1962-80 Triumph Spitfire

The small, saucy British Triumph Spitfire sports car was cheap, fun and had a body from Italian master stylist Giovanni Michelotti. It met demand for smaller, lower-cost sports cars from those who couldn’t afford larger, costlier ones, such as the Austin-Healey or even the Triumph TR4.

The long-lived Spitfire was sold as a convertible that arrived for 1962 and as a hatchback coupe, which came for 1967. The coupe was dropped after 1973, but the convertible version lasted with updates through 1980.

The Spitfire got its name from a famous World War II British fighter plane. It initially cost under $2,200, mainly because it was derived from the small Triumph Herald family car. The Spitfire was developed shortly before England’s financially troubled Standard-Triumph was bought by England’s Leyland Motors, which took control in early 1961.

Fortunately, Leyland saw a dusty Spitfire prototype seemingly lost in a building and quickly saw it could be a winner as a low-cost sports car.

That was a good call. The Spitfire was reminiscent of the affordable 1953-55 Triumph TR2, a charming, basic, high-value sports car that was Standard-Triumph’s first big hit in the U.S. sports car market, which was just taking off.

The fairly new Herald came as a sedan and coupe, and the Spitfire was given its advanced features. They included an all-independent suspension that provided a more comfortable ride for Americans, who had been bouncing around in lower-cost foreign sports cars with less sophisticated suspensions. The Spitfire even had disc brakes, which usually were found on costlier sports cars.

The Spitfire was small but tough. It had a new backbone-style chassis and shorter wheelbase than the Herald and a 1.3-liter modified version of the Herald’s rugged four-cylinder engine. The Spitfire engine generated 63 horsepower instead of the Herald’s 51 rating. Acceleration was lively because the Spitfire only weighed 1,570 pounds. It used little gasoline with its small engine and light weight.

Sharing parts held down costs. The Spitfire also used the Herald’s four-speed manual transmission and a Herald-based steering system that let the Spitfire outmaneuver a London taxi, which was one of the most maneuverable cars on the planet.

The Spitfire soon was well on its way in America, where buyers loved its nifty styling and carefree personality—not to mention its low price.

Servicing the simple car was made easier by a hood and front fenders that tilted up and forward as a unit.

Popular options came in 1963, including overdrive that allowed easier cruising in fourth gear, wire wheels and a detachable steel hardtop.

In December, 1964, a Mark 2 version appeared with four extra horsepower, better-trimmed seats and other interior improvements. Despite upgrades, the Spitfire still only cost $2,199 in 1965.

Amateur sports car racing was fairly inexpensive recreation in the 1960s, and the Spitfire soon became popular with weekend amateur racers. Some used factory tuning kits that produced 70-plus horsepower, with such items as revised manifolds, twin Weber carburetors and a higher-performance camshaft.

The Spitfire did well in competition. It soon became the champ in the Sports Car Club of America’s G-production race class. And Spitfires finished second and third in class at the tough 1965 Sebring, Fla., sports car race, despite international competition.

The four-cylinder Spitfire got a slicker-looking six-cylinder hatchback coupe companion, also styled by Michelotti, in late 1966. It was only a matter of time before the car got an inline “six” because the Triumph Herald also was sold as a six-cylinder model called the Vitesse.

The six-cylinder Spitfire was called the GT6. Its chassis was nearly identical to the Spitfire Mark 2’s, and its engine was the same basic 2-liter unit that powered the Vitesse and Triumph’s larger 2000 sedan.

The GT6 was longer and heavier than the Spitfire convertible, at 1,905 pounds. It also was more nose-heavy than the four-cylinder Spitfire and thus wasn’t as nimble. But its 95-horsepower engine was smoother and, with its larger size and additional power, was better suited to American open-road driving.

The GT6 had faster acceleration than the Spitfire four-cylinder model and let a Spitfire top 100 mph for the first time—at 106 mph. It also came with a four-speed manual gearbox, although it was a new, all-synchromesh unit, with optional overdrive.

In all, the GT6 was more refined. Its suspension was revised to handle the engine’s added weight, and the steering was geared differently for easier parking. However, it had the Spitfire convertible’s basic styling and the tilt-up hood and front fenders.

Some called the GT6 a “mini Jaguar XK-E” because its sloping steel roof with a top-hinged hatch made the car look like the sexy XK-E hatchback coupe, especially when equipped with wire wheels.

The GT6 had the Spitfire convertible’s roll-up windows, besides an instrument-filled dashboard and cushy seats. It even sounded somewhat like the six-cylinder XK-E and was faster than the rival MGB GT hardtop sports car.

The GT6 was yet another hit in America for the Spitfire. An improved GT6 Mark 2 version came in late 1968.

The best Spitfires are from the 1960s. After that, federal bumper and emissions regulations hurt styling and lowered horsepower.

The Spitfire provided more fun-per-mile than far more expensive sports cars.