I went over to my rally buddies and started something of a head-scratcher
when we tried to think back 20 years or so about who drove what.
Here's the ad from Hemmings along with a comment from my friend Diane Houseal:
TRIUMPH: 1976 pro rally TR8, the actual John Buffum
Libra racing car that dominated the 1978-1979 series Road
and Track magazine, cover car November 1980, mind
numbing performance and handling, will sacrifice for
$16,000, interesting trades considered. John Levy,
954-493-5211, 954-779-3198, Fort Lauderdale, FL.
PS Smiskol's car was tube frame and Woodner built his own car from scratch.
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This is what my friend John Shirley has to say:
I own the ex-works Canadian TR-7/V8. This car was campaigned by Walter
Boyce and Jean Paul Perusse and was reputed to have won the Canadian
Championship in 1978 or 9, I'm not sure. I have reason to believe that the
car competed in the
1978 and 1979 "Criterium Molson du Quebec" which were WRC events in those
years.
This car was a factory car prepared in Abington England (British Leylands
competition dept.).
To my knowledge this car came to Canada at the same time as one of JB's
early 16V TR-7s and had the same engine. All of JB's cars come to the US as
factory rally shells which he assembled. All TR-7s with V8s were known
everywhere
except the US as TR-7/V8s. In 1978 the factory sent the parts to convert
all TR-7s to
TR-7/V8s. Only in 1979 and 1980 did the factory build the rally cars from
scatch with V8s.
These cars were only used by the factory.
To my knowledge (aka conversations with JB) all of JB's cars where factory
cars. He has
told me that none of his cars still exist (i.e. destroyed). I also believe
that the Woodner car was
one of JB's. I understand the Smiskol car is not a factory car and didn't
have the V8 or the
integrated "Safety Devises" roll cages. The cage is integral with the A
pillars and went down the side
body panel to the frame. I also believe this car didn't have the Salsbury
rear axle and
rear Lockheed disk brakes. I understand the Smiskol car is in Arizona and
has been used in the
past as a pony stock circle track car. No Joke!
The car in question has been for sale for several years at $50,000US. I can
only think that this
car is Woodner's or a bastardized car. I can't beleive that JB would not
have kept or found his friends car.
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