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This pic appeared on the Pistonheads site,  https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=140&t=1563729&i=8360  page 419

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The poster was sent the pic by a friend with no date or place, and replies say that less than a handful were made and only one survived, now owned by the TR7 Club Secretary.

So is this a new discovery,   the Sec's car before restoration or has  it gone downhill rather since then?

John

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Wow nice find! BL themselves did a couple of special bodies TR7s, namely the Lynx and Broadside - a couple of examples are still visible on the British Motor Museum, Gaydon to this day.

However, much like Grinnall Cars in Bewdley who were creating wide-arched fire breathing monster versions of the TR7, a few other independent companies also took the TR7 and created their own vision of it. There was Del Lines who created TR8s and competition cars and them there was another very well known company - Crayford Engineering. 

This, was the Crayford Tracer, a project commissioned by BL dealership Page Motors. They were expected to sell to the sort of person that was buying the Scimitar GTE. or the sports car owner who might need to fit small children in the back perhaps. It appeared at motor shows during 1976-77, but there were no takers and as far as anyone knew, only one survived - the prototype.

Hopefully we'll find out more about this particular car and verify the age of the photo so that we might learn more through the pages of TR Action Magazine! 

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Thank you, Wayne!   Perhaps an approach with the authority of the TRR would learn more by asking the poster, "hot metal" on Pistonheads where his friend got the picture?  See my OP here for a hyperlink.

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17 hours ago, Hamish said:

The TR7 “Breadvan”

Exactly what I thought when I first saw the picture.

Lotus 47 / Europa.

Move the rear window about 2 1/2 ft to the front, put a flat sheet from the bottom of the window to the rear panel, and there you have it.

Charlie.

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Additionally, I am kindly informed by Richard Connew, SEc. of the Worldwide TR7/8 Owners Club, that the unique Crayford Tracer TR7 Estate is safely owned by Chris Turner, the Sec of the TR7 Drivers Club (there are more tribes than Israel in Triumph!), , "who is correctly restoring it to its original colour of Inca yellow with a black roof. There was thought to be two of them but the confusion was because of the colour change."

Richard says that Chris is not an online person, so that getting news from him is unlikely.      Perhaps a local TRR Group knows him and could persuade him to bring it to a show one day?

He offers this page from the AROnline web site about the Tracer: https://www.aronline.co.uk/the-converters/crayford/tr7-tracer/

John

PS, but I still wonder.    The Tracer had no sunroof!

Edited by john.r.davies
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Thanks John, that's an interesting one. I hadn't seen a TR7 conversion like this before.

Might I ask, what does one mean by "breadvan" ?  I don't know the term but is it meant as a derogative statement.?

Surely it's a shooting brake conversion, ie., one with the practicalities of additional stowage space in the back for dogs and guns, or other sports equipment, such as fishing rods.?   Or as Crayford called it an estate car, which as a word i guess has the same origins, ie., an adaption of an existing automobile ..intended for duties around one's estate.

 

 

Edited by Bfg
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14 minutes ago, Bfg said:

what does one mean by "breadvan" ?

Here is a genuine Ferrari breadvan

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1201385/What-you-cross-Citroen-Ferrari-A-bread-van-speed-180mph.html

2CV based.

A new project for you Pete, when the TR is finished...

Charlie.

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Thanks Rob, that was an interesting read, not least because its purpose was to create a faster racing car, in part due to its kamm-tail and its altered weight distribution of the spare wheel in the back.  So the term was used with derogative intent from the press of the day, but possibly because it's directly refers to an advanced version of the ever gorgeous Ferrari 250GT ..then not so much a bad thing.  

It certainly must have been a somewhat galling to follow this bum-in-the-air  when driving a 250GT at LeMan.   

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8 minutes ago, Charlie D said:

 

Here is a genuine Ferrari breadvan

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1201385/What-you-cross-Citroen-Ferrari-A-bread-van-speed-180mph.html

2CV based.

A new project for you Pete, when the TR is finished...

Charlie.

Thanks Charlie, I suspect there'd be more headroom in Ferrari AK400 for me. The breadvan  Ferrari looks as if it would need bulges in its roof I I were to fit. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I guess the design of this one might explain the lack of takers.

Whist the Scimitar GTE may  have had the burden of the Reliant name, the Ogle design and Ford V6 engine of the Scimitar was arguably the nicest sports estate of that era in the UK, you do wonder whether the works prototypes which, with development could have found a niche in the market.

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I have often felt the same practicality could apply to many of the TRs.

When I saw this ad a few weeks ago, guess what I immediately 'saw'???

163688319_TR6Breadvan.JPG.319b4ada1b1e50cbd5f572e1a5210dd2.JPG

I have all the 'component parts' but sadly, only 1 of each, so probably not brave enough!!

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Its been done before and very well in Germany, you need another hardtop to do it.

Stuart.

image.thumb.png.0be901d6ca522a19169002d941528743.png

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  • 4 months later...

The Tracer restoration is well on it's way, the shell has been fitted with many new panels. It is now painted in its original Inca yellow, ready for re assembly.

The original estimated completion date was Christmas, however as we have been working on it full time since April there is a chance it could be ready for the NEC.

I have heard many comments about how it could have been improved, it's easy to do that now, it was built 45 years ago on a strict budget. I have waited a long time to buy the car and I am very happy with it. The Crayford club would like it on their stand at a car show in the future, I hope most visitor comments are favourable.

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IMG_4342.jpg

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1687990771_Thumbsup.png.0f8d7431ea99d121462727dc43425f1a.png

Well done Chris,  I'm sure with your specialism and enthusiasm for the TR7 - it'll be a better than new car pretty soon.  I look forward to seeing it in the flesh at one of the shows.

Pete

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Crayford got it almost right.  The curved top to the door glass upsets the flow along the roof line.

  But for what was available Crayford and Co did a good job.

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Thanks everyone for the comments, there has been so much interest in the car since I bought it. I will be bringing it to next years International weekend for all to see.

As there seems to be confusion about whether or not the car originally had a sunroof. I will explain, when built by Crayford the Tracer was Inca yellow with a black vinyl roof but no sunroof. When the second owner, a doctor bought it he had the colour changed to Red and had a red vinyl roof and a matching Tudor Webasto Riviera sunroof fitted. As I like my TR7s to have sunroofs, I have had the Webasto roof completely rebuilt by a specialist, and it will be fitted sometime next week.

Edited by chris turner
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  • 1 month later...

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