dying and it's embarrassed plenty of good modern stuff through the bends. If you have no respect for how a big na engine delivers torque and a rwd car you WILL end up in trouble ,but using some finesse you can get a very good lick on,without having to constantly swap cogs and it will bring a bigger grin to your face. Besides TR7'S were used in various racing classes and rallying with some success. There's one in David Hardcastles book showing it going down the Mulsanne straight at about 170mph.
Theres a genuine TR8 up the road from me for sale here in NZ, they want 15k for it. Looks pretty mint, one owner. Left hand drive though, meh. I was really hoping to find a V8 MG, pretty hard to find now though.
If you think it is terrifying in that test drive try it in the wet. I had one and in the wet it was just almost impossible to drive, it would swap ends on a roundabout if you even thought about using the throttle.. And yes the shocks etc were sorted but a live rear axle on such a light car with all that torque/power is not a combination to be triffled with in the wet. In the dry though....
Nut and bolt be the correct term for British cars…. Unbelievable amount of the bloody things… How bout a 4.4 litre Leyland V8? That would be a great motor for it…
That 3.9 I doubt would make 280 with that work . 500 Griff's just about scraped Depending what cam problems you are having - check the valve spring seat pressures
The weights on the plate are not the vehicles weight they are max weights for each axle, total max for vehicle and train weight, if you want to know what it weighs go to a weigh bridge then work out bhp per ton
Wasn’t these cars rotting on the assembly line. I had a girlfriend in 83 had one. It was rotten. Bright yellow. Hard to get your leg over in these cars. But possible. Then the back window falls out😂.
Wonderful video. Full of all the things I love. A TR7, a V8, top down driving, beautiful English country lanes and an owner who loves to drive their car.
Bravo.
That exhaust note - beautiful!
That "legal" exhaust note, wink, wink! 😉
Loved that, what a gift to mankind that Rover V8 was 👍
By way of Buick...
If I remember rightly it is the most produced block ever. Second was the XUD diesel engine.
@@olikat8yes..but I've seen the Buick donor...it was quite a way removed from what we know as the Rover.
@@Rich77UK The origin is Buick, of course, like any manufacturer it got updated/upgraded over the years
@@olikat8 Indeed it was, but it was further developed and strengthened by Rover. Buick may have made it, but Rover realised it and perfected it.
Growing up my parents next door neighbor had a TR7 v8 which he used for racing (this is 30 odd years ago) I was always impressed with the noise it made as a child. Many years later as an adult I got talking to the guy who still lived next door to my parents and still owned the Triumph - and he took me out for a spin. As I recall he said the engine had been taken out to 4.6 litres, it had almost ultra stiff suspension, and a full roll-cage fitted. Absolutely terrifying! LOL.
Never popular...but i always had a HUGE soft spot for the cheese wedge. Especially with a V8. Once helped a customer (when i was a saturday boy in a local garage) work on his TVR powered TR7. That was a metallic Purple, darker than Fords from the 1300e. It was lovely and thats where my love grew from.
Funnily enough, I had a Saturday job at a garage that specialised in MGBs. They also had a few TR7s in stock. My boss thought I was weird for preferring the TR7s. But the super futuristic shape (for the late '70s anyway) and the bright and wacky colour schemes, really appealed. I guess if they were appealing to teenage boys, BL were doing something right.
Fantastic! What a machine. And how beautiful west Cornwall looks in the sunshine.
Yep Penzance has the most sun hours out of anywhere in the UK!
Great video, I really enjoyed it. Great to see Sheldon's expression when Sam put the pedal to the metal and feels more like Sheldon's channel with Sheldon in front of the camera. And what a knowledgeable and articulate man Sam is, happy to explain his fabulous TR8 mods in detail and Sheldon commendably, rarely interrupts Sam's flow, Sheldon ever the consummate professional; questioning intelligently, listening intently, digesting thoroughly and offering pertinent considered responses.
👍😎
Aww thank you mate that's a really nice comment I do need to get a haircut mind you!
Very nice. Never seen one with so little rust underbonnet!.
I had two convertibles in the late 80's - a gold TR7 (WDS 679W) which ended up a basket case, and then a green TR7/8 (BHA 567Y) which had been converted by S&S Preparations in Ramsbottom. It had a mad loud exhaust which my wife told me could be heard a mile away - she made me change it!!. Loved that car, took it to Le Mans a few times but it went the way of all my cars and off to another owner in 1994. Given the complexity of modern cars it's one I'd have again just to mess about with.
Big fan of the Rover V8 and Sam's sounds particularly lovely. Well done, and nice video.
Great car and Sam is a great guy. More like this please Sheldon :)
Working on it!
@@classic_britainGood God Lincolnshire can have some bargains ruclips.net/video/3ALd7Y17sPw/видео.htmlsi=c0IN-nQ_oHky9ZyA
What a great running car. Thanks for the ride along. I had forgotten what it is like to drive on the left side.
Love to see you review one of the larger engined TVR Wedges from the late 1980's early 1990's. 390SE, 400SE, 420SE or one of their special light weight cars 420 SEAC or 450 SEAC.
SEAC stood for Sausage Egg And Chips.
pricelss reaction! loving the revolutions with the centre hub caps. lovely stuff!
I had the standard TR7 convertible, not even the Sprint engine and it felt a bit heavy and very sluggish, This is exactly what it needed. Great car and video.....thanks
I'm 58 years of age and in my 20,s I owned two TR7,s i loved them both and still have a soft spot for them .
They had history of problems but luckily I had none with mine , if they manufactured more TR8,s for the British market they would have sold a hell of a lot more and if there weren't so many strikes .
Great motor featured here , the sound of that V8 is awesome too , probably does about 10mpg but you don't drive cars like this for economy lol....
Thank you for sharing.
Now Labour are in you better brace yourself for strikes.
A friend had a TR7 with a Sprint engine, that was pretty nice, but I'd still rather have a V8.
I had a standard x reg one that was restored but standard gutless 2.0 ltr engine TR8, good for rear end fun but i always wanted the TR8 after having the pleasure of being a passenger once and the noise was intoxicating. Love it and i was like the passenger in this clip.
Cracking car, gorgeous V8 sound
It definitely wouldn’t do you channel any harm to have the occasional drive in something interesting like this. Back in the day my dad built a number of TR8s from new body shells just up the road from you in Weston-Super-Mare, so I have fond memories of these cars. As you pointed out, these cars were in many ways superior to the US market ones as they weren’t choked to death with all the emissions gubbins.
Ahh those tight Cornish lanes, made worse on a sunny day with every man and his dog trying to squeeze through! Brings back a lot of memories. Still nice to see them again from the front seat of a lovely sounding TR8.
Beautiful car, had a Grinnall V8 converted in 80's from my Tritan green TR7. Engine was standard but had a single 3" bore exhaust on it, sounded great too & I did the whole south of France in it back in '92!
God, 70mph looked fast there!
It was haha
Excellent video absolutely loved it l had one years ago converted to the sd1 set up even had the sd1 seats in it very comfortable 😁👍
I drove my 67 Herald Convertible to, and past, the Arctic Circle, in Finland. I got as far north as it's possible to go, which is Nordkapp in Norway, and back, and that was in 1986.
Bet that was "Cool"...get it 😂😂
Interesting look around a rather special car. Nice one!
I love your channel had many classic British cars a rover sd1 P5b over the years including a TR7 coupe, my friend had a TR7 v8 convertible and the acceleration scared the living sh*te out of me too keep up the good work!
Nice! I’ve got two Factory TR8’s here in Canada. I have an 81 that has the stock PI system on it. I have an 80 with similar mods to the one in the video except mine is a 4.6L Rover V8. It’s pretty quick and a blast to drive.
I happen to have a genuine Triumph UK Speck TR8 that my late father brought new in 1982. It is a UK right hand drive car that we think was originally meant to go to the United States as it has the Bosch L-jetronic fuel injection system and as the history books show these cars were meant only to go to the United States? I also have a 1977/78 TR7 V8 SPRINT prototype that my late father also brought back in 1979. Although the TR7 isn't road worthy I don't think it would take much to make it road legal? The TR8 on the other is in perfect running condition and will remain in my private collection!
Wow now that is the kind of car I would love to film do you ever take them out?
John, as the TR Drivers Club TR8 registrar I would be interested to know more about the car. I have a UK right hand drive car with engine 14E00002
Hi Sheldon I could tell by your face you were loving that lol 😂 sounded well good cheers 🥂
That thing can motor! Great video mate!👍🇬🇧
The motor in that thing is a Buick🇺🇲
Great looking and Sounding Machine ! I love Triumphs, Bike and Cars .
Good luck from Tennessee.
Get one Sheldon, great for expanding the channel.
Glad you liked it
If my memory serves me well, I believe there were 14 officially British built right hand drive TR8's (I'm sure someone will correct me on that) built for dealers, all in a metallic silver blue. I saw my first one in Duncan Hamilton's showroom in Bagshot in 1985, I then saw another one at a Club Triumph meet at Beaulieu in about 2008, then another one at specialist car dealer in exotic cars in Poole, it the mid 2000's. I'm sure if BL had decent management and an even better workforce the car would have gone into production. It was thanks to Michael Edwards who got the production closed down at Speake, due to dreadful industrial relations and build quality, that the car came to Solihull where the best TR7's were produced and survived until construction was closed down. A much maligned car, because it was a good handling car.
Lovely raspy sound. Nice Build.
Yellow's a good road safety colour at least urban wise or fluorescent green.
I had the opportunity, some years ago, to drive an unmodified TR8. Struck me as a very civilised car that holds up well against more modern vehicles.
Certainly very worth owning.
Your reaction was priceless - Gordon Bennet !!!!!😂😊
Indeed!
His reaction was because he has not been 'full bore' in a real motor before. He should try a V10 R8 some time.
An acquaintance of mine here in the U.S. put a GM 350CI into his TR7. Straight U.S. rear axle. It was Dragster fast. He always ran into problems with breaking motor mounts and drive shaft joints. Also, rear axle mounts. He spent more time repairing than driving. It was just too much motor for that light car. Looks like this one is just right. Lovely video. Thanks for sharing .
P.S. i believe he used an automatic transmission. It was a GM 350 turbo hydromatic. I think if he used a manual transmission, he might have avoided the many problems he experienced.
As I recall, the famous racer Tony Pond had one. The reg was TRP 8V and it was a frequent sight around Wanstead in London.
RIP Tony , lovely guy.
Nice guy, knowledgeable and articulate. best wishes
wow,what a super car,just love this Sheldon,love to be given the chance for a drive in that. Super sound and wow factor, Would have this any day over Borrriinnggggggg modern Bemmas and Mercs ,love more videos like this Sheldon :)
Hahaha glad you liked it
Very nice. In the 80’s when I passed my test I had all sorts of cars. The TR7 was never one I fancied- I always thought they looked a bit wrong. I had an X1/9 tho as it was considered a bit more modern.
A lovely sounding engine.
Triton Green is one of the best TR7/8 colours
Back in 1986, I bought my 1st car. A 1979 TR-7 convertible with a very rare automatic transmission. The color was called Platinum. Still had it until 1996. I was about to put a V6 into it when a drunk t-boned me at a light and totaled the car. I miss that car. It was so fun to drive.
In NZ there is a white painted TR7 with a 4bbl 4.4ltr all alloy Australian Leyland P76 V8 mounted in it. Sitting in it as a passenger was fun because in a straight line it DID have VERY strong acceleration on the motorway onramp..!! It was still a project vehicle however as corrosion was evident around most of the lower panel areas, and white is a somewhat difficult colour to ever maintain pristine. NZ is a very windy and salty maritime country. All of our vehicles used to rust away in front of our eyes until the ex-JDM vehicles began to arrive, and in particular since '94, when whole body galvanized dipping became the industry standard in Japan. Australian-made vehicles kept on rusting beautifully however. In 2006 i received a spanking new (white-painted) Falcon work ute, zero kms on the clock, with seeping brown RUST stains on both door seams and front pillars, already..!. It was just bare unpainted steel on the insides of the body panels . . 😵💫
Sounds exactly like a NASCAR racer, great work.
I once read a detailed article about the prototype Sprint engined TR7. The Dolly Sprint installation had a dreadful exhaust manifold which was one of the reasons the Sprint only had 127 bhp against the 135 that Triumph apparently originally aimed for and the decent 4branch manifold that the TR7 had room for added the missing horses. The around 60 prototypes were very popular with the Triumph development engineers who found them very well balanced cars. The main market was however the USA and it was unlikely the Sprint engined cars would meet californian emission requirements.
So the Sprint version was still still born
This is the car British Leyland should of replaced the TR6 with. The 4 cylinder TR7 was such a disappointment especially after having a 150bhp fuel injected TR6!
The last UK TR6's from 1973 were less powerful, about 132bhp I think. Also the TR7 sold well. Far more than any other TR.
@@VDP-if9no Yep, the North American export TR6's had even less bhp. They ran on twin Stromburgs!
Just put a V8 into the tr7.
I had two Conv TR7s and Leyland were quite right to HAVE built it , the oil crisis dictated that the 2.5 six in TR 6 was too gutsy to have been continued . Faster than the two seat Morris Oxford ,MGB , and hand,Ed well too .
@alanthomson1227 that's the forgotten truth. Britain LOVES the V8 but more so HATES the running costs. Add the OPEC oil hostage situation (oil crisis) & BL were spot on axing the TR8 when they did. It would never have sold.
Always been a petrol head, and the sound of any V8 engine makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end, absolute music to my ears.
I know that it was common to deride the TR7 as the worst of British Leyland's output of the 70s, and true, the build quality could be at best variable. I never owned the V8 version but I had two of the 2.0L and it was easy to see the potential. I loved mine and through a process continuous improvement they became very driveable, enjoyable and practical cars.
Brilliant, your face is so expressive, conveys the terror and excitement perfectly, very amusing.
Did you require a change of underwear 😅
More videos like this please!
Hahah yeah not been in a fast car for a while!
"the fan hasn't come on for some reason" = "they all do that, Sir"
0:17 bloody hell
I knew a guy in the 90’s who had a TR8. Such a cool car
That opening scene ... meme god
Hey up sam when you said of cam issues was it to do with having flat tapit lifters? Remember when these came out as V8 rally when was living in oz which is one ov the V8 loving countries of this world, top marks mate like your style
The steel inserts in the rocker arms have a tendency to come loose.
Same kind of car I learned how to drive a manual in at 16. It had a little buick V8 so probably less than 280hp lol
That must handle terribly.
Nope handles great as all the suspension has been uprated!
I had a 4 speed TR7 in the early 80's with worn axle arm bushes. Gave a whole new meaning to the term "live axle". 😂😂
Driving any TR7 is terrifying.
Do it Sheldon - while they’re still sensible money!
I got other ideas haha
We all loved tr7 🇬🇧 😊
I really enjoyed the colour of the TR 8
Classics are all a work in progress
That air filter looks very restrictive. what's needed is a larger rimmed large area K&N or equivalent. I have done enough David Vizard spec'd V8 (Chevrolet) builds to know that good filter flow is the first step to good power, along with good fuel delivery (carbs, EFI), intake manifold, heads and exhaust. Lovely car though.
It also is a fire hazard.
I owned the only TR8 experimental convertable built by British Leyland.. 21,000 mls 5 speed manual factory black absolutely mint..they were no big deal..I owned also a red fixed head Tr8..that was in 1995
I was just thinking how you looked like Pete Townshend, and then you said 'Baba O'Reilly' 😂
Sweet car can you imagine if you put a LS in that thing. It would be like a monster Miata.
I remember when those first came out. Hideous thing!
There’s a famous quote from the italian car designer, Guigiaro, upon first seeing one at a motor and looking at it first on one side…..then:
“My God! They’ve done it to the other side as well!” 🤣
Needs to be garaged in fairness. Eventually metal rusts no matter what you do. Driving the car regularly does help it.
The fabric roof kinda sucks. They don't seal very well around the windows. If you are going to keep a nice car , any car for that matter, keep them garaged.
There were TR8 produced with the 3.5l Rover V8.
Back in the 1980's, I knew someone who built one of these with twin turbos! He could dip the clutch in 3rd at 70mph, get the turbos onto full boost, drop the clutch and accelerate into the distance in a cloud of tyre smoke!
I don't think there was hardly anything on the road back then could touch it!
Triton green is the SD1 colour to the same as my 1980 V8S with gold wheels and black trim
Very interesting video thank you 😊
Goood vid....thanks for posting !
What a beast 💪
Thankyou gm for selling the patent to rover
Sounds lovely 😁
I had one, back end is light and booting it sends it everywhere, spun it on a roundabout once
Loved the TR7/8 and was desperate to get a Lynx then Micheal Edwards canned its (not his fault really). The exhaust does not sound that loud to me, I am next to A30 in Surrey and we have loads of people with straight pipes which dwarf the noise of this car.
Plenty Turkish barbers around nowadays !
Your not wrong there!
What a motor 👍🏻
This car is most likely fun in a straight line. As it is I'd wager it's a death trap around winding roads being quite small, light, nose heavy, and only rwd. I have no doubt about this unless its had some serious suspension mods (including wheels and tires).
It does have major suspension mods and tyres as seen in the video
@@classic_britain Was this car available with a V8 option at the time?
@@thefreestylefrEaK It was made for the V8 but BL ran out of money but they did make a small amount for the US market
@@classic_britain Well I'm not familiar with the TR7 suspension set up for V8's. I suppose it being a 3.5 litre doesn't quite qualify it as heavyweight territory for V8's. I'm very familiar with how horrible manual 5.0 litre V8 Mustang fox bodies are around corners at higher speeds. Cheerio!
The RV8 weighs less than the Triumph 2.0 slant four,and the TR7 having a reasonably square wheelbase/track dimension, the opposite applies to its handling characteristics.Having owned a couple of Grinnalls over the years,they didn't handle badly overall and that they are in fact quite twitchy at speed in a straight line,the front lifts at speed.But for their time they are surprisingly good round the bends,with a slab of torque and rwd, throttle input can massively assist turn In on tight corners and at higher speeds on faster corners rwds are generally more stable mid corner. I run a 1979 Capri with a 5.0 TB BV RV8 that's far wilder than this car,but you can still use it in anger without fear of dying and it's embarrassed plenty of good modern stuff through the bends. If you have no respect for how a big na engine delivers torque and a rwd car you WILL end up in trouble ,but using some finesse you can get a very good lick on,without having to constantly swap cogs and it will bring a bigger grin to your face. Besides TR7'S were used in various racing classes and rallying with some success. There's one in David Hardcastles book showing it going down the Mulsanne straight at about 170mph.
Theres a genuine TR8 up the road from me for sale here in NZ, they want 15k for it. Looks pretty mint, one owner. Left hand drive though, meh. I was really hoping to find a V8 MG, pretty hard to find now though.
If you think it is terrifying in that test drive try it in the wet.
I had one and in the wet it was just almost impossible to drive, it would swap ends on a roundabout if you even thought about using the throttle..
And yes the shocks etc were sorted but a live rear axle on such a light car with all that torque/power is not a combination to be triffled with in the wet.
In the dry though....
Reminds me of a buddies Sunbeam Tiger
Owner is a cool chap
RUclips detailer pointed out wet microfibre cloths hardly scratch plastic even a natural bristle brush can.
Another good video 👍👍👍👏👏👏
I once had a ride in a V8 TR7... My reaction was much the same.
So she's a bit like a 289 cobra only lighter and more modern, shake and bake 🤘and I laughed at the "gordon benett"!
Genuine TR8s have power steering, even the 16 RHD ones. RHD power racks are rocking horse poo rare.
Nut and bolt be the correct term for British cars…. Unbelievable amount of the bloody things…
How bout a 4.4 litre Leyland V8? That would be a great motor for it…
Just epic!
My Uncle had a TR6 with a supercharged 302 and 5 speed gearbox in it, fun but quite a scary car
Only a Limey would be 'terrified ' by 280 hp ! 😅😅😅😅😅
Proper job!
That 3.9 I doubt would make 280 with that work . 500 Griff's just about scraped Depending what cam problems you are having - check the valve spring seat pressures
Put that power in your sd1
The weights on the plate are not the vehicles weight they are max weights for each axle, total max for vehicle and train weight, if you want to know what it weighs go to a weigh bridge then work out bhp per ton
Wasn’t these cars rotting on the assembly line. I had a girlfriend in 83 had one. It was rotten. Bright yellow. Hard to get your leg over in these cars. But possible. Then the back window falls out😂.
You’d think he would have put it on the scales in fifteen years. . Don’t know how heavy your car is. ✌️
If Stag used the same engine. It might have a good chance in the day. It was the same company.
I wouldnt want a classic car anywhere near the sea
I would weigh the axels on a bridge easy enough probably wouldn't even charge you