|
| Online since January 1998 : Over 8000 Spitfires registered world-wide. The 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. About the Database: In an ongoing effort to identify and record the number and geographic location of all remaining Triumph Spitfires, this database was established. For the purposes of maintainability and ease of use, it has been divided by vehicle model. Because much of the data was contributed by Triumph clubs around the world, there are likely many errors. Since the data has been accumulated over the course of time, vehicles have changed hands or suffered the fate of accidents, rust or other demise, but have not been removed from the logs of the clubs. Therefore, in viewing the information contained in this database, please watch for information you know to be outdated and use the data entry form to report these errors. Some of the model year data differs from what is reported by the owner. This can be explained by the fact that although manufacturing dates are available in some cases, the initial registration date of the vehicle is what is most often used. Many vehicles that were unsold at the end of a model year were updated by dealers to the next model year. This was rationalized by the fact that there were few if any changes in the cars between certain model years. I have applied the manufacturer's model data in cases of conflict. Additional discrepancies have been noted between the data reported by individuals and what is widely accepted as manufacturing sequences. Most notably is the inclusion of some MkIV Spitfires which are identified with early FM commission numbers. The FM series is generally accepted as the exclusive domain of the Spitfire 1500. Since many of the vehicles listed were reported by clubs, the names and city locations are withheld pending personal authorization by the owners. So, If you see your car listed, use the data entry page to complete the information. At the same time, if you know of additional Spitfires that are not listed, use the data entry page to input the new data. The database is planned for monthly updates as time and new data dictate. The database is and will always be a "Work in Progress". At this time, the list includes about 3.2 percent of the Spitfires that were built. It is the author's opinion that as many as 20% of those cars are still around. Hopefully, in time this database will more closely reflect those numbers and lend credence to that assumption. New registrations are being received at the rate of about 50 per month. The latest additions totaled only 35. |
International Triumph Spitfire Database
🔗 Visit Website
Specialist: Triumph
