A beautiful little british sports car. For more Spitfire series info, see the
Triumph Spitfire node.
The Triumph Spitfire 1500 was the last of the line, an adventure in british motoring as cool as the MG B car, but shorter. The first Spitfire 1500 rolled of the line in November 1974 and it went out of production in August 1980. In total 95829 cars made (91137 excluding 73 & 74 models). The Spitfire 1500 comes in cabriolet, hardtop and coupe.
Under the bonnet you will find a sturdy 1 493 cc 71 bhp (EUR) / 53 bhp (US) engine, the body is very prone to rust but the frame is not. European versions of the car is substantially much better that the US version due to the rebuilding of the engine. The US version is less powerful has an (Note the single tense) inferior carburator, where the European version has two better ones. Overdrive exists on some models, it is worth the extra bread. While the US version is less powerful in raw horsepower, this doesn't show up so clearly on the sppe tests. The European version does 100 mph like that, and the American has a top speed of 93 mph.
It is not the fastest car on the planet, but very, very fun to drive. Quite a head-turner.
Go to www.triumphspitfire.com for more info.
Engine specs:
Item
British version
American version (SAB = Same as British)
Number of cylinders
4 in line
SAB
Bore of cylinders
2.9 in (73.7 mm)
SAB
Stroke of crankshaft
3.44 in (87.5mm)
SAB
Capacity
91 cubic in (1493 cc)
SAB
Compression ratio
9.0:1
7.5:1 (1976 - 9.0:1)
Maximum power
71 b.h.p. Din at 5500 rpm
53 b.h.p. SAE net at 5000 rpm
Maximum torque
985 lbf/in at 3000 rpm
830 lbf/in at 2500 rpm
Weight (approx)
220 lbs. (100kgs) stripped plus weight of manifolds and flywheel
Fluids: (The blood of the car)
Item
British version
American verison
Fuel
37.6 liters
9.9 gallons
Engine oil with filter change
4.5 liters
4.75 quarts
Engine oil without filter change
4.0 liters
4.25 quarts
Gearbox
.85 liters
.9 quarts
Gearbox with overdrive
1.35 litres
1.4 quarts
Final Drive (diff.)
.57 liters
.6 quarts
Cooling System
4.5 liters
4.75 quarts (1.2 gallons)
Electrical System: 12 volt negative earth
Dimensions:
Item
British version
American verison
Length
149 in (3785 mm)
155.25 in (3943 mm), 1976-1980: 156.3 in (3970)
Width
58.5 in (1488 mm)
SAB
Height (unladen) to top of windscreen
44.25 in (1125 mm)
43.7 in (1110 mm)
Soft top hood erect
45.8 in (1162 mm)
45.6 in (1159 mm)
Hard top
45.2 in (1148 mm)
45.4 in (1153 mm)
Comission numbers:
UK/Europe : FH75001 onwards
US: FM28001U onwards (1980 switched to VIN numbers)
U suffix for US
UC suffix for US California
O suffix for cars fitted with overdrive transmissions
L suffix for Right hand drive