1980 Triumph TR8

This car has had a remarkable life, starting life as a TR7 V8 prototype, hence the TR7 badging rather than TR8, and just the BL under bonnet sticker denoting it as such. It was then used for further competition department development before apparently being bought by a member of staff and eventually being bought by the current owner in 1998.

He used the car as interesting everyday transport for a some of years before it was eventually parked in the barn we find it in today, and where it has remained for a number of years.

Knowing it was going to be sold, a mechanic friend has recently started the car so the owner knows the engine still runs, but without a full recommissioning it has been decided not to run it again until it has been given the appropriate servicing.

As can be seen from the pictures, this is a genuine barn find, even though the owner did leave it there himself!

There is always a certain excitement looking at a barn find car, an expectation and hope that under the decades of untouched dust there is a hidden gem waiting to be found. In this car, under the thick layer of dust and barn dirt from years of sitting in what was dry air of the barn before it recently started to come down, the Triumph does look to be in rather good condition. Looking through the grime the paint appears to have a good finish with a bit of shiny surface showing through the dust in places, and the panels also look to be good.

Of course its hard to be certain in these situations, but the body work does look to be free of damage or corrosion, even around the usual culprits of the wheel arches and sills.

The trim is all present and in good condition, including a rare front splitter which has been removed but is with the car, and it has factory alloy wheels all round, and a spare rim. The tyres should be considered unusable due to age.

We believe the pop up headlights are working but were not able to check.

Open the door and it still smells like a Triumph, having been shut up for so long the scent of ‘70s fabrics hits in a wave of nostalgia. As the barn was dry and the doors and windows shut the cabin is not particularly dirty, apart from the spider webs it looks like it was parked a couple of weeks ago with odds and ends still lying around.

The seats have work very well, there are very few signs of use as the bolsters are good and the red tartan fabric excellent, which continues onto the door cards, again in great shape.

The carpets we believe are good under the floor mats and headlining are in very good too. The steering wheel is good and the dashboard has no cracks. Being an experimental car it has an extra pod of three gauges under the drivers side dash.

Excitingly, under the bonnet of the TR7, instead of 2 litre four banger, we have the legendary 3.5 litre Buick based Rover V8, topped with what looks like a Holley carb and breathing out through a one off heavy duty race/rally special exhaust from its competition days.

The owner has had a mechanic inspect the engine, turn it over and briefly fire it up, and it apparently ran well, as it did when parked all those years ago. However, as rubbers perish, oils degrade and the new petrols are harsher, the new owner will be needing to do a major service and light overhaul replacing the fuel line and brake flexi hoses, and checking the condition of other parts as a precaution.

Under the car, beyond flaking underseal the chassis and floor look good from what we can see.

The owner tells us the car was built as one of a small number of V8 prototype TR7s, a different car to the TR8 or DIY converted home brew V8s, so was owned by BL for the first few years, evidence of this being the under bonnet sticker denoting it as a V8 TR7. Its then thought, to have spent time as a development car for the BL competitions department, being maintained by Dennis Golding, a sports race car garage in London.

The vendor used this fire breathing, rear wheel drive manual beast regularly, no doubt surprising a few BMWs and 3 litre Capris at the traffic lights!

When he stopped using it, it was parked in this barn where is has remained untouched.

There are some papers referencing the early prototype years in the photo gallery, and an HPI report.

This is an intriguing and exciting opportunity to own a piece of motoring history. Many collectors value prototypes and factory specials highly, and this is just that, and from the owner we know its story almost back to the beginning.

Having been dry stored for a long time it remains in what appears to be very solid condition (but as with all projects and barn finds, its hard to be sure until its cleaned up) that just needs a good service and very good clean to get it up and running. Seeing this gem of a car emerge from the grime will be hugely rewarding for someone.

Our estimate for this car is £10,000 - £15,000.

Viewing is always encouraged. This particular vehicle is located with the vendor in Ely, Cambridgeshire; 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’.