mjb writes:
>I was doing well with the TR4A solid axle car. It had a 2.2 liter motor,
>lots of torque and was a good size. The TR7 has a more modern, more powerful
>and lighter 2 liter motor, is basically the same weight, length and wheelbase
>as the earlier cars. I often do wonder what an early coupe (rigidity, you
>know) that was subjected to careful preparation and development just might
>be like chasing cones around a parking lot.
I've entertained thoughts of that too. At the Dallas VTR regionals last
year there was an autocross-prepped TR7 coupe (Serengeti Walk, I think,
was the name of the group). It went "like stink" but the guy said
he had a tough time keeping the tail where it belonged. You might
see if you can locate that club if you're interested.
However, I think that even though the TR7 has
"a more modern, more powerful and lighter 2 liter motor,"
it's also prone to ALL kinds of failure! Ask me, I used to own one.
(car 5176 of the first 10,000 or so 1975 TR7's built :-) HOWEVER, I
always liked the way that car handled (better, IMHO, than my TR8 now!)
My brother, BTW, still has that car: BRG, 4 speed, didn't have
cats(!), A/C, ANSA exhaust, HEAVY steering and clutch, about 110 bhp.
Really hot and stuffy in the cockpit... Oops, do I sound like I
actually MISS having that car?? How soon I forget: engine craps
out in Arizona (rod), head gasket goes (x3), car ALWAYS ran hot, wipers
give out (1) in HUGE downpour in a one lane construction zone in
the Appalachians, or (2) in a freak snow storm on the way to CO one
easter, timing chain breaks, water pump goes,... and probably thousands
of other little things I've forgotten. Still, I LIKE that car (most
of the time). It has character. It sounds good, it takes finesse to
make smooth shifts, needs lots of muscle to drive, but feels awesome
at speed in twisties. It required lots of TLC too. I think TR7 is
what attracted me to British cars (remember those TV "wedge"
ads where this odd-shaped TR7 screams through some twisties and pulls
into its nice wedge-shaped garage and the "shape of things to come"
appears?) THAT was a great ad. The car was funny-looking but I
REALLY liked the ad. My friend Tom got a 76 two years later, and
it wasn't long before I was hooked too. I LIKE a car that
I have to watch and care for all the time. Driving becomes an adventure,
not just getting from point A to B. I have a story for EVERY trip I took
in that TR7 (sometimes several). (In the 3 years I've owned my TR8,
I don't have ANY good trip stories :-( :-)
Oh, well, I'm babbling now, so I'll stop. Just my 2 cents...
jim
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