Triumph TR7 Convertible

My Pimento red Triumph TR7 convertible is for sale.

Its looks amazing and drives beautifully. It attracts more admiring and affectionate attention than modern cars and can more than keep pace with them with its 2.0 litre twin-carb engine (104 BHP).

It is structurally in super order and has a fresh 12 month MoT with no ‘advisories'. It is mechanically sound and the interior trim, including instrumentation and courtesy lights etc is in good, serviceable order. I used this car every day this summer and it has been reliable and great fun to drive. It is one of the later TR7s, regarded as being of the highest build quality. This car has been looked after by enthusiasts and it shows. It will likely become more valuable next year when it turns 40 and will cost nothing for road tax and will not need MoTs. For insurance, it costs me, as a 21 year old, only £25/month (with my father as named driver). Its cheap, reliable, fun and its ready to drive away.

I am selling it as I also have a Spitfire and a Seat Ibiza and I don't have enough room back at University. I am open to offers as I would like to sell this before going back to university.

Please arrange to view the car. There is very limited history - I know previous owners were members of TR7 clubs and the last owner held it for a long time in Wales. The description below is my best attempt but I am biased as I love that car and I might have overlooked something. As with almost any 39 year old vehicle it has a few small flaws. You are very welcome too contact me and come and see it for yourself.

Bodywork

This TR7 has a strong bodyshell and subframes. The outer and inner sills are firm and all metal. There is no dampness or evidence of rusting where the inner sill meets the floorpan inside the car. The area at which the rear radius arms meet the underside is strong. The entire underside is liberally coated with underseal. The bottom edges of both doors are firm and drainholes clear. The panel lines and fit are generally good, but both door edges protrude from their ideal fully flush position. The doors open and shut well however, and they do not ‘hang'. The boot space is clean and tidy and the boot shuts well. The outer wings, inner wings and underbonnet sections supporting the shock absorbers are all firm, including the sections under the wheelarches.

Paintwork

The paintwork is good, but shows evidence of age. The average depth is 120 micrometres, although panels are not all even as for example the rear nearside wing is deeper at 400 micrometers, suggesting that panel has been repainted at some point in the cars history. Overall, the appearance is very good, but a respray sometime in the future would bring it to exceptional levels.

Mechanicals - Engine

The engine is a 4 cylinder Triumph 2.0L with 2 x HS6 carbs. It starts and runs well. The compressions of each cylinder are even, and a ‘co leak test' shows there is no exhaust gases in the coolant and hence any head gasket issues are unlikely. It has been run as a daily driver through the summer has has not shown any signs of even mild overheating at any time. The electronic ignition timing is perfect and the plugs are new. The carbs were tuned in early July and the car runs well. The oil pressure is strong.

Mechanicals - transmission, suspension, steering, brakes

The clutch and gearbox are fully functional. To the inexperienced classic driver, the gears are difficult when cold, particularly when changing into second (a well known attribute of the LT77 gearbox). There is no evidence of release bearing sound when the clutch is depressed and when released the input shaft sound is minimal.

As for the steering system, the inner balljoints which had caused MoT advisories in the past have now been replaced completely as have the track rod ends and gaitors. To the inexperienced driver the steering of TR7s can feel heavy, but when you are used to it, it is excellent. Brakes and suspension are in good order, although new shock absorbers will be required at the front in years/miles to come. Again this is a personal opinion and the new, full year, MoT has no advisory notices. The wheels are in proper alignment and all tyres have ample tread and are in good condition. There is evidence of new copper brakepipe and the brakes feel firm and even. All the lights function, and the pop-up headlights operate well.

Interior

The interior trim is generally in good order, although the driver's seat cusions are worn, resulting in a slightly lowered driving position. New cusions and covers are readily available. There has been a tear in the fabric of the driver's seat cusion which had been repaired, and the vinyl on the panel behind the passenger seat has been repaired. The seatbelts are in good order and the outer and inner door handles are all in place and functional. The window winders work well. The sun visors are in place and the courtesy lights function when either door is opened. The carpets, while adequate and clean, are showing signs of age and could be replaced in years to come. Similarly, the rubber edging at the base of the wind-down windows is becoming aged and brittle and would benefit from replacement at some time in the future.

The fuel and temperature gauges were recently renewed, along with their senders, and the speedo and tach are also fully functional. This is not true of all TR7s. The indicator stalk is worn but functional. All the heating and ventilation controls are smooth and work well, although the blower works at only the highest speed (a common issue). There is a bluetooth receiver in the car, which also plays mp3/WMA files from USBs etc. The doors sport period Pioneer speakers and overall the sound system is good.

The hood is of the highest quality material, however the rear window is yellow and opaque. I never use the car with the hood up, but it should be replaced. I have transparent PVC window material and zips which I will include with the sale. The interior lining of the hood is dry and flaking, but overall the quality of the hood, compared with more common PVC ones, sets the car off beautifully.

Of course this car is not new, but it is an excellent, fun, safe and above all attractive summer daily-driver. It is a really nippy car with amazing handling and is immense fun to drive. It attracts affectionate and admiring commentary from people of all ages and is regarded as a true British ‘80s classic. It has a full MoT with no advisory notices and is ready to drive away and be enjoyed. It will inevitably need some further work in due course, but it is likely to appreciate significantly over time. Next year is will be classed as an historic vehicle and be free of any road-tax or MoT needs. These cars are a rare sight on our roads, with fewer of them licenced than Ferrari 360s! This is a genuine and original example. If at all possible, please view before you bid.

For a descriptive video, click here https://streamable.com/6yblxs

For a video of the car in action, click here https://streamable.com/wiynr9

Also published at eBay.co.uk

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