1976 Triumph TR7

First registered in July 1976, this particular car is an early home market right hand drive Speke-built TR7 4-speed manual coupé. Such cars are highly sought after as so few survive to this day, mainly because of the poor labour relations at the Liverpool factory and the subsequent build quality issues that dogged production.

This car was Ziebart-undercoated from new, which probably saved it from the fate of most of its contemporaries and accounts for the good condition of the body, original paint and no sign of any structural corrosion.

Originally sold to a private customer in Suffolk by the local dealer Riddelsdell Brothers of Boxford, this TR7 has spent the vast majority of its life in the eastern counties.

The car is very original, it has all matching numbers as confirmed by a recent BMIHT Heritage Trace and it retains all of its authentic features right down to the supplying dealer sticker in the rear window.

It has been carefully looked after, especially by the last two of its seven owners, who have spared no expense in keeping it well maintained and respecting its originality through sympathetic restoration and improvement.

The TR7 has been used sparingly, covering just over 37,000 miles in 45 years. It comes from the collection of a TR enthusiast who is freeing up space for a newly acquired TR7 V8 rally project. This car was too rare and too original to be rally-prepped so it is now looking for the next owner to cherish the car and preserve its authenticity.

This TR7 still sports its original factory Tahiti Blue paint. After 45 years with barely a touch up, you can imagine that it’s not in perfect condition, but it is still fairly good considering. There are a handful of scuffs and scratches, dints and stone chips across the car and a more significant dent on the front nearside wheel arch but overall, the paint and bodywork have survived very well.

The black bumpers appear in good order and tie in well with the black lower sills, window surrounds, mirror and rear pillar louvres. Also, being an early car, it has a black painted rear panel behind the number plate. The original Triumph and TR7 decals are still present too and look in good condition.

The car sits on its original 15-inch steel wheels with the original black sprung-loaded hub caps, which look in good condition all round and are fitted with matching Vredestein T-Trac tyres dating from 2006, but still with the rubber pimples around the shoulders.

Inside the car feels as original as the outside, and it’s probably fared a little better condition-wise too. The black cloth seats are clean and intact with no signs of wear or damage and even the black plastic and vinyl surfaces of the dash and instrument panel have survived with barely a scratch and no cracks.

As far as we’ve been able to test, everything on the car works as it should, including the period 8 track stereo complete with a cartridge of Slade’s “Sladest” compilation album - which spookily includes a track called “The Shape of Things to Come”!

The black carpets are still thick and lush and the floors underneath appear sound. Up above, the headlining is in very good order and is clean and taut. Behind the seats the rear shelf-cum-storage-bin is lined with a very thin plastic but it too looks original and undamaged.

The engine bay is uncomplicated but quite beautiful in its simplicity. The paint around the compartment is very good (the Ziebart having been painstakingly removed by the previous owner) and there are no signs of rust - not even surface rust - to be found. The inlet manifold, feeding the twin SU carbs, and the cam cover are painted in a light grey and look almost new, everything else seems in good order.

The undersides of the car look clean and tidy with good underseal across the floor, no sign of corrosion and a recently fitted stainless exhaust system.

Inside the boot, only the floor is lined with a thick vinyl mat (again original), and the walls are painted body colour. Under the floor are housed the original jack and tool kit and the original spare wheel, albeit with a recent tyre fitted.

There is no record of any MoT inspection on this car since 2006 when online records began, so as it stands, the car has no MoT.

Although exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have it tested at the earliest opportunity. The cost of an MoT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic car, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner and any subsequent purchasers but is also invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies.

The car retains its original 1998cc four-cylinder engine, which was overhauled in mid-2017, as was its original rear axle. A reconditioned 4-speed manual gearbox was fitted last year, along with a stainless steel exhaust.

The car comes with a history file including numerous invoices, handbooks, sales brochure, spare keys and a recent heritage certificate confirming all the important numbers and production details.

Testament to the type of owners this car has had, there’s also a trusty Haynes Workshop Manual thrown in.

If finding an early Speke-built right hand drive Triumph TR7 is rather uncommon, then finding one that is totally unmolested and in completely original condition must be to a TR collector what a 1933 One Penny coin is to a numismatist - it is a remarkable discovery.

Whilst it is in good mechanical order, it might benefit from a tad more carb-fettling to keep the fuel flowing at idle and low revs - although to be fair we’ve mostly just moved it around the unit and when it was driven a bit further, things did warm up and it ran more smoothly. According to those who know TR7s, it goes pretty much as expected.

You only get one shot at originality and this car has retained much more than most that we see and we think it will sell with NO RESERVE for between £8,000 and £15,000. That seems pretty cheap for a car that has caused us to use some form of the word “original” no fewer than 19 times!

If you’ve made it this far, you’re either a part of the TR7’s cult following already or you’re starting to get sucked into the wedge’s cause and thinking of future opportunities that the preservation of this highly original car could bring... sorry, that’s 20!

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.