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Triumph Spitfire Advice

Hello,
I'm a 20 year old student and currently drive a Renault Clio 1.2l from 1999. I've always had a keen interest in cars, and have recently had a revelation. I paid about £2,000 for my Clio, and with 2 years no claims currently pay £800 insurance. I'm in and out of the garage all the time with problems ranging from loose wheel bearings to an exhaust system which snapped clean off whilst driving.

Long story short i started looking for a new car a few months ago, and have been through all the modern cars. And for my budget i cant really get anything more interesting that i;ve already got. I was then just looking on a classic car sales site, and realised i could buy a Triumph Spitfire for £1,000-£3,000, and had an insurance quote of £400. From what i understand the key to buying a decent Spitfire is ensuring the bodywork is up to scratch and rust free. Whilst mechanical fixes for the car seem to be at least on the most part relatively cheap. Is this correct?

Basically im looking for advice on whether to take the leap or not. I lack any sort of mechanical experience whatsoever, apart from the basics of maintaining my current car, but am willing to put in the hours to learn.

Thanks!

Reply 1

JC.

I had a '77 Spitfire 1500 as my first car and have got a '67 GT6 Mk1 sat outside now so I've got a fair bit of experience with them.

Mechanical experience will come. It's not like driving a modern car. You'll need to open the bonnet two or three times a week at least. Suspension will need regular greasing and it'll need oil changes every 3000 miles for starters.
Parts are very cheap. Get yourself a Rimmer brothers catalogue. Even better than a workshop manual. You can get everything for the late stuff but things for the very early stuff can be a bit difficult. Really you want to be looking at a Mk3 or later. The mk 1 and 2 are a bit basic for todays roads, not to mention you haven't really got the budget for them.
You'll certainly get a nice 1500 or a MkIV within your budget but the Mk3 is more desireable and therefore more expensive so you might struggle.

The most important thing to watch out for on a spitfire is the sills. Unlike the herald upon which the chassis is based, the sills on a spitfire are structural. You need to get underneath and look for rust.
If the door gaps are uneven where it meets the B post this is a sign of knacked sills, particularly if the gap at the top of the door goes to nothign - to the point where the doors need to be slammed to get them to shut propperly. If this is the case then walk away.

If you're anywhere near alfreton in derbyshire you'd be quite welcome to have a look around my GT6 to see what a straight one looks like. Whilst the engine and drive train is different the chassis is near as makes no difference the same.

My advice would be to look for a mk IV. You'll get much more car for your money and you might even get a tax free one. Although having said that, tax is about £75 for six months...

If you've got any specific questions post them up.

n.b Other cars within your budget that are also worth a look:
Triumph TR7
MGB GT
MGB Roadster (rubber bumper models only within budget)
MG Midget 1500
Triumph dolomite 1850 (avoid the sprint if you're not mechanically minded)
Triumph Herald saloon / coupe / convertible
Hillman imp

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 2

Teemo

Thanks for the advice!

I've been looking mainly at 1500's, but will have a look at the mkIV as well. Getting behind the bonnet a few times a week for fairly basic things is something i'd quite enjoy.

Given that i'm not all that used to spotting flaws in classic cars, i was going to get the AA to inspect any car i was considering buying. They provide full reports on the car for a fairly good price from what i've read elsewhere on the internet, even for classic cars.

I guess my main motivation for this move is that im currently forking out a continuous stream of money on my clio. I've had two £700 services in 3 years as well as a failed MOT. I'd guess in total in 3 years i've spent upwards of £2,500 on the car. I'd much rather be spending this money on a great car i enjoy driving!

Do you reckon the upkeep for a spitfire would be similar?
If i was to buy a Rimmer Bros catalogue do you think most of the stuff which could potential go wrong could be fixed by a beginner putting in the hours?
Also if you wouldnt mind telling me the main differences between the 1500 and the MkIV that would be useful!

Thanks for all your help, would love to visit your GT6 but i live a fair distance away in Sussex. I will have a look at the other cars you mention as well.

Thanks

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 3

JC.

Total waste of time getting the AA involved. Get someone who knows these cars to go with you or at the very least have a look around something imaculate so you can see how they SHOULD be put together. Most AA patrolmen are ex mechanics who just want to plug a laptop in and check the fault codes - that aint happening on a 30 year old triumph.
If you don't know anyone who has classic cars pick up the phone and dial someone like JY classics. They often have a few cars for sale or can source something suitable. They certainly do very nice body work.

The 1500 is basically the same as the MkIV. It has the same big journal bottom end but to increase the CC from 1300cc to 1500cc they just increased the stroke. As a result the 1500 isn't very revvy.
Early mkiv's have a black dashboard but thats something and nothing...

It'd be worth trying to source a car fitted with overdrive. You'll HATE driving a none overdrive car at motorway speeds. Essentially, you put the car into fourth gear, flick a switch on the top of the gearknob and then the overdrive will kick in - it's basically like having a 5th gear.

In terms of maintainence, have a look in the haynes manual and see what it says for your 3000 mile service. It's all quite straight forward. Even if you have to have it services by a specialist it'll be a heck of a lot cheaper than a clio to repair.

Rimmer bros catalogues are free.

The big issue is to get a car with a good chassis and body and sound mechanics. If the interior is rough and it's got a torn hood or no hardtop then it doesn't matter - that is relitively cheap to fix and a point for negotiating money off.

Reply 4

Teemo

Ok thanks for your advice, its been a great help.

Was driving past a garage today and just by chance saw the front end of a TR6 sticking out. Went in and had a chat with the owner and he's said they not only service and maintain triumphs, but also provide a car inspection service. Couldn't believe my luck haha

Reply 5

warninglight

Original post by Teemo

Hello,...

Thanks!

Have a nosey over on www.younggunsclassics.com where we have quite a few younger members running Spitfires/Heralds/GT6s who will be more than able to help point you in the right direction, and they're based all over the UK so might even be willing to inspect some for you.