Triumph Spitfire

          The other great featured marque at this year's British Car Day event was the Triumph Spitfire. While it seems as though I have made a number of blog entries about the MG cars, I seem to be lacking with my coverage of Triumphs. Perhaps this is because I just haven't encountered many of them at the shows I've attended.

          In any case, the Spitfire was begun in 1960 but shelved until a new owner for Triumph, Leyland Motors took control of the line and had the project ready to drive off the lines in 1962. What started as a sporty version of the brand's Herald saloon (sedan) style car. What it became was one of Britain's longest running and most successful sports cars ever.

          For 18 years the classic Spitfire, whose namesake was the fighter plane that helped win the War of Britain during World War II, rolled off the lines. Originally it sported an inline four cylinder engine though in 1966 the GT6 was introduced that had a six cylinder power plant.  With a body that could have graced an Italian sports car, thanks mainly to the consulting designer, Michelotti, the car was lively, nimble and offered a soft ride with a cockpit that was roomier than it's MG competition. Though it did have a tendency for the read end to lose grip and break away, especially on a wet surface, the car handled quite well and was everything that a sports car was supposed to be.

          During its life the car's engine size and power increased as did its reputation. Selling over 20,000 its first year alone, the car also scored heavily on the race track, including pacing out at 130 miles per hour over the 24 hours of Le Mans. Overall, more than 350,000 Spitfires and GT6 models were sold making it one of the most revered sports cars to come out of Great Britain.