Most popular Triumph Spitfire for sale

You don't own a Spitfire, they own you! However, it is a neat little car, great for summer fun, with a convertible room for 2, lots of fun times, and a need to do some maintenance every weekend. These are fun cars that are getting to be 30 to 40 years old, but have a great fun coefficient, are always neat for starting conversations at places you stop, and certainly make you feel young again.

Spitfires weren't very high powered, they can be fussy little machines, and many weren't maintained well by their previous owners. The clam-shell hood makes it very easy to get to all of the engine mechanicals and do a lot of your own work. The systems are very simple compared to modern cars, and they can be a blast to work on and with. They can also be expensive to keep up, as some parts are hard to find, though many are available as reproduction or rebuilt. They are generally very affordable in most respects, and even ones with rust can be fixed. Spitfires are also know to attach themselves byh marking up your driveway and garage with oil stains. Generally, the 1500cc engines are the easiest to maintain and the parts are easiest to find. I'm not a particular devotee of the '79 to '81 models with the all rubber bumpers, but they are in good shape. Be prepared to do such things as: topping up the oil in the carburetor dashpot, lubricating the speedometer and tachometer cables, resetting the valve lash, and checking out the lubricant levels on a regular basis. They are fun, generally straightforward to work on, and neat little sports cars. Not your average daily driver, but a great weekend driver that can serve you in a pinch as a regular vehicle.

I would recommend them as a neat weekend project car, but pay very close attention to what condition the car is in, how much rust it has, and be ready to work on it yourself, as few people have much knowledge of how to work on them any more. They rate 10 on a fun scale, but only 4 on a reliability scale. Know what you are doing and what you want, and they can be a lot of fun. Assume they don't need a lot of work and don't maintain them and you will be cursing the day you bought it!

Well, the 1976 Spitfire was a special year in that it had a higher compression motor; first ever offered in the 1500 series (and the last unfortunately). A well maintained 1976 model or any Spitfire model can be quite enjoyable, while not very fast by modern standards it feels quick being so close to the road. Spitfires have a very lively nature to them and with the improved rear suspension (offered after the MKIIIs) makes corners alot of fun!. This year model had very few changes to it from 1975, the first of which I mentioned already with the 9:1 compression; gave the car a little more off the line. It also had a new improved brake master reservoir that did not leak as much as the previous ones and it had new rims, offered only for 1976, with little squares in the wheel vs the round holes standard on all the other 1500 models. In some respects the 1976 model is considered by some to be the Bicentennial model for the few -one time changes that were never done on any other model, (IE wheels and 9:1 compression head). There is not really any difference in handling or performance in any of the 1500 models offered between 1973 and 1980, just cosmetic and safety changes made with some more emissions added over the years. With regular and I do mean REGULAR maintenance these automobiles have never left me stranded on the side of the road. Triumphs are definately for the guys and gals that like to tinker with cars and spitfires themselves are very simple with no sensors, no computers required to do any diagnostics. The newest Spitfire is over 28 years old now so do not expect too much from any of them, they were never designed to last this long anyway. Are you still going to be driving your new car 28-35 years from now? If you are, get ready to restore it top to bottom as you go. I have personally enjoyed driving and restoring 11 Spitfires and I still drive a 1974 1500 all the time. I can not wait to restore another one soon, I love them all!!

Authentic British Sports Car. Vehicle was in good condition. Enough to be done cosmetically and mechanically to allow to develop car back into original condition at minimal cost. Convertible, Sporty, and Fun. Easy to work on mechanically. Spare pats not hard to find. Car will be a Spring/Summer car for fun trips. Will also be used for short hop's around town. Great little car to have and drive - real head turner!