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Triumph Spitfire 1500

Triumph Spitfire 1500

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Triumph Spitfire 1500Triumph Spitfire 1500Triumph Spitfire 1500Triumph Spitfire 1500Triumph Spitfire 1500
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Triumph Spitfire 1500Triumph Spitfire 1500Triumph Spitfire 1500Triumph Spitfire 1500Triumph Spitfire 1500
Triumph Spitfire 1500
Lot number 89
Hammer value £6,500
Description Triumph Spitfire 1500
Registration PPT 28T
Year 1979
Colour Orange
Engine size 1,493 cc
Chassis No. FH1161010
Engine No. DM107HESS

Although there’s no denying that British designers have penned some really stunning cars over the years (think Jaguar E-Type and MkII, Bentley Continental, Healey 3000 etc), for a really sexy little sportscar you just can’t beat an Italian.

When Austin-Healey launched its bizarre ‘frog eye’ Sprite and MG followed with its boxy Midget, Triumph realised they would have to come up with a quick riposte and turned to Giovanni Michelotti for the answer. Using the humble Herald as his base, Michelotti wove his magic and turned a sensible aunty into a red hot supermodel.

Low, lithe and lissome, the Spitfire looked like it was doing a ton even when standing still and knocked the opposition for six, remaining in production from 1962 until 1980. It went through several generations along the way (amply detailed elsewhere in this catalogue) but always retained that original carefree charm.

This June 1979 Spitfire 1500 incorporates all the improvements made along the way and was acquired by its mature engineer owner 11 years ago. Determined to keep himself amused in his retirement, he embarked on a total nut-and-bolt rebuild which took almost three years to complete and ultimately cost over £10,000 – not including the countless hours that he himself invested.

Although only some of the bills are retained in the history file, the car speaks for itself and you can see the painstaking attention to detail that has gone into the project. To say that it is as good as new may well be to do it an injustice as BL workmanship was not at its best in the dark days of the late 1970s while this car has been a labour of love.

As good underneath as it is up top, it has the desirable options of an overdrive gearbox and a factory hard top. Barely used since the restoration was completed in 2004, it has taken pride of place in the vendor’s heated and carpeted home office cum workspace instead. Taxed until the end of January and MOTd until August 2015, this beautiful Spitfire is surely as good an example as you could ever wish to find.

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