The English Corvette - Our Triumph TR8

[hjames]

We stayed local and skipped the ride to the Bay for the Bugatti show - kind of cool grey days, not so appealing, but we're doing kind of a double-header in May.
We had a nice lunch yesterday in Vienna at the Royal Nepal Bistro (Great Food!) - with TRouble where I could keep an eye on her nearby.

I've been prepping the car with spares and such for her first overnighter next month, to the Carlisle Fairgrounds, since they're featuring the 50th Anniversary of the Wedge Cars (TR7 & TR8) May 16-17th. I reserved a spot on the non-Trophy display field for TRouble. (How could I resist a celebration of so many wedge cars in one semi-local place)

Carlisle Events - Event Details

Carlisle Events - Event Details Learn more about the automotive events taking place in Carlisle, Pennsylvania!

www.carlisleevents.com

Then the TRiumphs Around the Chesapeake (TRAC) club is featuring a Brits By The Bay event (BBTB) that Sunday May 18th! (Near Aberdeen, MD - NE of Bal'mer)
So if all goes well, we'll drop by there on the way home from PA. - or not if Carlisle burns us out We'll make new friends - https://www.tracltd.org/
Thats at Rocks State Park ** Deer Creek Overlook 6 Cherry Hill Road, Street Maryland 21154

But of course our local Capital Triumph Register is having their 28th British on the Green (BOG) event this Sunday April 27th at Gunston Hall (Lorton, VA)
weather calls for Rain saturday but a cool sunny Sunday! - https://www.britainonthegreen.org/

 

[hjames]

Spent the morning with the Triumph club setting up the field for the 28th Britain On the Green event at historic Gunston Hall (Lorton, VA),
in the rain - but its supposed to be in the 70s and sunny Sunday.

Starting at 9AM tomorrow, there will be cars!

Tom and I during Saturday Setups - we are 2/3 of the TR8 owners in the Capital Triumph Register club
(he gave Emma and I rides in his silver TR8 car last summer that convinced us that TR8s would be the hobby for us!).
Art took the picture - he's the 3rd TR8 owner ...


Its actually a pretty big estate - I think estimates are 180 cars are expected.

 

[bruno80918]

I always loved the look of those triumphs.
it must be a blast to drive !
thanks for sharing the pics and story.

 

[hjames]

Well, all of the tents we set up Saturday blew down overnight and most were destroyed! But it was clear and sunny on Sunday, tho still windy for a good part of the day.

Too windy to leave my hood up, tho the top was down from the moment we left home at 7A! All 3 TR8s in the club showed up, no TR7s ...
The other 2 got first & 2nd in their class - mine is too non-stock (!) - I got bupkis! Hey, I like the rare hood badge better than the ugly stencil type TR8 Logo the others have.
Mine came with that too, but it was damaged over the years and I prefer the look of the earlier hood badge. Classier, tho not "authentic."


There was a group of 4 Triumph Stags behind us - Beautiful cars, with the Triumph V8 motor and not the GM/Rover motor our TR8s have.



Lots of other cars there - maybe a dozen Lotus Elise cars, dozens of TR6s - even a preWar Austin 7 that was just amazing!



The Austin 7 motor ...


and a hardy soul rode in on his early 50s Vincent twin ...


A half dozen Aston Martins clubbed together ...


Yeah, I know I shoulda taken more pictures - I always decide that after the fact, but I tend to be more present in the moment,
appreciating them while I am surrounded by all the cars. Plus I was actually working with the Triumph club, directing cars onto the field and such ...
There was a Jaguar Concours d'Elegance with the local Jaguar club as partners to the event, but I didn't wander over to that group,
tho I did guide a number of them onto their side of the field.
The only trailer queens I saw was a group of new/modern Land Rovers from a local dealer.

 

[Doctorhugo]

Fantastic! I had TR7s before I immigrated to the USA a few years ago; the Rover V8 does add considerable punch! I had the opportunity to buy a TR8 last year, but here in CA they can be a problem to smog. I'm down to just one Triumph these days:

 

[Romeo Wolf]

@hjames
Went to my local salvage yard the other day and saw this Triumph Spitfire which reminded me of your TR8 !

There's also a cool obscure band from the 60's called "Arch Of Triumph"

 

[hjames]

@hjames
Went to my local salvage yard the other day and saw this Triumph Spitfire which reminded me of your TR8 !
View attachment 3498323
There's also a cool obscure band from the 60's called "Arch Of Triumph"

Just after high school when I was into british bikes (slightly different Triumphs), a friend of mine had a GT6 ...
a very swoopy looking inline 6 cylinder 2+2 sports coupe - Its another serious british sports car
I don't have pictures of his in a deep blue, but here's one I found on the web.
You can see that it's quite reminiscent of the Spitfires, but instead of the 1500cc 4 cyl, its got 6cyl power!
Production ran from 1966 to 1973, and the later GT6+ cars were quite a fun ride.



Pretty cool looking car - but, the 240z and similar cars took over this market segment ...

 

[Doghouse]

My brother-in-law had a TR8 in 1979.
He said that if he put his foot down hard, he could see the needle on the fuel gauge moving.

 

[hjames]

My brother-in-law had a TR8 in 1979.
He said that if he put his foot down hard, he could see the needle on the fuel gauge moving.

Of the 3 TR8 owners I know, the gold one in the club is pretty stock and he does 20+ MPG on trips. A TR8 is a spirited car, and very tempting (and rewarding) to push the pedal. Of the 3, our car has a cam, manifold, a big 4bbl, and headers - so it is well under stock MPG - but tho it'll do highway speed in 3rd, in 5th its barely idling at 2500rpm.
We don't get much mileage zipping around town in the lower gears - so I'll let you know more after our trip to Carlisle next weekend!

 

[spicer]

Just after high school when I was into british bikes (slightly different Triumphs), a friend of mine had a GT6 ...
a very swoopy looking inline 6 cylinder 2+2 sports coupe - Its another serious british sports car
I don't have pictures of his in a deep blue, but here's one I found on the web.
You can see that it's quite reminiscent of the Spitfires, but instead of the 1500cc 4 cyl, its got 6cyl power!
Production ran from 1966 to 1973, and the later GT6+ cars were quite a fun ride.

View attachment 3498388
View attachment 3498391
Pretty cool looking car - but, the 240z and similar cars took over this market segment ...

Friend of mine had a red 67. Fun car to drive, no doubt. It would drift like it was having fun with you, perfectly balanced.

 

[leesonic]

If you lived in Southern NJ, I would suggest you join our club : The British Motor Club of Southern NJ. Actually, you could still join, as we have a very good newsletter.

 

[hjames]

If you lived in Southern NJ, I would suggest you join our club : The British Motor Club of Southern NJ. Actually, you could still join, as we have a very good newsletter.

As of August '24, just before we bought the car, I'd already joined the Triumph Wedge Owners Association (TR7s & TR8s),

Triumph Wedge Owners Association

as well as the Capital Triumph Register for the MidAtlantic area (DC/NoVA/MD), which is a very active local group, and does a lot of activities with the local MG club!

CAPITAL TRIUMPH REGISTER | Capital Triumph

https://www.captitaltriumphregister.org/ Mid-Atlantic Triumph car club for all with passion for Triumph cars. Annual car shows, monthly drives and meets, leverage experience of members for repairs and restorations

www.capitaltriumphregister.org

 

[Catmanboo]

One day soon I need to resurrect this '76 TR7 project, once I get some elbow & table room in it's current home. Got sidelined some years back for a number of reasons too involved for discussion. Original rust-free body (imagine that, in Ohio!) stripped of nearly all bolt-ons for a total color change from plain old crappy brown to BRG, front suspension full rebuild, trans repair/ rebuild, new 14" wheels & tires, motor & head rebuilt with high-comp pistons from UK, bronze cam bushings for the head, which needed lots of remediation due to engine been run many miles with broken top rings & leaky water pump seals. Pieces of rings had worn through the top of piston grooves & got loose in 2 cylinders & played hell in the combustion chambers, leaving pieces embedded in the head & pistons.
That mikuni carb & induction system shown, never found out anything about it due to no numbers on either, so can't find rebuild parts. Will end up going back to stock bits from the parts car for practicality's sake & to enable reinstallation of the fresh air scuttle.

 

[Nautiker]

^^ I always thought a TR7 roadster would be fun to restore/fix up - I'd love to have one of the TR7 Sprints, but the engines never made it to the US and trying to fashion one from parts would be real headache... Good luck with yours!

 

[Hawkgt]

Well back near the beginning of all this I had mentioned that hjames put the bug back in me for a Wedge .After finding a few in my area including a TR8 that was supposed to be rust free I ended up settling for a 1977 Speccy built Fixed head TR7 V8.Brought this one home last fall as my winter projectTo start this is a 5 speed car with a Buick standard compression 215 CI.This is what the 3.5 Rover is based on.Oppenhauser intake,Edelbrock Weber 1404 which I re jetted.Long tube headers ,cammed and MSD Ignition and disributorIt had straight exhaust on it when I brought it home so that needed to be changed as it was a little to loud for me.Put on a set of Flowmaster HP2 on it.I haven;t heard them yet so we will see.Suspension all gone over.Cleaned up a bunch of messy wiring..Sorted out the engine compartment.Changed out most bulbs for LED and ended up rep;acing the electric fuel pump two weeks ago.Had the incorrect wiper arms on it so sourced a pair of them.Had non functioning rear brakes so that is now sorted along with a new master after my rebuild failed.Also rebuilt the Brake Servo.Lots of small details,but basically a sound car.Repaint and some minor body work next winter.Hopefully I will be driving it by early June

 

[hjames]

Well back near the beginning of all this I had mentioned that hjames put the bug back in me for a Wedge .After finding a few in my area including a TR8 that was supposed to be rust free I ended up settling for a 1977 Speccy built Fixed head TR7 V8.Brought this one home last fall as my winter projectTo start this is a 5 speed car with a Buick standard compression 215 CI.This is what the 3.5 Rover is based on.Oppenhauser intake,Edelbrock Weber 1404 which I re jetted.Long tube headers ,cammed and MSD Ignition and disributorIt had straight exhaust on it when I brought it home so that needed to be changed as it was a little to loud for me.Put on a set of Flowmaster HP2 on it.I haven;t heard them yet so we will see.Suspension all gone over.Cleaned up a bunch of messy wiring..Sorted out the engine compartment.Changed out most bulbs for LED and ended up rep;acing the electric fuel pump two weeks ago.Had the incorrect wiper arms on it so sourced a pair of them.Had non functioning rear brakes so that is now sorted along with a new master after my rebuild failed.Also rebuilt the Brake Servo.Lots of small details,but basically a sound car.Repaint and some minor body work next winter.Hopefully I will be driving it by early June
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View attachment 3505156

Wow, Very nice looking FHC (Fixed Head Coupe) ! There was maybe 30 some Wedges at Carlisle Friday/Saturday including Art & Tom's DHC (Drop Head Coupe) TR8s from our DC area group plus maybe 4 from TWS Motors including Woody Cooper's 5 liter Bad 8 Coupe, and a white racing 4.6l FHC from Ohio ...
More pix once I unwind, we pretty much just got in from today's dogleg to the Brits By The Bay show in Streets, Md.
(350 mile drive, overall - I got some sun, we won a couple plaques at the BBTB show today).


Woody Cooper's Bad 8 (5 liter hot rod!)


Homage to Bob Tullius Group 44 car ...






First in our class (TR7s/TR8s), and Intrepid Sailor - (further distance driven to the show (260 miles including the Friday leg to Carlisle)
[Had to setup a Trophy Shelf for TRouble today! the middle one is from a show in Manassas last Fall]




Although we had plans to come through the Ft McHenry Tunnel in Baltimore, Siri brought us through Pikesville and westward
around the Bal'mer Beltway and down Interstate 95 to 495 west on the DC Beltway to get back home.
We saw a lot of gorgeous green farm country over the weekend ... a nice recharge!

 

[hjames]

couple pics from Art, our local Capital Triumph Register photog.
The tent & Banner from the Triumph Wedge Owners Assoc. (National group).


Emma and I chatting over TRouble ...


Emma and I chillin Friday - it was hot and sunny!

 

[gadget73]

Well you've got the proper car show grump chairs, just don't turn into car show grumps. You know the type I mean, the ones that sit there with their arms folded, glaring at anyone near their car, and glaring at anyone not looking at their car in between complaining about why "the kids" aren't interested in sitting around looking grumpy at car shows. Bonus points if they have one of those weird "crying child" dolls leaning against the bumper.

 

[hjames]

Well you've got the proper car show grump chairs, just don't turn into car show grumps. You know the type I mean, the ones that sit there with their arms folded, glaring at anyone near their car, and glaring at anyone not looking at their car in between complaining about why "the kids" aren't interested in sitting around looking grumpy at car shows. Bonus points if they have one of those weird "crying child" dolls leaning against the bumper.

God no!, we were appreciative fun folks and chatted with everyone that came by!
It was a big fun time - tho I did come home with some sun ...

We left Friday morning after a week of rainstorms and calls for rain Fri & Sat ...Stopped at a scenic overlook near Urbana (that need trimming 'cause you can't really see the view towards Frederick, MD), but the car was pretty well loaded with spare belts & hoses, antifreeze, and 4 qts of oil in the trunk - plus soft luggage and such, and the folding chairs lashed to the luggage rack. I got the TR8 travel bag for Emma to encourage her to pack light.

 

[Catmanboo]

God no!, we were appreciative fun folks and chatted with everyone that came by!
It was a big fun time - tho I did come home with some sun ...

We left Friday morning after a week of rainstorms and calls for rain Fri & Sat ...Stopped at a scenic overlook near Urbana (that need trimming 'cause you can't really see the view towards Frederick, MD), but the car was pretty well loaded with spare belts & hoses, antifreeze, and 4 qts of oil in the trunk - plus soft luggage and such, and the folding chairs lashed to the luggage rack. I got the TR8 travel bag for Emma to encourage her to pack light.
View attachment 3506868

View attachment 3506870

View attachment 3506869

Did y'all have to put an extra couple pounds in the tires? That's quite skillful packing there. Love the plate, I've never seen that color scheme on a Va. plate before, either.
I'll not be surprised to someday see you 2 dragging a small trailer with all that & more to such events & trips.