A Very Special 1974 MK IV Spitfire With Overdrive Georgia Car Most Of Its Life!

1974 Triumph Spitfire Description

1974 Triumph Spitfire MkIV

Serial number FM19852UO

Manufactured August, 1974

Mileage 65,299

This is one special little Spitfire. It is one of the last MkIVs ever made. It has been owned by, and lovingly looked after, by the same gentleman for the last 40 years. Speedwell has been looking after this car ever since it arrived in Georgia back in April of 1986 and this is the little car’s story:

May, 1976

A young man graduates from college at UVA with his doctorate degree and lands a very promising job at his alma mater. To celebrate, he goes shopping for a gently used Triumph Spitfire. As a kid, had watched Triumph Spitfires dominate the SCCA F-production class in 1969 and 1970. He became a huge fan. Though he was never the type who actually wanted to race, the Spitfires had a romance about them that was intoxicating. He knew that the last of the MkIVs were built in 1974 so that is what he set his sights on, and ultimately found. He had been looking all over, pouring over all the local newspapers, driving past Arlington Virginia’s plethora of car dealers but to no avail. Then, one Saturday, a friend called him to tell him he had seen a Spitfire at 910 Globe Road in Arlington at a car lot.

The young man wasted no time and went straight there. Sure enough, as he got close to the address, his glorious Triumph came into view. It was at a Buick dealership of all things! Larry Buick of Arlington Virginia. The two year old car had apparently belonged to some poor soul had succumbed to his wife’s sensibilities and traded it in on a large family car that he would be willing to drive in the Winter. “What a sap!” the young man thought to himself. Within two hours the paperwork was signed and he was handed the owner’s manual and both sets of keys. He left that dealership and headed straight to the first set of curvy roads he could find, smiling from ear to ear. The new sports car owner had rented a house with a garage and now his home was complete. His job was only a few blocks from his home so the little Spitfire sat serenely on her haunches in her snug little garage to be taken out only when the best of weather presented itself. Good times.

April, 1986

It’s ten years later and our young man had become a grown man. He had gained respect at the University and in the field in which he worked. An offer came in from the University of Georgia that he just couldn’t ignore. He decide a change would be good, and besides, it had been a long Winter in Arlington and he could use a good sunshine overdose. He packed up all his belongings, put them on a truck and sent them to Georgia. He followed a few days later in his beautiful Spitfire. “Certainly”, he thought, “I will be able to drive my car much more in Georgia”. He got to Georgia, settled into his new house and made a comfortable space in the garage for his Spitfire to reside. Well, his new position turned out to be every bit as challenging as he hoped it would be and he proceeded to immerse himself in his work. This is a malady many men suffer as the carefree aura of boyhood gives way to matters including real life responsibilities and pursuit of professional reputation.

Our man still loved his car but often, literally years would go by without the car moving an inch. About every five years, the car would call out to him loudly enough to be heard. He would call Speedwell, have the car collected, serviced and brought up to snuff so he could drive her again, cost never being an issue. He would drive the car for a few weeks then slip back into workaholic mode and the cycle would repeat itself. Sad how fast life goes by. During one of these cycles, maybe twenty years ago, to make himself feel better, he had the best body shop in town repaint the car and they did a spectacular job. He got the car back and drove her maybe a whole month and a half that time. During the entire time the car has lived in Georgia the current owner drove it a mere 1150 miles. It has been stored in a dry enclosed garage the rest of the time.

Today

The longtime owner of this car has decided to retire from his job as a professor at the University of Georgia and is taking a long hard look at changes he must make at this junction in his life. To that end, he decided to sell his little Spitfire. He realizes he never did take the time to enjoy the car as he might have and now knows that trend isn’t ever likely to change. He is hoping a younger man (or woman), who hasn’t lost his/her sense of adventure will give the little Spitfire a nice place to live but also drive it and show it consistent attention.

The car is now at Speedwell once more and is running beautifully. It has been treated to a fresh oil change, a brake flush with Castrol LMA and a fluids check. The car starts easily and quickly settles into a cadenced idle. The car has been test driven for 12 miles and performs well. The engine revs happily, the car drives responsively and the Overdrive engages and disengages easily with a flip of the factory shifter mounted switch. The temperature gauge reads right in the middle and remains there even when idling in traffic on hot Georgia summer days.

All the gauges work along with all switches and ancillary components. The car wiring system is untouched and original. It has never suffered the absurdities often inflicted by American car mechanics on less fortunate British cars. Even most the original emission control equipment is intact. We have never seen a speck of rust on this car and it is the most solid and straight original example we have run across. The interior is very nice too, quite presentable really. The driver’s seat has a tear, which can be seen in the pictures but that can be easily cured with a simple seat rebuild, which we would recommend. Also, though the tires show no signs of cracking and have excellent tread, we would recommend replacing them as they are over 5 years old. One of the great things about a Spitfire is one can still buy a whole set of good quality H rated tires for $200. Including shipping. Here is a link to an example:

NEW TIRES FOR THE SPITFIRE.

E-bay only allows for 24 pictures but if you would like to see a LOT more, just follow this link:

LOTS MORE PICTURES INCLUDING UNDERNEATH.

If you ever wanted a very original, well-cared for solid Spitfire, this car may represent one of your last opportunities. The car comes with a clear Georgia title, an official Georgia Bill of Sale and both sets of keys.

The lucky winning bidder will be responsible for arranging collection of the car. He/she will find us most accommodating in the pick up process. A $1000. Deposit is due via Paypal with 48 hours of auction end and the balance is due within 10 days. The car must be collected within 10 days of auction end unless the winning bidder has contacted us to make other arrangements prior to auction end.

International bidders: We can offer delivery via insured trailer to Ports Savannah or Brunswick in Georgia or Port Charleston in South Carolina for an additional $500. Check with your shipping broker to see if one of these Ports would be advantageous for you to use.

Please email with any questions you may have or to request additional pictures. Thanks for looking and happy bidding!