Engine

The engine in this Spitfire has 4,550 miles on the clock. I know this is accurate because I put in a brand new Smiths speedometer when the rebuilt engine was professionally installed. However, the engine I selected to replace the 1500 unit was a 1296, for a couple of reasons:

1/ (From Spitfire and GT6 Forum/The Triumph Experience)

“There will always be the controversy of which is best 1500 or 1296. The 1296 seems to be the favourite of the "Racer Type". Has cam bearings and shorter stroke, therefore, higher revving., harder crank, more durable engine. The 1500 is a stroked 1296, no cam bearings, softer crank- less durable engine. The trouble spots on the 1500 engine are the bottom end and the top end. On the bottom end, you have a weak oil system and a heavy crankshaft. Over-rev it too much and the #3 rod bearing will come out to play. The thrust washers in these engines are not made for someone who rides the clutch too much.”

2/ It was my intention originally to have this engine outfitted to ‘competition specs’, guided by British Leyland Competition Preparation Manual (5th Edition) for Spitfire MK I-II-III-IV-1500 (included with the sale if you wanted to go in that direction). Unfortunately, this became impractical as costs exceeded my budget. I found that the dual SU carbs give me a considerable boost in both power and speed, and made it possible to finally easily overtake slower moving transport trucks on steep hills.

Transmission

While it is a bit noisy in 1st and 2rd gear, the tranny runs pretty smooth otherwise. The clutch is good, but I’ve always made a habit of putting it into neutral when sitting at a light. The shifting is smooth from gear to gear, and there is no grinding on gear changes.

As you can see from the list, there are many new parts on this vehicle, but it is still 44 years old and the paint/pinstriping is original and overall is in very good condition but not perfect. I tried to have the original colour reproduced to do touch ups, but the results were not very good so I abandoned the idea and things had to be left as they were. This little gem gets a lot of attention wherever it goes, and gathers a crowd whenever it is parked. My only wish is that Leyland had picked a different motor for this car. It severely restricted the output of this engine when it was exported to the North American market with all of the emission requirements instituted at that time. As I mentioned earlier, the dual SU carbs have sweetened the deal a bit in terms of power.

Bodywork

The last 2 pictures show rust on the rear quarter panels, particularly on the drivers side. I got a quote for repair from a local auto body shop and they quoted me $850.00 CDN to do the job. They were unsure whether or not they could color match the original paint, but they would try. Fortunately, this area of the car is generally less visible because of the rear bumper positioning. I was originally going to ask $13,000.00 for the car, but I reduced it to $12,000 to cover the repair costs.

*I'll throw in the hard top that came with the car if you want it for free but it has some issues... the interior lining needs to be replaced as it has a few tears and is missing some of the mounting hardware. I've never had the top on the car, as I don't drive it in bad weather or in the wintertime when the car is garage stored. So the color of the hardtop doesn't match the beautiful finish of the Spit itself, and is just plain old Vermillion. The purchaser can decide whether he/she wants the hardtop included in the sale.