Editing Triumph TR8 (section)

==Background==
A more powerful V8-engined version of the TR7 was planned in the early stages of the TR7's development, a prototype being produced in 1972.<ref>William Kimberley, The Complete Guide to the Triumph TR7 and TR8, Chap. 3, 1981</ref> However, British Leyland's financial state, labour problems and lack of engines—as MG and Range Rover had first priority—delayed the project. By 1978 some 145 prototype cars were built with [[V8 engine]]s (and usually [[automatic transmission]]s). These "anonymous" TR8s (no identifying badges, and all coupes) were evaluated for British Leyland by various dealers and then sold off as used cars.

The [[FIA]] papers for the TR8 [[homologation]], granted 1 April 1978, include pictures showing a 1977 TR7 V8 prototype with a set of [[decal]]s indicating it to be a TR7 V8.<ref name="TR8 homologation">[http://historicdb.fia.com/sites/default/files/car_attachment/1486676401/homologation_form_number_654_group_b.pdf FIA Book of Recognition number 654]</ref> However, oddly, these TR8 homologation pictures also show it had the large "Sprint" decals on the rear wings, in the same font as the TR7 and V8 decals on the boot lid. It is not clear from the picture of the front of the car whether or not it had a small Sprint decal below the TR7 decal, as is shown on the TR8 prototype in Hardcastle’s book on the Rover V8 engine.<ref name="Hardcastle 1995">Hardcastle D., ''The Rover V8 Engine'', J H Haynes & Co Ltd; 2nd Revised edition (15 May 1995), {{ISBN|978-0854299614}}.</ref> Neither of these decals are part of the set used on the car shown in the TR7 Sprint homologation pictures in the BMIHT archives,<ref name="BMIHT F&PA">Negatives from number T105512 to T105517 (6 negatives), "TR7 Sprint Homologation", British Motor Industries Heritage Trust Film & Picture Library.</ref> and in Knowles’ ''Triumph TR7 The Untold Story''.<ref name="Knowles 2007">Knowles D., ''Triumph TR7 The Untold Story'', 2007, pages 110–5, Crowood Press, {{ISBN|978-1-86126-891-4}}.</ref> And, unlike that decal set, the Sprint decals shown on this TR8 and that in Hardcastle are not known by any BL part numbers. The official use of these pictures in the homologation process may suggest that BL toyed with the idea of calling this car the "TR7 V8 Sprint" or "TR7 Sprint V8", etc., at some point, but did not progress the idea beyond when these photographs were taken.