There are some cars you expect to see dolled up as drag cars; others, not so much. This 1968 Triumph Spitfire is more commonly seen as a fully restored example sitting amongst a field of other vintage sports cars, but in this case, it’s been hopped up as a legit dragster that supposedly ran hard and fast when it still had an engine. The seller has removed a 400 horsepower mill of unknown origin that enabled this aptly-named “Junkyard Underdog” to run a 6.91 in what I assume to be a 1/8 mile track. Regardless, the Spitfire will be sold without that engine but set up to accept a 383 stroker engine has six passes on it, and that I assume is included with the sale. Find the Spitfire here on Facebook Marketplace for $6,500.

Track cars, drag cars, demo derby vehicles – they all have the same issue, which is that they very rarely rise in value unless their record on the track is so impressive that another enthusiast just can’t wait to get their hands on it. Oftentimes, they show up like this one does, with lots of rough edges and unfinished projects to sort out. With a known setup removed that was presumably properly wired in and ready to go, the next owner is starting from scratch to some extent despite the car being more or less complete. The good news is this Spitfire appears to have the details right in terms of how clean some of the modification work appears to have been done, but you’ll have to make that final determination in person rather than over the internet.

The seller doesn’t go into the history or the extent of the work done, but seeing the fuel cell and MSD ignition above at least paints a picture of this being a Spitfire that’s been set up for racing and nothing else. If you’ve been a drag racing even of any kind – especially a small-town, local one – you’ll see that some folks just run-what-they-brung and don’t do anything other than heat up the tires and put on a helmet to go head-to-head. A Fox body is a common sight at such events, where maybe it has slicks on it, but more likely than not, the driver decided just a few hours earlier to go racing that night. This Spitfire reflects a commitment to a lifestyle wherein your truck, trailer, and track car are at the strip every weekend.

The old-school graphics are my favorite feature of this Spitfire, along with the old-school drag wheels. The fact that it still sports a soft top is a bit of a surprise, especially since I believe a factory hardtop is available. I would think for the purposes of drag racing that a hardtop would be a must-have. The custom hood scoop is hard to miss, but I’m guessing Summit Racing doesn’t seller a fiberglass replacement for a Spitfire with an engine swap. The seller notes he has a title for the Spitfire and that it weighs 2000 pounds without the driver. Overall, you likely won’t be spending near as much as the original builder did to set this Spitfire up, so the only question is do you use the 383 stroker or build your own? What would you build?