(upbeat electronic music)
- I'm Stefan Lombard, executive editor
of Hagerty Classic Cars.
Today, I'm at the Petrol Lounge in Austin, Texas
with this Triumph TR8
and we're going to talk a little bit about
what you should look for
if you're in the market for one.
The 1970s were pretty harsh
on the British auto industry
and unfortunately, Triumph was no exception.
By the late 70s, Triumph was trying to figure out
how to get a V8 engine into its TR7,
sort of a last hurrah of the Triumph cars.
What they settled on, ultimately,
was the Rover 3.5 liter V8, an all-aluminum unit
which was based on a Buick V8 from the 60s.
Mating a V8 engine with the TR7 platform
didn't save Triumph,
but the resulting TR8 was a hoot to drive.
Fewer than 3,000 were built,
primarily for the US and Canada markets,
and they came in coupes and convertibles,
and you could option them with all kinds of stuff,
rack and pinion steering, air conditioning,
tonneau covers, luggage racks, and more.
Despite the bad rap that cars of the late 70s
and early 80s get, the Malaise Era cars,
there's a lot to like about these cars
and not a lot that goes wrong,
but like all British cars, rust is an issue,
but if you know where to look
and know what you're looking for,
then you should be good.
One of the most notorious spots for rust on these cars
is the door sills,
so you're gonna want to check both of them,
inside and outside and from underneath.
You want to feel the wheel wells
and if that's degraded,
that can be a serious problem.
Something to consider with coupes
is that water can actually get in
underneath the top of the windshield
and rust it from the inside out,
so if you notice bubbling around that area,
that's definitely a cause for concern.
Triumphs, like all British cars,
can have some quirky wiring
and sometimes that shows itself
in the headlight mechanisms
and so you want to make sure that both headlights
rise together and close together,
because like any car with pop-up headlights,
you don't want to have one up and one down.
Now that we've talked a little bit
about the outside of the car and what to look for,
let's pop the hood, check out this Rover V8
and talk a little bit about that.
One of the first things you notice
when you pop the hood on a TR8
are dual Stromberg carburetors,
except about 730 cars came with
Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection.
It's a good engine management system,
but one of the drawbacks is parts availability,
so you want to turn to the experts
and the experts are at the Triumph Wedge Owners Association.
There's a great knowledge base there,
lots of people willing to help answer questions,
and anything you're looking for for these cars,
that's a great place to start.
Check the integrity of these strut towers.
Any kind of corrosion or damage on here
is a sign that bad things are happening.
Then, when you've got the hood up,
check out your engine.
Any kind of sludge that's built up
is a potential sign that the car
hasn't been well cared for,
so you're gonna want to remove the dipstick,
check the level of the oil, the color of the oil.
You can take off the filler cap too and look in there.
1980s were the era of plastic dashboards,
so you can see that this is all plastic,
and the sunlight would degrade this plastic,
so you want to make sure it's not cracked or warped.
These cars came with a pre-molded carpet kit,
so it fits perfectly, as you would expect.
If you can, find a car that has great carpet in it
because if you have to replace it
somewhere down the road,
the pre-molded kits are not available anymore.
There are aftermarket kits,
but they don't fit the same,
so it's nice to have one that fits perfectly in your car.
Turn the air conditioner on and see if it blows cold.
They were originally R12s.
Many have been converted to R134
or else just ignored completely and they don't work.
One of the neat things about these cars
is they have a very un-British sound
when you close the door,
(door slams shut)
that is to say they're very solid-feeling,
not tinny like previous Triumphs
and other smaller, British roadsters.
Now, perhaps the most important thing
to consider when buying a TR8
is that you are actually buying a TR8.
Lots of TR7s have been converted
into "TR8 specs" with V8s.
The best way to tell whether you're actually getting a TR8
is to check the VIN, because the chances are
they didn't also upgrade the brakes
and TR8 brakes were put on the TR8
to stop a V8 engine.
Now, all this talk of V8s
kind of makes me want to hear the thing,
so let's fire it up and take it for a drive.
(engine starts)
(engine humming)
One thing to note about this Rover V8,
at 3.5 liters that's 213 cubic inches.
It's not big by American V8 standards
or British V8 standards,
but it's all-aluminum, so it's very lightweight
and the whole car only weighs about 2,700 pounds,
so it's more than adequate.
One of the issues these engines
can be prone to is wear on the cams and rockers.
It's not a deal breaker,
but you might be looking at some engine work.
These cars are affectionately known
as the English Corvette because of their size
and the way they get up and go,
and that's an apt comparison.
When you do get up and go,
one of the things you want to listen for
is the transmission.
Any odd noises could be a sign of inadequate lubrication.
The differential is a different story
and it's not uncommon for a high-pitched whine
from the differential,
and it's generally not a problem.
Cars fitted with the Stromberg carbs
produce 133 horsepower,
while the Bosch unit like this car has
makes 137 horsepower.
It's not world-beating,
but it feels that way, which is nice.
While you're not gonna get prodigious torque
like you would from
a V8 that's nearly twice as big,
if you keep the engine high up in the power band,
it'll reward you with some spirited driving.
If you're looking for a wedgie-shaped car
from the early 80s,
your options are Lotus Esprit,
Triumph TR7, and Triumph TR8
and if you're looking at a TR7,
you might as well get a TR8
because this power...
(engine revs)
is addictive.
(electronic music slowing)