Vehicle Description
1975 Triumph Spitfire 1500 Convertible, well kept previous FL car,
newer top, nice original interior, factory rally wheels, inline 4
cylinder engine mated to a 4 speed manual gear box. Dressed in a
white exterior with black interior. While the rest of the world saw
1500s with a compression ratio of 8.0:1, the American market model
was fitted with a single Zenith-Stromberg carburettor and a
compression ratio reduced to 7.5:1 to allow it to run on lower
octane unleaded fuel. Popular in street and rally racing, Spitfires
won numerous SCCA National Sports Car Championships in F and G
Production classes; won its class at the 1964 Tour de France rally,
coming in second overall, and won the 1964 Geneva Rally. In 1965, a
Spitfire won its class in the Alpine Rally. There is a tendency
among some Triumph enthusiasts to view the Spitfire as something
less than a real Triumph. Yes, it was diminutive in terms of size
and horsepower, but with more than 314,000 produced between 1962
and 1980 (on par with the entire TR line), it was the sports car
heart of the company. Triumph started as an auto manufacturer in
1923. It failed during the 1930s but was reborn after World War II
under the umbrella of the Standard Car Co., best known for its
saloons. Standard-Triumph premiered its first sports car, the TR2,
in 1952. The TR2 was more successful than Standard saloons and was
followed quickly by the TR3 and 3A. In 1958 Austin launched the
tiny Donald Healey-designed Sprite to great success. A smaller
roadster had also been discussed at Triumph and the Sprite's
success encouraged the firm to produce it. In late 1960 a
prototype, codenamed The Bomb, was constructed in Turin by designer
Giovanni Michelotti, using a Triumph Herald saloon chassis as its
foundation. But the project was shelved when truck maker Leyland
absorbed Standard-Triumph in 1960. A year later, a Leyland exec
spotted The Bomb in a corner and the little sports car was given
the go-ahead. It debuted at the London motor show in October 1962
as the Spitfire. Synony-mous with the Battle of Britain fighter,
the name resonated with the British public. Though more expensive,
the Spitfire outsold the Sprite, offering more content than
Austin's petite convertible. The Spitfire 4, as it was officially
called, came with a 1147-cc derivative of the Herald engine,
pushing it to 60 mph in 17 seconds and topping out at 92 mph. Sales
took off in the United States as well, climbing steadily as
successive iterations of the car, including the more powerful MkII
and MkIII, appeared. The Spitfire's racing potential was
highlighted when Triumph decided to use it in place of the
under-performing TR4 in 1964. Four fiberglass hardtop racers were
built for Le Mans, one of which finished third in its class. The
racer bodies foreshadowed the eventual GT6 Spitfire coupe but were
campaigned with the same 1147-cc engines as their street
counterparts. The cars raced successfully at Sebring that year and
returned to Le Mans in 1965, taking first and second in class.
Piloted by notables like David Hobbs, they also performed with
distinction in various European rallies and in the SCCA where Bob
Tullius took his Group 44 Spits to a number of wins in the late
'60s. Michelotti freshened the design in 1970 (MkIV), which
featured rear suspension improvements and a stroked 1493-cc version
of the four-banger good for 71 horsepower. In 1973 British Leyland
rebadged the model as the Spitfire 1500. Minor interior and
exterior details changed but most significantly, emission and
safety regulations were met with raised suspension, bumper and
engine modifications. Lucas electrics and traditional reliability
problems were still part of the package but more than 90,000
examples of the popular machine were sold. The 1500 continued in
production until 1980 when stricter emission requirements convinced
Leyland to retire its venerable sportster
