The Triumph Spitfire Story

The Spitfire is a beautiful car, a marvel written by an Italian genius, but it almost never happened. If not for a chance discovery in a dusty corner of a factory, it would have remained simply a “could have been.” But Triumph produced a car that still inspires new creations today and has a strong and loyal fan base around the world, almost 60 years since it burst onto the scene. Here is the hi

story

of the Triumph Spitfire! (music) The

story

of the Triumph Spitfire begins with the Austin-Healey Sprite, launched in 1958. It was a cheap and fun two-seater that the common man could afford and the public loved it.

The Standard Motor Company, owner of the Triumph name, already manufactured a sports car. They had made the TR2 and its successors since 1953, but it competed with more premium sports cars like MG's MGA. What they needed was something more price competitive at the lower end, but Triumph felt they could produce something superior to the Sprite. Standard already manufactured the Triumph Herald, which featured a bolt-on body chassis. To save money on development, they figured they could use the Herald's chassis as a starting point, shrink it down to the right size, and slap a sleek new case on it.

Thus, in 1960 the geniuses at Triumph took out their angle grinders and got to work, within the framework of the project that was codenamed “Bomb”. The design of the shape fell to Giovanni Michelotti, one of the most prolific sports car designers of the 20th century. He had designed the iconic Ferrari, Maserati, Lancia and, surprisingly, the Leyland National bus! He had already designed the Herald for Triumph and was hired to work his sports car magic for the "Bomb" project. He created a beautifully balanced design that would be a cut above the Sprite competition, with a bigger, faster engine and more interior space.

However, Triumph's owners were in dire financial straits and were forced to sell to Leyland Motors in late 1960. The "Bomb" project was forgotten as Triumph and Leyland focused on merging operations. In fact, the Spitfire would have been lost to time had it not been for an enterprising entrepreneur from Leyland who, while snooping around the Triumph factory, decided to look under a sheet of dust and found the “Bomb” prototype. Leyland loved the idea and started the project again in July 1961. It was brought to market in a surprisingly short time: it was launched in October 1962, just 15 months after Leyland found that dusty prototype.

It helped that the chassis was already being used on the Triumph Herald, but it's still surprising that it was completed so quickly. Perhaps too quickly, as owners discovered that when pushed hard, the rear end would have unpredictable responses that could make the car dangerous. Drivers found aftermarket solutions to fix this problem during the 1960s, but it wouldn't be fixed on production models until the Spitfire mark IV. The car was launched as the “Spitfire 4,” a nod to the iconic World War II aircraft and a reference to its inline 4-cylinder engine. The exact reason why Triumph came to use the Spitfire name is unclear.

At the time, the name was owned by Vickers, makers of the Vickers Valiant and other aircraft, and there is no record of Triumph licensing the brand. One theory says that Triumph made parts for the Spitfire at its Coventry factory during the war, so Vickers turned a blind eye, but there is no evidence to support this. The engine used was the 1.1L taken straight from the Triumph Herald and was accessed through a glorious one-piece bonnet that opened with side latches. The car came with fancy wind-up windows (something the Sprite lacked), rubber floor mats, a large plastic steering wheel since power steering was not yet common, locking doors, and a soft top that required a degree in auto assembly. tents. to dominate!

Optional extras included a hardtop, wire wheels, overdrive and, interestingly, a heater! It was more expensive than the Austin-Healy Sprite, but customers were willing to pay a little more and soon the Spitfire became the best seller. And it looked the part: a pure racing machine, but it's interesting to compare the performance figures of such a small-engined vehicle with those of modern cars. Think about the lowest powered econobox you can buy today. That car can go 0-60 faster than the first Spitfire, which took over 16 seconds! But the Spitfire was for enjoying the open road and customers loved it.

BMC, creators of the Austin-Healy Sprite, continued to race with newer versions, but they were always a little underpowered. They also produced the MG Midget, but this was simply a rebadged Sprite, rebranding as MG. In 1964 they came up with an improved Sprite with locking door handles, locks and windows, but it was still a smaller car and had less power with 59 brake horsepower. Triumph reacted in 1965 with the Spitfire Mark II, but it was only a small improvement. It had more power (67 brake horsepower, compared to 63), the American version had an improved suspension, and the interior was a little more comfortable with carpets on the floor for the first time.

Meanwhile, in the US, sales were gaining pace. Triumph encouraged both the Spitfire and its TR models to participate in motor racing events and heavily advertised any victories. The adage “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” rang true, as the public came to view Triumph cars as thoroughbred sports cars. The Mark III Spitfire, introduced in 1967, included more important improvements. The front bumper was raised to meet US safety standards, giving it a “dog with a bone in its teeth” look. The car received a larger 1.3-litre engine which made it faster and gave it a higher top speed, although the US emissions laws of 1969 robbed the engine of some of its sportiness.

The tent-style soft top has been updated with a more practical folding model. The dashboard received an elegant wood veneer finish. In 1968, the 100,000th Spitfire rolled off the production line to great celebration, and over 75% of them were exported, only 45% to the US. This was truly becoming an export success story. British. Triumph was always in tough competition with BMC with its Austin-Healey Sprite and MG Midget, but in 1968 both companies became part of the same company: British Leyland. The competition between the two cars would not be so fierce from now on. 1970 brought the biggest changes yet to the shape of the Spitfire Mark IV.

Michelotti was hired to do an almost complete redesign of the car, giving the rear an appearance similar to that of the Triumph Stag and the 2000. It had flared wheel arches, the front end was clean, with simpler chrome bumpers with plastic underbody. black. Enthusiast drivers were very happy to learn that the rear stability issues were finally resolved. The board underwent a big change. Previous Spitfires had the dashboard in the center of the car, simplifying the manufacture of left- or right-hand drive models, but the Mark 4 placed the dashboard behind the steering wheel, something that had been added to the 1969 American Mark III .

Heating was finally standard equipment! But the problems were just beginning with the parent company, British Leyland. As the 1970s progressed, money became tight, depriving the Spitfire of any major upgrades. For now, however, sales remained strong and it looked easy for British Leyland to continue raking in export money from its range of pocket sports cars. In 1966, Triumph introduced the Michelotti-designed GT6, a coupe version of the Spitfire with a larger 2.0-liter 6-cylinder engine. The project had started by trying to make a coupe version with the 4-cylinder Spitfire engine, but the weight of the roof made the car too slow, so a larger engine was used.

Unfortunately, it also inherited the Spitfire's rear stability issues. The Mk II GT6 was launched in 1969, with styling cues from the Spitfire Mk III. The Mk III arrived the following year, in 1970, with changes to the interior and styling of the Spitfire Mk IV. The GT6 never sold in the numbers British Leyland expected and was discontinued in 1973. There was a constant complaint from American salespeople that British management only designed cars for the UK market. They didn't understand the features drivers in other countries needed. For example, temperature ranges in North America were much more varied and cars traveled on the roads more steadily.

This affected the Spitfire less than other models, but it was something that lost some sales along the way. In 1974 the Spitfire was renamed the Spitfire 1500, with the larger 1500 cc engine producing a faster car than before, but in the US, higher emissions requirements meant the new car was actually slower. than the Mark II, III and IV. US front impact laws meant big black guards on the front and rear bumpers that made the car ugly. However, the handling was further improved, making it a truly fun car to drive. British Leyland decided not to invest further in the Spitfire.

It was probably due to a general lack of funding after being bailed out by the government in 1975, but the news that impending (but never enacted) US legislation would make it difficult to sell the convertible vehicles certainly didn't help. Furthermore, Japanese imports such as the Datsun 240Z were still eating into the market share of British sports cars and competing with them would require a large injection of cash. In the late 1970s, British Leyland was looking to close the Canley factory where the Spitfire was produced. It had built Triumph saloons and TRs, but those models had ceased or had been moved to other factories.

With the US exchange rate making the Spitfire an expensive car in its largest market, the decision was made to end production in 1980. An Inca yellow Spitfire 1500 was the last to roll off the production line. Over 300,000 Spitfires were built over 18 years, certainly a huge success for any vehicle! If you want to hear more car stories, hit the subscribe button and don't forget the bell icon to get notified when they're published. Thanks for watching and see you in the next video!