Triumph TR7 V8 Grinnall Convertible

Mark Grinnall first came to prominence in the 1980s when he began to convert Triumph’s somewhat limp-wristed TR7 and ill-developed TR8 into proper cars more worthy of the sporting motorist. Today Grinnall Specialist Cars has a fine reputation for making radical road-burners like the Scorpion, the Grinnall R3T and the BMW 1200CL.

This particular car was built by Grinnall for the current owner in 1994. The starting point was a totally rust-free TR7 bodyshell that dated from May 1981. This was modified into wide-body form by Grinnall including nose and tail sections, flared wheelarches and sills and de-swaged door skins. Onto this base Grinnall grafted the running gear of a Rover SD1 Vitesse including engine, 5-speed manual gearbox, brakes and suspension. The 3.5-litre fuel-injected V8 was bored out to 4.2-litres and fully rebuilt with a JE crank and now produces about 285bhp. The rear drum brakes were replaced with Cosworth brake discs.

The subframe comes from a genuine TR8 as do all the dash instruments. The interior has been fully retrimmed in biscuit leather including the door panels and rear bulkhead, and a new black mohair soft top and cover fitted. The body was repainted in Jaguar Sebring Red and 16-inch alloy wheels fitted with 225x45x16 tyres all round. A high ratio back axle has also been fitted for more relaxed cruising – at 2,000rpm it is doing 60mph in 5th.

The car cost £24,000 to build and has only covered some 5,000 miles since it was completed. Said to be “virtually as good as new” and to “drive beautifully”, it is due to have a fresh MOT before the sale. Grinnall only built six of these TR7 V8 convertibles, all subtly different, so you are unlikely ever to see another one coming the other way!