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V8 And Chickenwire: 1967 Triumph Spitfire Custom

What do you get when you take a Spitfire, stuff in a V8 connected to a Corvair transaxle and apply some chicken wire and fiberglass? Well, you get something like this. Whatever it is, it’s listed on eBay in Tempe, Arizona where bidding is over $1,000 with no mention of a reserve. It’s been hidden away for 25 years and this one time I think we can understand why. The body uses some metal, like the hood and trunk lid and doors but much of the rest of the car is fiberglass over chicken wire. That sounds more like a parade float than a car, doesn’t it? There are big cracks showing in the hood but the seller says the chicken wire is holding up well. There is a custom 2 piece Targa top included as pictured in the last photo. This thing runs and drives although the owner has not driven it over 40 mph. It must be an interesting experience.

The seats are from a later model Spitfire covered in something shaggy. The custom gauges work.

Here’s the Chevy 327. It runs but needs a little starting fluid to get it going sometimes. The electric fuel pump is noisy, but when the engine starts you can’t hear it or anything anymore anyway. The thing in front of the engine looks like the coil and fan from a refrigeration unit so perhaps this thing has AC. The radiator is in the trunk.

The rocker panels are mostly rust. Where the rust ends is likely fiberglass.

The underside is as scary as the top side. The engine is connected by a driveshaft to a Corvair 4-speed transaxle in the rear.  It would be interesting to see the results of the full might of that 327 in front was unleashed, twisting the transaxle on the other end with only this structure in the middle.

Were you hoping it might look better from this end? Those Mustang II tail lights don’t help the appearance. With the V8 neatly stuffed in the nose, why did the builder need such a huge tail? A Chevy truck radiator is mounted at the very rear. Ahead of the radiator is just a small trunk. There was some clever engineering and a lot of work that went into this car. Imagine what it must be like with that V8 in the nose on Spitfire suspension, top heavy with layers of chicken wire and fiberglass. I’m guessing this is scary to drive and the builder was disappointed in the results. What do you think the new owner will do with this? Perhaps it will appear on eBay again in a couple of decades.

Comments

  1. Avatar Bmac Member

    Beauty is eye of the beholder! Got to be blind to think this is good looking, and I like unique cars. Only thing I can think of is creepy clown car.

    Like 0
  2. Avatar RayT

    Doesn’t appear to have changed much since its appearance at BF on May 27….

    Or did someone build more than one of these?

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  3. Avatar AMCFAN

    Hey unmistakable AMC Javelin and AMX recessed door handles. Nice touch! The Chevy drivetrain and Mustang II tail lights uggh! Otherwise pretty cool. Should scoot along pretty nice though!

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  4. Avatar KevinW

    Whaaaat? I thought they only did this kind of disco customizations to Corvettes!!!

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  5. Avatar Rodney

    Personally, I have seen suppositories that look more comfortable than this…

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    • Avatar KEN TILLY Member

      Doggy doo doo came to mind in my case!

      Like 0
  6. Avatar 86 Vette Convertible

    I had a 67 Spitfire. That one makes me sick.

    Like 0
  7. Avatar dgrass

    Two things.

    The wings do what now?

    The rear looks much better photographed under low light conditions.

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  8. Avatar Jay M

    Why, just Why?

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  9. Avatar sir mike

    Please hide it for another 25 years….

    Like 0
  10. Avatar Adam T45 Staff

    To quote the movie American Graffiti: “Your car is uglier than I am! Oh, that didn’t come out right.”

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  11. Avatar Rob

    Thanks, I just got new glasses and you do this to me again? I may be blinded for life.

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  12. Avatar Gerry Member

    Got bid all the way up to $14,500 last time someone out there likes it

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  13. Avatar Mike

    $14,500 was the buy it now price. It’s currently at $1,100 now. I don’t think even a Steve McQueen connection could get this over $2k.

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  14. Avatar Adam T45 Staff

    I’m in two minds here (either that or I’m out of my mind!). The beauty of driving this would be that from the inside you can see little of the outside.

    I also can’t decide what would happen when you floored it. Would you become a Driving God….or would you get a whole lot closer to God?

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  15. Avatar Stephen

    why are we seeing this again, nobody wanted it that bad the first time….

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  16. Avatar Steve

    Wow the rumors were true, drugs really were cheap in the 70s

    Like 0
  17. Avatar Warren

    Reminds me of a car from the original “Death Race 2000” movie, but this one didn’t get the part.

    Like 0
    • Avatar rustylink

      It’s the first thing I thought of too…

      Like 0
  18. Avatar Randall

    now I know who designed my bread box, keep the engine and headers and pray it’s dump day

    Like 0
  19. Avatar Mlaw

    WTF, How about $200.00 for the engine and you keep the scrap?

    Like 0
  20. Avatar Oddimotive Cason Member

    I’m shocked that this has been listed so many times and no one has snapped this beauty up!

    Like 0
  21. Avatar Tommy Boy

    “$22 Million for a Ferrari GTO!? Why, shoot! I’m gonna build me my own!”

    Like 0
  22. Avatar John

    That is an ugly car.

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  23. Avatar Pete

    I am horrified that someone would do this to my beloved spitfire. However had they done something similar to a Fiat X-19 I wouldn’t have been upset at all. I agree with BF that the person or persons who created all this went to great lengths to accomplish this custom work. I do give them mad props for being able to pull it off. I think the original vision of what they wanted to do was inspired, yet the final outcome was sorely lacking. Still I wonder what would actually happen if you put your foot all in it if you could work up the gumption to actually drive it. On a drag strip it might be alright, But take a corner at speed and I would bet it would get right squiggely. That is if it held together at all to get that fast. I’m thinking I would have to hire somebody with balls the size of a NASA test pilot to give this thing a shake down run/test flight before I would get behind the wheel at any kind of speed. Seems like a waste of a really good car and swell motor if ya ask me.

    Like 0
  24. Avatar Pm

    The car was built not too many years back. I actually spoke on length with the builder owner of this car.
    It had a $2000 price tag on it.
    Its not worth much more than that as it does need some work on it to bring it back.
    To me its unique and the builder guy knew what all it would take to create it correctly. But will it fly down the track fast?
    Well yes and no . not with the tranny
    He has to use.
    Cool car I thought

    Like 0
  25. Avatar Davey

    You ain’t got this one Steve (McQueen)!

    Like 0

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