This has been a labour of love, since November 2006. 2008 was the first year on the road: rebuilt engine and new…..pretty much reconditioned every thing.. Still have the Air Conditioner to fix.. have to rob a bank for that! My expensive GO CART!!!

Harris Mann enters the equation

Early Harris Mann styling sketch would show that the TR7’s essential character made it through to production,
although the final result was somewhat watered-down from this bold proposal.

Now it was settled that the new Triumph TR7 would not directly replace the MGB, but would also fight competitors higher up the price scale, its simplicity could prove to be a hurdle to sales. Even with the extra equipment added to the car in order to become a price replacement for the TR6 or GT6, the mechanical layout as chosen by Spen King did lead to the impression that the car was giving something away in terms of sophistication to its foreign rivals. With this in mind, the Longbridge studios were asked to re-style the car, in order to increase its appeal; and following his work on Project Condor, Harris Mann was handed the task…

1971 and the Triumph TR7 styling is almost finalised. Impact absorbing bumpers are incorporated and
compared with the styling of the earlier Bullet proposal, looks good while managing to integrate the
monolithic US-style bumpers, and this model does without the targa roof of the earlier car. This particular
clay model sports the “MG Magna” badge, but in reality, thanks to the way the sports car plan shook
out, the MG TR7 was never much more than a pipedream – at this stage.

Harris Mann honed the styling in order to give the TR7 a more expensive look – also incorporating the 5mph impact absorbing bumpers that the car would require in order to meet upcoming US regulations. The most startling aspect of the styling though, was reserved for the belt-line, which to emphasize the low nose/high tail stance of the TR7 was slashed down the side of the car starting high at the rear end-and and tapering towards the front, ending just before the front wheel. It certainly gave the TR7 a degree of character and identity that the Bullet lacked. Elements of the ADO21 design were also included, especially around the area of its pointed nose and pop-up headlights. It was at this point in time that the targa top arrangement of the Bullet was dropped because the spectre of a complete ban on convertibles in the USA was still hanging over the car industry and it still was not known whether this arrangement would meet such regulations. Happily for the management (but perhaps less so for the dealers), the Triumph TR7 would feature a ‘family’ look shared with its Austin-Morris stable mates, dropping all stylistic links with Triumphs of the past.

As development progressed, by 1972, it became clear that the TR7 should be the starting point for a modest range of sports cars – and the TR7 in the form it was launched would be the base model in this range. Because it was obvious that the torquey Rover V8 engine would suit the car perfectly, this would head the range, but below that, the 16-Valve version of the slant-four Dolomite engine, at the time under development by Spen King and being readied for the Dolomite Sprint was also earmarked to form the basis of the TR7 Sprint. Beyond this extending of the range of engines, at the point that the TR7 was nearing announcement, development of a 2+2 version commenced, with a view to widening the appeal of the corporate sports car. The thinking behind this car, called the Triumph Lynx was that with its extended accommodation, it could be an effective competitor to the Ford Capri; a car which was proving to be a runaway hit for Ford and in the process, was re-inventing the sports car market in the UK and Europe. The V8 engined Triumph Lynx would be pressed into service as a replacement for the troubled Triumph Stag, which at the time, was costing the company a packet in warranty costs.