When people were still betting on women
11/21/2014
The Americans wrote in 1967: "Surfing in the surf. A roaring engine. The smile of a pretty girl. Triumph Spitfire Mk2". And the image composition matched. Obviously, champion surfer Joyce Hoffman had opted for a Triumph Spitfire Mk 2. At the time, it only cost USD 2,199 (CHF 8,750 in Switzerland, DM 8,950 in Germany).
It was also heavily advertised and headlined in Germany: "You don't ride alone for long in a Spitfire". The reasoning followed immediately:
"It's not just its looks that are to blame. But also its breed, its genuine sports car class. It only takes a few hand movements to open the top. And then into the anatomically correctly shaped bucket seats. In front of you are the switches and round dashboard mounted within easy reach. In your hand is the sporty spoke steering wheel, which can be adjusted by 10 cm. On the center console, the short gear stick and the handbrake. A little pressure on the accelerator pedal and you'll hear what they call 'sounds-like-music-in-your-ears'*. A quick glance at the rev counter confirms that the Spitfire MK 3 has a perfectly healthy engine. And then shift into gear. You can reach 80 km/h in 9 seconds, and then it's off to 160 km/h. A light press on the brake pedal is all it takes to tame its 70 wild horses. This is ensured by the large front disc brakes and the effective rear drum brakes. The Spitfire is not only in town on highways and country roads. Here you can see how many admiring glances it attracts, how easy it is to park with its unrivaled turning circle of 7.3. And the temperament under the hood when the lights turn green.
Why aren't you driving a Spitfire MK 3 yet?"
If you would like to read more about the Triumph Spitfire, we recommend our new article on the Spitfire 4 Mk II .
