What we have here is a period hot rod made from a Triumph Spitfire, a Chevy 327, a Corvair transaxle and a lot of fiberglass (plus bondo?). The end result is, well, unique.
Love it or hate it, a lot went into this. Spitfires have been used as the basis for many customs, but they usually are made to represent some other production car. We don’t know where this design came from.
The seller says the engine fires up, sometimes with a little help from starter fluid; so one can hope the mechanical bits don’t need too much. The body, on the other hand, needs some love. This is fiberglass over steel; so there is rust in the steel rockers and there are cracks in the glass hood. Whomever takes this one on needs to be able to work in both media.
The end result will be a true oddball, but this should be very fun to drive, with the 327 V8 in a tiny package with the transmission at the rear for better balance. Note that it has a good period-correct mod: a downstream overdrive unit is fitted and rigged to always be on, as the gearing seems to warrant it. If buying this, we’d consider addressing the gearing to correct that and get the OD benefit; but we frankly don’t know what’s involved in changing a Corvair final drive ratio…
This is a great little oddball in its own right, but we don’t see it changing hands anywhere near the $9.5K asking price – at least not in this condition. This would be a great $2.5K project and perhaps a decent deal somewhere in between.
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Tempe, AZ, USA
$9,500 BIN with offers considered and 20 days to go
Aside from the windscreen, we’d never guess this was a Spitfire.
Hood bulge is massive and we’re not sure the engine demands that much space. The rear scoops likely feed the rear radiator.
Yes, it’s a targa! Supposedly, some sort of custom roof is included.
Rear shows massive flying buttresses.
Interior appears to be mostly original.
Rear features a trunk with a full-size spare. Note that the radiator is mounted in the rear, as there was no space in the front. We wonder how well it cools…
Here’s an odd double picture of the 327 with the bonnet flipped up. The underside of the hood looks better than the topside.
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Here goes…
This 1967 triumph was shipped to Japan when it was new. The first owner was a woman stationed at an USAirForce base in Japan. It was first registered as a privately owned military service vehicle. The 2nd owner, an af engineer stationed at the base bought it in 1969 and in 1970 had it shipped to the US where he built the Triumph into a one of a kind pure 70s custom American hot rod. This should have been on the turntable in Vegas, not the Datsun! The Triumph has been primarily stored for about 25 years. The body is a not a complete fiberglass body. It utilizes the original hood, trunk lid and body with fiberglass laid over a steel heavy gauge wire-frame. The fiberglass body is not weak at all. There are many cracks in the hood, but the wire frame is strong under it all. The targa top is a two piece custom made set.
The chevy 327 mill fires up easily. I have had to use a little spray of starting fluid a few times after letting it sit for a few weeks. It has a electric fuel pump that can be heard until it starts, then all you can hear is the engine. The clutch is strong and goes into gears/shifts with no problem.
Engine is a 1966 327 Chevy, 4bolt main, Double hump heads, stock lifters/rockers & mild cam, quadrajet carb, revs quick and sounds nasty. There is no smoke, ticks, tocks, or funny noises. Clutch is a coild sping 10″ sprun for max pressure. The clutch pedal is very stiff. There is a fabricated adapter on the bell housing that connects a overdrive unit. It is always in overdrive, making up for rear end gearing/small tires. The rear mounted Transmission/Axle is a Saginaw 4speed from a mid-engine Corvair. An adapter was made to provide a driveshaft input to the nose of the transmission. This was very common with mid-engine corvairs. The shift throw is very short. The radiator is 1970s chevy truck. The gastank is stock but an additional 8.5 gallon tank was added below the trunk. They are connected together so the stock filler fills both tanks.
The front brakes are from a Spitfire GT and the rear are corvair drums with a pressure regulator. The rear hubs were redrilled to have the same bolt pattern as the front. The master cylinder was replaced a couple months.
Seats are from a later model Spitfire. They were re-upholstered with some thick shag like material but the color is wrong. The custom dashboard has working gauges. The front parking lights are 60s chevy van, the tail lights are Mustang II.
Only the rockers have rusted through, none of the underbody, floors or frame is rusted.
I have only driven it only around the neighborhood under 40mph. The tires are too old and dryrotted and the treads commonly separate and damage the wheel well, I have not been willing to risk that. At low speeds the car feels amazingly nimble and begs for throttle. My first plan was to change all the fluids, rubber hoses, replace the tires, brake pads, shocks, door/window/top seals and get all the lights working and drive it as it is and figure out any bugs it has, then lastly repair the body.
This is just about everything I know so far about the Triumph.
If you cannot pick it up in person and pay cash the old fashioned way, the a bank wire transfer is the quickest and the safest way to send the money to avoid any scams or fraud.
The title is clear and is 2nd issued title from 1970, signed and notarized.
All offers considered!
Please ask any questions.
Thanks.