Newbie with unusual TR7

[GHOSTHUNTER]

I don't know this model, don't think I have one in the few 'Juniors' I have, but wonder if the baseplate has been taken off at some point and the seats having been painted, because it is strange they would go to the trouble of doing this for normal presentation models to Corgi staff or dignitaries visiting Corgi, but I can see them being asked by Triumph to do the interior correctly based on a real car's interior!

Is it possible to remove the baseplate without too much visible damage, if it is, I go with the repainting idea, but if it is not, I go with the Corgi/Triumph idea.

GHOSTHUNTER.

[birdy]

Thanks for that Ghosthunter - as i said the pic looks awful camera must pic out imagined detail as it looks like car is heavily scratched and has hardly any paint on wheels . Condition is as good as new and wheels are fab with no missing paint .Gold is possibly slightly tarnished due to its age but i dont want to risk trying to polish it .I have now shined a light through windows and interior upholstery is def 2 tone - would someone have gone to the trouble of dismantling to paint interior ? Car is held together by 4 slot headed screws that may also be gold plated . So unless someone can shed any more light on this example i must for now settle that it was possibly an edition of 250 made for employees and dealers at cars launch and that someone may have dismantled and painted the interior and even changed the tinting of the windows . That said the car is probably unique and have a value certainly way above the 50p it cost .

[SMS88]

Thanks for that Ghosthunter - as i said the pic looks awful camera must pic out imagined detail as it looks like car is heavily scratched and has hardly any paint on wheels . Condition is as good as new and wheels are fab with no missing paint .Gold is possibly slightly tarnished due to its age but i dont want to risk trying to polish it .I have now shined a light through windows and interior upholstery is def 2 tone - would someone have gone to the trouble of dismantling to paint interior ? Car is held together by 4 slot headed screws that may also be gold plated . So unless someone can shed any more light on this example i must for now settle that it was possibly an edition of 250 made for employees and dealers at cars launch and that someone may have dismantled and painted the interior and even changed the tinting of the windows . That said the car is probably unique and have a value certainly way above the 50p it cost .

The example found here could be the pre-pro sample made for approval of BL management!

[birdy]

I will take the TR7 with me tomorrow ,i visit a model museum in Todmorden the owner Mike is fairly savvy re dinky /matchbox types there are two similar shops in Halifax one in the carpet mill and another always shut whenever i have been that looks to have hundreds of old diecast . They between them may shed some light.A toy fair may be another chance as there are lots of dealer/collector folks with vast knowledge.

[Idris]

The example found here could be the pre-pro sample made for approval of BL management!

It could be, but there is no evidence that it is or that it isn't.

[GHOSTHUNTER]

By all means take the model and show it to those Guys you mention, but make it clear to them it is NOT for sale at any price, not until you are happy with the model's status and originality.

The fact that you have now mentioned the baseplate is screw fixed, does look as if we are looking at this being connected to a Triumph project rather than a Corgi 'In-House' presentation model, but without any provenance or the letter from Corgi to the effect, it will be difficult to prove this.

Thanks for bringing it to the forum, we love these sorts of conundrums and queries...

GHOSTHUNTER.

[cOO7rgi]

I really doubt that Corgi would paint the interior of a pre-pro in two-tone to get approval of BL - they would know that painting the seats another colour manually (I guess the seats are moulded with the interior, not a separate part?) for 250 pieces would take too long and be costly for the production run. I rather think that the interior has been hand-detailed by a former owner of this promo, maybe one with a real TR7.

The gold screws could be original, however, as the gold-plating was done by another company (in 1981 Corgi had James Bond Citroen 2CV's gold- and silver-plated by a company named Strada; maybe Strada was also involved earlier with this promotion). It could be that they got all the components from Corgi and finished the cars using gold screws, or that they just shipped the plated bodies back to the Corgi factory.

It certainly would be interesting to see if MrGoodies' TR7 is riveted or screwed, and if the gold box has any copyright information regarding Corgi or only Triumph/British Leyland. I think Corgi and BL must have worked together to have the model ready at the launch date, with Corgi having access to development cars earlier. But strange that the larger TR7 was made by Dinky instead.

[SMS88]

I really doubt that Corgi would paint the interior of a pre-pro in two-tone to get approval of BL - they would know that painting the seats another colour manually (I guess the seats are moulded with the interior, not a separate part?) for 250 pieces would take too long and be costly for the production run. I rather think that the interior has been hand-detailed by a former owner of this promo, maybe one with a real TR7.

The gold screws could be original, however, as the gold-plating was done by another company (in 1981 Corgi had James Bond Citroen 2CV's gold- and silver-plated by a company named Strada; maybe Strada was also involved earlier with this promotion). It could be that they got all the components from Corgi and finished the cars using gold screws, or that they just shipped the plated bodies back to the Corgi factory.

It certainly would be interesting to see if MrGoodies' TR7 is riveted or screwed, and if the gold box has any copyright information regarding Corgi or only Triumph/British Leyland. I think Corgi and BL must have worked together to have the model ready at the launch date, with Corgi having access to development cars earlier. But strange that the larger TR7 was made by Dinky instead.

Pre-pros were, as we know from the Great Book of Corgi, often made by professional model makers and we also know from various pre-pros shown online that Corgi favoured a particular size of screw for their 1970s pre-pros which tended not to be rivited (colour trials were). Super detailing was a likely choice from a modelmaker wishing to sell the model to management. I remember the Dinky TR7 was released with the 1:1 TR7 in sync with BL in the UK in May 1976 - I rushed to the local toyshop after weeks of anticipation to get one but I was unaware of the Corgi being on the market in 1976 and have seen no evidence to support that idea.This gold version could have been made for the release of the Rover V8 engined TR7 or just the revised interiors fitted with brightly patterned seats + door cards both in 1977 which is a more credible timeline for this gold Juniors model especially with its detailed interior reflecting a post 1977 variation

[GHOSTHUNTER]

It would be nice to see a picture of the baseplate, as late issues of the TR7 only have the 'Corgi' name, not the 'Juniors' name.

GHOSTHUNTER.

[birdy]

i will try and photo the base but i am wary of keep unscrewing car from base as it may become lose i think the screw only goes into plastic - The screws look interesting as they appear plated rather brass and are still bright . It would be ideal for someone with gentle hands to dismantle car to picture the seperate components and get a better look at seats and door cards .from what i can see if they are painted the finish is extremely good .So are some thinking it to be a possible special example put together for approval by those wanting the 250 edition for handout to employees and dealers.