1982 Triumph Spitfire 1500

Registration: UHN758X

Chassis:

124988FH Odometer: 93,000

Transmission:

Manual MOT: Exempt

Minilite-style alloy wheels

Needs recommissioning

Will make a great example

Becoming very rare

The Triumph Spitfire is a British sports car manufactured over five production iterations between 1962 and 1980. Styled for Standard-Triumph in 1957 by Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti, the Spitfire was introduced at the London Motor Show in 1962. It was manufactured at the Standard-Triumph Canley works, with approximately 315,000 produced over 18 years.

Developed on a shortened variant of the Triumph Herald saloon's chassis, the Spitfire shared the Herald's running gear and Standard SC engine. The design used body-on-frame construction, augmented by structural components within the bodywork and rear trailing arms attached to the body rather than the chassis. A manually deployable convertible top, substantially improved on later models, provided weather protection and a bespoke hard-top was available as a factory option. The model was named after the famed Supermarine Spitfire fighter plane of World War II. One of the most well-known names on this planet and a very English name.

In the UK, the 9:1 compression ratio, less restrictive emissions control equipment, and the Type HS2 SU carburettors now being replaced with larger Type HS4 models, led to the most powerful variant to date. The 1500 Spitfire now produced 71 hp (DIN) at 5,500 rpm and produced 82 lb⋅ft (111 N⋅m) of torque at 3,000 rpm. Top speed was now at the 100 mph (160 km/h) mark, and 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) was reached in 13.2 seconds. Fuel economy was reduced to 29mpg. Further improvements to the suspension followed with the 1500 included longer swing axles and a lowered spring mounting point for more negative camber and a wider rear track. The wider, lower stance gave an impressive skid pad result of 0.87g average. The gearbox gained synchromesh on its bottom gear.

This example is finished in Mimosa yellow with the tartan trim and a black roof, and is sat on a set of Minilite-style alloy wheels which suit it well. The Spitfire has been in long term storage and has a few age-related marks, so would benefit from a re-paint. The Spitfire was registered on 9/6/1982, which makes it a very late registration, although we don’t know why.

It comes with a set of handbooks, a collection of older MOTs, Triumph Car Club details, some invoices and receipts, a V5 and some photos at various stages of its life.