1977 Triumph Spitfire

Convertible

1500cc

4 Speed

FM67103UC

Clear

Gasoline

Offered here is a 1977 Triumph Spitfire. The vehicle was based on a design produced for Standard-Triumph in 1957 by Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti, and first produced in 1962. Triumph realized that the Spitfire fighter plane of WWII was an uncopyrighted government designation, and chose it for its name. About the same time Ford was designing its pony car, which just coincidentally was named after the best American fighter plane of WWII, the P-51 Mustang, and also set sales records. Curiously the Germans never came out with a car named after its best plane, the “ME 262;” I wonder what records Nissan would have set if it called the 240Z a “Zero,” and the Italians could have…wait- did the Italians even have any fighter planes? Spits were first sold in America in 1963. It was quite a hit, selling over 6,000 units that year, and more every year after that. By 1977, the engine had been upgraded from 1147 cc to 1500, for two reasons. First, the US emissions dropped the horsepower, and second, a 1500 cc engine was the largest possible to stay in the in the 1500cc SCCA stock racing class. Even so, the stock 1500 in the US market only delivered 53 horsepower with the awful Zenith Stromberg carb, and restrictive exhaust system. Still, the 1500 when new would send the car slightly over 100 mph, and got about 30 miles per gallon. Added to its low center of gravity and tight steering, Spitfires could blister thru turns very quickly, and still hold their own on the straight, so much so that Spitfires won their Sports Car Club of America classes in 1965 and 1968-73, and almost every year throughout the 1970s. It was inexpensive to operate, a great value, fast, sexy, and FUN! Perhaps this is why they cranked out more than 314,000 Spitfires, from the Mk I to the 1500, with three of every four marked for export far outselling the TRs and MGs. The “last man standing” in the slow decline of British sports cars in America, the Spitfire is nearly the ideal of its type. It’s long, graceful nose and crisp driving style — greatly helped by the car’s extremely light weight — make the Spitfire a unique experience. Spitfires are listed as one of the top values in collectible cars. When buying any classic car, there are only 5 areas of concern. Any one of the five can turn your purchase into a money sucking nightmare, and so it is a good idea to avoid them in the first place, though the price of the car will be initially higher. Spits are special beasties, and the guy who can fix a Chevy will probably not be that great on a Spitfire. First, the exterior. You want a car with decent paint, shiny and all one color. On Spits, the outside door handles use a plastic thing to operate them, which gets brittle and invariably breaks, so you have to open the door from the inside all of the time. Oddly, this usually happens on the passenger side, not the driver’s side. Victoria British and British Parts Northwest sell replacements. Next, the interior. No rips tears, missing panels, etc. On Spitfires, the fiberboard transmission cover disintegrates over time, so you want it to be replaced with the plastic aftermarket one, and lined with insulation, as all of the engine heat goes right thru that cover into the passenger compartment. Spits came with an oil light and a temp gauge; you want this replaced with a Smith’s combo oil and temp gauge from an MGB. Next engine/transmission/rear end. Old 4 cylinders will only go about 70,000 miles without a rebuild, so you want one that has been recently rebuilt. The Zenith carb with water choke (!) should be replaced with a 2 barrel Weber downdraft carb setup, with manual choke. The exhaust manifold should be replaced with a header, and a larger exhaust pipe and chrome mufflers. Spit engines have a tendency to overpressure inside the crankcase, shooting oil out of the dipstick, so you want a pcv system installed to stop this. Stock spit radiators were just adequate to do the job, so you want either an aluminum radiator, or an electric fan setup on the old one. Spits have a decent clutch system, but you want one that has been replaced when the engine was rebuilt. Transmissions are usually not a problem if all the gears work. You have to slap the shift lever to the right and pull UP to get it into reverse. Spits have independent rear suspension, with U joints on each half axle. If the U joints go, it quickly trashes the rear end; replacement of the whole thing is a real chore and rebuilding the rear end is as difficult as not worth the attempt. Finally, everything else. Convertible tops disintegrate over time, so you want one that has been recently replaced. You can’t see out of the clear plastic windows when the top is brand new, so don’t be disappointed if you can’t see out of them when they are older A hardtop is a nice option to have. THIS CAR This Spitfire came out of Florida, and was reportedly owned by a NASA engineer. It is rust free as far as I can tel, except for the usual surface rust on the firewall/bulkhead. When I got it, I had a NASA parking pass on the windshield. The upgrades to the car are consistent with this. The car has less than 16K on the odometer (15980). As I recall, it had about 10k when I got it. I checked the title and it says exempt. I have clear Va. Title in my name. The Tail The car has carpeting installed to line the trunk. It also has an electric fuel pump system, which is necessary for the Weber carb up front, but more on that later. I replaced the gas tank sending unit. It has a courtesy light in the panel covering up the gas tank, but the light socket is plastic and broke, and I have not replaced it because I never need a trunk light. It has an original vinyl took pack with the tire iron, crank and jack. Underneath, it has two big Silver Line chrome mufflers that give it a great sound. I replaced all 5 of the rear end u joints two years ago. It has air shocks on the back which function as designed. I added a trunk rack, and hardware to carry the spare on it instead of in the trunk is included for that “Rally” look. The original spare tire, cover and hardware is in the trunk, and in good condition. The Cockpit This is in fine shape, and is done in tan and black. It comes with an am/FM/cd with remote, and box speakers in the back, which are loud enough to be heard over the exhaust. The seat backs articulate as they should. It has lap and shoulder belts, but the shoulder belts are slow to reel in. The top is relatively new, with no tears or rips. It’s very tight on the car. It comes with a convertible top boot, but not a tonneau cover. The tonneau cover is a puzzlement- it is meant to replace the convertible top. It keeps rain out of the cockpit when the car is parked, but you can’t drive the car in the rain because rain gets on the inside of the windshield and you can’t see. Why make a device that makes it so you can’t drive the car in the rain in one of the rainiest countries in the world? A manual choke is on the left side of the dash. The Speedometer and Tachometer have been reversed in their positions, making the speedometer easier to see. The oil pressure idiot light has been disconnected and a combination oil pressure/water temp gauge installed in the gas gauge hole. The gas gauge has been moved to the temp gauge hole, so you can see it better. I have marked the gas gauge with a china marker so I know when it runs OUT of gas. The dash pad is in good shape, other than the two stress cracks from the corner of the ash tray, a problem which is common to these cars. Odometer and trip odometers work as designed, as does the heat and defrost. The cigarette lighter works sometimes. It has the optional map light under the passenger side dash, which works, but its design is so poor that I’ve never actually been able to light anything useful with it. The windows work as designed. The driver’s door opens with both the interior and exterior handle. The passenger side ones sometimes opens on the outside handle, but always on the inside. I don’t really want to replace the mechanism (available from BP Northwest or Victoria British and take a chance on screwing up the door skin. I replaced the fiberboard transmission cover with a new plastic one, and insulated the whole inside of it. There is a toggle switch on the steering column that activates the electric cooling fan. DON’T MESS WITH IT; you’ll forget to turn it back on. Guess how I know this! It has a sexy chrome and wood steering wheel. The center button has cruise control tabs, but the car does not have cruise control. It also does not have the stock shifter knob, but a Hurst handle that fits the hand better for quick shifts. Engine This car has perfectly functional Lucas electronic ignition, which has never given a second of trouble, to my GREAT amazement. The bulkhead is not rusted out, but it does have surface rust on the driver side, underneath the brake and clutch master cylinders, as all of these cars do when brake fluid gets spilled on them. The fuel pump has been blocked off, and a fuel pressure regulator installed. This is necessary for the Weber 2 barrel downdraft carb, as otherwise it will run rich all the time and flood. The original exhaust manifold has been replaced with a header. The Lucas alternator has been replaced with a GM one. The fan has been removed, and an electric fan added in front of the radiator, which is a brand new Champion aluminum one. We replaced the hoses at the same time. Removing the fan from the water pump gives the car a little added horsepower, and is a common upgrade. The fiberboard splash panels are in good condition. Steering is tight and AWESOME! This car can go around a ¾ circle cloverleaf at 60 mph! It’s hairy, but it can, because I’ve done it and survived. To fix the endemic crankcase overpressure problem, it has a hose running into the carb above the butterflies, but this is just never enough, so it has a hose running to vacuum through the gas tank vapor purge system. This IS enough, and is the only reason why the purge system is still on it. The engine itself is in great shape, when I got the car, I was told that it had been rebuilt. I took off the valve cover, and everything’s very clean, no sludge or crud buildup at all, and the pushrod channels are the same. I have run synthetic oil in this car from the day I got it. IT GETS 40+ MPG ON THE HIGHWAY. One time I got 45 MPG on the interstate. The Fuselage When I got the car, I was being razzed by a friend with an old BMW, so I added the German cross decals to the side, as the WWII Spitfire pilots did to record their kills, just to make the owner of Hun mobile feel inferior. Tivvy’s Autocrafts is the business name of Tivvy Shenton, a famous vintage foreign race car builder (Shenton Mk IV) and driver who diagnosed a problem on the car one time, so I stuck him up for a sticker when I paid the bill. I also added fog lights under the front bumper, and Rally lights over the front bumper. I never wired them, so they don’t work, but they sure look cool! I think this car has the original 1977 paint. As with any 35 year old car, there is some discoloration in the paint if you look at it close, and there are a few dings and scrapes here and there. There is a scrape on the driver’s door. Some of the tape pin striping is deteriorating but the paint still shines! The paint is white. Blue Spits are hard to find, green ones are popular, yellow ones are hideous, and you almost can’t GIVE away a brown one. Extras The car comes with a lot of extra parts, as shown in the pictures including a backup functional water control valve, clutch alignment tool K&N oil filter, a backup fan belt, extra keys, an extra mirror that matches the driver side one, a Spitfire banner for the top of the windshield, and a sun visor. Also included is a Bell crash helmet with goggles, and a leather flying helmet with goggles. It also comes with a red hardtop. The hardtop needs a headliner, but fits just fine on the car. NOTE-if you plan to drive the car home, you must let me know before pickup. I have to take off the convertible top and put on the hardtop, as there is no place to carry it. Other Now for the disclaimers. The car is sold as is where is, with no warranties or guarantees beyond the above. I had a 68 Spit when in high school in the late 70s, and so I got this one in 2008. I’ve taken it to car shows where the muscle cars were all alone, and every skirt looking at MY Spitfire. Unfortunately, medical reasons mean I don’t drive it much, and I have too many projects, so it has to go. If you are flying in to drive it home, the closest airport is Greensboro, N.C., Raleigh-Durham, or Roanoke. This car is inexpensive to operate, a great value, fast, sexy, and FUN!