Kind sirs, this short diatribe is a defense of the TR7 in general and in specifics of the TR7 coupe or FHC.
Let us, in the here and now, recognize we are dealing with cars that are 36 to 30 years of age. Whatever defects existed as delivered from the factory are no longer of relevance considering the effects of time, use/misuse, and other abuses the cars have experienced. The remaining TR7's in the world, including the ones we have resurrected, can be considered project candidates. Even those with thousands of dollars/pounds/pesos/euros/etal spent on them, they still will need something else to be attended to.
To intone that a Speke car is inferior to a Canley or Solihull car is wrong. Each of the factories produced a unique product that suits the need and desire of the owner or prospective owner. Personally, I prefer the 1976 U.S. models as they were the last with manual chokes and no catalytic converters on the exhaust pipe. Doing the conversion from the 4-speed to the LT77 gearbox was easy. The only chore requiring an outside shop was to have the drive shaft stretched, a mere $125.00 cost.
Were there factory defects on my car? Sure there were. However, being a 'car guy' as it were, finding and fixing them adds a bit of joy to the entire TR7 experience. There was the flat washer found in the bottom of the oil pan during the engine overhaul of 2004. There was the excess glue smeared on the headliner to be painted over. There was the loose rivet rattling on the passengers side floor vent that went on for some 30 years. There was the back up light switch wiring that shorted in 1978 and damn near set the car on fire.
All of these events have made memories for me to make the car uniquely mine. The car and I have made history. If a car is so reliable as to not make memories, then it becomes a dull appliance lacking in character, much like a washing machine or a toaster. That we do not want. We want our TR7's to exhibit their flair, their character, indeed, their very souls as the mechanical beings they are. We and our cars share the journey on life's roads, facing down the hazards of police radars, morons in lesser cars, adverse weather conditions, and price gouging fuel costs.
A Speke car? Yes, any time, any where. Canley or Solihull coupes or convertibles? You bet! They're all the same to me. Fine cars fit for those who appreciate them.
Mildred Hargis
