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The Triumph Spitfire
The Triumph Spitfire was a 2-seat convertible British sportscar built between 1962 and 1980, styled by Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti. Instead of “Series” or “Generation,” Triumph chose to number their different iterations as “Mark I,” “Mark II”,” etc. Codenamed “Bomb,” it used a shortened version of the existing Triumph Herald saloon (sedan) chassis along with the Herald’s running gear and SC engine, saving the cost of developing an entirely new chassis, engine and transmission.
Created by Standard-Triumph to compete in the small sports-car market against the likes of the Austin-Healey Frogeye (Bugeye to us uncouth Yanks across the Pond) Sprite and MG Midget, the name derives from the famed Spitfire fighter that the British used in WWII. It had a standard body-on-frame configuration augmented by structural components within the bodywork and the rear trailing arms attached to the body rather than the chassis. The bonnet (hood) pivoted forward ala Jaguar E-Type for excellent access to the engine…which you often needed, it was a ’60s British sports car with all the mechanical and electrical quirks that went with it! The convertible top was put up and taken down manually; a factory hardtop was available.
It was highly popular in sports-car and rally racing, racking up numerous class wins in the SCCA National Sports Car Championships as well as class wins in the 1964 Tour de France Rally, the 1964 Geneva Rally and the 1965 Alpine Rally. Its introduction was delayed by Standard-Triumph’s financial woes in the early ’60s and not actually produced until the marque was taken over by Leyland. Leyland found the prototype Spitfire under a dust cover in a corner of the factory, saw its potential and quickly moved to put it into production.
Mark I (Spitfire 4) 1962-1964
The Mark I differed little from the prototype. It used the same Herald-derived chassis and engine with the addition of front disc brakes. An 1147 cc overhead valve pushrod engine with fuel fed from two SU side-draft carbs powered the car, producing a modest 63 HP and 67 lb. ft. of torque, which was enough to propel the 1568 lb. Spitfire to 92 MPH and from 0-60 in 16.4 seconds…not stellar numbers but not bad for a small British sports car in 1962. It appeared to the driver to be going much faster than it was due to the seats being mounted so low in the body, the bottom being nearly flush with the already-low floorpan. Performance upgrade kits were available from dealers and ranged from dual-throat Weber carbs to high-compression cylinder heads, a high-lift camshaft, and if you were willing to dive deep into the engine stronger pistons, connecting rods and crankshafts could be had as well as a stronger clutch and close-ratio transmissions from the Triumph Vitesse. The Herald-derived 4-speed manual transmission received an electric overdrive in 1964. Rack and pinion steering and coil-and-wishbone front suspension we also carried over from the Herald, but rear suspension was a single transverse-leaf swing axle configuration. This setup lends itself to severe camber changes in the rear wheels during hard cornering, causing sometimes uncontrollable understeer. The rear suspension setup was modified for the Mark IV and Spitfire 1500 to alleviate this problem. Fuel economy was of an enviable nature even today: 31 MPG, outstanding for 1962. Fuel prices were much higher in the UK than in the US and gas was rationed, this drove the market for small cars like the Spitfire and its contemporaries.
It was inexpensive and had very basic trim by today’s standards such as rubber floor mats and a plastic steering wheel, but this was not uncommon for British sports cars of the era. The roll-up windows, exterior door locks and full instrumentation on the Spitfire were features not shared by the competition like the Sprite, however. These cars were referred to interchangeably as Mark I or Spitfire 4, the latter suggesting a possible 6-cylinder variant that came later.
Mark II 1964-1967
A retuned engine with a revised camshaft profile, a water-heated intake manifold and a tubular exhaust manifold managed to gain the Mark II a whopping 4 HP over the Mark I, pushing top speed to 96 MPH and giving an 0-60 time of 14.8 seconds, considered “lively” at the time. The coil-spring clutch design of the Mark I was replaced with a Borg & Beck diaphragm spring clutch, but only for the UK models, Americans made do with the old clutch but gained a more reliable AC Delco distributor to replace the Lucas model in UK and European versions. A new grill and badging adorned the exterior, while interior rubber seat cloth covered most exposed bits. Carpet also replaced the previous generation’s rubber mats. The Spitfire was more refined than the Midget or Sprite, and the price reflected that; 550 British pounds for the Triumph vs. 515 for the MG and 505 for the Austin-Healey.
GT6 1966-1973
In 1966 the Spitfire got a six-cylinder cousin called the GT6. The overall styling was the same as the four-cylinder convertible Spitfire but in fastback coupe form with a 2-liter engine from Triumph’s Vitesse and 2000 sedans. The 95 HP engine went from 0-60 in just under 12 seconds and was smoother than the Spitfire’s four, better suited for open-road American driving. It also let a Spitfire-based car top 100 MPH for the first time…106, to be precise. The transmission was an all-synchromesh unit with an optional overdrive. The advertising for the GT6 touted it being derived from the “race-winning LeMans Spitfires” although that program was completely different than the GT6, based upon a shelved fastback GT version of the four-cylinder Spitfire, and predated the GT6 by several years. The hood was bulged in the center ala the E-Type to accommodate the six-cylinder and a rear quarter-window was added for visibility. Fuel economy dropped to 20 MPG with the added weight and displacement.
The rear suspension in the Mark I version of the GT6 was the same setup as in the Spitfire and it was heavily criticized because the additional weight in the front of the car added to the handling woes at the limit, especially if the driver lifted the throttle mid-corner.
All in all the GT6 was more refined than the standard Spitfire. The suspension was revised to handle the additional weight of the new engine and the steering was geared differently for easier parking. Some called it a “mini-E-Type” or “poor man’s E-Type” because of the top-latched rear hatch that was similar to the E-Type’s and the overall styling similarities.
Mark II (GT6+): In 1969 the GT6 rear suspension was significantly re-engineered using revised lower wishbones and Rotoflex driveshaft couplings. This saved the reputation of the car, particularly in the important American market. Four-cylinder Spitfires would have to wait until the following year for rear suspension improvements. The engine, derived from the Mark II Vitesse model, received a new cylinder head with larger intake valves, new camshaft and manifolds and the timing was adjusted to give the GT6 engine a 3HP boost over the Vitesse and a 12 HP boost over the Mark I GT6 to 107 HP. 0-60 times dropped to 10 seconds and fuel economy improved to 25 MPG. A new dual hydraulic brake circuit with a tandem master cylinder was installed, following the dual-circuit brakes installed on the Spitfire Mark III. The interior was updated with a non-reflective wood dashboard cover and black rocker switches replaced the chrome toggle switches in the Mark I version.
Mark III: 1970 was the final facelift for the GT6 and the body was revised to follow the lines of the Mark IV Spitfire. The mechanicals remained the same, but in the final year 1973 the rear suspension was changed to the cheaper “swing-spring” design of the Spitfire Mark IV. Better aerodynamics now enabled the car to reach 112 MPH. Performance was now comfortably ahead of its main rival the MGB GT, whose 103 MPH top speed and 13-second 0-60 time lagged considerably behind the GT6. However, the Mark III GT6 didn’t sell as well as Triumph had hoped and was consistently beaten in sales by the MGB GT despite having superior performance. It was dropped for the 1974 model year.
Mark III 1967-1970
The March 1967 introduction of the Mark III represented Spitfire’s first major facelift. Triumph needed to up its game because the competition, especially MG and Austin-Healey, were doing so. The front bumper was raised in order to comply with new crash regulations, giving rise to the nickname the “bone in the teeth model”. The front coil springs were also raised slightly. The instrument cluster now had a wood veneer and a smaller 15-inch spoked wheel greeted the driver. A better, easier to deploy soft top was introduced replacing the rather cumbersome top on earlier models. A hatchback coupe model that looked similar to the GT6 became available starting with the Mark III.
The engine was bored out to 1296 cc as on the Herald and Triumph 1300. A quieter exhaust reduced cabin noise and gave a sweeter exhaust note. The new engine gave 75 HP and 75 lb. ft. of torque, enabling a 13.4 second 0-60 time, considerably faster then the Mark II. The electrical system was also changed from the traditional British positive-ground system to the negative-ground system common in the rest of the world.
Some of the safety changes were driven by the American market which comprised 45% of Spitfire sales. To this end a new dual hydraulic brake circuit with a failure warning light was introduced in 1968. The following year headrests were introduced and the compression ratio was reduced to 8.5:1, the camshaft was re-profiled and the ignition timing re-adjusted to comply with new US emissions regulations, resulting in reduced performance (68 HP and 73 lb. ft. of torque) and increased fuel consumption. 0-60 time increased to 14 seconds in these “Federal Spitfires,” still quick for a small British sports car of the day.
Mark IV 1970-1974
The rear end of the new Mark IV received a cut-off redesign, also by Michelotti, similar to the Triumph Stag and 2000 models. Elimination of weld lines on the hood also made for a prettier front end. Door handles were now recessed and the convertible top featured squared-off corners. The interior was not left out, receiving a full-width dashboard, initially black plastic but finished in wood starting in 1973, with most instruments in front of the driver. The hatchback coupe was dropped in the final year of the Mark IV.
The engine now produced 63 HP DIN (still 75 HP SAE) in the UK and displaced 1296 cc as in the Mark III. The US versions suffered from a single Zenith-Stromberg carb and 8.5:1 compression ratio instead of the home market’s 9:1 engine. Weight had increased to 1717 lbs. which further decreased performance so that the Spitfire’s top speed was now 90 MPH and 0-60 took 15.8 seconds. The gearbox received synchromesh for first gear. In 1972 US versions received a 1493 cc engine, created by lengthening the stroke of the 1296 cc engine. This carried over into the next model.
The big news for Mark IV was the rear suspension. The transverse leaf spring swing-axle design that was the source of hard-cornering understeer was replaced with what Triumph called a “swing-spring”. One leaf of the suspension stack was eliminated and only the bottom leaf was attached rigidly to the differential as opposed to the whole assembly. Later production models also received a wider rear track for improved stability.
Spitfire 1500 1974-1980
The final version of the Spitfire was a 1493 cc version of the Mark IV, first introduced in late 1973 for the US and Canadian markets and in 1975 for the rest of the world. In the US the compression ratio was further reduced to 7.5:1 from 8:1 to allow it to run on the new unleaded fuel, still fed from a single Zenith-Stromberg carb. US models were also fitted with a catalytic converter and an exhaust-gas recirculating system to meet new emissions regulations, dropping power to 53 HP DIN and raising 0-60 times to 16.3 seconds. The compression ratio was raised to 9.1:1 for the 1976 model year but was reduced back to 7.5:1 the following year. In the UK this compression ratio increase combined with less restrictive emissions regulations and two larger SU carbs gave that model 71 HP DIN and allowed it to reach a true 100 MPH with a 0-60 time of 13.2 seconds. The transmission was now sourced from the Morris Marina.
The rear suspension swing axles were lengthened and the spring mounting points were lowered for a wider track and more negative camber.
In the interior from 1977 onward the seats now reclined and were fitted with checkered brushed nylon center panels…how ’70’s! Minor controls like headlights and windshield wipers were now controlled from stalks on the steering column. Hazard flashers and an electric windshield washer pump to replace the manually operated one also appeared in the final years, and the wood dash made a return.
I had the opportunity to drive a shipmate’s 1974 Triumph Spitfire 1500 in the early ’80s. What a fun little car! It was quick (sort of), it handled well (sort of), but it was a blast to drive. I tried to find one of my own but was unsuccessful, I ended up buying a 1977 Pontiac Sunbird instead. It was probably better because at the time I was renting a house with 3 other shipmates and we all carpooled to work…the Sunbird seated 4 whereas the Spitfire could only handle 2. The Sunbird had over twice the displacement (232 cu. in or 3791 cc V-6), half-again as much horsepower and a much higher top speed…but was not nearly as fun. I had my fun in it for a couple of years, including a full cross-country trip where I really had an opportunity to open it up, until one of the shipmates borrowed it and subsequently wrecked it. That was my last little fun car for the next 6 years, and all the while I yearned for the Spitfire and never owned one. I had the opportunity to buy both a Fiat 124 Spider and an Opel GT in those years and didn’t pull the trigger on either. My loss. Maybe someday. ✪
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It’s President Jeff D. Boofer
