The TR7 was launched in 1975 with a two-litre version of the Dolomite slant-four engine. From 1976 onwards, British Leyland (BL) decided to field a team of TR7s in international rallying.

The cars were prepared by BL Motorsport at Abingdon, the team effectively the successor to the BMC Competitions Department. To improve the car's performance for 1978 the Rover 3.5 litre V8 engine was installed.

This particular car was one of the most successful of the TR7 V8 rally cars. It was driven by Tony Pond and Fred Gallagher in the 1978 season. They drove the car to victory in the 24 hour of Ypres and the Manx trophy rallies and also achieved fourth place in that year's RAC rally.