1976 Triumph Spitfire 1500

The Triumph Spitfire, named in honor of the famous World War II fighters that helped win the Battle of Britain, was first unveiled in 1962. Its production lifespan included five generations, culminating in the 1500 series produced from 1974 to 1980.

The Triumph Spitfire had proven mechanical components from the Standard parts bin. It wore styling by an Italian, Giovanni Michelotti, with whom Triumph had an association dating back to 1956. It had a fresh, clean shape that would continue to be used well into the next decade. Features included roll-up windows, a one-piece bonnet, and a comfortable interior for the passengers. Mechanically, the Spitfire ran twin SU carburetors on the four-cylinder engine, offering 63 horsepower at 5750 RPM. The drive was to the rear wheels via a four-speed gearbox. Overdrive became an option in September of 1963.

The Spitfire was based on a heavily reworked Herald platform. It had rack-and-pinion steering, independent double wishbone-type front suspension, and swing axles at the rear from that model.

The Triumph Spitfire 1500 was powered by a 1,493cc inline-4 cylinder engine with a compression ratio of 8.0:1, except for the American market which had a 7.5:1 ratio and a single Zenith-Stromberg carburetor which allowed it to operate on lower octane unleaded fuel. Due to the lower compression, exhaust gas recirculating system, and catalytic converter, the engine delivered 53 horsepower and had a zero-to-sixty mph time of 16.3 seconds. Triumph increased compression to 9.1:1 for the 1976 model year, but this change was short-lived, and soon reduced to 7.5:1 for the remaining years of production.

In areas that were less restrictive with emission policies, and with the larger Type HS4 carburetors installed, the 1500 Spitfire could produce 71 hp (DIN) at 5,500 RPM and 82 lb-ft of torque at 3,000 RPM. Zero-to-sixty mph was accomplished in 13.2 seconds, and the top speed of 100 mph.

The Spitfire 1500 had a wider rear track and a more negative camber thanks to the longer swing axles and the lowered spring mounting point.

The U.S.-specification examples of the Spitfire 1500 wore large plastic over-riders and wing-mounted reflectors on the fenders. Chrome bumpers were used through 1978 and then replaced with black rubber bumpers with integrated over-riders.

Among the various modifications added to the Spitfire 1500 were reclining seats for domestic market cars early in 1977, with 'chequered brushed nylon center panels' and head restraints. The dashboard-mounted knobs and switches were replaced with a new set of column-stalk-operated controls. As production was coming to a close, the Spitfire gained a wood dash, an electric screen washer (replaced the previous manual pump operated units), and hazard flashers.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2017