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News of an old flame.
As is often the case with an old flame, re-commencing relations can be a sure fire way of emptying the wallet and likely as not ending in disappointment, especially when so many rose-tinted memories come flooding back at the mere mention of their name. It was an old flame of the four-wheeled rather than two-legged variety that had me gazing heavenwards though, re-igniting memories of an earlier time when commitments were few, and optimism sky high.
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This old flame is a 1968 Triumph Spitfire, last seen heading in the direction of Clitheroe in the mid-1990s, its sale enabling me to buy my first old Jaguar. The second Spitfire I'd driven, it was far from standard, and because of it, a blast to drive. I found it in a copy of the Loot free ads paper in 1993 and, as I'd had a Mk3 a few years earlier, the possibility of buying a Mk3 that had been upgraded to six-cylinder power really caught my attention. Needless to say, it needed far more work than I'd realised after speaking to the owner on the telephone (no internet in those days), but it all looked very do-able so arrangements were made to tow it home and piece it all back together. The full story can be found on the 2.5 Spitfire / GT6 page.
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A friend of mine was roped in to do the necessary welding work (of which there was quite a lot!), and after a great deal of work the car was returned to the road. With a 2.5 litre engine set back further than standard in the chassis, Rotoflex rear suspension and grippy 175 tyres fitted to ex-Formula Ford 5.5J Triumph-pattern wheels, it was a hoot to drive, and even more of a hoot to drive quickly. At the time I was in my early twenties, and enjoyed taking it for a blast whenever the opportunity arose. It's shown below in 1994 receiving some attention from my pal's Mig welder, the Volvo behind was my daily user and another car I've often wondered what became of.
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Despite having a few breakdowns, the car was a lot of fun to own. The only reason I sold it in 1995 was the fact that a Series 1 XJ12 that I'd had my eye on for a few years was finally coming onto the market. Not perhaps the most practical of cars, but in dark blue it looked brilliant. The only way I could fund its purchase was to reluctantly sell the Spitfire. The buyer came down by train to collect the Spit. I met him at the local station, handed over the keys and paperwork, and waved goodbye to the car. That was, I felt sure, the last I'd hear of it. Occasional checks of the DVLA site confirmed that the car was still in existence, but who owned it, and where, I had no idea.
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News of the Spitfire surfaces.
In October 2011 news filtered through that not only was the car still around, but that it was on the market. The current owner had seen my photos of the car on the site, and dropped me a line with some recent pictures of it. It didn't have an MOT and despite having been re-painted green was, I'm told, in need of a new bootlid and another re-spray to make it look the business once more. Did I want to buy it back?
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The idea of re-uniting with this old friend after seventeen years held some appeal, just like the first time, so I gave the owner a ring. It turns out that the chap I'd sold it to ran it for some time, before blowing up the gearbox while out with a friend. It seems like it was re-sold as a non-running project, and the gent I was now speaking to had taken on the restoration. Photos show yet more welding being undertaken to the Triumph's frilly edges, making it sound once more. The fibreglass bonnet had been replaced by a steel original, a good move that I'd planned for the car also.
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Things were sounding moderately promising, until he referred to the running gear. Gone was the lusty 2.5 straight-six with its wonderful TR6-esque soundtrack, replaced by a 1.5 four-pot motor from a later Spit. The Rotoflex rear suspension, a feature of Mk2 and early Mk3 GT6s was still in place, but the stump-pulling torque and acceleration of the Triumph 2500 saloon engine was no more.
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Perhaps I should buy it back, track down another 2.5 and put it back to how I remembered it? Various options churned around in my mind, after all it wouldn't be the first time I'd bought an old car back again. The car is never likely to be 100% original again so no conscience issues there for me, the big downsides being the space required to do the work, and the time to actually do it. I also wonder whether memories of cars I had in my twenties are best left just as memories, with reminders available in the pages of a photo album, rather than from another non-running project sat in the garage for years?
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I think if the car was still in the spec that I remembered it in, the threat to my wallet would be much greater. As it is, perhaps I'm best letting someone else continue with the next chapter of this interesting car's life, and play with other things instead. The notion of buying a rear wheel drive, two-seater soft-top with a big six-cylinder lump under the bonnet doesn't seem to be shifting though, fuelled by these recent thoughts of buying back GRO 536G. Big Healeys are out of my price range, as are TR5s while TR6s don't really appeal so much, so maybe a modern(ish) equivalent to the big-hearted Spitfire is a possibility one day - perhaps a 3.2 litre BMW Z3M Roadster, in Estoril Blue for example?? After all, BMW now own the Triumph brand so there is a link there ... hmmm ...
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