Leslie frankish, now a noted canadian theatrical designer. The making of a race driver is brought to you by british leyland, makers of the triumph spitfire and the tr6 sports car, so. It is a source of joy, making every commute and errand fun. Spitfire as a daily drive page 1 triumph pistonheads. Before embarking on a look back at the triumph spitfire, i thought id. I had my mg for two years and couldnt wait to get rid of it. Otherwise it is ok, 35000 on the clock with factory hardtop, overdrive and rather new tires. Click the above arrowpicture for a video of this super fun 1973 triumph spitfire will not play on the ebay app, opens in a new window so watch on regular internet browser or message me for a link this triumph spitfire was a locally owned car. Your spitfire stories hemmings hemmings motor news. Triumph spitfire serves as daily driver, nobody bats an eye british and italian sports cars once roamed the streets of the east bay murilee martin. Another cute little car, but you dont want one as a daily driver. We provide all kinds of performance parts to dramatically increase the speed and power of your triumph spitfire or improve its look and feel.
The very best reason to buy a spitfire is because the thing is a ball to drive. Never one to run from a challenge, i immediately sought the assistance of local british sports car enthusiasts to guide me through the physically, emotionally and financially draining. The eye catching and unmistakable triumph spitfire is a car you can really have fun driving, but if you want to get the best out of yours and make it suit your journeys and your driving style better, then you can make a big difference to the spitfires ride quality by implementing improved suspension systems or shock absorbers. Triumph spitfire in berkeley, california, 1978 berkley car, berkeley, 1978.
Spitfire is better suited to daily driving than the spridget. Triumph spitfire race car for sale on bat auctions. The 1296cc inlinefour was rebuilt in february 2019 and is. The spitfire is my daily driver and the mgb is undergoing a very slow version of a restoration. Whether youve chosen to increase the power of your vehicle or simply want to personalize its look, youll get high quality and unmatched durability with each and every part you buy from us.
I bought a 1977 spitfire 1500 recently as addition to my summer daily driver, a 63 tr4. My triumph has generally been as reliable as any car. Im a land yacht lover so maybe that was the problem. Triumph tr8 prices have increased 27% over the past 3 years. This car comes with 2 full binders full of receipts, pics at shows, awards etc etc.
Spitfire gt daily driver or vintage racer spitfire nr no reserve. Im off to took at a nice 79 spitfire on sunday, im tight on space, dont want two cars and im thinking about running it as a daily driver. Would be an excellent addition to any collection or for use as a daily driver. Almost by accident, but thats all part of the story. Would be an excellent addition to any collection, or for use as a daily driver. Triumph spitfire serves as daily driver, nobody bats. The previous owner used this car as his touring car and daily driver this summer. Triumph spitfire door handle mechanicals just british. We tried to improve the brakes, but my daily driver still outperforms it. The mgbs british leyland cousin, the triumph spitfire, has been a rarer but justassteady find for me. The spitfire was launched several yards forward, fortunately with me remaining inside the vehicle, yet once again the triumph received significant body damage. When determining a value for a daily driver, it is recommended that the subscriber use the low retail.
All this was a good deal back in 1962 when the triumph spitfire was introduced, and it is still that todaywith improve ments. Theyre not fast, comfortable or safe cars by todays standards, but theyll do most normal commutes. You will have the hood open a lot and be tinkering with things regularly. I started to rebuild it last week and it is really not a bad car design. What these cars have in common is nearscrap value when in.
If theres a common thread that runs through these stories, its that triumphs affordable roadster tended to be one of the first sports cars many of you ownedif. Considering that the spitfire was more than twenty years old at the time, it could not have been a more different experience than the tr7, which had been bought new. Triumph spitfire serves as daily driver, nobody bats an eye berkeley, california, is wellknown for such things as the free speech movement and philip k. I have ran an mgb gt as a daily driver and a triumph gt6. I spent the majority of my adult life driving triumphs as daily driversmost of them being spitfiresbut i can tell you that its a. Obviously you arent going to get a show car for a couple grand, but this spitfire does look clean and the. Club triumph cars spitfire timing chain replacement. I have to choose between a 1979 triumph spitfire, a 1967 volvo amazon and my girl.
Truth be told this car isnt really a daily driver, but it certainly qualifies as a streetstrip car and will get you into the 10s on a budget. In a short period of time, with either car, you become intimately familiar with their quirks, charm, and personalities. Austin mini rally car finds new life as daily driver classic mini. Triumph spitfire racing seats rally car vw beetles custom cars. From whenever the salt is washed from the roads in the spring until first salt in the fall i use my mk2 spitfire as my daily driver, and have done so for many years. Early, restored triumph spitfire or mgb as a daily driver in california 10mi commute. British and italian sports cars once roamed the streets of the east.
Triumph spitfire 1500, my new daily driver this will be a diary mainly about our new car. There is a hard top but the window will need to be reinstalled the car is good running condition and shifts easily in to gears. At carid, we specialize in helping people bring their vehicles up. Triumph spitfire serves as daily driver, nobody bats an eye. Turn it a halfturn and allow pressure to be fully released prior to. A short look at the what it means to own classics like the triumph spitfire or mgb from entire rebuilds to reconditioning, these two classic british drop tops serve up the best in countryside. It was based upon the chassis and running gear of the triumph herald, though due to it being designed as an open top, it had a strengthening components fitted within the body shell. When determining a value for a daily driver, it is recommended that. This 1980 triumph spitfire 1500 has been the sellers daily driver for the past nine years and comes equipped with a factory hardtop. Theyre great cars, but they will need frequent repairs if you drive it every day. If the engine is hot, avoid danger from scalding by exercising extreme care when removing the radiator filler enginedaily cap. What it means to own an mgb or triumph spitfire youtube.
This triumph spitfire race car was reportedly built to 1972 scca general competition rules rules a number of years ago. Find this 1979 triumph spitfire with toyota 4age twincam. Excellent condition no rust 4 cylinder 4 spd hard top an tonnou cover colorado car new interior fuel pump dash pad headliner and rubber seals. The spitfire vehicle didnt quite achieve the same success as its namesake fighter plane, but it does have a decent cult following and gets lively if you up the horsepower from the spinning parts. Erik norrgards daily commuting gt6 was caught out in the snow. Mika hekkanen in his mkiv spit, doing a little top down winter driving. When dick frankish was a teacher in edmonton, his daughter bought a new carmine red 1976 triumph spitfire roadster for her daily driver. Your spitfire stories triumph letters from hemmings. James carruthers spitfire is caught in a quick snowstorm. Its not really a budget for a spitfire they are very cheap cars these days, but its a budget for a 400 horsepower chevy engine, auto trans and rear end. The triumph spitfire is already a great choice as an affordable classic because parts are so dang cheap, but when you find a clean runner for this kind of money, its a steal. History of the 19621980 triumph spitfire triumph was caught flatfooted by rival bmcs introduction of the austinhealey sprite and the mg midget. After trying to cure the sag problem on my first spit with a rearched rear spring, i finally ended up replacing the oem girling rear.
There were five marks of triumph spitfire produced. Mostly i looked at spitfires, mgb gt hatchbacks, and mg roadsters, as these had a long production history. This thrilling spitfire speed tutorial makes me want to drive my. Triumph spitfire performance weber carburetor kit 19671980 0cc and 1500cc fits. Granted it wasnt a daily driver like that first triumph, but it never once let me down, never failed to start and the only money i spent on it was for the last 5%, all cosmetics. I ran a spitfire 1500 as a daily driver for five years in the north east and did all my own maintenance. They can be made reliable with regular attention, are simple machines and most parts are readily available. I have also used triumph spitfires in all weathers and conditions, they are superb. Needing a lowpriced sports car of its own to compete, triumph turned to the rather lackluster small herald sedan as potential small sports car underpinnings. Automobile triumph tr4 drivers handbook manual 46 pages summary of contents for triumph spitfire mk3. Thinking of a spitfire 1500 1981 as a daily drive dont do many miles, but give it to me straight will it break my heart any opinions gratefully.
Austin mini rally car finds new life as daily driver petrolicious mini cooper classic. After trying to cure the sag problem on my first spit with a rearched rear spring, i finally ended up replacing the oem girling rear shocks. Air shocks for a triumph spitfire vintage triumph register. All but the radio and headlights could have been purchased in the 70s. It should be noted that while im aware of both cars problems and have the experience to fix most of them, i dont have a place to work on the car at the moment, so nearly everything would have to be done by a mechanic. Triumph spitfire classic cars for sale classic trader. This spitfire has spent all of its life kept in a garage under its custom car cover. White paint is in good condition with minor wear and tear the convertible top is in good condition with clear plastic windows. The triumph spitfire is a very small british roadster named after an iconic wwii fighter, the highest production british airplane of all time. The cockpit is roomier and more comfortable just, the steering lock is. See more ideas about triumph spitfire, triumph, triumph cars. The 1970 triumph spitfire represents an affordable way into the classic british sportscar experience. This example comes from the second to last year of spitfire production and wears a nonoriginal dark blue metallic finish over a blue, black, and white interior.