Having recently lost the use of a garage, and with a major house renovation dragging me towards poverty, I am reluctantly selling my 1973 Triumph Spitfire MkIV.
It went flying through the last MOT at the end of April 2012 with no advisories. So MOT expires at the end of April 2013, and it is taxed until the end of October 2012. The car was first registered in July 1973 and so just missed the free tax cut-off. Tax is currently £125 a year or thereabouts.
I have owned a Spitfire of one form or other since I was 17 (27 years) and this one in particular I've owned for over 3 years. If you're looking for a concours condition car then this one isn't for you. I'm not much of a polisher - I believe in driving these cars, indeed in the past 12 months I used this car pretty much every day to drive to Milton Keynes and back from North London - 500 miles a week. I have kept it well maintained. There are some rust spots coming through in the usual places, along with scratches and chips, but on the whole the paintwork is good. The previous owner had done all the hard work, including new floors and sills and a respray in Pale Primrose - a Jag E-type colour apparently. I put the car back together, replacing all the suspension with polybushes, adjustable Spax shocks on the front and uprated springs. The wheels are the wider 5.5J x 13 with Toyo Proxes 185x60, all in good condition (and the spare is brand new). I also replaced all the CV joints. The car has a stainless steel phoenix 4-2-1 manifold and a big bore single silencer, is fitted with a high-torque starter motor, and has relatively new battery and alternator.
The engine is a standard 1296cc (DH prefix I think) and this was reconditioned by the previous owner 2000 miles before I bought the car. It pulls well through the gears and does not smoke or knock. To be honest I don't know if it's got an unleaded head or not - I just put regular unleaded in along with some of the Castrol lead additive and it runs fine. The gearbox is also a standard non-overdrive model, and it has a great positive gear change with no whining or crunching. Similarly the diff is whine-free.
The fuel gauge has recently stopped working. The temp gauge is working so I suspect either the fuel gauge itself or the sender unit. I have a new sender unit that will be included in the sale.
There is a hard-top and soft-top. The hard-top I bought separately last year and is in great condition, including the headlining being in place and untorn. It could do with some new seals around the windows but it is water-tight. The soft top is getting on a bit now but is fine for summer use. There are no splits or cracks in it, but a couple of the poppers have come off and the windows are slightly faded. The hood frame is in good condition.
The interior is probably the area that could benefit most from a cash injection. I removed the old carpets and put down some 'dynamat' type sound insulation and never bothered buying new carpets. Also, the seats (which are standard MkIV seats with head-rests) need recovering and new foam inserts too I'd have thought. I got fed up with having to reach down under the steering column and fumbling about trying to get the key in the ignition so I removed it and fitted a battery isolation key and a momentary ignition switch. I still have the ignition lock and keys and they will be included in the sale. It does have a lovely Mota-Lita steering wheel which more than makes up for the rest of the interior.
So in summary this is a lovely looking Spitfire that has been well maintained. It is suitable for every-day use and is ready to be driven away.
Cash on collection or bank transfer only please. Car is in North London.
