Filed in archive
by Philip Powell on November 2, 2006
With its sleek body by Michelotti, the Triumph Spitfire instantly made all other low price sports cars old-fashioned when it appeared in 1962. It featured wind-up windows, a fully-independent suspension, and a one-piece hood/fenders combination hinged at the front, just like the exotic Jaguar E-Type. This made working on the engine and other mechanical parts relatively easy, since everything was exposed. I remember testing a Triumph Spitfire for Canada Track & Traffic magazine when it was launched, and gave it a rave review. The Spitfire lasted until 1980, by which time it had been through several updates and the engine had grown to 1500 c.c's. Unfortunately emission controls on later models wiped out most of the power increase. It had also sprouted the unloved "rubber" safety bumpers, though the Spitfire was one of the very few cars that still managed to look attractive. The Triumph Spitfire sold well and was sufficiently rugged that a large percentage still survive, which makes the International Triumph Spitfire Database (with over 11,000 members) exceptionally useful to current owners. Lots of links and other info, too. Thanks to Hemmings for this lead.
Permalink: Italian Style Graces British Sports Car
Tags:
Triumph
Spitfire
database
Jaguar
classic
vintage
antique
collector
old
sport
sports
car
cars
auto
au
Trackback: http://publish.creative-weblogging.com/publish/mt-tb.pl/49583
Mr Wong
Vote for Italian Style Graces British Sports Car:
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Rating: 6.33 out of 3 vote(s) cast.
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Response from:
Miss Used Car Los Angeles
(11/02/06 4:35pm)
What a beauty! I'm actually in the used car business myself and I always love reading up about these oldies but goodies! Thanks for the article!
Response from:
soozi
(09/18/08 5:02am)
Hi everybody
Response from:
Thrifty
(10/22/08 7:23am)
This is still a classic sports car and if they have been looked after then they are really cool.
Response from:
Find Cars Online
(10/23/08 4:20am)
A true classic, I just love it.
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