| If a metal metaphor for BL's trials and tribulations during the seventies is sought, look no further than the Triumph TR7; in many ways a very good car it was, undoubtedly, a victim of circumstances. In December 1967 Triumph and MG were deadly rivals, by April 1968 they were commercial partners. Within two years of the merger an informal design competition had effectively developed within BL, between the front-engined 'Project Bullet' Triumph, designed at Triumph's Canley factory with help from stylist Michelotti, and the mid-engined MG 'ADO 21' project that had been drawn by Longbridge based stylist Harris Mann. The TR7 design emerged victorious from this fracas; a front engined car that used many of the styling cues seen on the mid-engined ADO 21, after Harris Mann had been asked to sketch ideas for a new Triumph TR by managers at Longbridge. It was most definitely a Triumph project although MG badged mock-up models were made. This effectively left BL's biggest sports car brand, MG, with no new product on the horizon, which sealed their long-term fate. |
