1979 Triumph TR8 Coupe SCCA Rally Car

This 1979 Triumph TR8 coupe was campaigned in SCCA ProRally events by driver John Buffum during his championship-winning 1979 and 1980 seasons. The car was also reportedly used during Buffum’s 1980 North American Rally Cup-winning season. Power comes from a replacement 4. 8-liter dry-sump Rover V8 sourced from JE Developments in the UK and paired with a four-speed manual transmission. Features include quad Weber 48 carburetors, ITG air filters, an oil cooler, Bilstein shocks, a Wilwood brake cylinder, 13? Panasport wheels, a full roll cage, an electrical cutoff switch, an intercom system, and a Halda rally clock. According to a March 2021 letter from John Buffum that can be seen in the gallery, the car was delivered without a factory VIN and was subsequently fitted with one soured from a wrecked 1976 TR7 for registration purposes. The car received bodywork in 2017 before a repaint in white and the addition of green vinyl replica 1980 Libra Racing livery. Features include a left quarter panel NACA duct, Lexan side and rear windows, a cowl-mounted electrical cutoff switch, a louvered hood, fog lights wearing Hella and Triumph covers, and pop-up headlights fixed in their raised position. The names of Buffum and co-driver Doug Shepherd are present on the fenders. Rally footage of John Buffum in 1980 can be viewed here.