1980 Triumph Spitfire 1500

Description

• Older restoration
• New chassis
• Twin carbs
• Great value and great fun!
• One of the final models

The Triumph Spitfire’s appeal as a stylish, fun, open top British sports car is as strong today as it ever was. They genuinely are cracking little cars.

Launched in 1962, the Spitfire production ran for an astonishing 19 years, ending in 1981. They are great value, easy to own and prices are growing stronger as the market wakes up to just what a little bargain they are.

There were several variations of Spitfire, which means there is a classic Spitfire for everyone.

The last version and in the opinion of many, the best, was the Spitfire 1500. It produced 71 bhp and mated to a Marina gearbox, it meant the diminutive little classic was good for 100mph.

This 1980 Triumph Spitfire 1500 was registered in January of that year, making it one of the last of the Spitfires to be produced and our vendor has owned this classic in British Racing Green since 2019.

Outside and underside

Like many British classic cars one of the challenges of finding and owning a classic Spitfire is the dreaded tin worm. On the Spitfire it can get particularly spiteful on the separate chassis. However, this Spitfire had a very thorough restoration just over a decade ago and the chassis was replaced. It had the full waxoyl treatment and our vendor completed another full waxoyl during his ownership. We never get tired of saying what a difference that makes to the condition and longevity of classic cars.

The beautiful one-piece clam-shell front end is in good condition. It is all steel and not a fibreglass replica. You can see the original BL decal on the underside of the bonnet, which is a nice touch. Once that front end is up everything is revealed.  You can see the chassis, the structural areas and much of the front suspension and steering gear. It looks good. The engine bay in general is up there as one of nicest we’ve seen.

Outside, the Spitfire is finished in British Racing Green, we’re not sure if that was a Triumph colour, but nevertheless the coachwork looks lovely. If you look very closely, the observant among you will notice that there are some stone chips on the sills and lower panels, which could be addressed but no rot or rust.

The images of the door shells show they are sound.

With the small exception of the fuel filler cap which has some pitting, all the other bright work, bumpers etc are in smashing condition, as you can see.

As per our vendor, the hood is in “as new” condition and was replaced when the Spitfire was restored and screens have no cracks or splits. The classic Spitfire also comes with a very useful tonneau too. All in all, very nice.

Interior

Inside, the Spitfire is in similar good condition. Our vendor refurbished the seats too and the half leather seats are looking good, even the bolster areas. These Spitfire 1500’s came with a wood veneer which still looks very nice as do the dials and switch gear. The dash is crack free.

Take a look through the Image gallery, the photos capture images of the carpets, door cards and other interior items – again they are all in good condition.

Mechanicals

One of the beauties of this 1980 Triumph Spitfire is its simplicity. All the mechanical bits are very straightforward.

The 1500cc engine starts easily and provides a lively, brisk performance to the light bodied Spitfire. The gear lever falls naturally to hand and has the usual narrow gate with a slick shift, selecting gears without fuss. This one is fitted with an overdrive which a nice bonus.

The classic Spitfire’s sporty handling was always its trump card. This one is no different. Popular Motoring magazine reported the Spitfire to be a “fast sure-footed, economical sports car you can’t help liking”. Auotcar magazine went a couple of stages further, they commented “the Spitfire was sparkling with outstanding fuel economy”, and reckoned, “with its new rear suspension and Stag-like look, was almost sophisticated” and the finally described the 1500, as a “topping little sports car”.

The suspension has numerous grease points. Previous owners have clearly attended to these vigilantly as evidenced by the MOT history, which has no mention of concerns in this department.

We’ll leave the final few words to our vendor, John.

“The Spitfire had a full restoration approx 12 years ago. It is on a new chassis, so showing a few age related marks (nothing serious). Waxoyled on completion and again in my ownership. When restored it had a colour change from White to British Racing Green but done very professionally
According to the on line MOT history it appears to have been off the road for approximately 10 years but nothing to confirm this. If this is the case the 94,000 miles showing could possibly be genuine.
It has not been converted to unleaded. In my ownership it has benefited from headlight upgrade, full stainless sports exhaust including 4 branch manifold. New quality seat foams and covers and refurbished 8 spoke steel wheels. The vehicle has just passed an MOT”.

Our view.

Just touching on the on-line history for a moment. The data goes back to 2005 when the mileage was recorded at 9,3601. There is then a gap in the history, as John reports. Is this the time it was off road for the resto? We don’t know. It then pops up back on the MOT radar in 2020. The mileage now is 94,085.

It is frankly unfathomable to us, that Spitfires for whatever reason, have never quite had the mass market following like some other British classics. However, they do remain firm favourites for many.

The upside of Spitfires being under the radar is they are fabulous value.

Add that value to the fact that these attractive little cars are great fun to drive, straightforward to work on and blessed with excellent spares and specialist back-up, with a very friendly owner’s club scene to boot, and the case for choosing a good one like this 1980 Triumph Spitfire is clear-cut.

Vehicle Location: Derbyshire DE6– it’s the responsibility of the winning bidder to make collection / transportation arrangements directly with the vendor

Have a question about this vehicle? Please contact the Evoke team at auction@evoke-classics.com and we will speak to the vendor on your behalf.

Guide Prices?

We’re different. But you know that. And we’re always honest. In a sector where no two classic cars are same, how does anyone put a ‘guide’.

Well, everyone knows the broad value of classic, let’s all be honest. So we don’t need to tell you what you already know, do we.

The ‘market’ decides and the old cliché that ‘cars are worth what someone wants to pay’ is no less true. So why kid everyone!

But, because we are different, if it really does matter to you, that’s fine, we want you to be happy. Just drop us a line at auction@evoke-classics.com and one of us will be delighted to ring you back and discuss, it’s what we do.

Tedious but it’s vital you read this, please.

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