1972 Triumph Spitfire

Mark IV Convertible

4 - Cyl.

Manual

FK33385U

Clear

Gasoline

Up for auction is a 1972 Triumph Spitfire IV. The vehicle has had a frame off restoration (mostly) completed in 2008. I am the third owner of the vehicle. I purchased it in 2001 at an auction and began the restoration shortly thereafter. Car was restored by myself and a Ford Certified Master Technician over several years. Odometer shows 41K miles but has not worked since I purchased it. I have put approximately 6k miles on it since the restoration. Runs and drives very well. A pure joy to cruise around on a summer day! One of the most fun cars I’ve ever had the pleasure of driving! Please see Youtube video link below for a promo of the car, features and it running.http://www.youtube.com/user/bonsaiisuperstar?feature=mhee#p/a/u/0/W57p8PS7Xm0 The Good. The vehicle was completely taken apart. The frame was sandblasted, cleaned, had new outriggers welded on and then primed and painted the same color as the exterior. The undercarriage of the car is very clean. Engine is a 1296cc inline four cylinder with non-overdrive four speed transmission. Engine compression is very good across the board at 100, 99, 98, and 100. (See video links of actual tests) It has polished and completely refurbished twin SU carbs. The head was replaced last spring with a refurbished model (pressure tested with new valves and tri angle grind, bronze guides, new springs and a slight skim and ARP head bolts). Set up for unleaded gasoline. Megajolt powered electronic ignition using a Ford EDIS 4 system and crank sensor. You can connect the car to a laptop and adjust ignition curves while driving – just have your passenger do it for you! I will include the laptop I use to tune with for free as it has the Megajolt software installed on it. I will give the new owner a lesson on how to use the software also when he or she comes to pick up the car. Transmission shifts smooth and has had the fluid changed every spring. Included is an almost full 5 gallon bucket of special GL4 oil that MUST be used in the diff to protect the bronze thrust washers. Pacesetter 4-1 header and custom side exit 3”dual exhaust really gives the car a unique look with a deep throaty sound. It turns heads. Virtually everything on this car is either brand new or has been refurbished. New shocks, springs, suspension bushings, wheel bearings, brakes, brake and fuel lines, fuel pump, belts, tires (Sumitomo 165 / 70 / R13), water pump, clutch, timing chain, windshield, sun visors, seat belts, mirrors, door latches, and darn near every nut, bolt and screw. Interior is all leather and plush wool carpeting from Prestige Auto Trim. This is very high quality stuff not seen on a standard Spitfire. Passenger side floor pan was replaced in the restore. The tub is in excellent shape with zero rust anywhere. Entire tub has been covered in Dynamat sound and heat deadening material. All you hear when driving is the roar of the engine and wind in your ear! New leather door panels with side pockets. Seats have been refurbished with new seat foams and leather. Trunk interior is one of a kind and the nicest you will see on a Spitfire anywhere. All trunk pieces were custom made and the trunk floor features a door with access to tools or whatever small equipment you wish to store while on your journey. Trunk carpet is deluxe wool cut pile and sides are covered in high quality vinyl. It also houses parts of the audio system. The audio system is set up to be run off your smart phone or IPOD. Memphis audio 3 channel 200W watt amplifier running two(2) 6.5” Polk Audio mid range speakers, two (2) road master tweeters, and a very rare JL audio 6WO 6” subwoofer in a bazooka tube in the trunk. If you ever tire of listening to the engine, the sound system is top notch! The Spitfire has a custom dual cooling fan setup to keep engine cool while sitting in traffic during hot summer days. Toggle switch controlled from dash. Driving lights installed and also controlled from dash toggle switch. Added dash mounted Auto Meter oil pressure gauge for extra piece of mind. I have many extras in a box that will be included with the car. Old parts that were replaced during the restoration like an alternator, door handles, mirrors, new gaskets and original (and working) Zenith Stromburg carbuerator are included. I also have parts books for ordering replacement parts and many issues of Triumph Enthusiast magazines that I will include. I also have a GIANT stack of receipts for parts that you can have as documentation. I assume they total over $12,000 but never totaled them up so I wouldn’t cry. (haha) I will also include a CD of many photos of the restoration process beginning to end. The (not so) Bad. The car was meant to never see rain or snow after the restoration, therefore some pieces were not finished. The windshield wiper motor needs to be replaced as it is faulty. I have a factory hard top that has been painted but clear coat was never applied. The soft top needs a new cover, but the frame is intact. I never bothered to complete these projects as it is always garage kept and has not seen snow or even wet pavement since its restoration. The engine runs great in cool weather, however, it has gremlins that appear when it is very hot outside and the engine gets a good heat soak. It runs a bit rich at idle and needs to have a set of leaner carb needles installed. Needle sets are about $20. I will include a paperback book dedicated to tuning and rebuilding SU carbs. It needs a heat shield and a ram air system to fit between the twin SU’s and header to keep the air going in cooler (this was a feature on later models). This may be the main cause of its running issues in hot weather. I’ve not had the time to fabricate one or source an old one via the internet. Needs a bit more tuning at certain RPM’s done via carb balancing and adjusting ignition via the Megajolt. It runs and drives fine in cool weather, but can be fickle and sputter and sometimes backfire on hot days. If you are good with engines, I’m sure you can clear this up with a bit of fiddling. If not, visit a mechanic and they can sort it out for you. Paint (PPG) is a nice driver quality, not really show quality and has a few chips from driving it over the years. I have leftover paint with correct paint codes on the can. You can touch it up if you wish. The armrest has a tear in it. I had planned to re-cover it but have run out of time. I will include a large roll of Vinyl and you can do it yourself. Old British cars have notorious wiring issues. This car is almost perfect. The ONLY wiring issue is that the running lights stopped working last fall. I suspect it is the light switch itself that is the culprit as the switch broke inside. The running lights were working until the switch failed. I ordered a new one, but it was the incorrect one and never bothered to source another as I never drove it after dark. A new switch will cost about $15. The trunk does not latch. The latch itself is brand new, but the “catch” for the latch was thrown away during the restore by mistake. I was not able to procure another one. I’ve driven it this way for several years. Trunk stays closed and will not open while driving, but storing valuables in a non locking trunk may not be a good idea depending on where you live. You can source one on the internet or simply make a new one if you have basic metal fabricating skills and like to tinker. This is a great driving, beautiful car that needs a new home that will give it the loving care it deserves. You don’t see many Spitfires on the road, and you almost never see them restored like this one. I wish I could keep it, but I am moving across the country in 9 months and unfortunately the car cannot go with me. I've had a great time restoring and driving the car the past few years, now it’s your turn! This Spitfire is great for cruising in the open country and turning heads wherever you may go! I will attempt to answer any questions you may have while auction is ongoing via email. I have attempted to cover every aspect, both good and bad, of the car in this post. It really is a beauty that should increase in value in years to come. Good luck and happy bidding! Cheers! Compression Test video links below.http://www.youtube.com/user/bonsaiisuperstar?feature=mhee#p/u/6/zNCWUH5buiYhttp://www.youtube.com/user/bonsaiisuperstar?feature=mhee#p/u/11/U4xiJVW1Nvchttp://www.youtube.com/user/bonsaiisuperstar?feature=mhee#p/u/10/udM3pcfhxlwhttp://www.youtube.com/user/bonsaiisuperstar?feature=mhee#p/u/7/plhB9xhgzkY