Barn Finds reader Bonneville64 sent in this great find from Sand Springs, Oklahoma. It’s pretty apparent this poor Triumph Spitfire (it’s either a 1967 or 1968 Mark III) has been a resident of this garage for a while. It’s been partially disassembled and left in storage. It’s up for sale here on craigslist for $700, and there’s no mention of whether or not the fishing poles are included! Oh, and Bonneville64 may be able to help with transportation if you are looking to take it home.
I’m guessing those huge speakers weren’t meant for the Spitfire, nor will the Scotts lawn mower hood fit. However, the car’s bonnet (hood) really looks good. One of the interesting points here is where the small pods were added to update the Mk. II bonnet to the Mk. III spec for the later front parking lights.
The condition of the floorboards and rocker panels, especially right in front of the rear wheels, can be critical to how difficult a Spitfire is to make right. We really can’t tell the condition of either from the pictures, so an in-person inspection is the right call here. The seller tells us that the engine runs, and it will roll with no problems. There’s a catch in that it doesn’t come with a title, and I’m pretty sure the seat in the driver’s side isn’t an original one. Spitfire seats are very small and it’s difficult to fit someone of any size if the seats have been replaced with larger ones. But as Bonneville64 said, “at $700 you couldn’t go wrong.” What do you think?
Call me crazy but if you want to sell your car, no matter how long its been sitting, I’d take the junk off of it…..that cant be hard
Packrats are inherently lazy people with pathological personality problems IMHO.
Moreover, they advertise their psychopathology whenever they go to sell their collected junk. Clearly, a packrat does not let stuff go unless they are in financial straights, and the asking price reflects financial distress. In brief, this car can be had for under $700. IMHO.
“Packrats are inherently lazy people with pathological personality problems”
Tellin’ it like it is! LOL
It’s clear to me the seller would rather be fishing than working on this car so maybe he needs some fishing trip money, And yes that garage is a bit of a $hit hole all the earmarks of a hoarder. This seem like a good price though can’t really go wrong for $700.00.
I agree, if you are selling the car the junk will have to be moved anyway so why not move it before taking picks.
It would take ten years to find all the parts in that mess
I’m a big fan of Spitfires and the older ones do have a little more vintage appeal and rarity.
I think it is always hard taking on a project that someone else has stripped down some time back. You just know that there are parts that will be muddled up or completely over the years. Not to judge the owner of this car, but looking at the state of the garage I don’t imagine that they were meticulously cataloging the parts they took off in carefully labeled Ziploc bags?
I always feel that Spitfires are caught in a sort of awkward “inexpensive trap”. On the plus side they are one of the simplest and cheapest classic cars to restore due to their mechanical simplicity, body-on-frame design, flip-front accessibility. Club support and specialist suppliers support is excellent and parts, new and old, are relatively cheap to buy. But…….because the value of a nice driver or fully restored Spitfire is so low, that is – you can buy a really nice one that someone else has put all the effort and investment into for very little money – so therefore it is barely worth trying to rescue a rough one unless you just want to do it for the fun of it.
Shame really, because it means that a lot of rough but quite save-able Spitfires are being scrapped and parted out.
…or accumulating in my storage areas :-) Well stated, CCF. There are currently four in my family…and counting…
I bet he replaces it with an Amphicar.
since the car is in Oklahoma, I have a title clerk who can get a title for it. She has done this for me on 3 or 4 cars, cost is in the $250-300.00 range, but it will come with a clear title. Any takers on this one?
Hard to say the circumstances of the sale,. It very well could be a Estate sale situation so dont judge until you know. Also, maybe health issues or just plain reality set in. I DO agree they would better off with better pictures and organization, but for those looking for a deal, one shouldnt be too judgmental. As somewhat of a hoarder of old vehicles myself, I somewhat resemble that remark. But I am showing improvement and sold 2 motorcycle projects today and have several more car and motorcycle projects going up for sale this week.
That being said,,, These are FUN little cars. I used to have one i bought with a blown motor for $400. I swapped in a Datsun A series 4 cylinder with a 5 speed and dropped in with little effort, Was a blast to drive. Sold it years late for $1600 so did pretty well on it. Im debating selling my Triumph TR4A as well, just downsizing and being realistic. But yes, I WILL wash and take good pictures.