Triumph TR8

The TR8 was the last of Triumph's TR Sports Cars. The TR7 of 1975 was well received as a much-needed modernization of the TR6. However, its 2 litre 4 cylinder engine fell well short of the power of the TR6's 6 cylinder engine. After many delays and muddles the V8 engined TR7 – the TR8 – finally appeared in 1980. The Rover V8 3.5 litre engine gave it a good turn of speed and its cockpit design, style & handling were as good as ever. This particular car is an original factory TR8 – most of them were left hand drive for the American market.

The body shell is reasonably sound so, after stripping the car out and some remedial welding, we are able to move to the spraying phase of the project. Here the paintwork is being prepared for the application of paint.

Meanwhile the Rover-derived V8 is rebuilt. It has an aluminium block and heads so it's quite light. The pushrod design makes it simple yet durable and powerful – the original designers at Buick did a good job!

The inlet manifold awaits shot blasting. This one, like many of the factory TR8s, has fuel injection to aid performance & emissions. The 8 small injector holes are visible, 4 down each side.

After spraying, the shell has the rebuilt suspension fitted and then the rebuilt engine is installed. It's a tight fit!

Assembly continues. The grey plenum chamber feeding the inlet manifold sits proudly atop the engine.

Here, the interior assembly continues. We install quite a complex Hi-fi system.

The light tan interior complements the Gold exterior colour and is the original factory colour. Protective paper keeps the carpets from getting dirty.

Here, the assembly of the boot is finished. All factory TR8s had their battery in the boot, as there is no room in the engine bay.

The hood tonneau cover tidies up the rear deck and prevents the lowered hood from flapping at speed.

The end result – looking good!

The interior looks 'better than new' now. It's a sad reflection that events conspired to work against the TR8's success. Only some 2,700 were built between 1980 & 1981, compared to over 110,000 TR7s built between 1975 & 1981.