1976 Triumph Spitfire

This is a resto-mod I did about 3 years ago. Basic car is a 1976 Spitfire. but it has a 165 hp Toyota japanese spec 4AGE motor and 5 speed Toyota transmission in place of the original units. Car has shaved dor handles. shaved hood latches. shaved rear fender strips and trunk trims. gas cap moved inside trunk. and marker lights moved into bumpers to give it a smooth. clean appearance. Also used the 1972 front valence and over riders in place of the air dam and no over riders on back to keep things clean and smooth. Simpler. cleaner (and easier to work on) early Spitfire dashboard.

The japanese spec 4AGE is an amazing motor. Produces 165 hp from a 1600 cc power plant. and it does not even seem like it is working hard to do so. Fuel injected with 4 individual throttle bodies. one per cylinder. 5 speed tranny is from an 83 Corolla. Incredible acceleration from 0 to 70. Cruises all day at highway speeds and if you drop it down into 4th you have plenty of acceleration there as well. I installed a slightly lighter flywheel so it spools up real quick. but still has enough mass to do burn outs in first and chirps at speed in second. Also installed a slightly thinner head gasket for a slight compression bump. If you know anyone who does tuner work you can get even more performance with a few program tweaks.

New (within 3 years)

all capacitors on ECU. starter motor. belts hoses. oil seals. variable valve timing pulley. head gasket and studs. Exedy performance clutch kit. cap. rotor. fuel pump. brake linings. suspension bushings. wheel cylinders. tie rod ends. ball joints. battery. air fuel sensor. clutch slave cylinder. timing belt. water pump. top. carpet. seat covers and foams. muffler. probably a bunch of stuff I missed.

engine was a low mileage JDM unit. transmission unknown mileage T50 from an 83 corolla. but it was gone over by a transmission shop and resealed. Fuel injectors have been cleaned and tuned.

This car is not for everyone.
 If you do not know a lot about cars. please do not bid on this car.
 If you do not have a garage to keep it in. please do not bid on this car.

You can not take it down to your local garage and expect the mechanic to work on it for you. he will not know what to do with it since it is a custom car. If you keep it outside it will deteriorate quickly. it is 40 years old. Body was solid. with a few sheetmetal repairs inside drivers area. Entire bottom has been fiber glassed over to provide additional protection to floors and rockers. Paint looks nice and shiny. but has some defects from outgassing and a few "ghosts" of bondo outlines (barely visible. but they bother me!) If you wanted a show quality paint finish you would need to get it repainted or at a minimum re-cleared.

Things you might want to do to the car:

Replace the differential. it whines like a 2 year old at a grocery store checkout. Either with rebuilt Spitfire or better still. with R160 from Subaru.
Maybe go to a 4AGE Blacktop head and intake set up to use MAF instead of AFM for increased performance and to show off the throttle bodies.
General clean up (if you are a perfectionist or show car buff). I do pretty good work. but am not a show car kind of guy.
Maybe revise front suspension upper arms and camber adjustment.
Get an exhaust system bent based on the one that is in the car. It is cut and welded piping. Works. but flow quality may be able to be improved.

I spent around $8. 00 on this project altogether. although some of that was duplicated as project went along (try this. try that. etc. ). I have had a blast building it. even more fun driving it. but now I  am selling it to concentrate on my next project. a 275 Honda Accord v6 in mid-rear engine position in a Spitfire (last pics).

If you have any questions please ask before bidding. This car is being sold strictly "as is" and there are no warranties. guarantees. etc.
Car has current PA inspection. title is not reconstructed. You should check in your state to make sure if there are any requirements for custom cars like this before bidding.

Also published at eBay.com

Want to buy this car?