Source- Triumph Brochure
Table of Contents
It All Began With the “BOMB”
The Triumph Motor Company had many owners during its lifetime. In 1960, Triumph was reeling with financial crisis due to local competition and was bought by Leyland Motors Ltd. While all this was happening Triumph’s chief rival, Austin-Healy, launched the equally impressive Sprite AKA the “Bugeye” which became an instant hit in the USA. A feat that didn’t go unnoticed by its new overseers.
However, plans to rival Sprite were already in motion before Leyland took over triumph, and a prototype was penned by none other than design legend Giovanni Michelotti. Known for styling beauties like the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, Lancia Flavia, and the Ferrari 340 MM Vignale Spyder.
A prototype known as “The Bomb” was lying around the factory gathering dust. It caught the eye of the Leyland administration when they began inspecting the newly Acquired Triumph’s assets and approved it for production soon after.
Spitfire Wasn’t Just A Chopped Of Herald
To save costs and for ease of production, engineers at Triumph decided to shorten the frame of the Triumph Herald by 8.5″ (216mm), remove its side members, and enhance the chassis with numerous modifications to remove the infamous body roll and chassis flex common with Heralds of that era. The door sills were now an integral part of the structure.
The entire chassis was welded and was held together by 12 bolts. Since the goal was to take on Sprite, numerous features were provided that offer better value to buyers like bigger storage bigger windows, and roll-down windows. Another reason why the Spitfire is still loved so much is its massive engine bay which makes DIY jobs like plug cleaning and lube change a breeze.
Triumph Spitfire Could Kill You
After sifting through plenty of forums the most common issues with a Triumph Spitfire as per its owners are Crankshaft Thrust, body rust, poor wiring, and the dreaded “wheel tuck”. The majority of issues are with 1962-1970 Mk I/II/III Spitfires.
Crankshaft thrust bearing– It can have too much play most notably in the cars that have seen some rally action and are high mileage. If the bearing breaks the whole drivetrain can be rendered useless as pointed out by long-term owners on GRM. The problem is most notable with Spitfire 1500s.
U-Joint/ Differential- TBH, these are common with any old car but can be a bit of a handful in Spitfires due to its already hairy handling. If it is worn out the car will jerk and clunk at low speeds but replacements are pretty affordable and cost around $40 from Peninsula British Parts.
Shoddy Wiring- Multiple reports on forums like Classic Motorsports indicate that Spitfire lacks sufficient fuses and the wiring was prone to breakage even in moderate mileage cars. The replacement set is pretty pricey at $500, a number that can easily double if labor costs are added.
Rust – All Spitfires are prone to rust especially in easy-to-ignore parts like under seat corners, under carpets, and batter trays. Thankfully Spitfires have separate bodies and frames chassis that are easy to de-rust. The batter trays can be replaced with modern plastic units that are cheap and sturdy
Wheel Tuck- Mk I/II/III Spitfires were notorious for jacking or wheel tuck( pictured above). A solid connection between the rear leaf spring assembly and the top of the differential casing caused this. During cornering the rear wheels would tuck inside throwing the unsuspecting and presumably wide-eyed driver into the scenery.
The problem was resolved by Mk4 Spitfires in which only the bottom leaf was fixed to differential casing while others were free to roam around. This fixed the issue to some extent but it persisted. You can easily fix these issues by upgrading the assemble with sway bars ($100—$150)and limiting straps and camber adjustment.
Related
Triumph Spitfire Generations
Spitfire 4 Mark I (1962-1964)
AKA The “Spitfire 4”. It came with a modest 1147 cc inline-four that made 63 bhp. Laughable by today’s standards but were enough for a car that weighed only 1,568 lb. 0-60, although hardly relevant, took about 17-18 seconds, and flat out it could do 92 mph. Over 45,700 were built making them a lot more common in the used car market than Mark 2 variants. A used one can be had for about $900 if you are looking for spare parts. It came with an infuriating DIY soft top and options like wire wheels, a heater, and overdrive
Spitfire Mark II (1965-1967)
The MK2 was largely the same and came with a small power bump for a total of 67 bhp. Minor improvements also included full-floor carpets and covered door tops. Triumph even claimed that it could achieve 31 mpg. North American models retained the coil-spring housing and Delco distributors
Spitfire Mark III (1967-1970)
No Triumph still didn’t fix the “wheel tuck” issue with MK3 but offered a noticeable upgrade over its predecessor, especially for the North American models. They came with the 15-inch steering wheel, negative earth wiring, a new safety bumper, a 68 bhp engine (the UK version had the cooler 75 bhp unit), an integrated headrest, and matt black trim.
A special limited edition version was also launched for US markets that came with commemorative badges on fenders and wheels. The 100,000 Spitfire was made during this period and a used MK3 Spitfire can be yours for $7,999 to $16,988 as per CarGurus.
Spitfire Mark IV (1970-1974)
After Leyland took over BMC, Triumph’s archrivals MG and Austin became its corporate siblings. Giovanni Michelotti once again returned to the drawing board and penned a complete revamp for Spitfire that also came with a revised bonnet, flatter hardtop, and black bumpers.
The dreaded wheel jacking issue was now fixed and the new 1,296 cc (79.1 cu in) Standard SC I4 made 63 hp but had a broader torque curve. Numerous improvements meant that the weight now stood at 1,717 lb with a slightly higher 0-60 mph compared to last gen.
A sued Mark 4 Spitfire now costs $14,000 in good condition. Try to get your hands on much more desirable Euro-spec versions which could do 97Mph and 0-60Mph in 12.5 seconds. In any case, any Triumph Spitfire from MK4 onwards is recommended as they came with much-needed suspension upgrades.
Spitfire 1500 (1974-1980)
Every Spitfire destined for the US was a watered-down version of the much more powerful Euro spec Spitfires thanks to increasingly stringent emission and safety laws. The last Spitfire once again got an upgraded engine (1,493 cc (91.1 cu in) Standard SC I4 with a reduced compression ratio of 7.5:1.
The Spitfire 1500 also got larger swing axles and a lowered spring, a larger track, and a negative camber for noticeably improved handling. Compared to US spec models Euro Spitfire 1500s had 71 hp/82lb-ft and did 60 mph in shade less than 14 seconds with a 100 mph top speed. Today a used Spitfire 1500 can be had for $9000 on Hemmings.
The Decline of Triumph
In the late 80s consensus regarding British-made cars was not good. People complained of shoddy craftsmanship, unreliable engines, and general displease with the overall package they were getting especially when compared to revered Japanese offerings. The last Triumph was a rebadged Honda Ballade after which BMW acquired Rover Group under which Triumph fell.
