Triumph Spitfire and GT6 E-Book

Richard Dredge

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

For a whole generation of car enthusiasts, Triumph was the manufacturer to turn to when buying a sports car. Whether it was a Spitfire or GT6 - or the more costly TR models - this Coventry manufacturer was the sports car king during the twentieth century. Now that these machines are fully fledged classics, nothing has changed. While the Spitfire has the MGB as a formidable adversary, the GT6 is still in a class of its own. Triumph Spitfire and GT6 details the history and development of these classic cars, with specification guides for each of the five Spitfire derivatives and three GT6 models. Topics covered include the development and production of the five Spitfire derivatives from 1962 - 1980, the Spitfire 4, 4 Mk2, Mk3, MkIV and 1500; the GT6 models from 1966-1973, the Mk1, Mk2 and Mk3; the Spitfire and GT6 in motorsport - 24 Hours Le Mans, Alpine Rally and Tour de France, and racing in the US; full buying guide and tips on modifying, with colour and trim options, and details of optional extras available for each model. Also includes an insight into what the press thought of each Spitfire and GT6 derivative, with pages devoted to how the cars were marketed. Superbly illustrated with 291 colour photographs.

Leseprobe

OTHER TITLES IN THE CROWOOD AUTOCLASSICS SERIES

AC Cobra

Brian Laban

Alfa Romeo 916 GTV and Spider

Robert Foskett

Alfa Romeo Spider

John Tipler

Aston Martin DB4, DB5 & DB6

Jonathan Wood

Aston Martin DB7

Andrew Noakes

Aston Martin V8

William Presland

Audi quattro

Laurence Meredith

Austin Healey

Graham Robson

BMW 3 Series

James Taylor

BMW 5 Series

James Taylor

Citroen DS Series

John Pressnell

Ford Escort RS

Graham Robson

Jaguar E-Type

Jonathan Wood

Jaguar XJ-S

Graham Robson

Jaguar XK8

Graham Robson

Jensen Interceptor

John Tipler

Jowett Javelin and Jupiter

Geoff McAuley & Edmund Nankivell

Lamborghini Countach

Peter Dron

Lancia integrale

Peter Collins

Lancia Sporting Coupes

Brian Long

Land Rover Defender, 90 and 110 Range

James Taylor

Lotus & Caterham Seven

John Tipler

Lotus Elan

Matthew Vale

Lotus Elise

John Tipler

MGA

David G. Styles

MGB

Brian Laban

MGF and TF

David Knowles

Maserati Road Cars

John Price-Williams

Mazda NMX-5

Antony Ingram

Mercedes-Benz Cars of the 1990s

James Taylor

Mercedes-Benz ‘Fintail’ Models

Brian Long

Mercedes SL Series

Andrew Noakes

Morgan 4-4

Michael Palmer

Morgan Three-wheeler

Peter Miller

Rover 75 and MG ZT

James Taylor

Rover P5 & P5B

James Taylor

Saab 99 & 900

Lance Cole

Subaru Impreza WRX and WRX STI

James Taylor

Sunbeam Alpine and Tiger

Graham Robson

Triumph TR7

David Knowles

Volkswagen Golf GTI

James Richardson

Volvo P1800

David G. Styles

TRIUMPH

SPITFIRE AND GT6

THE COMPLETE STORY

RICHARD DREDGE

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2014 by

The Crowood Press Ltd

Ramsbury, Marlborough

Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2014

© Richard Dredge 2014

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 84797 704 5

Acknowledgments

Huge thanks are due to a raft of people, without whom this book wouldn’t have been possible. Chief among these is Bernard Robinson of the Triumph Sports Six Club, who not only helped with period literature for reference and illustration, but also facilitated the photography of a superb Spitfire Mk2 and GT6 Mk3, the latter being the multiple-concours winner of Andrew and the late Angela MacGowan.

I’m also grateful to the other owners who allowed me to photograph their cars, these being Guy and Suzie Singleton (Spitfire 4 and Mk3), Stef and Sylv Graham (Spitfire 1500), Jo and Jim Wakefield (GT6 Mk1) plus David Aspinall of Anglian Triumph Services (www.angserv.demon.co.uk), who helped find people and cars – they were also happy to give their time freely, helping with the text, especially the chapter on modifying. Thanks are also due to Jane Rowley (Spitfire 4) and John Bentley (GT6 Mk3), for their help with the front cover image.

Sam Bailey of Bailey Classic Cars (www.baileyclassiccars.com) helped with the Spitfire MkIV, while Dave Saunders of Triumph Spares of Worcester (www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~ngo/345222.htm) also helped by supplying various cars for some of the detail shots. Thanks are also due to Graham Robson for supplying some of the period illustrations, as well as clarifying some of the detail points in the book.

CONTENTS

Timeline

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 2 SPITFIRE 4 (1962–1965)

CHAPTER 3 SPITFIRE 4 Mk2 (1965–1967)

CHAPTER 4 SPITFIRE Mk3 (1967–1970)

CHAPTER 5 SPITFIRE MkIV (1970–1974)

CHAPTER 6 SPITFIRE 1500 (1974–1980)

CHAPTER 7 GT6 Mk1 (1966–1968)

CHAPTER 8 GT6 Mk2 (1968–1970)

CHAPTER 9 GT6 Mk3 (1970–1973)

CHAPTER 10 BUYING A SPITFIRE OR GT6

CHAPTER 11 MODIFYING

CHAPTER 12 SPITFIRE AND GT6 IN MOTORSPORT

Appendices – Engine development and data, VINs

Index

TIMELINE

•

1957: Work starts on Standard-Triumph’s new family car, the Herald.

•

1959: The production Herald makes its début.

•

1960: Michelotti is commissioned to design a Herald-based two-seater sports car.

Herald 948 coupé.

•

1961: The decision is made to put the Spitfire into series production.

•

1962: The first-generation Spitfire breaks cover, with an 1147cc engine and four-speed manual gearbox, borrowed from the Herald. The car is also based on a shortened Herald chassis.

•

1965: The Spitfire MkII goes on sale, still with the 1147cc engine, but with more power and a stronger clutch.

•

1966: The GT6 débuts at the Earl’s Court Motor Show, with a 95bhp 1998cc Vitesse-sourced engine. Overdrive is optional while the bumpers and lighting are carried over from the Spitfire.

GT6 Mk1.

•

1967: The Spitfire MkIII arrives, with a 1296cc engine, a hood that’s much easier to use and revised styling.

•

1968: The Mk2 GT6 arrives with a new dashboard, revised cylinder head and tweaked rear suspension. The straightsix’s top end is from the TR5, for better breathing, while the rear suspension adopts rotoflex couplings and wishbones. Styling adjustments include the removal of the louvres in the side of the bonnet, raised bumpers front and rear, and Rostyle wheel trims.

•

1969: Minor revisions bring better interior padding and an improved steering wheel, and the structure is also strengthened to cope with tougher US crash regulations.

Spitfire 4.

•

1970: The MkIV Spitfire brings another facelift, plus an all-synchromesh gearbox and more predictable handling, thanks to revised rear suspension. Meanwhile, the Mk3 GT6 goes on sale little changed from its predecessor. The most significant changes centre on a de-seamed shark-nosed bonnet and the rear panels are updated with the family cut-away tail that incorporates less chrome. There are no significant changes under the skin.

•

1971: Seatbelts are now fitted as standard to the Spitfire.

•

1973: The Spitfire 1500 makes its entrance, for the US market only. The bigger motor is needed because of all the emissions control equipment that has to be fitted. There’s also a wider rear track, to overcome handling issues. Also, a brake servo is now fitted to the GT6, the rear brakes are increased in size and the rear suspension’s rotoflex couplings disappear, with the swing-spring rear axle later to be used on the Spitfire being fitted instead. At the same time the instruments are revised, vinyl replaces the brushed nylon seat covers and head restraints plus tinted glass are fitted for the first time. Also, in this year the final GT6 is made.

Spitfire 1500.

•

1974: The Spitfire 1500 goes on sale in the UK.

•

1977: The interior receives minor fettling for greater comfort.

•

1980: The final Spitfire is made.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

If it hadn’t been for the Austin Healey Frogeye Sprite, would Triumph ever have embarked on producing its own cheap sports car? Possibly not. Until the arrival of the Frogeye, sports cars were invariably big, costly and produced in relatively small numbers. Even those sports cars which weren’t big and costly were invariably rare, usually produced by specialist car companies, which either revived ancient pre-war cars with a new glass fibre bodyshell, or which inserted the mechanicals from some contemporary family car (usually a Ford) and wrapped them up in their own bodywork. However, these cars were often fragile, poorly made, or simply too costly to be truly affordable to the masses. What was needed was a mainstream car maker to introduce something that was fun to drive, cheap and well supported by a large dealer network. When Austin Healey did it with the Sprite, it was only natural that somebody else would try to emulate the company’s success – and that rival was Triumph, with its Spitfire.

Triumph is still one of the world’s best-loved marques, yet many years have passed since its demise. The company built cars for just 65 years, starting in 1923, then disappeared into the annals of time with the demise of a badge-engineered Honda, in 1984. Sure, Triumph as a brand existed far longer, as it built push bikes and motorcycles before branching out into cars. But as a car builder it wasn’t really around all that long – yet it is still one of the best-supported motoring marques around, thanks to enthusiastic clubs and a raft of great models over the years.

Perhaps one of the greatest reasons for the marque’s popularity is the success of the TR range in America. But models such as the Herald, Vitesse, Spitfire and GT6 also played their part, between them providing affordable family transport or sporting fun, depending on the model. However, it might not have been that way, after Triumph as a car maker almost disappeared from sight in the 1930s.

This was as sporty as things got for Triumph in the post-war years. Still, the 1800 and 2000 Roadsters were undeniably stylish.

It was in 1921 that Triumph purchased the Coventry factory of failed car builder Dawson, with a view to starting up the manufacture of Triumph-branded cars. At that time the company was owned by Siegfried Bettmann, assisted by his general manager Claude Holbrook. Up until this point, Triumph had focused purely on building bikes, with and without motive power attached; buying up the Dawson plant would enable the firm to move up several gears in one go.

By 1923 Triumph had its first car on the market, the 1393cc 4-cylinder 10/20. Designed by Arthur Alderson, who was working for Lea-Francis at the time, the car was costly at £430-£460, the price boosted by the fact that Triumph had to pay Lea-Francis a royalty on each car sold. There then followed a succession of cars that had little to lift them above their rivals, but in 1928 came the breakthrough model, the Super Seven. Very much in the mould of Austin’s rival Seven, Triumph’s new baby car was designed by Stanley Edge, who had helped Herbert Austin realize the identically-named car that saved his company from the mire. The Triumph Super Seven didn’t enjoy the racing successes of its Austin and MG (Midget) rivals, but that didn’t stop it from being highly successful, with more than 17,000 finding owners between 1928 and 1932.

Despite the relative success of the Super Seven, Holbrook decided that he would take Triumph upmarket in the 1930s – a move that would prove disastrous. In 1931 came Triumph’s first six-cylinder car, the Scorpion, which sold poorly because of its stodgy handling. Then in 1933, Holbrook decided he would start to buy in Coventry-Climax engines instead of developing his own fresh powerplant, in-house. There followed a line of cars that were designed to take on Riley, Alvis and SS, the most ambitious of which was the 1934 Dolomite, complete with a straight-eight in the nose.

SPITFIRE PROTOTYPES

•

There were four Spitfire prototypes built using experimental chassis numbers (with an X-prefix). The first was X659, built by Michelotti in Italy, in October 1960 and based on a modified Herald coupé chassis. This car, which carried the Bomb nickname, was fitted with a 948cc powerplant carrying engine number X854.

•

The next prototype was a development car, which carried chassis number X661. Constructed towards the end of 1960, this car was once again based on a modified Herald coupé (this time the whole bodyshell was shortened, rather than just the chassis). The original engine number isn’t known, but this car would later be fitted with a production 1147cc engine, carrying number GA 57428.

•

It was early in 1962 that the first pre-production Spitfire prototype was built, bearing chassis number X691. Constructed in Coventry, this was the first prototype to be road registered (4305 VC) and it was also the first to feature the final production details with regard to styling. The original engine number isn’t recorded, but X691 would later be fitted with an 1147cc unit, carrying number HE18491HE. This car would also go on to be developed into the fastback prototype that would be the precursor to the GT6; it would also be used for mechanical development including the installation of fuel injection.

•

The final prototype was X692, which would be the most familiar to Triumph fans of the period. Constructed around the same time as X691, this car would be registered as 412 VC, and not only would it go on to be a well-travelled press car, but it would also be used for endurance testing and rallying. From the outset, the car was fitted with an 1147cc engine, carrying number FC 2 HE. Intriguingly though, the car would be constructed with right-hand drive, and it would then be converted to left-hand drive, only to revert to the original configuration ready for its rallying début in 1964.

The first Spitfire prototype, pictured in October 1960.

In 1937 there was a return to in-house engines for Triumph, each one being designed by Donald Healey. Available with displacements of 1496cc, 1767cc or 1991cc (the last having six cylinders), there was from this point on a rather bewildering array of cars available. Because the 1232cc Coventry- Climax powerplant was still offered in the entry-level cars, there were four engines available across three ranges: Gloria, Vitesse and Dolomite. By 1936 Triumph was posting big losses, and by June 1939 the company was bankrupt.

It wasn’t until 1944 that Triumph emerged from the ashes – literally – when Standard’s Sir John Black bought the Triumph name and what remained of the factory, after it had been all but destroyed during the War. The site was quickly sold, with Triumph production being integrated with Standard’s existing facility at Canley, near Coventry. The first cars were the 1800 (Razoredge) saloon and Roadster, equipped with 1776cc 4-cylinder engines, with bodywork by Mulliners of Birmingham. Triumph wasn’t completely out of the woods yet, but it looked as though the worst was over, with sales picking up and a whole stream of fresh models introduced over the next few years.

The next big step was the introduction of the TRX in 1949, which signalled Triumph’s intention to exploit the two-seater sports car market. However, the TRX was too complex, as it featured a power-operated roof, windows and seats, along with pop-up headlamps (this was 1949 remember…). There was no way it could have been built economically, while reliability would be an issue without a doubt. What was needed was something much simpler, that had charm and rugged performance and which could be built and sold at a low price. That car was the TR2, which served as a prelude for perhaps the greatest succession of sports cars ever, from the TR2 to the TR6 – and maybe even the TR7 if we’re being charitable…

ALICK DICK

Alick Dick was the managing director of Standard-Triumph during its most interesting period, between 1954 and 1961, when he was replaced by Stanley Markland (who would stay at the company for just two years). Responsible for overseeing the development of the early TRs, Dick also oversaw the launch of the Standard Eight, later Vanguards, plus the Herald.

Alick Sydney Dick was born in Norfolk in 1917, the son of a doctor; by 1934 he was an apprentice at the Standard Motor Company. It was clear from the outset that he had great potential as a manager and by the outbreak of the Second World War he had been promoted to chief buyer for the company’s aero-engine factories.

Alick Dick was in charge of Standard-Triumph from 1954 until 1961.

As soon as Standard took over Triumph, Dick was promoted to the position of personal assistant to Sir John Black, who was then managing director of Standard-Triumph. From there his rise through the ranks was swift: by 1947 Dick was assistant managing director and in 1951 he was made deputy managing director. Dick had made more rapid progress than older, longer-serving members of staff around him – but the best was yet to come.

By 1954 there was some dissatisfaction with Black’s leadership style: he was seen as dictatorial, and keen to overshadow those around him. It came as no surprise therefore when Dick led a coup to oust Black as managing director of the company – a move that was to initially prove successful for everyone concerned.

However, although sales at first went from strength to strength, the good times didn’t last and Standard-Triumph was taken over by Leyland Motors in 1961. Within months, Dick was forced to move on. At first he did very little work-wise, but by 1963 he was managing director of electronics outfit Royston Instruments. By 1968 Dick had left Royston to become a consultant to Volkswagen, based in Coventry. He died in March 1986, aged sixty-nine.

Triumph’s first post-war sports cars were the sidescreen TRs (top right), which were fast, stylish and reliable, but they were also too costly for many. The main rival to these was the Austin Healey 100 (above); sitting below this was the ultra-cheap Sprite, initially in ‘Frogeye’ form (right). What Triumph needed was an affordable roadster to take on the Sprite – and the Spitfire was just such a car.

But we’re jumping ahead of ourselves now; we need to step back to the late fifties, when Britain led the world in motoring design and mass production, whether it was mundane family saloons or something rather more exciting. In an age when platform-sharing is the norm if the production costs are to add up, you’ll soon see that the concept is far from new. Barely more than a decade after the end of the Second World War, Triumph was already thinking about how it could produce a series of cars all using the same basic platform and the same set of mechanical components.

The car that set the ball rolling was Triumph’s Herald, which was unveiled in April 1959. Many questioned the decision behind introducing a car with such an outdated construction; even at this time, a separate chassis was decidedly passé for a mass-produced car, and thus the new family saloon appeared to be a throwback to the post-war era. However, there was a method in Triumph’s apparent madness; it was aiming to introduce a whole family of Heralds, while in theory it would also be possible to engineer something smaller and rather more sporty. Where Austin Healey had its 100, Triumph had its TR2 and TR3 to compete, but something much more affordable was needed to take on the Sprite, as well as MG’s Midget. That car would be the Spitfire, while later would come the GT6.

Just like the Herald, the Spitfire was designed by Giovanni Michelotti, who had been drafted in as Triumph’s design consultant after the departure of Standard’s previous designer, Walter Belgrove. Belgrove had designed the early TRs, which had proved phenomenally successful for Triumph, but he left after a disagreement with some of Triumph’s decisions, leaving the company without anybody to pen its key forthcoming models. American designer Carl Otto was commissioned to design the Standard Vanguard III, but it was clear that somebody needed to be found to give Triumph a new design direction.

That person was Michelotti, who was found purely by chance. Indeed, it wasn’t even Triumph’s Harry Webster who made the discovery; it was one of his business contacts, who happened to disclose in conversation that he knew of a styling house which could design and build prototypes in an astonishingly short space of time. Webster looked into the lead and found that Michelotti could indeed design cars in double-quick time and, through an arrangement with Vignale, those designs could be translated into running prototypes in just a few months.

Alick Dick and Martin Tustin managed the negotiations between Triumph and Michelotti, with the latter being commissioned to design a two-seater TR-based sports car concept, for display at the 1957 Geneva Motor Show. That project went so well that it wasn’t long before Michelotti was Triumph’s retained designer, with his next project being to come up with a replacement for the Standard Eight and Ten. As already explained, their successor would feature a separate chassis, partly so that further derivatives could be produced. Furthermore, developing an all-new car with a unitary construction would take much longer, while exporting Completely Knocked Down (CKD) kits to Australia, India and South Africa would be much easier if the car featured a separate chassis.

HARRY WEBSTER

Mention names, such as Harry Ferguson or Alec Issigonis, and you’ll get instant recognition: they were brilliant engineers who moved the motoring game on. But mention the name Harry Webster and the chances are you’ll be greeted with a blank expression – despite the fact that he was perhaps as great an engineer as either of the other two.

Although Webster pioneered the use of things such as semitrailing arm rear suspension, the targa top and through-flow ventilation, he couldn’t be credited with being responsible for a true icon of the motoring age, which is why he’s frequently overlooked. His CV may have included the Herald, TR4, Spitfire, GT6, 2000, Vitesse and 1300, but none of these have the cachet of something like the Mini (is there anything like the original Mini?). Webster is no doubt destined to remain in the background.

Harry Webster is one of the great, unsung heroes of Britain’s motor industry.

Henry George Webster was born on 27 May 1917 and educated at Welshpool County School. By the age of fifteen in 1939, he’d left school to become an apprentice to the Standard Motor Company; by 1948 he had been promoted to the position of chief chassis engineer. The company had already become Standard-Triumph, which meant that he worked alongside designer Walter Belgrove, who set the TR ball rolling for Triumph, penning what would become the TR2.

Having become director of engineering in 1957, Webster created a talented team that produced a series of new models, despite minimal budgets and ludicrously short development timescales. Nevertheless, innovations were frequent. The 2000 brought real refinement to the middle-class sector, while the TR5 was the first British sports car to have fuel injection as standard equipment.

Webster was director of engineering at Standard-Triumph for more than a decade, but after the formation of British Leyland he was moved to Longbridge to bring order to the faltering engineering operation at Austin-Morris. His six-year term was hampered by a lack of corporate vision and by industrial action. In 1974 he left to become group technical director of Automotive Products in Leamington Spa. He retired in 1982, but became chairman of SKF Steel UK for five years.

At least somebody recognized Webster’s talents because he was made a CBE in 1974. He died on 6 February 2007, aged eighty-nine.

GIOVANNI MICHELOTTI

Triumph formed an alliance with Giovanni Michelotti, which would be as strong as the one between Ferrari and Pininfarina – if not quite as long lasting. It came about when Raymond and Neville Flower approached Harry Webster to discuss buying chassis direct from Standard for a sports car they wanted to put into production. They talked about how quickly Michelotti could turn projects round and Webster was intrigued enough to approach the Italian design house himself. The result was a partnership that would last from 1957 right through until 1972, when the Dolomite was introduced. Along the way, Michelotti would style such gems as the TR4, 5 and 6, Stag, 2000/2500, 1300 and of course the Herald, Vitesse, Spitfire and GT6.

Giovanni Michelotti worked with Triumph for fifteen years, creating some of its most iconic models.

Michelotti was born in 1921. With a father who worked in the machine shop at racing car maker Itala, it was inevitable that Giovanni would end up working with cars. Sure enough, aged sixteen, he started working for the coachbuilding firm of Giovanni Farina, where he was little more than a gopher. However, it didn’t take long for Michelotti’s talents to shine through: it was clear that he was very capable at sketching fresh car designs, and within two years he had already become Farina’s chief stylist, following the sudden departure of the previous design head.

With the Second World War breaking out just as Michelotti assumed his new position, he wouldn’t be able to fully immerse himself in his new profession until 1946. This would also be the year in which he got married, before having two children, Edgardo and Daniella. By 1949 Michelotti had left Farina to set up his own design house, initially working from home, then having an office in residential Turin.

With so many coachbuilders in the locale, Michelotti wasn’t short of companies to approach in his quest for work, and he was soon kept busy with a string of commissions. He quickly became one of the most prolific car designers around, helping out Ghia, Balbo, Vignale and Bertone; later on he would also be retained by BMW and Hino, as well as Triumph.

The fifties and sixties were to prove enormously good for Michelotti, but things had turned pretty sour by the mid-seventies. Car companies were taking work in-house or using younger, fresher designers. While this initially simply gave Michelotti time to indulge in other pursuits (he loved football and food), by the late seventies things were looking pretty difficult for him financially.

Triumph 1300.

As if major money worries weren’t enough, Michelotti was also fighting poor health at the same time. He’d always suffered from sensitive skin, and working with plaster of Paris for his scale models hadn’t done him any favours. The result was incurable skin cancer, to which he would succumb in 1980, aged just fifty-nine.

Following his death, Michelotti’s company would be run by his son Edgardo, but he was no designer and it didn’t take long for the outfit to become little more than a fan club for cars designed by the great man. Still, better that than churn out a series of cars that looked like the Reliant Scimitar SS1, the final Michelotti design to reach production.

The Spitfire 4 Mk2, launched in 1965, was barely distinguishable from its predecessor.

When the Herald’s construction was decided upon, the initial idea was that there would be various iterations of that car available, such as Saloon, Coupé, Estate and Convertible – which all appeared in due course. However, at this point it hadn’t been decided that there would be a two-seater Roadster, although it was suggested by Harry Webster at the time. He was convinced that such a car could not fail, as it would be cheap to develop thanks to the existence of suitable Herald-derived mechanicals, while Triumph had the right image for a cheap sports car, slotting in below its well-established TR models.

However, Webster was making these proposals early in 1960, which was a critical point for Standard-Triumph as things had started to go badly wrong for the company at this time. Although its Herald had been launched reasonably successfully in 1959, there were too many initial build quality problems. The company’s reputation had taken a knock as a result, while sales were below expectations; potential buyers shopped elsewhere, or waited for the issues to be sorted out. As a result, by the spring of 1960 it was clear that something was amiss, with sales well below what had been anticipated. Despite this, the year-end results were healthy, but it wasn’t to last. In 1960 UK inflation began to climb sharply, so the Government imposed credit control measures to reduce consumer spending. Predictably, many who were reliant on credit decided they could squeeze another year or two out of their car rather than borrow the money for a new one. Dealers had a particularly hard time. It came as no surprise when, by November 1960, Triumph’s balance sheet was dripping with red ink.

At this point, truck builder Leyland Motors made a bid for Standard-Triumph, which it already knew was having a tough time of things. By April of the following year, Standard- Triumph was under new ownership. Leyland initially left the existing management team in place, in a bid to turn things round, but it was clear that they were struggling to get back into the black. As a result, by August 1961 there was a new man at the helm: Stanley Markland.

One of the things that Markland inherited in his new position was a well-established project for a two-seater Heraldbased sports car. Harry Webster had proposed such a vehicle in April 1960 and within a few months the project had been given the thumbs up by the Standard-Triumph board. In the meantime, Webster had already asked Giovanni Michelotti to give the exercise some thought, which is why a design study had already been created by October 1960. Codenamed ‘Bomb’, this first experimental car (with the chassis numbered X659) was shipped to Coventry for Standard- Triumph’s board to inspect. Unfortunately, at this point things had started to go badly wrong for Standard-Triumph, so the project was pushed into a corner and quietly forgotten – but not for long.

Once Markland had been installed as managing director, he had to get to grips quickly with everything that the company had been working on. It was in April 1961 that he discovered the Bomb prototype, and he liked what he saw, requesting that Harry Webster should explore further the possibility of putting the car into production. Further analysis of the project suggested that the sums would add up and in July 1961 the green light was given to putting the Bomb into production. At last, Standard-Triumph dealers would have an affordable two-seater sports car to sell.

CHAPTER TWO

SPITFIRE 4 (1962–1965)

The original Bomb prototype’s styling was remarkably similar to the final production Spitfire’s. However, it’s still amazing to think that the nod to Spitfire production was given only in July 1961, yet little more than a year later the wraps were pulled off the showroom-ready vehicle – something which wouldn’t have been possible had monocoque construction been adopted for the Herald.

Although it would be more than a year before the Spitfire would be given the thumbs up, the Standard-Triumph board was already thinking about details of the car’s construction as early as the spring of 1960. It was at this point that thought started to be given to whether or not the car should feature glass fibre or steel panels. While the former would offer lighter weight, possibly easier crash repairs and perhaps lower tooling and construction costs, the decision was made that steel panelling would be the most reliable way forward.

Although there had been an explosion in glass fibre-bodied cars in the 1950s, notably with Daimler’s SP250, it was obvious that few companies had the expertise to build large quantities of plastic panels, while also maintaining quality. It was therefore felt that steel panels was the only way to go: the bodyshells would be stronger and it wouldn’t prove so problematic finding a company that could mass-produce the necessary parts.

Although the Bomb project had been put on hold in the latter part of 1960, due to Standard-Triumph’s financial woes, some work continued on the viability of putting it into production. As a result, soon after it was agreed that the Spitfire should be built, a company was found which could produce the bodyshells: the Forward Radiator Company.

The Bomb prototype of late 1960 looked very much like the showroom-ready Spitfire, so no major styling changes were needed, but much of the development work was done using a shortened Herald coupé. Bearing chassis number X661, this test mule was painted a dull shade of grey, and initially it was fitted with a 948cc engine. However, once it became clear that more power would be needed, an experimental 1147cc unit was installed, complete with twin carburettors. With some fine tuning, this would be the engine that would provide motive power for the first two generations of Spitfire.

That first prototype, unveiled to the Standard-Triumph board in October 1960, was fundamentally right, but there were a few key changes required before the car would be production ready. No allowance had been made for wind-up windows, so the height of the door tops had to be increased to make the necessary space available. The dashboard also needed a rethink: Michelotti had incorporated a three-dial binnacle in front of the driver, but this wasn’t what Harry Webster had in mind. He preferred to put the gauges in the centre of the dash, thereby reducing costs because the same basic facia could be used for both left- and right-hand drive markets.

The most famous of the Spitfire prototypes, 412 VC would go on to become a press car as well as a development car used for rallying. It would also start out with right-hand drive, before being converted – and then converted back again.

After the original Bomb prototype (X659) and the cutdown Herald coupé (X661) came the first pre-production Spitfires; X691 and X692, registered as 4305 VC and 412 VC respectively. Built in spring 1961, these were used for endurance testing, which they underwent successfully throughout the summer. This was just as well because Standard-Triumph was already committed to unveiling its new sports car at the Earls Court Motor Show in October 1961.

Under the Skin

Although the Spitfire was based on the Herald’s chassis, there were several significant changes made which meant the sportster would have to feature hefty sills to increase torsional rigidity as much as possible. Where the Herald’s frame featured a strengthening rail on each side, the Spitfire dispensed with these, meaning the bodyshell would have to be that much stiffer. The Spitfire’s chassis was also rather shorter than the Herald’s. The fact that only two seats needed to be accommodated, instead of four, meant 8.5in (21.5cm) could be chopped out, reducing the wheelbase to 83in (2108mm).

While the chassis was significantly altered compared with the Herald that donated it, the bodyshell was virtually all new. The only components that could be taken from the Triumph parts bin were the windscreen (shared with the TR4) and the inner rear wheelarches, carried over from the Herald 1200. But Standard-Triumph knew it could save cash by using as many Herald mechanical components as possible, which is why the running gear was carried over with the minimum of changes, allowing the company to enjoy considerable economies of scale.

At the front there was double-wishbone suspension, with coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers and an antiroll bar. There was also the same rack-and-pinion steering that Herald owners had come to love so much, and in the Spitfire this allowed even greater manouevrability than in its bigger brother: the two-seater had a turning circle of just 24ft (7.3m). There was also greater stopping power, as the Herald’s drum brakes were substituted for discs – Harry Webster was keen to ensure that his company’s products would have the edge over rival Austin-Healey’s.

While the front end suspension design worked brilliantly – it was, after all, cutting edge in 1962 – the rear suspension was less impressive. There were drum brakes, which was to be expected, along with swing axles and a transverse leaf spring. This was the design adopted for the Herald, so it was no surprise that the Spitfire also utilized it. However, while the Herald was less likely to be bought by enthusiastic drivers, the Spitfire was snapped up for its dynamic prowess – which was limited by this cheaply-produced suspension layout.

One thing that was not carried over from the early Herald was the 948cc four-cylinder engine. Although the Austin-Healey Frogeye Sprite featured an equally diminutive powerplant, Harry Webster knew that the heavier Spitfire would need more power – and he wanted his new sportster to hit the Frogeye for six anyway. The solution lay in an experimental 1147cc engine that had been developed from the 948cc unit. Fitted with a pair of carburettors, the Spitfire 4 would be endowed with the sort of performance needed to blow the Frogeye into the weeds. The only problem was, by the time the first Spitfires were delivered to their eager owners, the Sprite had received a 1098cc engine, while MG had also introduced its own version of the car, the Midget.

Anybody familiar with the Herald’s underpinnings will instantly recognize the similarities with the Spitfire rolling chassis. The frame has been shortened, but the rest of the mechanicals have been carried over virtually unchanged.

Compared with the Herald that sired it, the Spitfire’s fuel tank was moved to a position over the rear axle, while there were now twin carburettors for the 1147cc engine.

The 1147cc engine that was adopted for the first Spitfires was capable of producing 63bhp at 5,750rpm and 67lb ft of torque at 3,500rpm. This represented a 50 per cent power increase over the Herald 1200, thanks to the fitment of twin HS2 SU carburettors and a slightly wilder camshaft that produced significantly greater valve overlap. To keep the bonnet line as low as possible there was a wider, lower radiator than conventional, with a header tank that sat alongside the rocker cover.

The transmission was carried over pretty much unchanged from the Herald 1200, which meant there was a four-speed manual gearbox with synchromesh on the top three ratios. At launch there was no overdrive option, which kept things simple in terms of rear axle ratios: all cars were fitted with a 4.11:1 diff, just like the Herald.

THE WRAPS COME OFF

On 17 October, 1962, three years after the Triumph Herald was first shown, the world got its first glimpse of Triumph’s new budget sportster, the Spitfire, at the Earl’s Court Motor Show. There were two examples on display; one was on a turntable behind barriers, where showgoers could look only – the other was alongside, ready to be prodded and poked by all and sundry. The former example featured white paint with blue trim plus a black hood, while the latter car was painted red, with black interior trim and roof. They looked fabulous alongside the Herald 1200, TR4 and Vitesse, the last model also making its début that year.

When the wraps were taken off Triumph’s new baby sports car at the 1962 Earls Court Motor Show, the car went down a storm. There were two cars on hand for showgoers to ogle; this one and a car finished with red paintwork.