Mr Pond was an PR dream, articulate, clever, hilariously dry, enormously likable and above all, a fantastic and spectacular driver in what ever he was driving at anytime. Sad loss and gone much to early.
I cannot for the life of me figure out why so many people criticized the TR7 as being a crap car, and supposedly "very ugly" - even Jeremy Clarkson absolutely trash-talked it on an early episode of TG. He seemed to carefully avoid mentioning it's Rallying success. I'd always thought it was an awesome looking car since I was a child, driving past all the Sports car shops in Sydney. It reminded me of the Fiat X19 but I thought the TR7 was better looking (that's just my taste) I finally bought one age 17 - had shiny new black paint and the Rover 3.5L V8 conversion - my friends didn't even know what it was (it had all badges removed) but they were impressed when I'd take them for a drive and it broke traction in all 5 gears ... I miss it so much.
It was very poorly designed and built, slow, cheaply specified and poor handling compared to anything Japanese ... like the Toyota Celica. For example, when it was finished, it was illegal because the light beams were too high... so the manufacturer put concrete (yes you read that right) ballast in the front end to get the height down. That passed the light regs but messed up the handling... and added weight to affect performance. Not good for a sports car. This was on the back of the Triumph Stag debacle... another 'sports' car they spent a fortune on including developing a new engine.... even though they had the perfect proven engine already - a V8 from the Rover SDi. There was this kind of badge in-fighting and idiocy happening every week at British Leyland / Austin Rover during this period. Even when they had a great idea... they messed it up.
It had a very short wheel base , but saying that pond could screw ever bit it handing and performance out of it , as regards clarkson he would never be able to drive one like pond .
Probably euphoria of your first car. You dont dare to say anything bad about it and prior to it have no experience driving other better cars. I get it first one is always the special one it was your baby. I thought I scored with my first car. Couldnt wait to drive it every morning. Drove it like a madman then got bored bought the second one and after many years and many cars realised what crap my first car was. Wouldnt pass the road inspection today. Poorly built, handled like trash, great powerband from 4.5-6k the rest rpms dull as a dishwasher. At the time I didnt know any other car so I thought it was good. I was young and dumb tho so you couldnt expect much from me.
I owned four of these cars in the eighties and nineties including a TR7 Sprint and two convertibles i loved them .They never let me down and i did a lot of miles .
My mate and I have built a few Rover V8 engines, the last one we built is a 4.6 litre fitted into his Rover SD1, it runs with a T5 gearbox running Quaife internals, it also runs a Quaife LSD. We built the exhaust too from the headers down to the tail pipe. I would say that its in 'sports' tune, the 4.6 could push out more BHP BUT you would have to change most of the internals if you want it to hold together for any length of time. On the rollers it knocked out 315 BHP, the reason for my post is that sounds just like the TR8 in this video! 😀
I don't think BL never used their rally success as well as they could of with the TR7/8...but there was a lots of the problems with BL managment but thats water under the bridge now I guess... I have always loved the look of the TR7 especially when the rear is lowered is gives the car a far more aggressive look I think ..!
I wonder if the rally TR7 retained the breeze block concrete added to the showroom cars to get the nose down for regs. Leyland / Austin Rover were particularly poor at this point.
Ofcourse not. It would have been completely stripped bare. The ride height would have been adjustable because any seriously prepped rally car would have gotten special coil over adjustable suspention.
@@jfv65 If the prat above had bothered checking his facts, the monstrous rubber bumpers were on US spec road cars to satisfy "Nader the Crusader" and his pro pedestrian anti Brit mates. The UK spec was 3 piece plastic over a steel bumper for road cars. The rally cars had the steel HEAVILY modded (lightened) to the extent that when being scrutineered the number plate was on the front of the bumper but on Stages, especially when it was hot they were screwed onto the bonnet between the lights and the bumper sported a set of 3 or 4 holes between the screw holes to allow cold air through the lightened bumper to help cool the radiator. Also coilovers were not allowed as they were not homologated so if the car was doing International rallies it was 4 link rear end, panhard rod, Bilstein dampers and a variety of spring rates were available dependent on surface - Tarmac/forestry.
Mr Pond was an PR dream, articulate, clever, hilariously dry, enormously likable and above all, a fantastic and spectacular driver in what ever he was driving at anytime. Sad loss and gone much to early.
Brilliant driver and that wonderful V8 engine - so tuneable 😍
Tony Pond was a legend. Such a shame we lost him so soon and unbeatable a lot of the time. TR7 V8 a great tarmac rally car. So so cool.
Yes a classic and that V8 sound in the forests!
I love Tony Pond's driving style, clean and aggressive in the same time.
He deserved to win at least one time the British Open Championship 😢
Would say he was a flying Finn, but born in England.
I cannot for the life of me figure out why so many people criticized the TR7 as being a crap car, and supposedly "very ugly" - even Jeremy Clarkson absolutely trash-talked it on an early episode of TG. He seemed to carefully avoid mentioning it's Rallying success.
I'd always thought it was an awesome looking car since I was a child, driving past all the Sports car shops in Sydney. It reminded me of the Fiat X19 but I thought the TR7 was better looking (that's just my taste) I finally bought one age 17 - had shiny new black paint and the Rover 3.5L V8 conversion - my friends didn't even know what it was (it had all badges removed) but they were impressed when I'd take them for a drive and it broke traction in all 5 gears ...
I miss it so much.
It was very poorly designed and built, slow, cheaply specified and poor handling compared to anything Japanese ... like the Toyota Celica.
For example, when it was finished, it was illegal because the light beams were too high... so the manufacturer put concrete (yes you read that right) ballast in the front end to get the height down. That passed the light regs but messed up the handling... and added weight to affect performance. Not good for a sports car.
This was on the back of the Triumph Stag debacle... another 'sports' car they spent a fortune on including developing a new engine.... even though they had the perfect proven engine already - a V8 from the Rover SDi. There was this kind of badge in-fighting and idiocy happening every week at British Leyland / Austin Rover during this period. Even when they had a great idea... they messed it up.
It had a very short wheel base , but saying that pond could screw ever bit it handing and performance out of it , as regards clarkson he would never be able to drive one like pond .
@@martinbyrne6643 I never thought much to the driving abilities of the 3 main Top Gears presenters ...
That's because it was crap and you didn't realise it!
Probably euphoria of your first car. You dont dare to say anything bad about it and prior to it have no experience driving other better cars. I get it first one is always the special one it was your baby. I thought I scored with my first car. Couldnt wait to drive it every morning. Drove it like a madman then got bored bought the second one and after many years and many cars realised what crap my first car was. Wouldnt pass the road inspection today. Poorly built, handled like trash, great powerband from 4.5-6k the rest rpms dull as a dishwasher. At the time I didnt know any other car so I thought it was good. I was young and dumb tho so you couldnt expect much from me.
I owned four of these cars in the eighties and nineties including a TR7 Sprint and two convertibles i loved them .They never let me down and i did a lot of miles .
Why the hell didn’t they just make it only with the V8 what a tool awesome ,just shows how good it could have been 😢
Met Tony a few times via a family member who was a mate of his. What a great guy he was and a real gentleman who loved his sport.
Awesome just awesome ♡♡♡
4:35 TR7 Belting through a high street flat out - with headlights "up" in daytime - while "Clog Dance" by Violinski played. Late 70's in it's glory.
Pond was a great driver, highly entertaining and always giving it some! Nice guy too.
My mate and I have built a few Rover V8 engines, the last one we built is a 4.6 litre fitted into his Rover SD1, it runs with a T5 gearbox running Quaife internals, it also runs a Quaife LSD. We built the exhaust too from the headers down to the tail pipe. I would say that its in 'sports' tune, the 4.6 could push out more BHP BUT you would have to change most of the internals if you want it to hold together for any length of time. On the rollers it knocked out 315 BHP, the reason for my post is that sounds just like the TR8 in this video! 😀
Two Legend's Tony and Murray
Tony Pond could hustle a car,he chucked a Rover 827 round the Isle of Man at frightning speed.....Much missed.
There's driver's and there was Pond.
Lol, the back end of my TR7 would spin out at a traffic island if I was not careful, so props to these guys!
Skinny/slick tires and light rear will do that
Ps: if your rear geometry is out of alignment then you will slide too
@@lyleg.9192 I am not sure, it could have been!
What a gentleman sadly missed.
The fantastic Tony Pond, Could have won driving anything. Bob
I don't think BL never used their rally success as well as they could of with the TR7/8...but there was a lots of the problems with BL managment but thats water under the bridge now I guess... I have always loved the look of the TR7 especially when the rear is lowered is gives the car a far more aggressive look I think ..!
legends tony taken to soon so personable and calm rip
Murray Walker is the Keith Lard of Motorsport.
Pilotazo tony pond. Muy completo , x ahi si llegaba a algun equipo de punta podia haber sido mas reconocido
A poor man's Stratos - no?
14:19 Personal bookmark.
👍🇨🇦🍻
I wonder if the rally TR7 retained the breeze block concrete added to the showroom cars to get the nose down for regs. Leyland / Austin Rover were particularly poor at this point.
Ofcourse not. It would have been completely stripped bare. The ride height would have been adjustable because any seriously prepped rally car would have gotten special coil over adjustable suspention.
headlight beams are adjustable so what the fcuk are you talking about
@@jfv65 If the prat above had bothered checking his facts, the monstrous rubber bumpers were on US spec road cars to satisfy "Nader the Crusader" and his pro pedestrian anti Brit mates. The UK spec was 3 piece plastic over a steel bumper for road cars. The rally cars had the steel HEAVILY modded (lightened) to the extent that when being scrutineered the number plate was on the front of the bumper but on Stages, especially when it was hot they were screwed onto the bonnet between the lights and the bumper sported a set of 3 or 4 holes between the screw holes to allow cold air through the lightened bumper to help cool the radiator. Also coilovers were not allowed as they were not homologated so if the car was doing International rallies it was 4 link rear end, panhard rod, Bilstein dampers and a variety of spring rates were available dependent on surface - Tarmac/forestry.