Triumph Spitfire Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1962

The Triumph Spitfire Mark 1 hit the streets in 1962 and continued up until 1964.
The engine was from a Triumph Herald with the addition of twin SU carburetors for extra performance. The running gear was also taken from the Triumph Herald. The steering was Rack-and-pinion with Independent/Coil Springs at the front and Independent/Transverse leaf springs at the rear.

Answer: 1147 cc

In 1967 the engine size was increased from 1147cc to 1296cc. The engine was taken from the Triumph Herald 13/60 and Triumph 1300 producing 75bhp in twin-carburetor form.

Answer: Giovanni Michelotti

Giovanni Michelotti was born in Turin, Italy in 1921. A specialist in the design of sports cars, he worked for a number of design houses before setting up his own design company. Giovanni Michelotti also designed the Lancia Aprilia Coupè (1949), Maserati Spyder, BMW 700 (1959), Reliant Scimitar SS1 (1984).

Other cars designed for Leyland by Giovanni was the GT6, TR4, 2000, 1300, Stag, and Dolomite. Giovanni Michelotti died in 1980; his design of the Reliant Scimitar SS1 came four years after his death.

Answer: 1965

The MK 2 spitfire was very similar to the MK 1. The 1147 cc engine was modified with a different cam-shaft profile and a water cooled intake manifold. The exhaust manifold was also updated. Power went up to 67bhp at 6000rpm. The bodywork also had a few changes with a new grille and badges.

The interior was upgraded with moulded carpets and new seats. Leyland claimed a top speed of 96mph and a 0-60 mph time of 15.5 seconds.

Answer: Leyland Motor company

The Leyland Motor company took over Standard-Triumph after they got into financial trouble in the early 60's. In April 1961, Leyland Motor Company took full control of the Standard-Triumph company. At the time the Leyland Motor company was a manufacturer of trucks and buses and was looking at the car industry. Plans were put in place and a take over bid was offered and accepted by Standard-Triumph.
In 1964, Donald Stokes took over as head of the company and in 1968 it merged with British Motor Holdings (BMH) to form the British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC).

Answer: True

SU carburetors were made by the company Skinners Union, hence SU. George Herbert Skinner designed and patented the carburetors in 1905. The range of SU carburetors were widely used in British cars, such as Austin, Morris, Triumph, and MG. SU carburetors were also used by the Swedish manufacturers Volvo, and were used in the Sabb 99. Several sizes of carburetors were made including 1-1/8", 1-1/4", 1-1/2", 1-3/4" and 1-7/8.

Answer: Triumph Herald

The Triumph Herald was launched in 1959 by the Standard-Triumph Company of Coventry. The Triumph Heralds body style(s) comprised of a saloon, convertible, coupe, van and estate.
The Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti was commissioned to style the car. The Spitfires chassis was 8.5" shorter than the Herald; it also had the side members removed. To strengthen the chassis strong structural sills were fitted. The Triumph Spitfires body was completely welded as opposed to being bolted together like the Herald. The bodywork was then bolted to the chassis via twelve bolts. The results made the Spitfire more rigid than its counterpart.

Answer: True

Giovanni Michelotti designed the Triumph spitfire with a one piece front end which tilted forwards, this enabled easy access to the engine bay for servicing and repairs. The total concept of the front end allowed plenty of space in the cockpit for the passengers.

Answer: £550

The Spitfire was introduced at a base price of just £550. For around the same price you could have bought The Midget (£515) or the Sprite (£505). The total number of MK 2 Spitfires that were built between 1965 and 1967, was 37,409.

Answer: 95,829

The ultimate in the range of the Triumph Spitfire produced was the 1500 model. Available in 1974 (earlier in the US due to emission requirements) this was the final replacement for the Mk IV. The 1500 Spitfire with its new engine had 71bhp, which enabled the car to reach the magic 100mph. Options for the 1500 included an overdrive transmission, a steel removable hardtop and an up market trim pack.

The 1500 Spitfire suffered in the US market due to the emissions requirements. Power dropped from 71bhp to 53bhp, with the use of a single Zenith-Stromberg carburetor and a reduced compression ratio of 7.5:1 to enable it to use lower octane unleaded fuel.

A further power sapping item the US model had was a catalytic converter and exhaust gas recirculating system.