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Was the TR7 & 8 the last mass produced British sports car?
I'm thinking of the convertable model in particular.
In the 1980's were the likes of TVR still considered "low volume"?
Morgan? Lotus?
Discuss. . . . . .

Lotus is still making cars. My neighbor down the road has a Lotus Elise.

Aaron
1976 TR7 FHC (an ongoing project)

Don't forget the MGF

I'm talking about the 80's
When the seven was axed what other Britsh convertables were about?

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Was the TR7 & 8 the last mass produced British sports car?
I'm thinking of the convertable model in particular.
In the 1980's were the likes of TVR still considered "low volume"?
Morgan? Lotus?
Discuss. . . . . .
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">This has always been my stand point. Whilst the MGF and Lotus cars were British designed, they were both in foriegn ownership when first put on the market. IIRC, BMW got the windscreen surround changed before the MGF was finalised.

The simple is 'yes' they were the last mass-produced British sports cars. The MGF was a re-launch from nothing whereas the TR7 followed a great line of cars despite being a completely new design. It was an attempt to save the sports car from the inevitable but ultimately failed in that aim.

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Thanks John,
Thought I was right, so not only did the TR7 close three factories it also finished off the British sports car industry.
Brill!!!

And what about the MGRV8 - definitely massproduced after the Japaneze order.
I think they made almost 2000 of them...

From "<b><i>Inside the Octagon II</i></b>"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJZygyeIPcg

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">The MGF was a re-launch from nothing whereas the TR7 followed a great line of cars despite being a completely new design.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">I am afraid I don't understand the logic of that statement. If the MGF was released when in UK ownership I would consider it a mass-produced British sportscar.

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">

And what about the MGRV8 - definitely massproduced after the Japaneze order.
I think they made almost 2000 of them...
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">I am not sure that it was produced on a moving production line like the TR7. Something closer could be a Jaguar XJS, but perhaps we are talking about 'affordable' mass-produced sportscars rather than grand tourers [:)]

Aston Martin & Jaguar must qualify? 7000 DB7s were made on a production line & its cousin the XK-8 would have been far more numerous I would guess.


Never say die. At least not while you're still breathing.

Or how about the mass produced McLaren F1. Jay Leno bought one only to find there was another one just down the street. How common!



TR7 Spider - 1978 Spifire - 1976 Spitfire - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra

Lotus and Aston Martin are not volume manufacturers.

From the US perspective, the TR7/8 were the end of the line in terms of what Americans considered British sports cars. I am talking about the trend that, according to legend, started with the American GIs returning home and wanting the small, inexpensive, open top sports cars that they were introduced to while serving in Europe.

Then again, the TR7/8 kinda broke that tradition (they were too modern) and it was really the Spitfire that was the end of the line. Remember that the MX-5/Miata was called the return of the British sports car and it is more like a MGB or Type 26/36/45 Lotus Elan than it is like a TR7.

That is not to say that there weren't any small, inexpensive, open top sports cars made in the UK after the fall of Triumph, but, as far as I know, they were modern cars that, at most, shared a name with the traditional British sports cars of the past.

alan

The problem with the label 'sports car' is that it has come to imply a level of performance that Spitfires, Midgets, MGBs & most TRs don't comply with. The hot hatch phenomena that made shopping trolleys fast & fun to drive made the traditional British sports car look not very sporty at all.


Never say die. At least not while you're still breathing.