North Bay British Car Club
INTRODUCTION
-Triumph Spitfire
The
Spitfire was designed by Giovanni Michelotti based upon the Triumph Herald frame,
drive train and suspension. First introduced in October, 1962, as Triumph's
entry into the small British Sports Car market, the car competed very favorably
against the MG Midget and other inexpensive sports cars. What was particularly
attractive was the independent suspension and the roll-up windows, giving the
Spitfire very nice handling characteristics and the comfort of much higher priced
English Sports Cars.
The original design survived through three series and was updated by Michelotti
with the MkIV for the 1971 model year. The Spitfire's design remained basically
the same but was modernized in appearance and some modifications were made to
the rear suspension for cornering stability.
Additional changes were made through the years in the form of upgraded engines.
Originally the Spitfire employed a 1147cc 4 cylinder upgrade of the Herald engine.
With the Mk3, the engine grew to 1296cc and employed a re-designed head with
4 intake ports. After the MkIV series ended, the basic 1296cc engine was increased
to 1493 cc's by lengthening the stroke with some additional head modifications.
Unfortunately, emissions controls on later model engines (particularly US models)
offset much of the performance gains that came with the improvements.
Links to Other Marques
| TRIUMPH Intro | Spitfire |
