1980-1981 Triumph TR8 Convertible

Like Earth shoes, pet rocks and other inexplicably dopey fads of the time, the TR8’s wedge styling was all the rage in the mid-1970s

by Rob Sass

That’s a Buick under the hood.

Good news from the other side... Just when we thought we’d never see another lusty, open-top British sports car, along comes the Triumph TR8.” That’s my recollection of how the buff books put it when they tested their first TR8 in 1980. Essentially a TR7 stuffed with the ex-Buick 3.5-liter aluminum V8 that was then powering the Rover 3500, the new Triumph model was the first volume produced, V8-powered, open British sports car since the Sunbeam Tiger of the mid-1960s. Like Earth shoes, pet rocks and other inexplicably dopey fads of the time, wedge styling was all the rage in the mid-1970s. This was especially true on the other side of the Atlantic, most notably in the Lotus Esprit and Lancia Stratos. But it was Triumph that took the doorstop look to the extreme when it introduced the TR7 for the 1976 model year. Legend has it that British Leyland stylist Harris Mann sketched out the original concept on a cocktail napkin. His choice of media may speak volumes...