Real Cars I Have Owned In Diecast Miniature Chapter Three: Triumph Spitfire

May 25, 2020

#387

Gentle reader,

I have been a car guy since I was very young, two or three. Mom claims that I could identify any car I saw, year make and model at an early age. Methinks she exaggerates.  

I did know early on that I wanted to be a car mechanic when I grew up. Which I was.

To make things easier for you, I spent a whole week compiling my 380+ articles into indexes. Here is a link to the list for this category:

The Robb Collections: INDEX To EVERY Diecast Die Cast Car And HO Slot Car Article I Have Written

 

I bought my first car as a senior in high school in September, 1973, it was a 1964 Chevy Impala two door hardtop. I first bought a cheap 1:24th scale diecast car because it was the same color. I modified it and painted the interior the same color mine was. I later scored a much better model and wrote about it here:

The Robb Collections: Johnny Lightning 1964 Chevy Impala 1:24 DieCast Car Super Detailed  

My wife and I both chose the wrong person to marry when we were young, and refer to our previous marriages as, "In a former life...."

In a former life, unbeknown to me, my wife sold her bright yellow 1978 Datsun F10 and bought me this 1974 Triumph Spitfire. 

The car came with those large rubber bumper guards front and rear. 

I added a light kit with a driving light on the right and fog light on the left between the guards. Lucas Electrics leave much to be desired.

I am six foot three with long legs and Triumph sports cars are very small and light. But I fit just fine. 

That is our first born son who is now six foot seven and he will be forty this year. 

The car also had similar bumper guards on the rear with brackets that reached down to bolt to the frame. 

I removed them as they were hideous. US regulations later required even larger bumpers.

All of these photos were made with a JCPenney 110 camera which used film 16mm wide. So, very small negatives and large grain.

This shot I found on the Internet of a later model. The circular plaque on mine and smaller one on this dash commemorate their many SCCA championship racing seasons.

I have this factory sales brochure, but found these scans on line.

Mine did not have the black spoiler beneath the front bumper. I added one I found.

The rear bumper guards mine had. I painted the area inside the chrome trim black like it's big brother, the TR6 has.

A later model above with the all-plastic front and rear bumpers, above. The cars are TINY, only 12 1/2 feet long!

My car was a 1500 model which had a larger engine, but only one carburetor and due to US emission regulations had little more horsepower than the previous Mark IV 1300cc engine.

The engine compartment of the same car of which I showed you the interior. I do not know why he added diamond plate sheet metal on this car. He did other customization.

I have the uncanny knack of finding bargains on eBay. This was only $45.00.

The UK price is £79.99 which is $97.50.

This is 1:18th scale and is a Mark IV European model, thus left hand drive and no side marker lights.

The black plastic pieces that double as bumper guards also cover the front opening hood hinges.

Prior to looking for a Spitfire model, I had never heard of Chrono diecast which is a British company.

The models details are excellent. Yes, that is the gas cap.

Due to the hood's weight, that is as far as it would stay open. Below, I laid the car on it's side to show you the underhood components.

The Mark IV was made from 1967 to 1974 with the 1500 coming out in September, 1974. The Mark IV's engine is 1296cc or 1.3 liters to the 1500's 1.5 liters which are actually 1493cc.

Two carburetors mean more power, but also more gasoline burned.

Like the Lotus Elan, the Spitfire and GT6 Triumph cars had X frames.

I'm not sure what the bottle in front of the radiator is for.

The Spitfire and GT6, seen below, have independent rear suspension which have very thin axles and tiny inner axle needle bearings which wear out quickly. AS I found out.

The sleek GT6 fastback coupe body hides a 2 liter six cylinder engine. I have always wanted one. Last year of production was 1973. Image courtesy of Wikipedia. 

If you would like to learn more about these tiny, slow but very fun car, go here: Triumph Spitfire: Mark IV & 1500 – Moss Motoring

I have bid on a 1:18th scale 1967 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport which was my third car. 

In a former life, we did not have a camera until buying the aforementioned JCPenney 110 camera. This is a photo of my first new car, a 1976 Chevy Monza outside my first (and crappy) apartment in 1979. I put the same lights on this car that I did the Spitfire. 

This is the car I traded for the Audi 100LS in Chapter Two, link below. 
The Robb Collections: Real Cars I Have Owned In Diecast Miniature Chapter Two: Audi 100LS  

Thank you SO much for taking the time to read my humble blog. Take a moment to Click FOLLOW above and feel free to leave comments below or on Facebook.

Scott
May 25, 2020
#387