triumph spitfire reviews | Watch This Item.

Average Ratings
Performance5.9/10 Based on 14 ratings
Practicality6/10 Based on 14 ratings
Reliability6/10 Based on 14 ratings
Value for Money7.8/10
Reviewer Rating8/10
Overall Rating7.7/10 Based on 22 ratings
100% Recommended15 out of 15 Reviews
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15- Triumph Spitfire Reviews

  • Full review by
    soloandy1989 Rank: Sergeant
    on 30th Jun 2009


    User Rating : 9
    Respect : 0

    Good Points: Everything

    General comments: 1500 ukA lot of people seem to put a downer on the Triumph Spitfire. And to be honest I can't see why... First off corrosion is nowhere near as bad as is made out... if you keep on top of it by renewing the under seal when you get the oil changed and grease lubrication points then all is hunky dory. Performance wise, if you live in America then your car will be slow. 85ron petrol, horrible emission controls all hinder performance. But home market cars are much more sprightly with the twin 1.5" HS4 carburettors. Also for about £250 on top of the cost of an engine rebuild you can get a stage 1 FULLY dynamically balanced, upped compression ratio, hotter camshaft etc, and with K&N filters at £80 a pair you can get nearing a 100hp, around a 50% increase in power! 0-60 is quoted at around 11.5 seconds standard, my standard engine plus K&N's will do it in about 11, a stage 1 should do that in about 9.5. Thats better than alot of modern saloons. the standard car pulls very well up a 40%+ incline from less than 1.5k revs in 3rd, massively torquey for a light car of only 790kg. Ragged senseless for 50k miles some on track and is only now starting to show signs of needing new bearings.The gearbox is fine. 2-3rd gear is a bit of a gap, and revs are high at 70 mph but that red line really is a continuous usage red line (although over 5.5k should be avoided). With regular servicing they will easily outlive the engine, although the synchro does wear fairly quickly with overexuberant gear changes. Overdrive is useful for making the car quieter and more comfortable at speed if you have the standard exhaust, if you have sports exhaust like me you can't hear anything over it either with or without it but up to you. People complain about the back etting go in corners... I'm sorry, what is wrong with letting the back a bit loose? thats the whole point of a rear wheel drive car, and if it scares you then you should by a front wheel drive golf. this is a manly car, and it has to be manhandled. Brakes? More than adaquate to lock a full quartet of warm sticky tires in the dry. Heavy steering is a symptom of under inflated tires, I have a 13" mota lita steering wheel, a good 2" smaller than standard and low speed manouvering is a doddle due to the cars low weight.Insurance is cheap, handling is engaging enough to remind you of those 60's rally days, 35 mpg on a long run (that is, assuming you can resist the urge to take it on the B roads and boot it hard in second to get the back out!), there are at least 4 major clubs that support it, 5 major parts suppliers and service providers, 99% spares coverage, good looks, and used regularly as reliable as any modern car. remember, power steering and servo brakes are for babies and take away the connection from the road that makes these small sports cars infinitely better than any MX5And you can put the triumph 6 cylinder engine in and take on the BMW Z4's!And before you moan about me being an old man I'm a skinny 20 year old.
    soloandy1989's review and ratings     | 556 words

  • Review by
    eddyp
    on 28th Dec 2008


    User Rating : 7
    Respect : 0

    Nice little mk2 hard to find these, the least of the spits made. Parts ready available from a large number of sources. Will be putting up her own website soon. Done a lot of work on her so far, mainly taking paint back and repainting. Engine turns, looks like everything is there, so now head down and get her finished. Good little first classic to start with.
    eddyp's full review     | 99 words

  • Review by
    Derekspaws
    on 15th Sep 2008


    User Rating : 9
    Respect : 0

    I bought my car on eBay during early February 08, I had just woken up after a Saturday afternoon snooze after dreaming about the Spit that I owned in my early twenty's, just on a whim I had a look on eBay and saw this lovely mint Spitfire with just minutes to go, a few minutes later I had bought it, It has brought me nothing but pleasure ever since, it's gorgeous! It looks like it's doing a hundred miles an hour just standing still, The first time I took my wife out for a drive we got about a qu ...
    Derekspaws's full review     | 762 words

  • Review by
    Guest.
    on 20th Dec 2007


    User Rating : 7
    Respect : 0

    In my experience, the triumph spitfire is one of the more overlooked classics on the market today. Now this car, along with the herald, vitesse and gt6 is perhaps the easiest ever made to work on with the whole bonnet and front wings lifting off to give unbelievable access to the engine and radiator. However the spitfire and the gt6 differ from the herald and vitesse in a few key areas. The first is that the herald and vitesse have a full chassis with outriggers under the sills. This gives the ...
    Guest's full review     | 457 words

  • Review by
    gtwcmt Rank: Sergeant
    expert review Expert Review
    on 24th Apr 2007


    User Rating : 7
    Respect : +1

    It may be that I am getting older or that in my job I get to see many classical cars at weddings, but it was time to take a look at a vintage car that had great body lines and was easy to get pars for. The Triumph Spitfire had appealed to me in the late 1980 and 90's when I first got my classic Vauxhall drop-snoot Coupe for more money that the spit fires which you could pick up for around £80 (or around £200 in today's money). My first choice was the Austin Healey , but they are co ...
    gtwcmt's full review     | 942 words

  • Review by
    zharca Rank: 2nd Lieutenant
    expert review Expert Review
    on 8th Oct 2006


    User Rating : 8
    Respect : 0

    Lets face it, in 1971 you just could not be seen in a Triumph Spitfire. Absolutely not. They were regarded as slow, unsporting, poor-handling and badly built even by the standard of the time. Spitfires were for girls. A Midget was OK, the MGB all right if you were a farmer, the real 1275 Cooper "S" made a statement and Triumph's own TR5 was cool unless you'd actually tried owning one of the bloody things. Me, I was OK - I had an S3/SE Elan, so eat your heart out. So how come if they were, and ...
    zharca's full review     | 1040 words

  • Review by
    JohnC8551
    on 6th Mar 2006


    User Rating : 5
    Respect : 0

    The Triumph Spitfire ia a cute little sports cars are a perfect start for anyone ever having wanted to restore a car. Their simplicity lends itself to making modifications/improvements. However, they are too small to safely mix in todays traffic, may break down at inconvenient times, and should only be driven on back roads on sunny weekends. Do NOT buy this car for a daughter or son without knowing they are not safe to be driven by a learning driver. One accident and you are toast in one of thes ...
    JohnC8551's full review     | 215 words

  • Review by
    tr4lover
    on 15th Sep 2005


    User Rating : 9
    Respect : 0

    This little car is great. You don't see too many out on the roads nowadays. It is a little rocket. Very good on gas. Fun cars for drive. Great cars over all. I'm proud to own one and would tell anybody wanting a old fun little car to look into this one.
    tr4lover's full review     | 149 words

  • Review by
    dougmi
    on 24th May 2005


    User Rating : 9
    Respect : 0

    The Triumph Spitfire is one of the best handling cars around, not fast-but once you get used to that and the fine cornering, you learn to keep your speed up. The fact that you sit so low makes it seem fast anyway. More fun on backroads than on the highway. Overdrive is a must! One of the best looking sports cars ever made. This car is an obsession and hobby-not a buy and forget car. Stay on top of it-and it will not break down...forget to...and make sure you have a cell phone with you!
    dougmi's full review     | 157 words

  • Review by
    SpitBit
    on 24th Mar 2005


    User Rating : 10
    Respect : 0

    The Triumph Spitfire Classic car has to be the second love of your life, because you need to give it lots of attention. Pay attention to sounds. The car well maintained will last you decades. Its not expensive to maintain Keeps you from being the designated driver on outtings. When you are behind the wheel of a Spitfire its like driving a Go kart legally on the road it handles like no other vehicle i've ever driven and I mean this in a positive way. Any one can rent a fancy sports car Por ...
    SpitBit's full review     | 183 words

  • Review by
    richard1
    on 22nd Mar 2005


    User Rating : 9
    Respect : 0

    Triumph Spitfire Classic Car Review Funnily enough the stars rating thing does this car no justice until you get to the overall rating which basically catapaults this little roadster right to the top of the first sportscar list. In fact it could be THE first sportscar as MG midgets are no where near as easy to work on. As with all BL cars rust is the issue and if you don't keep on top of it, it will rot quickly into an expensive state of affairs, Waxoyl being the go. Performance wise it ai ...
    richard1's full review     | 239 words

  • Review by
    LizH101 Rank: Corporal
    on 7th Jan 2005


    User Rating : 8
    Respect : 0

    I've owned two MkIV 1500 Triumph Spitfires now, and they have both been great fun. The second has a hard top, which is an added bonus and allows year round use. The feel of driving one of these classic cars is superb, nothing like a "normal" car or modern sports, and the look attracts attention and interest from all. The speed feels faster than it is, sitting so close to the road. They have a surprising amount of luggage space in the boot and behind the seats. I'd recommend a tonneau cover ...
    LizH101's full review     | 130 words

  • Review by
    English Bowman Rank: Corporal
    on 26th Jul 2004


    User Rating : 8
    Respect : 0

    I am now the proud owner of a Triumph Spitfire 1500 Classic Car. This is the model to go for unless you are a real fan of the looks of the earlier car. The handling is much improved due to the rear suspension being changed and it corners very well considering its age. It is a slow car for a sports car, but you could think of that as a good thing due to the number of highwaymen in the shape of speed cameras about. This does encourage a conservation of momentum driving style which is great fun, if ...
    English Bowman's full review     | 226 words

  • Review by
    hitman Rank: Lance Corporal
    expert review Expert Review
    on 11th Aug 2003


    User Rating : 8
    Respect : +5

    So its a couple of years since I last had a chance to drive my 1970 Triumph Spitfire MK3 on the open road thanks to the MOT man and having some serious work commitments but I still recall fondly taking the roof down and setting off for a drive. Firing the Spitfire up is normally a simple task but one you have to do right or else you will have trouble, too much choke and you run the risk of fouling, too little and you run the risk of flooding; get it right and the engine grumbles to life and ...
    hitman's full review     | 537 words

  • Review by
    Andy P. Rank: Lance Corporal
    on 20th Mar 2003


    User Rating : 7
    Respect : -1

    Classy outline, looks like greast summer fun. Does any own one? What do they think?
    Andy P's full review     | 23 words | 3 comments added.


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