Triumph Spitfire




I have a 1972 Triumph Spitfire Mk IV:

1972 Triumph Spitfire MK IV

My Spitfire had needed a paint job for years, and in 2013 I finally got around to doing it. Read the story here. This is what it looked like (with its hardtop installed) before I repainted it:

1972 Triumph Spitfire MK IV


A couple of video clips from an old Greek movie, featuring a what looks like a MK I Spitfire. The first clip was shot in a dealer's showroom, and you can also see a Herald convertible. The second clip shows something the manufacturer definitely didn't recommend!
First clip
Second clip
A picture of a Spitfire body mounted over the entrance of a pub in Oslo, Norway. It was taken during a trip to Norway circa 1995. That's me underneath the car.
Here are a couple of pictures of my previous-generation block-and-tackle arrangement for storing the hardtop. BTW, I have redone the headliner since I took these pictures, and it looks very handsome now.  You can also see how messy my garage was :-(. Click on the pictures to see a bigger image.
The hardtop in the fully raised position.The hardtop lowered about halfway.

Here is some "Space-Age Insulating Mat" I glued under the bonnet. Note how I hemmed the edge to keep it from fraying. This is easy to do with an ordinary sewing machine. Click on the pictures to see bigger versions.
Space-Age insulating mat glued under the bonnet.A close-up showing the hemming.


I have a set of SU HS2 carbs, probably from a MK III.  I managed to get the correct throttle
linkage parts (never used on cars exported to the USA) used from England. Here are some
photos of the setup and some scans of the relevant pages from the parts catalog.


10/17/2001:  I have removed my wire wheels and their ratty old tires, and replaced them with a
set of stock wheels I got from a junkyard and 4 new Pirelli P400 tires.  Here are some pictures.
Now I can restore the wire wheels at my leisure, and still drive the car.  Needless to say, the wheels
did not look like that when I got them; I sandblasted and repainted them.