Triumph Spitfire 1500 WITHDRAWN

History

THIS VEHICLE WAS WITHDRAWN

By 1971 the Triumph Spitfire was getting a bit long in the tooth so a major revamp was ordered. The new Mk4 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 1,296cc, but was modified with larger big-end bearings and the gearbox gained synchromesh on its bottom gear.

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 1974 the engine was enlarged yet again to 1,493cc and the name changed to the Spitfire 1500. Torque was greatly increased and the new engine at last made the Spitfire capable of the magic ton. Other detail improvements included reclining seats with head restraints, wood-veneer dash, hazard flashers and electric washers. The last Spitfire 1500, an Inca Yellow specimen with hardtop and overdrive, rolled off the assembly line in August 1980.

This 1978 model has been in the same ownership for the last 13 years and was used as daily transport until about four years ago when its role was usurped by a more modern car and it was put into storage. The engine is said to have been rebuilt about 20,000 miles ago and it has a number of sporty extras including Minilite alloys, Weber carbs and stainless steel exhausts. Said to start and run well, it will need some precautionary recommissioning before it can be pressed back into use.