Talk you out of it? Okay, fair enough. The 77 was Speke-built. Their quality problems are legendary. If anyone's interested I can run through the receipts I had during my first 6 months of ownership when mine was new in late 1976, it's quite a list. They have sluggish acceleration compared to other 2-seaters, most especially if the one you're looking at (being in California) has the single-carburetor setup that was mandated for your state back then. Some of the parts are becoming hard to find (whatever you do, don't smash the right rear quarter panel!) and you may find yourself shunned at your local Brit car club because a lot of people still don't consider Wedges, most especially non-convertibles, to be "real" British sport cars. They're prone to rust from the inside out, so by the time you see the first bubbles in the paint you have a major emergency on your hands. The headlights are troublesome; the ignition generally gets replaced with modern electronics because of computer problems. The cars are notorious for overheating. The trunk is a joke.
But if you don't buy this car you'll kick yourself forever. It's still stylish by today's standards, 30+ years after its introduction. It has oceans of room inside. It's comfortable to drive and lots of fun to throw around curves. It's very adaptable to engine conversions if you decide you need more power. It's easy to work on, compared to anything being sold today.
I still have my 76 Speke-built TR7 and I can't imagine being without it. It's outlasted 2 wives and 3 jobs. It's seen my daughters be born, grow up and move out. It's been a garage queen for a long, long time but someday I'm going to find the money to get its body and mechanical work done so it can be on the road again. It's part of the family.
Buy the car!!!
- Steve Richardson
St Louis MO
76 TR7 (original owner)