MGB vs TR7: YOU PICKED THE RIGHT WINNER

Your MGB vs TR7 comparison ( CCW, 17 February) was spot on – finally we are beginning to appreciate a very underrated Triumph.

I’ve always been a huge fan of MG and Triumph sports cars. As a BL apprentice in the 1970s all I ever wanted was a B or, in my wildest dreams, a TR6. One perk of the job was to ‘borrow’ BL managers’ cars for company business trips. Marinas and Allegros were seen as the norm, but if we ever got hold of a B or a Spitfire we had hit the jackpot. One day at Longbridge I saw a Bullet prototype, a pre-production TR7. I thought it was one of the greatest looking sports cars ever. Sadly few others shared my view.

Some years later I had a TR7 hardtop in Persian Aqua as a company car, just like the one in your article. I loved it but always thought the turret top looked odd, with the back window reminding me of a Ford Anglia.

I still hankered after a B as I thought in GT form it was a great looking car. One weekend I swapped cars with a pal; his black rubber bumper BGT looked great. I loved the exhaust noise and the driving position. All felt fine until I tried to go around a roundabout at about 5mph less than I went every day in my 7. What a shock! Massive squealing tyres and roll oversteer by the bucketload. It terrified me and made me realise how much better the 7 was dynamically. I learned to love the B but I just had to treat it with more respect. I never could understand why the B had such a devoted following while the 7 has been subject of much ridicule over the years.

So in 2016 how have my views changed? If we compare soft top versions of each car, then the 7 wins on looks, room and performance. The only disadvantage with the TR (and it is a big one) is the availability of body panels. If only British Leyland had kept the body presses. Dave Handley, Redditch, Worcs

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