"A gentleman does not motor
about after dark" Joseph Lucas, 1923
In 1977 I purchased a used 1976 Triumph
Spitfire 1500. Pimento in color, it was my first convertible
and I had the best of times driving that car. Being young and
foolish I sold the car in 1980 and have longed for one ever since.After
looking for about 2 years I purchased another Spitfire; 20 years
later. It's a 1979 Triumph Spitfire 1500, blue with a beige interior.
I was lucky to find a vehicle pretty close
to the condition (and mileage!) of the one I sold back in 1980.
I am now in the process of preparing to put it on the road and
recapturing the
fun of summer driving.I've included some new amongst the old ones for
those of you who are interested. Since the Spitfire turned 25
years in age it is now considered an antique and qualifies for
antique registration in Connecticut, USA.
Click on each picture to enlarge.
After being without a Spitfire for so long,
I figured the parts availability and cost would be much worse
than it was back in the 1980's. To my surprise I found the prices
now cheaper and the availability better...for the most part.
My last memory of purchasing an individual Spitfire part was
the muffler. Back then the muffler cost $125 (when typical mufflers
were $18!) and took over a week to get. I recently purchased
a new muffler for $90 and it was delivered within 3 days.
I believe the Internet has played a key
role in keeping cars like the Spitfire alive and well. There
are now so many sites available, ranging from specification pages,
parts suppliers, clubs and organizations, personal pages and
one must not forget eBay, that information and parts are readily
available. Finding one such site at Eric Kieboom's personal page,
I contacted friends in Sheffield, England who checked out "The
Spitfire Graveyard" for me.
To my wife's dismay, our next trip to England
will include a sightseeing tour of this wonderful, indoor junkyard!
I'm sure I'll even find some "souvenirs" to
purchase and bring home!
These are a few of my favorite
Spitfire links including the best one of all,
"The Totally
Triumph Network"
Click
here to visit the Gaylordsville Volunteer Fire Department Homepage
Click
HERE for my Spitfire Puzzle Gallery
Visit My Garden
Railway, the NGR.
