1979 Triumph Spitfire

Convertible

Manual

Rebuilt, Rebuildable & Reconstructed

1979 Triumph Spitfire with Mazda RX-7 Motor You are bidding on the car Triumph might have built if they had partnered with Mazda instead of Honda (you Triumph buffs know what I am talking about).This Spitfire has the same motor as a 1978 RX-7… but it is a whole lot faster! At the time, folks were warned not to mess with the stock RX-7 rotary engine, as it would certainly diminish the performance. Well, that is no doubt BS! The Ro-Spit has no emission control and a dual side draft Mikuni carb with stock Mazda electronic ignition, which is contained in the distributor...pretty simple stuff. The 1978 Mazda RX-7 ran great, but was a little slow off the line…the completely de-smogged Ro-Spit would absolutely run circles around an old RX-7. I cannot claim credit for building this car…it was built in the 90’s about the same time the Grassroots Motorsports Ro-Spit was being built. The builder was actually in contact with the magazine at the time and received much support from them. However, he chose to make his car a fast road machine, rather than a track car. So what is so great about it? It is road legal in any state that exempts old cars from emission testing; it is incredibly fast; it is a joy to drive; it stops on a dime; it does not leak oil; it runs cool; sounds great; it gets a whopping 20 MPG; you will always win your class at VTR autocross; you can drive cross-country in comfort with no worries; chicks dig it! I have gotten more attention, questions and thumbs-ups while driving this car than my 911 Turbo. This car is completely sorted…I have added about 1500 miles to the mere 34,000 miles that were on the car (and engine) when I `last summer. In fact, the car was driven from the previous owner's home in the Austin,TX area to Denver in one day! The car has been driven by a prior owner to VTR National Conventions in San Rafael CA and Dobson NC, The Roadster Factory Summer Party in Armagh PA (long distance award winner), and numerous shows all over the Southwest. The prior owner was active in the Triumph Club and very experienced with the Spitfire cars. You can see articles he's written at http://www.mossmotoring.com/?s=mike+mcphail . This car has all the Spitfire features (mainly, good looks), plus a Mazda 12A rotary engine (somewhat hopped up with porting and alloy flywheel…est. 190 HP/ 150 MPH), RX7 5-speed gearbox, heavy duty clutch, Mazda limited slip diff, Mazda rear disc brakes (yes, this car has four wheel disc brakes!). Further enhancements include four-wheel Koni coil over independent suspension, (the ridiculous Spitfire transverse leaf spring suspension has been replaced with dual trailing arms), and an RX8 stainless steel exhaust (still pretty loud…sounds like a Hayabusa motorcycle!). There are dual thermostatically controlled radiator fans, full sized RX7 radiator, remote oil filter, oil cooler, SS brake lines, one year old battery, and four year old Toyo 175/70-13 tires. Those ugly ’79 rubber baby buggy bashers have been replaced with the much sought after 1972 Spitfire all chrome bumpers. The tiny eight gallon original gas tank has been replaced with a 16 gallon version (runs on regular), yet there is still plenty of space in the trunk…but not for a spare tire. Of course, the Imron paint looks really good, except where some parking lot damage has been repaired in the rear of the car (bet you can’t see it in the pics) and there is absolutely no rust. Shoot, look at the pictures! What else can I say…this car is fabulous! Mileage is approximate as the car is occasionally driven. Why would I sell this wonder? I have enjoyed the heck out of it this past year, but it is time to thin the herd…besides, somebody out there absolutely has to have this car…probably you! And how about this: NO RESERVE!!! $500 non-refundable deposit due at end of auction…the balance via EFT to my bank account. Check my rating…I am an honest seller.