1978 Triumph Spitfire

Bought this car about 18 months ago. and have worked to make it nice. but not TOO nice. Car shows 48000 miles. but who knows if that is correct. What I can tell you is it is a solid. nice driving little British sports car that will put a smile on your face whenever you get behind the wheel. The body is straight except for one small dent in the driver's door. Not a big deal. Paint and stripes are new. Interior has been redone with carpet. door panels and seat covers from Newton Commercial in England. which is generally regarded as the premier interior supplier for these cars. Upper dash pad has no cracks. and appears as new. Dashboard has been replaced with a darker wood than original. and looks decent. but finish could look a bit better. The Florida sun has not been kind to it. A Pioneer CD/tuner also lives in the dash. with speakers in their own enclosure behind the seats so nothing was cut up on the car itself. Engine starts up and purrs. The weak link in these engines. the thrust washers on the rear main bearing. needed attention when I bought the car. Thanks to the great guys at custom thrust washers. com. new tough alloy washers were made and installed. Also. the rear main bearing cap was machined to hold an upper and lower washer to create a full 360 degree bearing surface. instead of the 180 good old British Leyland engineered. The car doesn't overheat. stall or anything else. It just goes. The clutch. pressure plate and throw out bearing were also replaced about 500 miles ago. Everything shifts as new.  Brakes have had new pads applied on all four corners. and the rear drums also got new springs and wheel cylinders. The car stops straight.  I have left the suspension untouched mainly because it seems to perform just fine. If it ain't broke. why fix it?Perhaps the weakest part of the car is the top. The rear windows are nice and clear. but some of the stitching in the top itself has started to deteriorate. There also is a small tear on the passenger side which I applied some Gorilla tape to the underside of. That has worked so far. New tops are inexpensive and easy to replace on these cars. The existing one may also be able to be fixed by a competent trim shop. I don't drive in the rain. so I haven't worried about it. Car also includes a top boot. tonneau cover and the original tool bag in the trunk.
The Lucas electrics that are always the brunt of jokes on these cars actually perform quite well. All exterior lights work as designed. as do all gauges. The horn can be a bit temperamental. and the dimmer for the dash lights is inoperative. All dash lamps work at maximum brightness. all the time. which really isn't very bright. Tires on car are approximately one year old. Chrome on the car is decent. but not show quality. The car also is typically British. in that it drips a bit of oil. If you want a pristine driveway. don't buy an old British sports car!I'm sure I am forgetting other things that have been replaced (Oh yeah. sun visors. rear view mirrors. tail lamp bezels etc. ) I probably have also forgotten some faults of the car. This isn't intentional. I have tried to be as honest as possible. I have bought and sold numerous cars over the internet. and don't want either of us to be disappointed.  Car is sold as is where is with no warranty real or implied. After all. its a 39 year old used British car. They weren't exactly the pinnacle of engineering or reliability when new! Shipping is also the responsibility of the buyer. though I will do all I can on my end to cooperate with your shipper.  Car and title will stay in my possession until funds are secure in my bank account. Certified checks are fine. as long as you don't mind waiting for one to clear. A bank transfer would be preferable.

Also published at eBay.com

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