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Triumph Spitfire
The Triumph Spitfire is a British sports car manufactured over five production iterations between 1962 and 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'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.
The model was named after the famed Supermarine Spitfire fighter plane of World War II.
The Spitfire evolved over five iterations:
The Spitfire was conceived of by Standard-Triumph to compete in the small sports car market against the Austin-Healey Sprite. The Sprite used the drive train of the Austin A30/A35 in a new lightweight body, while the Spitfire used mechanicals from the Herald saloon. Where the Austin A30 used unitary construction, the Herald used a separate backbone chassis — which Triumph was able to downsize, saving the cost of developing a completely new chassis-body unit.
Giovanni Michelotti, who had designed the Herald, styled the bodywork, which featured wind-down windows (in contrast to the Sprite and Midget, which used side curtains) and a cowl composed of the bonnet and wings that opened forward for engine access. The Spitfire's introduction was delayed by its company's financial troubles in the early 1960's and was subsequently announced shortly after Standard Triumph was taken over by Leyland Motors. While taking stock of their new acquisition, Leyland officials found Michelotti's prototype under a dust sheet in a factory corner, and quickly approved it for production.
The production design changed little from the prototype: the full-width rear bumper was replaced by two part-bumpers curving around each corner, with overriders. Mechanicals derived from the Herald saloon/sedan, with the notable addition of front disc brakes. Bodywork was bolted to the much-modified Herald chassis, the outer rails and the rear outriggers having been removed; with structural outer sills to stiffen the overall design.
The engine was an 1,147 cc (70.0 cu in) four-cylinder with a pushrod OHV cylinder head and two valves per cylinder, using twin SU carburettors. The Herald's rack and pinion steering and coil-and-wishbone front suspension carried over, having derived from systems used by the former Alford & Alder company that had been acquired by Standard-Triumph in 1959.
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Triumph Spitfire
The Triumph Spitfire is a British sports car manufactured over five production iterations between 1962 and 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'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.
The model was named after the famed Supermarine Spitfire fighter plane of World War II.
The Spitfire evolved over five iterations:
The Spitfire was conceived of by Standard-Triumph to compete in the small sports car market against the Austin-Healey Sprite. The Sprite used the drive train of the Austin A30/A35 in a new lightweight body, while the Spitfire used mechanicals from the Herald saloon. Where the Austin A30 used unitary construction, the Herald used a separate backbone chassis — which Triumph was able to downsize, saving the cost of developing a completely new chassis-body unit.
Giovanni Michelotti, who had designed the Herald, styled the bodywork, which featured wind-down windows (in contrast to the Sprite and Midget, which used side curtains) and a cowl composed of the bonnet and wings that opened forward for engine access. The Spitfire's introduction was delayed by its company's financial troubles in the early 1960's and was subsequently announced shortly after Standard Triumph was taken over by Leyland Motors. While taking stock of their new acquisition, Leyland officials found Michelotti's prototype under a dust sheet in a factory corner, and quickly approved it for production.
The production design changed little from the prototype: the full-width rear bumper was replaced by two part-bumpers curving around each corner, with overriders. Mechanicals derived from the Herald saloon/sedan, with the notable addition of front disc brakes. Bodywork was bolted to the much-modified Herald chassis, the outer rails and the rear outriggers having been removed; with structural outer sills to stiffen the overall design.
The engine was an 1,147 cc (70.0 cu in) four-cylinder with a pushrod OHV cylinder head and two valves per cylinder, using twin SU carburettors. The Herald's rack and pinion steering and coil-and-wishbone front suspension carried over, having derived from systems used by the former Alford & Alder company that had been acquired by Standard-Triumph in 1959.