Registration - BHN 997B

Chassis No. - FC27309

M.O.T. - November 2022

Odometer - TBC

Interest in good Spitfires is growing and this attractive example is bound to turn heads. It was the subject of a sympathetic restoration as recently as last year, during which the major items were removed in order for the once green car to be resprayed in Powder Blue. The majority of the brightwork was replaced along with the carpets and a new woodrim steering wheel and wooden gearknob installed, while all five road wheels were refurbished and shod with new tyres. A yet-to-be-fitted

replacement hood also forms part of the sale. The vendor presently classes the Triumph’s four-cylinder engine, four-speed manual gearbox, bodywork and black interior trim as all being in ‘good’ order and the paintwork as ‘average’. He is now offering the two-seater complete with Heritage Certificate and the original handbook, plus an assortment of receipts for parts purchased.

The prototype Spitfire was produced by Standard Triumph in 1957. It was based on a modified Herald chassis clothed in a swooping two-seater body penned by Giovanni Michelotti. Unlike the rival Austin-Healey Sprite, it featured wind-up windows; also a single-piece front end that folded forward to provide optimum access to the engine bay. There was much support for the car, however production was initially impossible due to Standard Triumph’s dire financial situation. Indeed, it was eventually delayed until 1962, by which time the company had been taken over by Leyland. The original production engine was the four-cylinder 1,147cc unit from the Triumph Herald, mildly tuned for the Spitfire with twin SU carburettors. The car featured rack and pinion steering, wishbone front suspension and a transverse leaf swing axle arrangement at the rear.

In summary:

• A tidily-presented example of the MKI version
• The subject of a recent sympathetic restoration
• Comes complete with new hood still in its box