A triumphal day

So, despite the cheapo scrap yard engine it must be in reasonably efficient fettle to achieve this figure.

Again, very odd. The PI final drive is 3.45:1 - shorter than the SD1s final drive of 3.08:1 - longer to take advantage of the increased torque.

You weren't trying to remain in fifth gear all the time, no matter what, where you? ;-)))

On the subject of the conversion, which sounds like it was done in a very pragmatic "let's get it on the road" way (not an insult), did you note the front ride height go up since the alloy V8 is considerably lighter than the

2.5? I've seen other conversions with the front sticking up on stilts because of this.

Cheers, Ken.

JC ( snipped-for-privacy@pong.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

TR8 running gear = Rover v8.

Why on earth would Triumph build a Rover v8 powered 2000 when they were putting their own in the Snag?

Besides, why go developing a big-engined version of a car that you're going to drop fairly quickly? The 2000/2500 died in '77, the TR7/8 didn't hit production until '79.

This was one of the MkIII shells - enlarged engine bays, battery in the boot, forward mounted radiator and "bulged" bonnet - there were about 30 of them in experimental when the axe fell. Some were used to develop the TR8, some were used to test the 2600 OHC Triumph engine - the history is a bot vague but I've seen them with 2600 engine, a Rover V8, even a 16v Sprint engine. Experimental had also built Stag V8 engined saloons and estates in the past - seen one of those too. Where?

- check out the museum

Another picture here

you can see the ride height now much reduced :-) J

Forgot to mention, this car wasn't registered until 1978 :-) It's what you'd call an anomaly. We call it a MkIII but of course there's no such thing - you're right the "Innsbruck" 2000 range died in May 1977. The TR7 was developed using these MkIIIs, at least the running gear was, grafted into a MkIII shell with the cars stripped out to mimic the weight of a TR7 were.

J

JC ( snipped-for-privacy@pong.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Interesting, ta. I've always liked the 2000/2500 - and the mk1 Estate I saw the other day was *gorgeous*... The one I drove briefly in the Gambia earlier this year wasn't the best, I don't think...

Will do. With the S in the URL, it's fascinating...

Whoops! Yes indeed,

African assembled 2000's are called Chicanes, lots of local content, glass, trim etc. Usually using the 2500 engine running on carbs. Door and trim fit is crap, they sit quite a bit higher also on jacked up suspension, good for towing but they do go on and on lasting forever! There are a surprising number in the UK, I know of at least 4 - why did they come home and who the hell would bring one all the way back to the UK???

J

JC ( snipped-for-privacy@pong.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

No, the one I drove in the Gambia was a British 2500PI (but on carbs) that had just been driven there... Turd brown, it is/was.

That wasn't the car driven there as part of the Plymouth - Dalar rally was it? Driven down with a red and white Herald (that was turb brown underneath!) and other Brit crap cars as part of last years rally.

J

JC ( snipped-for-privacy@pong.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

D'you mind? I drove a Svedish crap car down... Heated seats are very useful in the Sahara.

Apologies, there were some quality cars going down to Africa, a Saab is a nice motor - did it fetch much at auction? Did the guys in the 3 litre Crapi make it down, now that was a shed of some standing :-) It would be nice to know what happened to all that old iron, what survives and what was broken for parts the moment it was left.

J

JC ( snipped-for-privacy@pong.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

A little more than the Trabi and the 2500... 3/4 of sod all. Which was galling.

EVERY single one of the group one cars made it (tow ropes involved). Group two did less well - they lost the ice cream van in France, the Mini got abandoned by the girly wusses getting scared in Morocco, and a Peugeot broke it's crank in a pothole - so they sold it to the Senegalese customs guy...

Most of it's now LHD and Gambian registered, I think.