Crapwagon Poll: 1978 MGB Vs. Triumph TR7

by Chris Tonn

Updated: April 14th, 2016 Published: September 14th, 2015

Today, I’m asking the readers to look at a couple underappreciated classics. I’m lumping them under the Crapwagon banner, as they are relatively unloved developments of some special British roadsters.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a child of the Eighties, so hot hatches and poster-style supercars certainly appeal to me. However, like many gearheads, my dad influenced my automotive wanderlust. Dad was into Datsun Z-cars as well as the MGB. There was rarely a time in my young life when the garage didn’t hold at least one of these paragons of Nixon-era cheap performance. I never got to drive Dad’s last MG, though, as he sold it (after I helped him restore it) when I was about fifteen.

The rivalry between devotees of MG and Triumph isn’t quite as contentious as that of Ford and Chevy, but there are those who will never consider owning one or another. My automotive literary hero, Peter Egan of Road & Track, wrote a wonderful column titled “The MG/Triumph Question” back in 1986 that covers the personality differences in the cars and their owners (sadly, I can’t find it online).

Since I’m in the Octagon camp, let’s look at the MGB first. It’s from 1978, so it’s hit with the triple whammy of rubber bumpers, Stromberg carburetor, and raised ride height. The extra weight, worse handling, and reduced power was a conspiracy between NHTSA, the EPA and British labour unions to encourage all Americans to buy Japanese. That said, this car looks remarkably good. I’d probably choose wider Minilites, drop the suspension back down, yank the emissions crap, and install a crossflow head with dual carbs. The Russet Brown color looks spectacular.

On the other side of the aisle lies “The Shape of Things To Come”. Triumph’s wedge-shaped TR7 was a revelation when it came out of Speke in 1975. This 1976 model is a fixed-head coupe, which I dig, though a roadster is always preferred. I love the period tape stripes, though I’ve never been a fan of aftermarket sunroof conversions. The performance of this TR7 is likely to be a bit better than the MGB, as it was designed with American safety regulations in mind. Here, I’d likely do a 16-valve Dolomite Sprint cylinder head swap for a bit of extra grunt.

So, B&B, I put it to you. Both of these classic British sports cars are for sale around $10,000. Which would you rather buy?

This poll has been removed.

#MG #MGB #TR7 #Triumph

Chris Tonn

Some enthusiasts say they were born with gasoline in their veins. Chris Tonn, on the other hand, had rust flakes in his eyes nearly since birth. Living in salty Ohio and being hopelessly addicted to vintage British and Japanese steel will do that to you. His work has appeared in eBay Motors, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars, Reader's Digest, AutoGuide, Family Handyman, and Jalopnik. He is a member of the Midwest Automotive Media Association, and he's currently looking for the safety glasses he just set down somewhere.

More by Chris Tonn

Comments

Join the conversation

2 of 71 comments

Namesakeone on Sep 15, 2015

Standard MGB versus TR-7, I'll take the Triumph. Make it an MGB-GT, and I'll take the octagon. But I'll take a first-gen Miata over either.

Like Reply
Theonlyiceman53 on May 25, 2019

I'm a little biased as I own 5 MGB's and only one Spitfire. I love the look of the Triumphs but that hourglass frame flexes like a banjo. I have no idea what frame is under a TR7 as the looks have no alure for me. I have two B's with V8. Both are SBC at this point but the one was built with a big block (454) but I blew it up pretty quick and replaced it with a small block until I replace the big block. The V8 really transforms the car as far as the power and the Corvette parts I used take care of the brakes and suspension. MGB's just look cool.

Like Reply

Recent Comments

Joe65688619 Under Ghosn they went through the same short-term bottom-line thinking that GM did in the 80s/90s, and they have not recovered say, to their heyday in the 50s and 60s in terms of market share and innovation. Poor design decisions (a CVT in their front-wheel drive "4-Door Sports Car", model overlap in a poorly performing segment (they never needed the Altima AND the Maxima...what they needed was one vehicle with different drivetrain, including hybrid, to compete with the Accord/Camry, and decontenting their vehicles: My 2012 QX56 (I know, not a Nissan, but the same holds for the Armada) had power rear windows in the cargo area that could vent, a glass hatch on the back door that could be opened separate from the whole liftgate (in such a tall vehicle, kinda essential if you have it in a garage and want to load the trunk without having to open the garage door to make room for the lift gate), a nice driver's side folding armrest, and a few other quality-of-life details absent from my 2018 QX80. In a competitive market this attention to detai is can be the differentiator that sell cars. Now they are caught in the middle of the market, competing more with Hyundai and Kia and selling discounted vehicles near the same price points, but losing money on them. They invested also invested a lot in niche platforms. The Leaf was one of the first full EVs, but never really evolved. They misjudged the market - luxury EVs are selling, small budget models not so much. Variable compression engines offering little in terms of real-world power or tech, let a lot of complexity that is leading to higher failure rates. Aside from the Z and GT-R (low volume models), not much forced induction (whether your a fan or not, look at what Honda did with the CR-V and Acura RDX - same chassis, slap a turbo on it, make it nicer inside, and now you can sell it as a semi-premium brand with higher markup). That said, I do believe they retain the technical and engineering capability to do far better. About time management realized they need to make smarter investments and understand their markets better.
Kwik_Shift_Pro4X Off-road fluff on vehicles that should not be off road needs to die.
Kwik_Shift_Pro4X Saw this posted on social media; “Just bought a 2023 Tundra with the 14" screen. Let my son borrow it for the afternoon, he connected his phone to listen to his iTunes.The next day my insurance company raised my rates and added my son to my policy. The email said that a private company showed that my son drove the vehicle. He already had his own vehicle that he was insuring.My insurance company demanded he give all his insurance info and some private info for proof. He declined for privacy reasons and my insurance cancelled my policy.These new vehicles with their tech are on condition that we give up our privacy to enter their world. It's not worth it people.”
TheEndlessEnigma Poor planning here, dropping a Vinfast dealer in Pensacola FL is just not going to work. I love Pensacola and that part of the Gulf Coast, but that area is by no means an EV adoption demographic.
Keith Most of the stanced VAGS with roof racks are nuisance drivers in my area. Very likely this one's been driven hard. And that silly roof rack is extra $'s, likely at full retail lol. Reminds me of the guys back in the late 20th century would put in their ads that the installed aftermarket stereo would be a negotiated extra. Were they going to go find and reinstall that old Delco if you didn't want the Kraco/Jenson set up they hacked in?