Is The Triumph Spitfire 1500 A Good Investment Or Sale Proof?

This week, we reviewed a 1978 Triumph Spitfire 1500. The Triumph Spitfire is a classic British sports car from a defunct car brand that is a blast to drive. This Triumph Spitfire 1500 happens to be for sale! Now if you did buy a Triumph Spitfire, would it be a good investment? Or would it be sale proof?
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[@SaleProofCarReviews]

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[@sgold1132]

I’m 62 now and have always had an affinity for the spitfire ever since I drove as a passenger in one when I was in my teens. I bought my first spitfire in my late 20’s, a 74’. It barely made it home when I bought it for $800. I owned that car for about 10 years and worked on it the whole time. Basically every nut and bolt or part had to be either replaced or corrected. But I LOVED IT! I later sold that car during a divorce, but regretted it for years. I purchased my second spitfire in 2009. This time I was a little more knowledgeable. It was a red 78’ just like the car in the video. Cosmetically in great condition, no rust, but mechanical very sad. It had to be trailered to my home. Again, after a few years of engine and transmission work, dropping the height back to the European standard and adding some nice 70’ mag wheels the car is great and it’s a daily driver for me here in south Florida to this day. Now as far as investments go…….don’t do it. My 78 in great running condition may sell for $8000 if I’m lucky. If you have a spitfire in pristine condition, maybe 12-15K. People who own these have them because they love them, not for their value.

[@paulluongo2756]

Where can you buy parts for something like this??? I like the car... There is a guy in my area selling one... It needs work... Is it still possible to get parts for it???

[@VirtualGuth]

A 1972 Spitfire Mark IV (1300 cc) that I bought in 1979 was my first car. Not the most dependable car, but I had a blast with it. Personally, I've only ever considered sports cars and motorcycles to be investments in fun and that's worked out really well for me. FYI: Triumph also used to make typewriters in Germany.

[@eltigrechino3390]

They made typewriters in Germany?! Wow ... the irony ...

[@VirtualGuth]

@@eltigrechino3390 Indeed. Triumph cars, motorcycles, bicycles, and typewriters can all be traced back to the efforts of Siegfried Bettmann. Before he relocated to Coventry (where he became the mayor at one point), Bettmann began in Nuremberg where he was born.

[@dave8599]

No, No, No. do not lift the hood by the chrome latches. Doing so will eventually tear the sheet metal around the latch. lift via the wheel well arch.

[@seanoneillsongs]

Back in 1974, I bought and 18 month old 1300 - same colour as this one. It was my daily driver for a couple of years - and I was doing a fairly high mileage. I loved the car but it was a rare week when something didn’t fall off or break down - small things like switchgear and the press studs on the roof as well as bigger things like the gearbox. As a two seater though, in the space behind the seats, I managed to wedge a britax baby seat in - probably be arrested for it nowadays but my first born son enjoyed being the third person until his brother arrived when he was four years old. It must have impacted on him as among the cars he has owned are an XJS and a Honda Beat. Many years later, I bought a 12 year old Mx5 (Miata or. as mine was, Eunos Roadster) Three years later, with about 160,000 miles added to the clock, nothing fell off of went wrong - not even a clutch. Sadly, it was broken into and written off. Loved that car.

[@michaellacroix8029]

I ve owned a 72 spitfire for 27 years, still loving it, nothing drives like it

[@kcirful]

Nice video. I enjoy my spitfire now for over 10 years. One error however, I doubt the car will ever be a good investment . If you have one, even in average shape you will need to make repairs. They are 50 years old now and British made = primitive so they always need something. The most expensive part is not buying the car, it's owning it .

[@darrentriumph6319]

Loved the video, visited Seattle with the family back in 2019. Live in London and have a 1500 Triumph Spitfire 1978.

[@SaleProofCarReviews]

Thank you! You're always welcome back here to visit! There's a sizeable and passionate Triumph community here

[@RetroCarsForever]

Awesome car! Always been curious to know more about these. Never driven a car that light before, 1800 lbs is nuts! It SOUNDS great under power too. Also, the DeLorean had the same bumper height issue...For US regulations, they had to raise that car up a few inches in the front as well.

[@RetroCarsForever]

Oh, one other thing...How do you not hit that overdrive button with your hand every time your shift?

[@SaleProofCarReviews]

It's VERY light! And great question about the toggle switch. To be fair, the switch does have a fair bit of resistance to it so you really do need to consciously switch it on or off. That would be a great experiment to try driving the car, although probably not prior to a sale..

[@billy1588]

@@SaleProofCarReviews y'know I've never hit it by accident before. The shift knob is also flat on top so I grip it on the side, plus I'm not exactly going full Fast & Furious in this thing.

[@UberLummox]

@@RetroCarsForever Well look at it. The switch is recessed. It's a drag trying to learn about different cars from these junior automotive car channels that don't have a ton of automotive experience. That's why they don't do real well.

[@tjm3900]

DO NOT lift the hood by the latch using it as a handle ! Lift from the wheel arch and the edge by the scuttle.

[@ricklazio7923]

i loved the spitfire so much i bought one. it's design is captivating. a bit small it's true... but it has good legroom.

[@SaleProofCarReviews]

Agreed. I was able to fit in it comfortably despite my above average size

[@JonFredFrid]

Is it reliable? Does it need a lot of maintenance?

[@ricklazio7923]

@@JonFredFrid ....i have one. reliability depends if it's well kept before your time. the nice thing is if you can maintain a lawn mower you can a spitfire. there's not a computer anywhere. maintenance it's not going to be a toyota camry. it needs maintenance. which some ppl find fun. it's a cool hobby car. if you maintain it... it's reliable.

[@bvt7060]

@@SaleProofCarReviews I’m a big guy thinking about buying a spitfire MKIV. Would I be able to fit in the car as a 6’5” guy 220 pounds?

[@riocastanon710]

@@bvt7060 HEAVILY DO NOT RECOMMEND the MKIV is smaller than the 1500 from what I understand and I barely fit in my 1500 as an average built 6'1' guy. My head pushes up against the vinyl roof when it's up and my knees hug the steering wheel like when you start hitting the handlebars on a bike you've outgrown. Comfort aside its rather dangerous and an accident with even a compact sedan could lead to serious hospitalization. When I finish restoring my 1500 I will likely not drive it very often and will sell

[@cw7422]

I had a 1974 1500 in Carmine with tan interior. I bought it in Scotland when I was in the US Navy.

[@dennisking1555]

Lovely car you have ,In England we call these canley classics ,they are a pleasure to own and drive , I have one and it’s undergone massive new parts restoration,is now having a respray,

[@grlaycock67]

Do not buy a Spitfire as a investment, or any BL era car for that matter. Had my inca yellow 1979 1500 for 38 years, unleaded conversion in '88. Total body off restoration 10 years ago, 5 speed conversion, seats retrimmed in leather, sports suspension, fast (fast being a tad optimistic) road engine rebuild and a set of minilites. Altogether the thick end of £22,000 on a car that's worth maybe £10-12K on a really really good day and will probably need another light restoration in 5-10 years time even though she has always been a bit of a garage queen. I'd never part with her though. Buy one because you want one and enjoy driving it. One more thing, you'll soon be on first name terms with everyone at Rimmer Bros in the UK

[@Horizon344]

Well presented & written presentation, thx

[@gearbanger57]

Had a 72, great running and driving car but, that Lucas wring. I gave up.

[@theolynwarrender]

To Americans, this car can be considered small … but in the UK, it’s quite a normal size 😆

[@SaleProofCarReviews]

We tend to live "in excess" here..

[@randymack1782]

sweet looking car. I am presently looking for a Spitfire, I want to use 1 for a daily driver, never owned a Triumph before, but back in the 1980's and 1990's I worked on most of them, the first manual transmission I rebuilt was from a Triump Spitfire around 1984, I never could make my mind up which car I wanted, I loved too many, so how to you decide whether a TR6, Stag, TVR, TR4, Spitfire, etc, I never cared for tr7 or tr8, so instead I owned a bunch of MGBs, lol. now as I get older, I want to build a shop, to specialize in British cars, specifically metal fabrication & body repair, the British scene was always my first love, then French cars, then German air cooled, and lastly vintage American cars, but majority of last 25 years, worked on American cars for customers at other shops, now I want to branch out on my own, so I want a fun, economy car, to post about, and showcase the restoration, to be noticed, and hopefully bring in customers.

[@SaleProofCarReviews]

Hey Randy! I can understand it's tough to make up your mind to buy only one car. Are you looking to do a more challenging restoration on an obscure car or an easier one on a car with a larger fan base?

[@randymack1782]

Neither, I have built for customers extremely rare vehicles. My wallet cant take it. Want cheap, fun, convertible, easy and cheap parts. Debating if will try a 6 cylinder, like a gt6, I had 1 highly modified MG back in 90's, crazy fun, but racing gas is crazy expensive! The Spitfire is more recognizable than a Herald or TVR, so will jog memories,

[@danlanders9219]

TVR is not a Triumph. I owned the 2500M in 1975

[@MGB-learning]

Great video

[@Colossus_Tm]

Is the car still for sell 2 years later I’m in the market I just moved from nyc to Destin Florida need a little cruiser what are the signs I should be looking for when buying a used one

[@carmencastro8764]

Cool car

[@MyJon64]

The sort of car I think of when people say Sports car"

[@MGB-learning]

Great investment.

[@MARCOBOSS123]

You know I am looking at a few gt6 as I think they are the most beautiful Triumph vehicle ever made, but I am thinking that the prices might come down soon due to chrisis and ressession and i am frightened of spending 16k on a good one to then lose 50% of its value.

[@mescko]

I've had 3 GT6's, I never should have sold the last one, I never would have believed that values would go so berserk. It wasn't that long ago when you could buy a decent one for $1500. Until recently they were worth less than the Spit. I agree it's the prettiest Triumph of all.

[@bernardstiegler2134]

There is nothing metric on a Spitfire.

[@oldphart-zc3jz]

Like British motorbikes most of its fans are dead or will be in ten years. That lowers the barrier to entry just like the (many) other vehicles whose fan base aged out and died. (I was alive when the T and A Model Fords peaked (early 1970s) then the men who dreamt of them in youth died. Today restored Fords are so cheap they're often cut up for hot rods as they're far too slow for the modern street. The old Britcar (and Britbike) fanbase are departing so keep an eye out. Have something reliable as a main ride and for best results ignore everyone who view them through rose-tinted spectables because what they REALLY miss is their youth. Spitfires helped kill British Leyland but if you like to wrench you'll be fine.

[@maxflight777]

They don’t still produce motorcycles, that’s a totally different company !

[@jeffhildreth9244]

Sale proof. The only good Spitfire would be the Series 1. And then, very low value compared to a Midget or Sprite.

[@csi1392]

THE OVERDRIVE IS ELECTROHYDRAULIC NOT ELECTRONIC

[@michaellacroix8029]

Killjoy,life has sucked the fun out of your soul, lol

[@odl21]

It wasn’t metric….

[@colubrinedeucecreative]

Might have been a while but no, you really shouldn't buy this, there is a reason you see more TR's out there and it has to do with mechanical issues from what I understand, combined with wiring issues. Check out first if you can access someone willing to maintain and work on it, this is key, they need to have a good reputation and need to probably have a lot around. These people are getting old and harder to find even if you do have one. Even back then they had a hard time getting maintenance and dealers to service them, and now, I just wouldn't think it is a common thing. If you can get parts for it, and a reliable mechanic that can service it fairly frequently, and you have a climate controlled garage, and have a lot of disposable income, maybe this is for you, but considering those things there are a lot of smarter buys for that. That all said, if you have a particular tie to the car like it was in your family or you really really have always dreampt of having one, sure...but there is no other way I would suggest it. This is a great review and a nice example, hope you were able to move it if you were the owner. But once you deal with one and know better, phew..... I was 18 when I told my friend about one sitting in town at a mechanics shop and he fell in love. he worked and worked and worked to get it going and then eventually broke down and took it to a mechanic that specialized in European stuff, and it died on the way home. this was 1995 though, and he fought with it for many many more years. Every other story has been fairly similar since,

[@redchthonic]

Terrible car. Dangerous handling to a level they should be banned. Drive one in the rain. Rusty. Have a crash. Bonnet comes through the windscreen. Do you lot really think this is a good car? Designed for secretaries and hairdressers. That group sensibly went to hot hatches. The great Volks Polo is faster, safer and more economical and reliable. 1975 it come out. Proper cars got rid of the supposed classics.

[@SaleProofCarReviews]

Hi, channel owner here (and now aspiring secretary and hairdresser). If what you're suggesting is that one car class is superior to another on paper, then yes I agree. However when put back into context, the "lot" sensibly loves this car for different reasons (and maybe some of the same) then someone who prefers a hot hatch like the Polo. They may even have one of each in their collection if resources allow them.

[@redlight3932]

What are you saying lol

[@dave8599]

The bonnet issue was resolved by the addition of hooks on the bonnet and firewall.

[@michaellacroix8029]

Maybe to old or slow witted to enjoy a beautiful roadster from yesteryear