Project: 2026 Triumph TR7

In the mid-1970s, British Leyland sought to replace the aging TR6 and MGB with a single corporate sports car, codenamed Project Bullet. The result became the Triumph TR7, a not very sporting sports car that would become one of the most devisive models in British automotive history.

Designed by Harris Mann, the TR7’s dramatic wedge profile was its most distinctive feature. Launched initially in the US, in 1975, it reached its home UK market a year later, in May 1976. 

While its 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine was far from the cutting edge, it mustered a respectable 105bhp. Magazine reviewers of the time praised its spacious cabin and impressive ride quality, yet fans of prior Triumph TR models and sports car purists in general were, broadly, horrified. 

Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro famously circled the car at its Geneva debut, exclaiming, "My God! They’ve done the same on the other side!"

Despite the aesthetic controversy, plus chronic issues with build quality from British Leyland's Speke factory, the TR7 proved a showroom sensation. It eventually became the best-selling TR ever, selling over 112,000 units. 

In the UK, natural rivals included the older MGB GT and the sharply style, mid-engined Fiat X1/9. While the Fiat offered crisp handling, the TR7 was as a larger, more practical and more comfortable long-distance tourer.

Major revisions arrived in early 1980 for the UK with the launch of the convertible. This version, featuring adaptations by Michelotti, significantly boosted the car's image. Around the same time, production shifted from Speke to Canley, and finally to Solihull, which brought  a marked improvement in reliability.

The TR7's tenure was cut short by BL's internal rationalisation, while exports were undermined by a strengthening pound. Production was officially axed in October 1981, with the last few units sold into 1982. Today, the Leyland wedge is a classic of sorts, no longer just a BL disaster but a bold vision of a future that almost was.

Design

In design terms, the TR7 is a masterclass in aggressive geometric reductionism. Harris Mann unceremoniously dumped the organic, feline curves of 1960s sports cars for an uncompromising, low-nosed wedge silhouette. 

The car's defining feature is the slash of a crease that arcs across the bodyside, sweeping from the front wheel arch to the TR7's high, blunt tail.

Pop-up headlamps gave a seamless, aerodynamically ambitious nose, and seeming distinctly exotic at the time.