Thought some of you may like this especially Rob Gaskin as it has Tony Pond in it.

I miss watching racing like this....

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=124798139506323

 

I enjoyed that - some great names - I had to look up Sullivan.

That motorsport legend - the Maestro .....

 

I had an MG Maestro Turbo, it was feckin brill! So quick with torque steer in abundance. Quite similar to Datsuns in respect of their phenomenal ability to rust!

 

Good old Murray getting mixed up.

I stood next to Mansel in the pits at a touring car race 10 years ago, nice guy. He ended up climbing the the fence at brands hatch to get a better view (could have been to get away from me)

 

I remember somebody else saying that . I’m sure my dads motor club co- driver had a Montego Turbo ?

Wonder how many are still around .

 

Mansell - cheat at the start (how did they let that through...), ignore all the blue flags to not let anyone through, keep the hammer down and wait for the one in front to make a mistake...
Stig - "I was better in my Quattro..."
Most of all I miss Murray Walker commentating....

 

Tony Pond is one of my heroes - mainly because I'm a TR7 nut - not cool with most people, I know.
My first proper car I bounght in 1990 was a TR7 and I still have it - but it currently has a 4.0 litre V8. Whilst I was restoring this car I ran a standard fixed-head TR7 until the V8 was built. Much later, in about 2010, I bought another fixed-head TR7 that I was going to build into a rally car. It had full service history and so orignal that I decided it was too good to convert. About the same time I got offered another early TR7 so ended up with 2 exactly the same 4-speed cars but different colour.
I sold the Java green TR7 but kept the other (Carmine Red, and still have it).
A TR7V8 rally car came up for sale so I bought that, and was a close replica of the Triumph Works TR7V8, but a project. I finished the project, and after 5 years sold it to pay for my TR4.
The guy I bought the unfinished TR7V8 project from was called Anthony Sharpe and he was returning back to Canada (hence the sale, although he had built a few cars previously). He said at the time of purchase that he used to drive for Nissan/Datsun as a Works driver but at the time I never pressed, but he did have pictures of Nissan/Datsun cars in his den.

 

I like a TR7 - with a V8 . I like cars that stand out aesthetically by design and they sounded so good.

The sight and sound of a red white and blue works car evokes many memories . I always now think the wheels look tiny ....

 

I have the same issue with the 140bhp Toyota 1zz engine in my mk3 mr2. Should have been the 190bhp 2zz engine at least!

 

I think the rally cars (non v8) and the TR7 Sprint used the dolly sprint engine .

ive never been in one - one for the to do list

 

It did seem a better choice engine . I still love the v8 though .

 

The TR7 Sprint was never sold, but there are a few original factory TR7 Sprints on the road. They made a handful and decided not to go into production, although there are official TR7 Sprint handbooks/owners manuals around so they were very close. The engines had some differences (externally), so almost impossible to re-create a 'factory' TR7 Sprint. All TR7 Sprints have a similar number place to Works TR7's. For example SJW550S is an original factory Sprint, and SJW540S was Tony Ponds V8 Works Rally car. All/most SJW5__S cars are special. All have low ACG vin numbers.

 

Not to get too boring, but the V8 was designed to fit from day-1, so the 16V was just going to be an option. Weirdly the 16V has more BHP than the official TR8 (V8), 150ish versus 138 (US restrictions).
Another fun fact is that Maxda used a TR7 when designing the MX5. You can fit a Mazda engine and gearbox into a TR7 and they fit pefectly and even the gearlever comes out in the middle of the TR7 hole. The TR7 bonnet stay even drops into a space in the MX5 engine.