Hello. I am the owner of a nice, clean, unmolested 1980 TR7 DHC I found about two years ago in Burnsville, MN. It was well cared for by the three previous owners and it was even the same Carmine Red that my first TR7 was back in the early 80's. That one was of course a FHC, 1976 vintage. That car was my introduction to the joys of British car ownership. The cylinder head of course blew the first day I had it, but I was lucky to find a great shop nearby and they sorted the car out. My wife drove it and experienced the headlamps failing during a dark, stormy night. Despite these experiences, we both loved the car and were sad when we had to sell it when it spun a thrust washer.
When I found the DHC I was amazed at how much better the late production cars are put together. I've made some standard improvements: brighter halogen headlights, LED fog lights, auxiliary rear tail lights, and a supplemental electric fan. My biggest headache has been the throttle cable, which I'm sure comes as no surprise to TR7 owners out there. It's not the car's fault so much as the cheap knockoff cables that fail in a few weeks or months. My solution was to order a heavy-duty cable for a late-model GM model and adapt it to the Triumph with a few tweaks. The mechanical fuel pump was bypassed by the previous owner and replaced by an electric one of uncertain age. It has since been replaced after it failed on my way back from work.
Other than those minor items, my TR7 has been a blast to drive, even during the Minnesota winter, when I was forced to drive it in the snow when my daily driver blew its transmission. These cars have character, are relatively simple to fix and don't cost much to maintain. Something you absolutely can't say about modern cars.
When I found the DHC I was amazed at how much better the late production cars are put together. I've made some standard improvements: brighter halogen headlights, LED fog lights, auxiliary rear tail lights, and a supplemental electric fan. My biggest headache has been the throttle cable, which I'm sure comes as no surprise to TR7 owners out there. It's not the car's fault so much as the cheap knockoff cables that fail in a few weeks or months. My solution was to order a heavy-duty cable for a late-model GM model and adapt it to the Triumph with a few tweaks. The mechanical fuel pump was bypassed by the previous owner and replaced by an electric one of uncertain age. It has since been replaced after it failed on my way back from work.
Other than those minor items, my TR7 has been a blast to drive, even during the Minnesota winter, when I was forced to drive it in the snow when my daily driver blew its transmission. These cars have character, are relatively simple to fix and don't cost much to maintain. Something you absolutely can't say about modern cars.