Triumph TR7 Tony Pond Manx 1980

[rallyfan99]

Hello guys, this is my first post in this forum. This is an old Airfix kit transformed to the 1980 Manx rally winner car of Tony Pond and Fred Gallagher. It is an old build with scratch-built interior including the right hand drive dash and extensively modified body

 

with new front grill area plus arches.

 

[Keeff]

Oh now that's nice!  Fantastic work on the modifications and scratch building .... 

 

Keith ☺️ 

[Robert Shedd]

Brilliant job mate. I've always had a soft spot for the TR7. I remember seeing quite a few of them around as a kid. Rarer than hen's teeth these days though... 🙂

[Windy37]

Welcome to the Forum from a fellow rally car fan .

  Some really excellent scratch building here. I particularly like the tartan door trim ! 

 I'm too young to see the TR7 rallying in period , but seen plenty in demonstration events and the sound from that V8 is just bliss !

Gary

[Potsie]

Absolutely stunning!

[keefr22]

Wonderful model! I have the old Airfix kit and have often thought about doing this conversion, but the amount of work needed has always put me off, so I can appreciate the effort you've put into it!

 

One of the main problems I saw was the decals - did you print your own?

 

Only thing I'm not sure about is I don't think pure slicks were ever allowed on the Isle of Man? But that's a minor thing that in no way detracts from a simply excellent model!

 

Keith

 

PS  to the forums!

 

 

[keefr22]

6 minutes ago, Windy37 said:

but seen plenty in demonstration events

 

And there are new build TR8's out in historics now Gary - Mark Higgins is driving one!

 

Keith

 

PS I hadn't noticed the tartan door trim, that's an excellent touch!

[Windy37]

1 minute ago, keefr22 said:

 

And there are new build TR8's out in historics now Gary - Mark Higgins is driving one!

 

Keith

I saw it on the Trackrod back in September  - the sound is amazing in the woods 

Gary

[Windy37]

4 minutes ago, Windy37 said:

I saw it on the Trackrod back in September  - the sound is amazing in the woods 

Gary

Here she is on the Riponian 

 

Gary

Edited December 3, 2024 by Windy37

[Flintstone]

Looks great! I was lucky enough to drive a semi-works car on the road briefly back in the 1980s and it remains one of my best drives ever!

[SnøMotion]

Wow! Absolutely amazing build! The level of detail is incredible, very realistic looking indeed 

 

Also, welcome to the forum!

 

Pretty sure I saw Tony Pond driving a TR7 on the RAC. Might have been at Trentham Gardens…

 

Martin

[rallyfan99]

6 minutes ago, keefr22 said:

Wonderful model! I have the old Airfix kit and have often thought about doing this conversion, but the amount of work needed has always put me off, so I can appreciate the effort you've put into it!

 

One of the main problems I saw was the decals - did you print your own?

 

Only thing I'm not sure about is I don't think pure slicks were ever allowed on the Isle of Man? But that's a minor thing that in no way detracts from a simply excellent model!

 

Keith

 

PS  to the forums!

 

 

Thanks Keith! Yes, as I remember, it was quite a work but since I love this car, the look and the sound, plus being an avid Tony Pond fan, it was worth to do it. Yep, the decals were home made and about the slicks, I am not 100% sure

but that was my impression from the quite scarce photos I found. This is all I had:

 

[keefr22]

2 minutes ago, rallyfan99 said:

Yep, the decals were home made and about the slicks, I am not 100% sure

 

I wasn't sure either and now looking at those pics I'm even less so! I know they've never been legal in rallies on the UK mainland, but as the Isle of Man has roads with no speed limits then their laws may well be different! 

 

5 minutes ago, rallyfan99 said:

plus being an avid Tony Pond fan,

 

I was too, and he was another great driver taken from us way too soon.

 

But stunning models like yours really help keep his memory alive

 

Keith

 

 

[rallyfan99]

41 minutes ago, keefr22 said:

 

I wasn't sure either and now looking at those pics I'm even less so! I know they've never been legal in rallies on the UK mainland, but as the Isle of Man has roads with no speed limits then their laws may well be different! 

 

 

I was too, and he was another great driver taken from us way too soon.

 

But stunning models like yours really help keep his memory alive

 

Keith

 

 

Thanks Keith! I really liked his humble but very joyful personality. And he was one very gifted driver around his era. Remember beating Walter Röhrl - freshly crowned World Champion in 1981 Manx with the Chevette. What a great drive that was! I have few more models in the make to remember him

[rallyfan99]

5 minutes ago, rallyfan99 said:

 

 

 

Edited December 3, 2024 by rallyfan99

[keefr22]

That 6R4 looks absolutely stunning!

 

Keith

[MikeA]

Wow! That is quite the transformation of the Airfix kit! Beautiful work. I suspect examples of this in model form are almost as scarce as the real thing these days.

[klubman01]

That looks really fabulous!  Love the scratch built bits.  Great car, great model, and a great tribute to a great driver.

Trevor

[SnøMotion]

That 6R4 is exceptional! What a fantastic looking model. I was at Knowlsley Safari Park for the RAC when he stacked his SD1. At that time I was more interested in seeing the crazy Group B cars, so didn't pay an old SD1 much attention.

 

Martin

[keefr22]

2 hours ago, SnøMotion said:

I was at Knowlsley Safari Park for the RAC when he stacked his SD1.

 

Me too! And I was the opposite, far more interested in the Rover, and glad I was near the start of the stage so actually saw it!!

 

Keith

[SnøMotion]

44 minutes ago, keefr22 said:

 

Me too! And I was the opposite, far more interested in the Rover, and glad I was near the start of the stage so actually saw it!!

 

Keith

From what I remember, we got held up and missed the T16s, which were first off and what I really wanted to see. I think we ended up somewhere near the end of the stage and the SD1 was towed past us.

 

Anyway, sorry for the thread hijack, @rallyfan99!

 

Martin

[Ian]

Not enough superlatives... fantastic build.

 

 

 

Ian.

[Ben Brown]

Great looking model! Like @Robert Shedd, I’ve always had a soft spot for the TR7. I had one for about a year when I was a teenager, but sold it and bought an MGB before it drained my bank account. 😄

 

Ben

[Toftdale]

I'm certainly not a rally aficionado, but I can certainly appreciate the quality of all the extra work you've put in, lovely Model - Andy 

[FunkyChiken]

Beautiful  build! Great details, what a transformation from the original kit.