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Triumph Spitfire

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The Triumph Spitfire was a small British two-seat sports car, introduced in 1962. The vehicle was based on a design produced for Standard-Triumph in 1957 by Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti. The codename for the vehicle was the "Bomb". The car was largely based on the Triumph Herald small saloon.

Contents

Models

Five separate Spitfire models were sold during the production run:

The new small sports car

The Triumph Spitfire was originally devised by Standard-Triumph to compete in the small sports car market which had opened up with the introduction of the Austin-Healey Sprite. The Sprite had used the basic drivetrain of the Austin A30/35 in a light body to make up a fun, budget sports car; Triumph's idea was to use the mechanics from their small saloon, the Triumph Herald, to underpin the new project. Triumph had one advantage, however; where the Austin A30 range was of unitary construction, the Herald featured a separate chassis; it was Triumph's intention therefore to cut that chassis down and clothe it in a sports body, saving the costs of developing a completely new chassis/body unit.

The Italian designer Michelotti—who had already penned the Herald—was commissioned for the new project, and came up with a traditional, swooping body. Wind-up windows were provided (in contrast to the Sprite/Midget, which still featured sidescreens at that time), as well as a single-piece front end which tilted forwards to offer unrivalled access to the mechanics. At the dawn of the 1960s, however, Standard-Triumph were in deep financial trouble, and unable to put the new car into production; it was not until the company was taken over by the Leyland organisation that funds became available and the car was launched.

The mechanics were basically stock Herald components: The engine was a 4-cylinder of 1147 cc, mildly tuned for the Spitfire with twin SU carburettors. Also from the Herald came the rack and pinion steering and coil-and-wishbone front suspension up front, and at the rear a single transverse-leaf swing-axle arrangement. This ended up being the most controversial part of the car: it was known to "tuck in" and cause violent oversteer if pushed too hard, even in the staid Herald. In the sportier Spitfire (and later the 6-cylinder Triumph GT6 and Triumph Vitesse) it led to severe criticism. The body was bolted to a much-modified Herald chassis, the outer rails and the rear outriggers having been removed; little of the original Herald chassis design was left, and the Spitfire used structural outer sills to stiffen its body tub.

The Spitfire was an inexpensive small sports car and as such had very basic trim, including rubber mats and a large plastic steering wheel. These early cars were badged as "Spitfire 4", not to be confused with the later Spitfire Mark IV. The MK 2 of 1965 incorporated some detail changes to trim and body as well as minor upgrades to the engine, including a tubular exhaust manifold.

Spitfire MK3

The Mk3, introduced in 1966, was the first major facelift to the Spitfire. The front bumper was raised in response to new crash regulations, and this entailed a completely different front end and bonnet. The interior was improved again with a wood-veneer instrument surround. The 1147 cc engine was replaced with a bored-out 1296 cc unit, as fitted on the new Triumph Herald 13/60 and Triumph 1300 saloons. In twin-carburettor form, the engine put out a claimed 75 bhp and made the MK3 a comparatively quick car by the standards of the day. Popular options were a hard top, wire wheels, and an overdrive gearbox, giving five forward gears and far more relaxed cruising at high speeds. The Mk3 was the fastest of all the 3 spitfires as far as 0-60 times, giving 12.5 seconds to 60 mph. The Mk3 actually continued production into 1971 until half way though the year the Mk4 took over. A mint Mk3 condition mk3 can set you back £6750 accoding to book prices, although you can pick up a good car for £1500/3000.

Driving Impressions of the Mk3 Spitfire (1969)

Despite the fact that a Mk3 is essentially not that fast compared to today's vehicles, it has no trouble keeping up with modern traffic conditions and will happily cruise down the motorway at 70mph, or more (where conditions allow). It handles better than would be expected, although when pushed to the limit the swing spring suspension can cause unpredictable handling. Controlled drifiting is quite achevable with practice (although you are not advised to do this with wire wheels). The car makes a great sound at high revs and is very smooth through the gear changes, the brakes can be somewhat scary to someone used to driving a modern vehicle, but once you are used to it, you learn to change your style using the gearbox to aid braking. Performance is surprising, changing into second gear will easily give a pleasnt pip of the rear tyres without labouring the engine. All in all it's a surprising car to drive, it performs and handles much better than many cars of the period in the same price range.

Spitfire MKIV and 1500

1971 saw the most comprehensive changes to the Spitfire. The new MKIV featured a completely re-designed cut-off rear end, giving a strong family resemblance to the Triumph Stag and Triumph 2000 models, both of which were also Michelotti-designed. The front end was also cleaned up, and the doors were given recessed handles. The interior was much improved: a proper full-width dashboard was provided, putting the instruments ahead of the driver rather than over the centre console. The engine continued at 1296 cc, but was modified with larger big-end bearings which somewhat decreased its "revvy" nature; there was some detuning, which resulted in the new car being a little tamer than the MK3. By far the most significant change, however, was to the rear suspension, which was de-cambered and redesigned to eliminate the unfortunate tendencies of the original swing-axle design. The Triumph GT6 and Triumph Vitesse had already been modified, and the result on all these cars was safe and progressive handling even at the limit.

In 1975 the 1500 engine (which was a stroked 1300) was used to make the Spitfire 1500; though in this final incarnation the engine was rather rougher and more prone to failure than the earlier units, torque was greatly increased and the new engine at last made the Spitfire capable of the magic "ton". If you want a good road car or a touring classic a 1500 is by far the best for this...on the track a revvy 1300 would be better suited. MG enthusiasts were less than impressed when, from 1974, the Triumph engine was fitted to all MG Midgets. The US market models were considerably less powerful than the British market cars because they had to meet more stringent US emissions requirements. American market cars also suffered from poorer handling due to the longer front springs that Triumph fitted to bring the headlights up to the height required by US law. American market Spitfire 1500s are easily identified by their big plastic overiders, and wing mounted reflectors on the front and back wings. Detail improvements continued to be made throughout the life of the MKIV, and included reclining seats with head restraints, wood-veneer dash, hazard flashers and electric washers (previously these had been operated by a manual pump on the dashboard). Options such as the hard top, tonneau cover, map light and overdrive continued to be popular, though wire wheels ceased to be available. The last Spitfire 1500, an Inca Yellow specimen with hardtop and overdrive, rolled off the assembly line in August 1980.

The reputation of the Spitfire, which like many types of smaller two-seat roadsters suffered during the 1980s and early 1990s, has undergone a major revival through the classic car movement. Despite having sold more than the MG Midget the little Triumph often suffered from the comparison to the MG, due partly at least to the inadequate rear suspension of the early models. Today, values remain relatively low and it is a sought-after classic sports car for the enthusiast on a budget.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
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  • [Mike's Triumph Spitfire: 25 Years of Fun!]

    Automobiles made by BMC, BL and Rover Group companies
    Austin | Austin-Healey | British Leyland | Jaguar | MG | Morris | Riley | Rover | MG Rover | Triumph | Vanden Plas | Wolseley
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    Austin-Healey models: 100 | 3000 | Sprite
    British Leyland models: Princess | P76 (Australia only)
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    Morris models: Minor | Oxford | Cowley | Mini | 1100/1300 | 1800 | Marina/Ital
    MG models: MG A | Magnette | Midget | Montego | MG B | MG C | 1100/1300 | MG RV8 | MG F/TF | MG ZT | MG ZR | MG ZS | MG SV
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    Rover models: P4 | P5 | P6 | SD1 | 25 | 75 | 45 | 400 | 200 | 100 | 800 | 600 | CityRover | Estoura
    Triumph models: Herald | Spitfire | Vitesse | GT6 | Stag | TR7 | Toledo | 1300 |1500 | 2000 | 2.5 & 2500 |Dolomite | Acclaim
    Vanden Plas models: Princess | 3-Litre | 1100/1300
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