The Triumph Spitfire was released as a response to the arrival of the Austin-Healey Sprite. The Spitfire was underpinned by a Herald style separate chassis and was powered by the same family of engines. First introduced in October, 1962, as Triumph's entry into the small British Sports Car market, the car competed very favorably against the MG Midget and other inexpensive sports cars. The Triumph Spitfire was and still is a fantastic looking sports car based on designs by Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti. It was only after Triumph was acquired by Leyland Motors in 1961 that the project was approved for production and the rest is history. The original design survived through three series and was updated by Michelotti with the MkIV for the 1971 model year. The Spitfire's design remained basically the same but was modernized in appearance and some modifications were made to the rear suspension for cornering stability. Additional changes were made through the years in the form of upgraded engines. Originally the Spitfire employed a 1147cc 4 cylinder upgrade of the Herald engine. With the Mk3, the engine grew to 1296cc and employed a re-designed head with 4 intake ports. After the MkIV series ended, the basic 1296cc engine was increased to 1493 cc's by lengthening the stroke with some additional head modifications. Unfortunately, emissions controls on later model engines (particularly US models) offset much of the performance gains that came with the improvements.

At Classic Triumph Sports Cars we aim to provide a full range of services for the Triumph owner including Triumph servicing, Triumph restoration and classic Triumph sales. Take a look at our sales section for the current selection of used classic Triumph Spitfire sports cars available.