Triumph Spitfire
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Triumph Spitfire

Triumph Spitfire 1500 (European market)
Overview
Manufacturer
Standard Motor Company
Triumph Motor Company (Leyland Motors)
Production
1962–1980
Assembly
Canley, Coventry, England
Mechelen, Belgium
Australia
Designer
Giovanni Michelotti
Body and chassis
Class
Sports car
Body style
2-seat sports convertible / roadster
Layout
FR layout
Related
Triumph Herald, Triumph Vitesse, Triumph GT6
Dimensions
Wheelbase
83 in (2,108 mm)
Length
145 in (3,683 mm)
Width
57 in (1,448 mm)
Height
48 in (1,219 mm) hood up.
Kerb weight
1,568 lb (711 kg) to 1,750 lb (790 kg) (unladen U.K.spec)

The Triumph Spitfire is a British sports car and manufactured over five production iterations between 1962-1980. Styled for Standard-Triumph in 1957 by Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti, the Spitfire was introduced at the London Motor Show in 1962. It was manufactured at the Standard-Triumph Canley works, with approximately 315,000 produced over 18 years.
Developed on a shortened variant of the Triumph Herald saloon/sedan's chassis, the Spitfire shared the Herald's running gear and Standard SC engine. The design used body-on-frame construction, augmented by structural components within the bodywork and rear trailing arms attached to the body rather than the chassis. A manually deployable convertible top, substantially improved on later models, provided weather protection and a bespoke hard-top was available as a factory option.
Popular in street and rally racing, Spitfires won numerous SCCA National Sports Car Championships in F and G Production classes; won its class at the 1964 Tour de France rally, coming in second overall, and won the 1964 Geneva Rally. In 1965, a Spitfire won its class in the Alpine Rally. The model was named after the famed Supermarine Spitfire fighter plane of World War II.


Model name
Engine
Year
Number built
Triumph Spitfire 4 (Mark I)
1147 cc inline-four
Oct 1962 – Dec 1964
45,753
Triumph Spitfire 4 Mark II
Dec 1964 – Jan 1967
37,409
Triumph Spitfire Mark III
1296 cc inline-four
Jan 1967– Dec 1970
65,320
Triumph Spitfire Mark IV
Nov 1970 – Dec 1974
70,021
Triumph Spitfire 1500
1493 cc inline-four
Dec 1974 – Aug 1980
95,829