Street Muscle’s Cars and Guitars is all about the perfect driving experience and the melding of music and machines. So buckle up, drop it into reverse, and floor it back a thousand years to when Butt Rock and Buick-powered British sports cars ruled the earth. For Episode #22, we go back to the year 1981 and pair the V8-powered Triumph TR8 with the hit song “Urgent” by the band Foreigner. We’ll also review the cultural arena that gave us these two icons in the morning light of the eighties.
Photo: Silodrome
Let’s start by listening to “Urgent,” released in the summer of 1981, a whopping 43 years ago. It’s a pared-down rock ditty written by guitarist Mick Jones about a couple that needed to get busy, right now. The video clip is a great snapshot of an era and music business that no longer exists.
For the youngsters out there, “New Wave” music hit the shores of America in the early ’80s and a newly minted MTV would soon rule the airwaves. Many established rock acts of the ’70s, cut their hair, donned skinny ties, and hoped they could jump to now-obligatory video clips to promote their music. Foreigner was such an act and successfully made the transition into the MTV era.
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Foreigner was a hybrid British-American rock band formed in New York City in 1976 by head honcho Mick Jones, Lou Gramm, Dennis Elliott, Al Greenwood, Ed Gagliardi, and Ian McDonald. The band’s name reflects the mix of British and American members. Mick Jones came up with the name Foreigner because no matter what country they were in, three would be foreigners, because he, McDonald, and Elliott were English, while Gramm, Greenwood, and Gagliardi were American. They became one of the most successful hard rock acts of all time. Foreigner’s career spanned over three decades, selling over 80 million albums worldwide.
Foreigner circa mid-seventies. Photo – Pinterest
Their debut album, Foreigner (1977), included blockbuster hits like “Feels Like the First Time” and “Cold as Ice.”It was a home run and almost out the thin air, they became one of the biggest rock acts in the world. Their sophomore album, Double Vision (1978) followed, featuring “Hot Blooded” and the title track.
The hits kept coming with Head Games (1979) including the risque “Dirty White Boy.” Their fourth album, 4 (1981), took them to new levels of popularity, The LP included “Urgent,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” and “Juke Box Hero.” Agent Provocateur (1984) featured their highest charting hit, “I Want to Know What Love Is.” This was an incredible run and cemented their position in the pantheon of rock music.
“Urgent” entered the U.S. pop charts on July 4, 1981, and reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, holding that spot for the entire month of September. “Urgent” hit #1 on the Billboard Rock Tracks chart, which it held for four weeks. Thomas Dolby programmed the synthesizer arrangements and Junior Walker blew the sax on the track. Photo: Atlantic Records
Meanwhile, there was another British American hybrid brewing across the pond. Following in the footsteps of Carroll Shelby, another company was gearing up to cram an American V8 into a lithe British sports car. Let’s hit the rewind button and go back to the UK in the late ’70s.
Back then, Britain’s economy was having teething pains. Its homegrown auto industry was wobbling and within a couple of decades, no British-owned car companies would be left in the UK. One last gasp of their old-school auto industry was British Leyland’s TR7. Although this wedged-shaped affair designed by stylist Harris Mann wasn’t exactly beautiful, it was a fresh-faced entry into the affordable sports car market. Its mission? To take on the Mazda RX7, Nissan 300ZX, and Alfa Romeo Spyder.
Photo: Silodrome
In the early stages of the TR7’s development, the idea of a more potent V8-engined version was on the docket. A prototype TR7 with a V8 engine was built. However, British Leyland faced financial struggles with labor disputes, and engine supply issues (with sister BL divisions MG and Range Rover taking priority), which delayed the project.
The Triumph TR8 eventually emerged as an eight-cylinder variant of the new wedge-shaped Triumph. Manufactured by BL’s Jaguar/Rover/Triumph division, the TR8 was often internally dubbed the “English Corvette.”
Olds christened its 215 the “Rockette V-8” Photo: General Motors
Here’s where the story gets interesting. Every TR8 was powered by a Buick V8. Yes, you read that right. The Rover V8 was an early 1960s Buick/Oldsmobile/Pontiac all-aluminum V8 pilfered from General Motors. Unimpressed with Triumph’s own SOHC V8, the TR8 engineers passed on the homegrown engine for the now-renamed “Rover V8.”
Turbocharged Olds 215. Picture: Pinterest
The Rover V8 began life known as the Buick 215, or the (Buick/Oldsmobile/Pontiac,) BOP 215. The 3.5L all-aluminum pushrod engine sported GMs finest late-fifties tech. It was introduced in 1961 in a new trio of GM compacts, the Buick Skylark, Olds F85, and the Pontiac Tempest. At just 317 lbs fully dressed, the compact alloy V8 was light and easy to hop up.
The most powerful Buick version clocked in at 200 hp, with the Oldsmobile “Jetfire” turbocharged version making a tad more at 215 hp. The BOP 215 was popular with buyers, and Buick produced close to 400,000 cars with this engine in just three years. A comparable number of Oldsmobile 215 engines were produced as well. Pontiac even got in on the game and offered it in its Tempest.
Buick, Olds, and Pontiac compacts all got the BOP 215. Photos: GM
The aluminum engine was relatively expensive to produce and suffered from some teething issues. This, combined with the big cube horsepower craze of the mid-sixties, did not bode well for the BOP 215. As a result, GM ceased production of the engine after 1963.
Buick retained a similar 300/340/350 cid engine with iron block and alloy heads, and then a six-cylinder version of the 215 transitioned into what we know today as the bulletproof “Series 3800” V6. The Grand National Buick from the ’80s had a turbocharged version of the 3800. Variants of the 231 cid V6 were produced for over forty years and is one of the hardiest engines GM ever built. Check out this video for a fascinating year-by-year breakdown of BOP 215’s history.
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GM sold the rights and tooling to Rover in 1964, and those crafty Brits massaged and improved it for decades until it was discontinued in 2004. The engine saw duty in MGBs, Triumphs, Range Rovers, Land Rovers, TVRs, Morgans, and Rovers. Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, all those high-brow Range Rover drivers in America’s coastal cities had no idea that their fussy Euro Jeep was powered by a plebian GM V8.
Early photo of the Rover 3.5 V8. Dig the Rover valve covers. Photo: Rover Motors
By 1978, approximately 145 prototype TR8s—often unmarked and all coupes—had been produced. Various dealers evaluated these TR8 mules on behalf of British Leyland and were eventually sold as used cars. Interestingly. Production of the TR8 began at the Speke factory in late 1977 but later shifted to the Canley factory in 1978 due to labor issues. TR7s and TR8s continued to roll off the assembly line until 1980 when production moved to Solihull. The very last TR8 was built on October 5, 1981, marking the end of an era. In total, 114,463 TR7s and TR8s were crafted, with around 2800 TR8 models produced. Only around 400 were coupes, the rest were convertibles, and most were sold in the US and Canada.
The lightweight 3.5L V8 fit snugly into the TR8 engine bay, it was mated to a five-speed transmission and sent power back to a live axle. With a curb weight of just under 2,700 lbs and 148 hp at 5100 rpm, the TR8 could deliver 0 to 60 mph times in the low 8 seconds. Photo: Silodrome
The 215’s good power-to-weight ratio made it a natural for automobile and boat racing. Mickey Thompson entered a stock-block 215-powered car in the 1962 Indianapolis 500, the first stock-block engine since 1946 and the only all-motor entry in the race. Leftover engine blocks of the Oldsmobile F85 version became the basis of the Australian Formula One Repco V8 used by Brabham to win the 1966 Formula One, although only the earliest engines had any Oldsmobile components. The majority of Repco RB620 engines were built from scratch, in-house at Repco.
Just like the 215 V8, Foreigner had a long run, but nothing lasts forever. After the single, “I Want To Know What Love Is,” they never duplicated their chart success again. The group subsequently morphed numerous times over the years with a revolving cast of new and old members. They have continued to tour and release new music in all their different lineups.
Lou Gramm today. His voice is one of the most distinctive in popular music. A killer combination of blue-eyed soul and hardscrabble rock and roll. Photo: Pinterest
Sadly, in April 1997, Gramm was diagnosed with a type of brain tumor called a craniopharyngioma. Although the tumor was not cancerous, the surgery to remove it damaged his pituitary gland. The recovery period was slow, Gramm gained weight, and his medical treatment affected his balance, stamina, and voice. He has recovered, but his ability to tour and perform has seen peaks and valleys. Guitarist Mick Jones was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and has taken a layoff from working and performing.
This past April, it was announced that Foreigner is among the 2024 inductees into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will be held on October 19th, which is long overdue. LL Cool J and Janet Jackson are in the RRHOF, but not Judas Priest, Jethro Tull, or Boston, go figure. Finally, Foreigner will get their long overdue recognition.
Photo: Silodrome
Today, the TR8, the BOP 215 engine, and Foreigner have won the battle of attrition. The music and machinery are still relevant today. Even now, “Urgent” is a good foot stomper that makes you want to change lanes and hit the go pedal. For all you aficionados of British sports cars, picture a top-down seaside jaunt in a TR8 with Foreigner laying down the backbeat accompanied by homegrown American harmonies courtesy of the Buick Rover V8.
