1978 Triumph Spitfire Convertible 1500CC I4 Classic

Description

TheTriumph Spitfireis a small British two-seatsports car, introduced at theLondon Motor Showin 1962.The vehicle was based on a design produced forStandard-Triumphin 1957 byItaliandesignerGiovanni Michelotti. The car was largely based upon the chassis of theTriumph Heraldsaloon, but shortened and without the Herald's outrigger sections. The Herald's running gear andStandard SC enginewere also carried over. The Spitfire was manufactured at the Standard-Triumph works atCanley, inCoventry.

The bodywork was fitted to a separate structuralchassis, but for the open-topconvertibleSpitfire the backbone chassis' rigidity was augmented by the use of structural components within the bodywork, with the rear trailing arms being bolted to the body rather than the chassis. The Spitfire was provided with a manual soft-top for weather protection, the design improving to a folding hood for later models.

In 1973 in the United States and Canada, and 1975 in the rest of the world, the 1500 engine was used to make the Spitfire 1500. In this final incarnation the torque was greatly increased by increasing the cylinder stroke to 87.5mm (3.44in), which made it much more driveable in traffic.