SO WHO WINS?

If money were no object, we’d suggest buying both an MGB and a TR7 and driving them on alternate days. But as we need to choose an outright winner...

Like the Beatles, the MGB was a 1960s act whose classy components successfully lived on and prospered well into the 1970s and ‘80s. The TR7, on the other hand, has been unfairly associated with the decade that taste forgot, leaving it with more than a whiff of Afghan coats, patchouli oil, prog rock concept albums and jeans with ridiculous flares. This is unfortunate, because the TR7 is a great car, brimming with potential. Neither should Triumph’s advertising comparing the car to a bullet be followed by the phrase ‘in the head’

Though it feels slightly more saloonlike to sit in than the MGB, the TR7 handles really well. It’s very comfortable, has a spacious interior and boot, and has an immense and lovable character. It really is entertaining to drive and everyone loves those pop-up headlights.

The most bitter irony is that build quality of later TR7s was actually rather good, just at the point production ended. People also tend for forget just how many safety features these cars were given, from crumple zones to door bars.

I really don’t want to hurt the poor old MGB GT. So I won’t. I love the car and, in quantitative terms, it does nothing badly. For that reason alone, it has to be the easy winner.