1975 Triumph TR7

Coupe

2.0L 1998CC 122Cu. In. l4 GAS SOHC Naturally Aspir

Manual

Clear

GAS

We built this car for the Grassroots Motorsports Magazine Challenge. It was pictured in the April 2012 issue. The GRM Challenge limits the amount of money you can spend, but not the amount of time and ingenuity. We have over 1,150 hours into this build. The GRM competition has three components: Autocross, Drag racing, and a Concourse Judging. We decided to go with a Group 44 racing theme. We had already located a TR8 donor car on eBay, then we found a clean 30,000 mile TR7 coupe. A coupe was selected in order to have a firmer, safer, chassis. Add in an all aluminum 4.2 litre Land Rover V-8 and we were ready to build. Using a TR8 donor car gives us a finished product that is physically identical to one of the rare factory built TR8 coupes (our race modifications being the only exceptions). This is not just a TR7 with a V-8 “wedged” into it. Video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw-BsEnl6Vg&feature=youtu.be We were very happy with the performance of the car at the GRM $2012 Challenge. We came in 4th over all, and won 3 trophies including “Best Visual Package”, and “Highest Finishing Classic Car”. We are keeping the trophies, but you can buy the car and win your own. This is a race car, but we decided to leave the entire factory wiring harness intact in case we ever wanted to put it back on the street. But we would hope that the new owner decides to remove all the excess wiring, and races the car. (We saved the entire wiring harness from the TR8 donor, and it is surprisingly heavy.) Car Features: 30,000 mile TR7 coupe disassembled and painted. The low mileage car had surprisingly good weather stripping and plastic parts. I would normally use less weather stripping on a race car to save weight, but it was so pretty we decided to keep it. Custom built 13”x7” steel rims with New 215/50/13 Kumho V-710 autocross tires purchased for The Challenge. The unique TR8 components were removed from the donor car, refurbished one by one, and moved over to the Coupe chassis. This includes: the larger TR8 Brakes and brake shields, metal Radiator and brackets , brass radiator overflow, V-8 Engine cradle, larger Sway bars, 5 speed Transmission, Drive shaft, rear Axel, Trunk mounted battery, the engine accessories, and the instrument cluster. Yes, it has the correct TR8 tach, but we also added a tach with a shift light for racing. Additional chassis bracing was added including: Front chassis braces, Strut tower braces (partly ’65 Mustang, for style), interior/seat belt brace, and Trailing arms Boxed. The factory TR8 convertible chassis braces were also transplanted. Custom fabricated strut tower top plates were welded in and slotted for maximum camber and rigidity. It’s a clean modification that many miss. All aluminum 4.2 litre Rover V-8 (Factory rated at 200 hp) with all new gaskets. Holley 600 carb, Edelbrock high rise aluminum intake manifold, rare TR8 headers (opened up for better flow), TR8 “H” pipe with Catalysts deleted, and large aftermarket electric radiator fan. The car does not have mufflers …. And people love the sound. You can hear it rumble in the autocross video. Mallory electronic ignition. Pricey item, but the car revs beautifully. Nitrous Oxide Kit for the drag portion (110 wet shot). We only made 2 passes on the nitrous. Modified Wedge Shop Lowering springs (While wearing the Kumho autocross tires the car sits nice and low.), Full Polyurethane bushing kit plus the steering column bushing, dual front sway bars, Spax adjustable rear shocks, New KYB struts, Sway bar anti-dive modification, Needle bearing steering kit, and Engine cradle lowered (a common TR8 modification). Shifter shortened 1 ¼ inches, padded racing seat belt, and a Hand-sewn high performance seat cover (ok, the seat cover is actually just two T-shirts we got for free). New/rebuilt brake system (every item but the hard lines). Brakes are not a GRM budget item so we ordered new parts from The Wedge Shop. The car has a single stage paint job that was sprayed in September of 2011. It was then hand sanded and buffed. Single stage is ideal for a race car because it is easy to touch up. We have touch up paint for all 3 colours. It also has period correct Fog Lights that actually work. The car handles very well, and it is quite quick. It ran a 13.5 second quarter mile at 105.7 mph. We did not have drag slicks so we decided not to turn on the Nitrous oxide until shifting into 3rd gear. Note that we are autocrossers, not drag racers …. So the car is easily faster than the numbers we posted. We weighed the car at The Challenge and recorded the corner weights. With the addition of the driver they are pretty impressive. The corner weight measurements can also be used to further fine tune the car. I once read that the Rover V-8 is only 75 pounds heavier than the original TR7 motor. It’s a light car. Though the GRM Challenge was limited to $2,012 certain safety items do not count toward the Challenge budget, so we spent the money. We bought brand new Kumho V-710s, the Window net and mounting hardware, a racing seat belt and mounting hardware, a fire extinguisher, and refurbished the entire TR8 brake system. As of this writing the car is not titled because it was intended to be used as a race car; but a title for the car can be obtained. We can assist the buyer if a title is desired, but the buyer may have to cover the DMV fees. A $300 non-refundable deposit is due within 48 hours of the close of the auction. Even certified checks must clear before taking possession of the car. We are located in Tampa, Florida and can deliver the car locally for a modest fee. We also have photos of the build process that we can put on a CD for the buyer. There is a reserve on this auction. Let’s just say that if you buy the car for the reserve price you got all 1,150 hours of our labor for Free. This is an uncommon car that has drawn a lot of interest at every event we have attended. Younger people often ask what kind of a car it is. When we say that it is a Triumph we commonly hear, “I thought they made motor cycles.” Maybe we should put some badges on it. J Happy bidding. Good luck to you.