I love the British Motoring Industry. Jaguar E-Type, Austin Martin, anything from Lotus, TVR’s and even Nobles make my pulse race. So, it will come as no surprise that I jumped on the chance to drive a 1976 Triumph Spitfire, more notably my father’s 1976 Triumph Spitfire. For those of you who are not familiar with the British Motoring Industry, in 1976 the British Leyland Motor Company owned Triumph. British Leyland can be seen as the main reason for the death of the British Motoring Industry, thanks to poorly built cars and bad designs. Knowing that a Edsel or a Fiero might be more reliable than this car I set my standards nice and low.
This particular Triumph had a re-upholstered interior, a new rag top, a handsome wooden steering wheel and 13-inch alloy wheels. Nothing was done to the car that would alter its handling or performance characteristics. This was a virgin car and I was going to see how bad a Leyland car really was.
Getting into the car presented a problem only because of its small size and how low it is to the ground. People over six foot should be prepared to feel a little cramped inside the cockpit. Once inside, the gear level is in a wonderful position and the pedals are nicely placed, but the steering wheel seemed a little close. Oh well, nothing is perfect. I fired up the small four cylinder engine and I was greeted with a wonderful shaking that permeated through the whole car. This made me feel as if I were in a proper race car. The ignition is not an on switch; it is a life giver. It is a dial that turns this docile beast into a living, breathing creature.
Taking my foot off of the clutch, I engaged the car and was greeted with one of the nicest feeling clutches. It was mechanical and rough, yet somehow refined. I shifted to second and instantly, completely fell in love. The gear box was magical. I could feel the gears through the wood shifter knob. I felt the physical act of putting one gear away and fetching for another. It was epic. I turned the car to the main road and the front wheels
gripped into the road, snapping me to where I wanted to go. The steering was tough because of the strong arm steering, yet the car went exactly where I wanted it to. Sure, the turn was a little rough, but that is due to the road.
As I drove to my secret test track, I can not help but feel as if I am a part of this car. This car was alive, carrying me to my destination. Once at my secret spot, I showed the car some corners. This Triumph did not disappoint. It attacked each bend, clawing onto the ground with a fearce death grip and not wanting to let go. Corner after corner, I wanted to keep on driving, trying to rip this car off of the road. Finally, I look down to see how fast I was going around these corners and I was shocked. Normally, when I am going around a corner with death grip speed I am going AT LEAST 70-80 km/h. In this car I was going only 50 km/h. I could not believe it! Here it felt as if I was abusing the track, bending corners at my will and it turns out I was going slower than I would in my Tercel! I felt cheated. I was not the road warrior the car made me believe I was. A little disappointed, I drove home. I felt like a poser pretending to be a great rally driver.
On the way home I notice a little hot rod pulled over on the side of a road with a cop beside him writing up a ticket. It was probably a ticket for speeding. Then in dawned on me. This Triumph makes you feel as if you are going fast because it is hard to control, it shakes and the gear box feels like a performance machine. The beauty of it all is that you are not going fast! You will not get tickets for taking a corner at mach five! So far, this is a win-win situation. The driver gets the feeling of speed with none of those annoying tickets that accompany it.
So, right about now you are probably thinking “where can I get one of these Triumphs?” Before you go out and buy your auto trader, remember back to where I said it is a Laylend car. Well, yes, the car is fun to drive, but the electrics are horrid because they work when they want to and only when they want to. The car only runs well when it is raining and when it is raining the window wipers do not work right. The carburetor is junk and needs to be set every day and the carburetor needs oil in it just for the car to run. The car is dangerous thanks to none existent safety standards in 1976. Did I mention all of the parts of the car that will break randomly? Your local parts store will usually not have the part in stock, nor will they be able to get them. You have to use the mail order system and that means to fix your car you must wait for the right part to be mailed to you. This becomes a huge annoyance for anyone who just wants to drive.
I cannot recommend the Triumph Spitfire to just anyone. It would probably be recommended to a 40 year old back yard mechanic who likes to spend time getting dirty and doesn’t mind working on the car a lot. It is too expensive and delicate for a teenager to drive so an older more mature driver would fit the bill perfectly. But in the end driving this car was amazing. It felt alive. It’s great at hugging corners and making quick shifts. And For the middle-aged man or woman with a full toolbox, a little spare time and a desire to be delighted with the simpler things in life, this car is perfect.