Description
Triumph Spitfire 4, one of the very last of the original Mark One Spitfires, built in 1964 and registered on the 1st April 1965 in Coventry.
The car has had just three long term owners. The original owner kept the Spitfire for 14 years, clocking up 82, 000 miles before selling it on the 5th August 1979.
The second owner who lived in St. Neots, Cambridgeshire, also kept the Spitfire for 14 years, finally selling it in 1993. By then the car was in very poor shape both mechanically and cosmetically.
The third owner, an engineer at British Racing Motors (B. R. M.), purchased the Spitfire as a ‘project’. He was looking for a car to restore in his retirement and particularly wanted a classic British sports car from 1965.
The Restoration.
The third owner embarked on what turned out to be a six-year body off restoration.
New genuine Stanpart panels were fitted as necessary, the engine, gearbox and drivetrain were rebuilt, the car was rewired and the interior was given a full makeover.
During the course of the restoration, every part was inspected, cleaned or replaced before the car was reassembled and given a few coats of B. R. M. green. The restoration work is documented, along with photographs of the work, in a history folder which also contains, many of the old MOT certificates, receipts for purchased spares and service items and the original Owner's Service Manual.
At the time of restoration, the dials were refurbished and the odometer reset to zero. Since the completion of its restoration, Spitfire HPF 107C has completed just 4, 200 miles, many of those being the annual trip to the MOT garage and, as I’m sure you will agree, remains a testament to a very talented engineer and vehicle restorer.
These early Spitfires have a genuine charm and simplicity that was lost in the later models and whoever buys the car though will own a true piece of British motoring history.
