Profile: 70 | Triumph TR7 1975 to 1981

Mould-breaking British sports car in coupe and convertible form. Built from 1975 to 1981. Originally fitted with a 175/70SR13 radial tyre, with an optional fitment of 185/70R13.

Featuring a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and a five-speed manual transmission, the TR7 coupé went on sale in 1975, for American buyers only. Within a year the TR7 was available in the UK, in coupé form but with a four-speed gearbox, with a three-speed auto available at extra cost. The TR7 Sprint of 1977 was fitted with a 16-valve engine that brought the TR7 to life, but just 60 were made.

In October 1977 the Speke factory in Liverpool went on strike so production transferred to Canley (Coventry) and sales resumed in February 1978 with a five-speed manual gearbox now standard. A year later the TR7 convertible was launched in America along with open and closed editions of the TR8 – although the latter was quickly killed off. By 1980 the TR7 convertible was being sold worldwide, but in 1981 the final TR7s and TR8s were built; US cars got Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection for this year only.

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