I can’t imagine owning a car for 35 years that remained perpetually on the brink of being completed. This 1980 Triumph Spitfire appears to be just such a car, parked in a storage unit in 1984 and not turned a wheel since. The seller notes the restoration is near “98%” completion, and based on photos, I don’t have reason to doubt him. Inquiring minds want to know why this one isn’t going to be finished before going up for sale here on eBay with a $3,500 Buy-It-Now and the option to submit a best offer.
Of course, there’s a point to which everyone reaches project burn-out. I’ve spoken with a few mechanics over the years who cite working on the same car for months at a time as a cause of this, where you just plain get sick of a project. This can also lead to mistakes being made, especially if you’ve been leaning over the fender and working on the same motor for months of years. Project fatigue is very real, and this seller may have realized he’ll be happier selling it almost done than taking whatever steps are needed to bring it across the finish line.
Said to be a rust-free car, it looks quite nice – well, everywhere. The paint looks glossy and deep, the dash is uncracked, the wood trim looks new, and the steering wheel appears to have seen very little action from sweaty palms. A new carpet kit and soft top have been installed, and the seller says everything else is there, even if you don’t see it in the pictures. This includes a spare 5-speed manual gearbox, presumably sourced to replaces the factory 4-speed. Aside from finding out more about the suspension, this looks like a very low-risk purchase.
The engine and transmission have been rebuilt, so that answers that question. The seller says he cannot find the time to finish this project, which begs the question as to what else needs to be done. It may be the underpinnings on the chassis, like shocks, springs, endlinks, and bushings, or it could just be a final buttoning up of cosmetic details or panel alignment. For such a low price and the option to submit a best offer, it’s worth asking the question – but in spotting what appears to be overspray on the battery cable, perhaps an in-person inspection is warranted. Still, there’s lots to like here.
Got the wrong ebay listing,try this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1980-Triumph-Spitfire/223443455517?hash=item3406448e1d:g:voMAAOSwSk5chY-R
The poor Spitfire seems to be the bottom of the barrel when it comes to British sports cars these days. Truth is, they are great cars, easy to work on, ton of parts suppliers. Sadly, this one does not have O/D, unless that’s the 5 speed this person is talking about, kind of a big job, but more than well worth it. I’ve driven both, and the non-O/D ones just rev too high on the freeway. The O/D truly makes these a more desirable ride. I like the Triumph hardtops too.
I see in the e bay listing that he is asking a further $3500 for the 5 speed gearbox.
Pretty sure he’s throwing in the 5 speed “if you want it”. The $3,500 is the price for car with everything.
The owner writes about what’s left to do. Quote:
Carpet installed. Have it.
Choke cable installed. Have it.
Center console installed. Have it.
Door handles installed. Have them.
That is about it
As I have read in the past, a common swap is a Datsun 5 speed transmission. So that’s probably what the spare transmission is.
Common gearbox swap for MG Midgets, as it is practically a bolt-on swap for the A series motor. Let me get this straight, a 1980 Spit gets tucked away in 1984 four years after it is built, and it needs a restoration which has stalled and kept it garaged for 35 years? And it needed the engine and trans rebuilt in that time? WTH?
Just what did they do to the poor thing in those first four years? As for the restoration and rebuild, I guess it all depends on how it was stored.
Had two of these at two different times. They’re a blast to drive, especially easy to work on which you will do if you drive them… needle bearings in the rear swing axle, typical Lucas electrical (especially with an electric OD) to name just a couple but a whole lot of fun. Interesting factoid: the MG Midget 1500cc engine of the same vintage has (mostly) interchangeable engines/parts..
The “common” 5 speed conversion for a Spitfire is the Ford T-9, although it is not really a bolt-in swap. The “easy” swap is the OEM overdrive transmission.
It does seem strange the car was taken off the road at 4 years old.
Regardless, $3500 isn’t a bad price for a rust free Spitfire with a factory hard top. I paid a bit more for my ’79, although it also has the overdrive transmission and the rubber bumpers converted to chrome.
“Engine and transmission rebuilt”
As if the engine should have needed a rebuild. That thing was solid.
The transmission though, be prepared to rebuild it every 30k miles haha!
This is the worst car that I have seen in awhile for over-spray. It always scares me… if they didn’t have the patience to mask off correctly… what else about the paint job did they not have the patience to do correctly?
I’ll ask it again…did they get the dates wrong? Why would a 4 year old car need a repaint, a motor AND a transmission redo. And what’s so hard about putting in a carpet kit or installing a choke cable? It sat since 1984 because lunatics were running the asylum. That’s what!
My now late uncle had one of these (a 1973 with the crime bumpers) in the early 1980’s when he was in college. It was a fun little car & served him well, oddly reliable for having the Lucas electrical system. Maybe because he was in school to become an electrical engineer he just knew how to take care of it lol. Either way, it was dead reliable for him.
Growing up, my Mom & I lived next door to her parents & my uncles -n- aunt. I remember watching him right after a blizzard shove the car sideways on the snow & ice by the rear axle. Once he got the rear end in the middle of the street he got in, backed it the rest of the way away from the curb & drove away lol. He was not a big guy or a tough guy.
As for this car, it scares the hell outta me for all the same reasons others have mentioned. What happened to it the first 4 years? Come to think of it, my uncles was only about 6 years old when he got it in 1979.
If he were still with us, I might tell him about it. I would no longer fit in it lol. Alas, ALS took him down to the crypt. Terrible disease!
Happy barn finding! Lol