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The design of the TR7 interior is let down by poor details in my opinion. The move away from a big slab of walnut veneer is fine but the slide switches and the one design fits all switch plate with its horrible blanks and the messy collection of choke, bonnet release, clock adjustment etc. under the dash are really not nice..
My plan to make it more to my taste was to use old-school toggle switches and fit a tray under the dash to tidy up the mess there. I rather liked the idea of using individual gauges rather than the existing instrument cluster whose rev counter I couldn't get working with my Megajolt ignition and which does have a useless voltmeter but no oil pressure gauge.
One thing led to another. I could not find a toggle hazard flasher switch (needs a more complicated arrangement of poles and contacts) so I designed an electronic flasher. I then wanted to slightly improve security so I used an Arduino based circuit and ran the flashers off that as well. It's so easy to reach round the hood and undo the door lock buttons that I had to do away with these and fit door lock motors which are also controlled by the Arduino.
I also wanted electric windows but I couldn't fit cheap generic motors inside the door skins so I needed custom door cards.
The seats were shot so I fitted Recaro seats from a Rover 800 (my son had blown up the engine – shame, it was a Vitesse Sport, a great car except for the vicious torque steer!)
My ambition is to banish horrible trim panels like this one!
The interior of a TR7 is a pretty nice place to be - potentially.
It is wide and spacious and unless you really like the wind in your hair, even with the windows down, there is very little buffeting in the cabin. However…
