At $13,500, Could This 1980 Triumph TR8 Give You A Wedgie?

Once called by Car and Driver “the reinvention of the sports car,” today’s Nice Price or No Dice TR8 is now considered a classic. It’s still a controversial classic, and we’ll have to see how contentious its price might prove to be.

The idea that “hard work never killed anybody” is typically imparted by those supervising said hard work and not the actual toilers, many of whom might have already succumbed to the efforts of their labor. The 2000 Jeep Cherokee Sport we looked at yesterday needed significant work, including a clutch replacement and a repair to the A/C system. That, along with some noticeable rust in the bodywork, might not prove fatal to the individual tackling the work, but it killed almost all interest in the truck’s $7,500 price. Ultimately, that DOA was a massive 94 percent No Dice loss.

When Triumph introduced its wedge-shaped TR7 in late 1974, the company branded it as the “shape of things to come.” As forward-looking as such marketing speak might be, the car itself was actually a step backward from its TR6 predecessor, lacking that car’s six-cylinder torque, four-wheel independent suspension, and convertible top. The TR7 would never get an independent rear end, but over the course of its model run, it would receive a handsome Michelotti-designed drophead edition, and with the introduction of the V8-powered TR8, few people pined over the sixes of yore.

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This 1980 Triumph TR8 comes from the model’s (and Triumph’s) penultimate year here in the U.S. The last year would see all models powered by a higher-output edition of the Rover (ex-Buick/Olds) aluminum V8 featuring Bosch fuel injection, but this being a year earlier and a non-California car, it features twin SU carburetors. This was an odd choice for Triumph as the company’s other car, the Spitfire, along with parent British Leyland’s other export, the MGB, had years earlier switched to Stromberg CD-175s for the U.S. market.

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With its SUs, the 3.5-liter Rover v8 makes a modest 133 horsepower. That’s managed by the T77 five-speed manual and live axle rear end. Almost all these parts were shared with various Rover and Land Rover vehicles, so many pieces remain available today.

The ad for this TR8 notes that it has already received some new parts, including seat upholstery and door cards, making the interior appear tidy and fresh. There have been some mechanical updates, too, as the ad further notes the replacement of a brake line and a fuel pump.

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Unlike yesterday’s Jeep, this Triumph is touted as being rust-free, and aside from some discoloration in the massive rubber baby buggy bumpers on each end, it looks to be in seriously good condition. The odometer reading is claimed to be 105,186, but seeing as this is a Canadian-offered car, it’s a puzzle whether that’s kilometers or miles. The title is clean, and the seller does, graciously offer the price in both Canadian ($18,000) and U.S. ($13,500) monies. No matter what your passport designation, the seller demands serious buyers only need apply.

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We can be serious when we want to be, and I’m going to now ask you all to take serious consideration of that price tag, letting me know your thoughts on this TR8 and that $13,500 asking. Does that seem fair, given the car’s presentation? Or, unlike the wedgie car, does that price not have much of a point?

You decide!

Seattle, Washington, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

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