1973 Triumph Spitfire MkIV

Registration No: MUG 60L
Chassis No: FH52126
MOT: Exempt

• 79,595 credible miles recorded and current ownership since 2012
• Subject to a chassis up restoration by Yorkshire Triumph Ltd
• Offered with a collection of invoices and log on the restoration
• Overhauled engine, new interior and hood
• Subject to an overhauled gearbox in 2015

The prototype Spitfire was produced by Standard-Triumph in 1957 but was delayed until 1962. 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. It was the MkIV variant of 1970 that embodied the most comprehensive changes made during the model's 19-year lifespan. The front and rear of the car were restyled and the doors were treated to recessed handles. The interior was greatly improved and featured a full-width facia with the instruments ahead of the driver. The engine capacity remained at 1293cc, as introduced for the MkIII. The rear suspension, however (much criticised on earlier cars), was de-cambered and redesigned to eliminate the tendency for the wheels to 'tuck-in' and throw the car into oversteer when cornered hard. Some 70,021 MkIVs were produced between 1970 and 1974 when the model's final incarnation, the Spitfire 1500, was introduced.

First registered on the 8^th of February 1973 and displaying some 79,595 credible miles recorded to date, this MkIV Spitfire has been in current ownership since 2012 and been the subject of previous extensive restoration work. The 2013 chassis-up restoration was carried out by Yorkshire Triumph Ltd. It was they who carried out the work that included the stripping of the running gear and body, before being refurbished. Outer and inner rear wings, a new boot floor and rear valance were sorted by them, as were the rain channels, before the repaired body was prepped and painted.

This Spitfire is fitted with a 13/60 Triumph Herald engine, which is pretty much the same as the earlier Spitfire Mk3 engine, promising 1296cc. In 2015, Yorkshire Triumph Ltd also completed the overhaul of that engine, fitted the new interior and hood and provided an overhaul of the gearbox, just the latter to the tune of £1,536.00 in 2015. Offered with a collection of invoices and log of the restoration, there is a detailed log of the work and a collection of photographs of the restoration.

For more information, please contact:
James McWilliam
james.mcwilliam@handh.co.uk
07943 584760