The April issue of Classic & Sports Car had a article about all-weather sports cars. The author thought the TR7 was the best all around all-weather dd. Not counting the Reliant GTE (much too rare), what do the CMS experts think: Which would be a better all weather, all around dd, MGB GT or TR7. This has been brought up before and it's almost a extension of a topic over on GRM site but curious what y'all think. Thanks.
I'd certainly vote the MGB GT as superior. The hatchback alone makes it more useful. Not to bash the TR-7 in any way, the MGB certainly would be more reliable as it has a much more sturdy powertrain.
Now, if we can move away from the Kingdom Of Lucas, the best choice IMO would be a Datsun Z.
GT...
A.
The TR7 MAY have the edge in ride and amenities, but the GT wins hands-down on load-carrying capacity and robustness. Between those two, I'd take the GT (and did).
Andre, much as I like GT6s, they're not in the hunt for a DD. Too small, too hot, too finicky. But they're damn cool.
240z would be tough to beat, except they've all rusted away, and if you found one that hadn't it wouldn't take much daily driving until it had.
Do we consider the BMW 2002 a sports car?
Honestly, I'd suggest a corvette, except they're too thirsty (and I'm just not really a fan. But in their favor, there's not much on them that can break that you can't get fixed pretty easily, anywhere, and with the hatch, you've got a little room.
Oh I was totally in for a BGT... Late model with nice seats.
A.
Very different cars in many ways. Parts and access to information are better for the MGB GT which is a plus in that column.
Have a B/GT love it dearly. If I had a local commute it could be a daily driver. Sitting inside a plaid TR7 would require drugs..Lots of them!!
Have a B/GT love it dearly. If I had a local commute it could be a daily driver. Sitting inside a plaid TR7 would require drugs..Lots of them!!
I've never owned a B-GT, but I have had an '80 Anniversary edition TR-7 in the early '80's, which fortunately was without the plaid interior. It was a pretty decent car, and not at all deserving of some of it's reputation. It also was one of the most comfortable sports cars I've ever owned for trips. Great seats and wheel placement.
Since it was new at the time, I won't comment too much on mechanical difficulties, except to say it rarely had any, and it of course didn't require constant "nut and bolts" like all my other Triumphs at the time did.
It wasn't an all out sports car in the X1/9 mold, but it was an awesome driver and perfect for touring. I once took it on a 2,000 mile trip, very comfortable and with good mpg.
Now B-GT's of course look cooler and have that '60's flavor you can't get with a 7, and I've always wanted a GT6...but then I think a Europa would make a great daily driver, so what do I know!
I think its really apples and oranges. I prefer the GT but I like the TR7, too. The difference is really the strange romance of the British sportscar.
The British sportscar up until the introduction of the wedge in the form of the TR7, TVR Tamsin, Lotus Eclat and a host of others, was really a romance or rhapsody on the theme of the British sportscar. It was as if they were a monument or a dedication to something that still existed. Yes, they were still British sportscars, but I don't think anyone would argue that the design language of an LBC was an anachronism in the 70's and possibly even the late 60's.
Even while the Fiat 128 was soldiering on, it at least had updated and more modern engine and a true five speed. The LBC's have the electronic OD on a four speed if there were an OD gear at all, and maintained the continental curves fans appreciate, well beyond their expiration date, not to mention things like a manual choke and shift levers the size of breaker bars, and gauge packages and dash presentation that continued in, well, a "classic" style.
The TR7 departs from this so much, I think, that an LBC nut who is caught up in the romance of the idea of the British sportscar might not take to the TR7 for the same reasons. Then of course you have what would no doubt be the finickiness of even a well sorted out LBC that must be present in the TR7 by the mere fact of its LBC-ness, and the equation is thrown off balance a bit.
I like the TR7, but I don't love it and I don't think I would grow to if I had one, I just think I would really like it. Taking an all weather trip in a GT is like sailing by yourself in the ocean in an old little schooner, it invites so many contingencies good and bad into the mix that it imparts a sense of adventure beyond mere travelling. I think that this, too, is a part of the romance of the car, and thats a property the TR7 just doesn't impart, at least to me.
In good shape they do look very good, and I like the lines of the coupe, particularly. I'm just caught up in the variations of the theme.
Awesome shot.
anyone who lived in england when tr7s were around will know that they never worked in the wet. so not much of a tourer! on a similar note, i was cycling to work along a country lane last week when a roaring tr8 passed me accelerating up a hill. sounded great and was the first i've seen in many many years.
Have you even looked inside a TR7/8 trunk? It's surprisingly huge for a car of this size, although probably not as big as a BGT hatch. I'd take the ride and handling of the Wedge over a BGT too, although I much prefer my TR8 over a TR7.
jack
MGB wins. Love that pic, and thinking about finding a BRG '67 like my father bought brand new.
A TR8 coupe would be my pick - rare to find in a coupe and rarer still to find a 5spd.
I had a Reliant Scimitar GTE for a while - rare over here - probably ten or so kicking around.
I think the TR7 is way underrated. It is certainly a much more modern car to drive than the BGT.
The MGB GT is a much nicer car, and a very usable classic. The quintessential B GT will have wire wheels and be painted BRG!
Sorry, although I've owned many Triumphs, I could never see myself in one of those infernal rubber lipped flying doorstops they called the TR7. Miserable beasts and a betrayal the spirit of all the Triumphs that came before!
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