British Leyland manufactured 2746 Triumph TR8s in 1980 and 1981. Leyland had acquired a 3.5 liter aluminum V8 from General Motors in the mid 1960’s and put it into the wedge shaped body that was first introduced as a TR7 but had been designed from the beginning for the V8. GM had used this engine in their mid-sized Buicks and Oldsmobiles; this engine was and still is used in the Land Rover. There are less than 1,000 TR8s remaining. It has shown considerable appreciation over the years; current valuations/recent sales are in the range of mid to high twenties to low forty thousand dollars.

History of this car

This car was manufactured in Coventry, England in July 1980. The paint was Persian Aqua metallic and the interior was tan check. This is a federal specification car fueled by dual Stromberg carburetors

I believe that the car was first sold in Connecticut in 1981 to a lady attorney who soon brought the car to San Diego, California. The car has spent 43 of its 44 years in southern California. In the early 1990’s her teenage son had an accident damaging the passenger side front fender and the front valance. The car was parked outside for a number of years with the windows down allowing the car to deteriorate cosmetically. At some point, the attorney decided that the car wasn’t worth fixing and scraped it. The second owner bought the car out of salvage for a project car; he registered the car in 1996 but did little to restore the car. I purchased the car in July 2000. The car has a salvage title.

The odometer reads 13,485; this actually is 113,485. The main and rod bearings were replaced at just under 64,000 miles and the heads were removed and the valves R&R’ed at a little over 91,000 miles. In essence, the partially rebuilt engine has a little less than 50,000 miles on it.

Over the next couple of years, the car was completely disassembled and restored mechanically and cosmetically.

• Body and Paint. After disassembly, the car was sent to Performance Auto Body in Vista California. The front valance, passenger fender, and passenger side close panel were replaced, minor dings were removed, and the car was painted Persian Aqua using PPG base/clear coat. The car was completed in September 2001. The 1981 car is a more aesthetically pleasing car with metal badges in lieu of decals and different door and trunk locks. I’ve configured the car as a 1981.

• Interior. A new, correct OEM interior (golden tan check) was ordered from Rimmer Bros in the UK and installed in the car. The carpets were upgraded to Wilton wool and wooden dash accents were added to the dash and instrument surround. The sun visors and center console have been covered in matching color leather. A Blaupunkt radio/CD player and speakers were added to the car. The steering wheel was replaced with a new OEM wheel. The hardura mats in the trunk were replaced as well as all the rubber body seals and gaskets.

• 1981 Interior. Since I had configured the exterior of the car as a 1981 and the seats and door panels were substantially different from the earlier cars, I purchased new seats and door panels for those occasions where I wanted the interior to show as a 1981 (see pictures). The 1981 interior comes with the car as well as the OEM tan check.

• Convertible Top/tonneau/boot cover. A new Robbins canvas top was installed; tonneau is from Robbins; boot cover is custom made from original cover.

• Suspension. All suspension components were replaced.

• Brakes. All brake components, except the hard lines, were replaced to include the master cylinder.

• Engine

  • Replaced main and rod bearings

  • Removed heads, inspected, cleaned, lapped and adjusted valves

  • Replaced fuel and air pumps

  • Replaced alternator

  • Replaced clutch, clutch master and slave cylinders

  • Replaced exhaust system (stainless steel)

  • Replaced gas tank

• Transmission. Replaced nylon bushings and drive shaft

• Power steering rack replaced in 2002 with new OEM rack and pump

• Recent work (last three years/5,000 miles)

  • New tires (Verdstein Sprint 205/60 HR13)

  • New tie rods

  • New brake pads

  • New radiator, hoses and coolant

  • New suspension bushings

  • Alignment

  • Replaced brake and clutch master and slave cylinders

  • Replaced the seat covers with new tan check

  • Replaced the clutch

  • Rebuilt carburetors, replaced all rubber lines and hoses, converted chokes to manual

  • Replaced rear main seal

  • Replaced catalytic converters

California smog. The car passed its latest California smog in January of this year. All of the emissions readings were in the new car range (see attached smog image).

Air Conditioning. Everything is there except the evaporator; easily available as either a new or used part.

Drive Anywhere. I’ve owned dozens of classic cars over the years. Normally I would not want to take any of them on a long trip. The General Motors V8 and the level of maintenance over the years give me the confidence to say that this car could be driven coast to coast without fear of significant problems. The car does not use or leak fluids. This is a nice, honest car that has been sorted out (by expert shops…receipts go with the car) and maintained over nearly 24 years. Who does the work and what parts used play a major role in creating a reliable, enjoyable classic.

Price. The sales price is $28,000.

Contact. I’m a retired Marine Corps officer and certified Jaguar Clubs of North America concours judge. I can be reached at 760 420 0993 or johnbalha@gmail.com.