written by articlewizards on 29/08/2013
One of the finest cars I’ve had the experience of owning. 10/10 for usability and running costs aren’t too bad..
written by TomSmales on 06/05/2012
I went to Manchester University in the 1960's and was always really jealous of a fellow student who had a new Spitfire bought by his well off parents whilst I travelled on the buses. So 40 years later I at last bought a MK1 Spitfire 4 here in South Africa, apparantly in the 1960's the kits were imported from UK and assembled in Durban. I have never had a car so easy to work on, and the climate here is perfect for an open top car, I drive it for the sheer fun and it is amazing how many other cars hoot, wave and even take photographs. I would advise that any owner should have an electrical/mechanical bent as for example, the original wiring is a nightmare, and one of my first jobs was to strip out every piece of cable and install a loom retrieved from a scrap yard from some more modern car. This is a car you want to work on, add a few gauges, customise the interior, so if you have the time, inclination and enthusiasm, then this is the one to go for.
written by soloandy1989 on 30/06/2009
1500 uk
A 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 MX5
And 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.
written by Derekspaws on 15/09/2008
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 quarter of a mile, looked at each other and burst out laughing! No other car I have owned has had this effect. I sometimes just go the garage just to sit in it, I have replaced the standard dash with a Rimmers walnut burr affair and fitted a Mountney steering wheel, also fitted a voltage gauge and a oil pressure gauge (Smiths of course) I am currently looking for a Smiths clock to finish the job. Driving the car is amazing at sixty you are focused and hanging on to the wheel and smiling (it FEELS very fast which ultimately must be what a sports car is all about). My wife ' s car is a modern sports car that will pull some good speeds but it's so boring. The Spitfire smells like a car should, hot oil and wood...great! I have parked the car at the golf club between a 911 and an Audi R8 to have the locals come out and eulogize about my old Spit and ignore the German cars!... very satisfying. To me the car represents everything that an English sports car should, it looks great, sounds great and is the closest thing to a road going go cart that you will ever experience! This is no-way a car for every man or woman, but I will never part with it, it's made a summer Sunday what it should be!
written by zharca on 08/10/2006
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 in reality remain, such an awful car, can they now get a recommendation, so much so that I, who would never have been seen dead in one at the time, actually *bought* one?
Because they're fun, practical to own and use, and very simple to fix. Forget the truly abysmal performance, the very limited road holding and the tacky build, for a summer day hood-down drive they're perfect. What else can you buy and run for the same money that has so much appeal?
The Spitfire is a sensible classic car buy. There are a lot of them around which means good club support and very, very good parts availability. Lets face it, you can still get the service parts at Halfords! Insurance with agreed values is cheap and early cars even get free road tax. You also get much more room both inside and in the boot than with a Midget. They really look the part, too, especially the face lift Mk4. In an "our Italians are better than your Italians" moment, Michellotti did a better job for Triumph than Farina ever did over at BMC.
If you want to run one for transport, seek out the factory hard top to replace the soft top for most of the British year. Not only is it actually waterproof, except around those frameless windows which never really sealed when new, but it cuts down noise, hugely improves visibility and even stiffens the car up, improving road holding.
Some words about maintenance, cos you're gonna need it!
They are very easy to fix, a fact you'll find out very soon after getting one. A common problem is the suspension trunnion bushes at both ends, an awful design that wears very quickly. The road holding of any Triumph with worn bushes reduces from mediocre to downright dangerous. Bushes are easy enough to replace until neglected, when the whole thing will seize solid and need sawing and drilling out, so look after them. Replace all the suspension rubbers and the rack bushes, too as they wear and mess up the steering geometry. There are several upgraded parts that can be used here, but be careful not to use too hard a bush or the solid alloy rack mounts on a road car if you want to keep any sort of ride comfort. Whilst under the car, you need to check driveshaft universals for wear and also front brake callipers, which tend to seize, and all of the handbrake linkage parts.
If you are going to drive the Spitfire in modern traffic, it needs some upgrades. Brakes: I think a servo is a must. With a couple of bits of piping and simple brackets, a period Girling or Lockheed servo can be mounted in front of the radiator and transforms the brakes. It's also worth replacing the brake discs as they are very cheap.
Engine: A mediocre unit even in the sixties that traces it's ancestry back to the standard eight, so don't expect too much. 1 SU carburettors, an SAH exhaust and electronic ignition will transform the car and actually give you some acceleration. Add a top oil feed to stop the whole thing grinding to a halt. The long-stroke 1500 has more torque than the 1300 in standard form but can be politely described as "not nice"
Gearboxes are fairly reliable, though the Triumph was one of the poorest designs of its time, compared to the "A" series and Ford's superb three-and single-rail offerings. Overdrive makes such a difference that I'd advise against buying a car without it. But be cautious here. Make sure that the overdrive hasn't been added later because the final drive ratios differed and if the differential hasn't been changed with the gearbox, you'll have a car that just won't pull OD 4th. The units themselves are very reliable and reluctance to engage is usually just dirty oil and filter.
Most cars now will have had the rear spring revisions that appeared on the Mk4 cars and so won't display the downright dangerous behaviour of early Mk1 and 2 cars. By modern, or even sixties, standards adhesion is low and you'll occasionally find that the rear slides on wet roundabouts but quick, accurate steering and the fact that you're really going very slowly makes it fairly safe and rather fun. If the rear has any tendency to tuck a wheel under, the bushes need replacing.
They rust, so if you're buying, this is the most important thing to look for. Ignore any mechanical problems, they are easy to fix, but rust is always lurking on a Spitfire and simple looking areas like sills are very difficult to repair properly. Check the floor, the boot floor, the base of the doors, all those raise seams and the wheel arch joins. Even the chassis does also eventually rust. Even when you own one, they need constant attention and really need to be garaged. The root of the problem is that, like most '60s cars, they were made using a large proportion of recycled scrap steel. There was ferrous oxide in the sheets when they went into the presses - these things were rusting before they were even built!
So is it a recommendation? For the most fun you can get for the money and sheer owner satisfaction, a definite yes, but do realise that you're buying a car that is far more compromised and needs much more attention than any modern second-hand hatch.
written by tr4lover on 15/09/2005
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.
written by dougmi on 24/05/2005
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!
written by richard1 on 22/03/2005
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 aint fast but feels it and for a young driver new to sportscars its perfect and aint going to do anything silly within reason. Performance exhaust, bigger jets and K and N filters make a difference because of its light weight but will change your insurance if you are honest.
Its also, I think quite practical given what it is, and has a decent boot and storage space behind the driver. This only really applies if you are single!
It can be very reliable if you keep tabs on the maintenance and the 1500cc engine is fantastic for the age of the car. The only thing that might score it down is the value for money which when a decent example is compared to a used MX-5 is not all that special.
written by LizH101 on 07/01/2005
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 for the summer too, saves having to put the soft top up and down all the time. Cheap, stylish sports car, huge fun.
written by English Bowman on 26/07/2004
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 not approved of by the better half. Also being exposed to the elements and sitting only 6" off the road it feels much faster than it realy is, 60 mph feels nearer to 100. There are a few problems with the carb set up and in my experiance fitting a heat shield (Canley Classics do one for under a tenner)is a must. The soft top does leak, but only in the most torrential of downpours, and is not too bad to put up. All in in this car is a usable classic, easy to drive and perfect for the summer, and with the hard top usable all year round. It also turns heads everywhere I go.
written by hitman on 11/08/2003
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 with a little blip of the throttle you can feel the car twit slightly.
Having to reverse out of the driveway you push the gear leaver down slightly and way over to the left before taking it forwards and into reverse, a little bit of throttle and up comes the back end as the primitive rear suspension is not too keen on going backwards. As you turn the steering wheel you realise just how much lock there is available to turn this car with. In my 13 years of driving I don't think I have ever driven anything that can turn in such a short space; There we are set pointing in the right direction, the road is clear ahead and I pull away on the side street with very gleeful look in my eye I stab the accelerator and the noise bounces off the houses lining the street. Whilst not a beast of sports car the little 1300cc Spitfire certainly makes a noise probably due to its relatively unrestricted exhaust. Turning left onto the main road a quick squirt takes me past the derestricted sign and its time to change up from second gear, now my car has the D type gearbox and I am not sure if the later J type made finding third any easier but push the gear lever forwards in anywhere but the right place and you get a nice grinding sound that will make everyone notice you so this is one gear change you simply mush get right, when you do the gears are well spaced and lead to fairly brisk acceleration upto 50 which feels a whole heap quicker when your as low to the ground as you are in a Spitfire. The road ahead starts to undulate and the first major bend is ahead, you think to yourself how fast shall I take this bend, you know in a modern car that 50 is perfectly safe, so you head into the bend at 45, the turn in is precise and the car is gripping nicely, it goes halfway round the corner and the backend starts to creep away, you catch it with a little adjustment of the throttle and you think to yourself your a great driver.
This is just part of driving a Spitfire, its lots of fun and at speeds that your hardly likely to have a huge accident at. In all if this country had a drier climate and the road where less crowded a Spitfire would be an ideal companion for a gentle drive in the country.
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