There has been a lot of good vs. bad discussion about the TR7 the last
few days, most centering on whether or not the car was any better or
worse than its contemporaries. Well, I think that the key to why the
car is so universally hated by MG enthusiasts is not related to the car
itself, but to the politics it represented. If you were an MG nut in
the US back in the 70s, you saw the MGB-GT discontinued to make room for
the TR7. You saw interesting cars like the GT V-8 kept out of the US
market by a Triumph-favoring BL management. You even saw your
Triumph-loving friends bemoaning the demise of the TR6, only to be
replaced by this... wedgie thing.
Whether or not there is truth to the TR7 being the root of MG's
misfortunes during the 1970s is irrelevant. The main issue is that the
TR7 was the most visible manifestation of the idiotic BL management at
the time it was introduced. It's no wonder that the car leaves a bad
taste in the MG enthusiast's mouth!
(Dissenting views welcome!)
Cheers, Paul Kile
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