A chum has revived a surplus LHD Spitfire.......bought some years ago, for a bit of soft-top motoring whilst his major project was a-gettin-on-with.
Following a worrying noise, the car was left in a relly's garage and 'forgotten', as these things can tend to be.
T'uther week, we hoicked it out...and he commenced re-commissioning....he IS a fitter/mechanic by trade.
His quandary is/was.....it is very much a 'surplus-to-requirements' car.......yet at the moment, simply of little financial value.
He would like it to justify its existence....and being a passenger of mine, he thought of prepping the thing for trials.
It is a left-hook, 1500 Spitfire..the type with the flat rear deck.
Does ANYBODY have any practical trialling experience with this model?
Are there any 'marque' experts out there, with 'positive' advice as to groundclearance, reliability of transmission, etc?
HE appreciates the Spit is long of wheelbase compared to a Spridget, so may prove less capable.......and I have proferred advice, albeit based on my own experience.....but I don't ''know-it-all''.....
After all, I have often read and heard, how the odd thing about trials competitors seems to be the tendency to 'go' for the vehicle 'least likely to.....???'
Many years ago there was someone who ran a Spitfire in local, Falcon, PCT's and the like. It was a bit of a tatty thing, always traillered, certainly wouldn't pass an MoT - we didn't have to in those days - I asked him why her persevered with it instead of getting a Midget, and his reply was that he wanted to prove that a Spitfire was as good as a Midget. He always came last, so I guess he proved something, even if it wasn't what he wanted!
ReplyDeletei can hear the diff explode at the thought of a trial, the gear box is not much stronger ,the 1500 engine for all its weight is not that powerful ,the reliablity is open for discussion ,the rear suspension will be a night mare to raise (the drive shafts will hit the under slung chassies ) but it has a good front end set up ,having said all that it might sit well in class O but to run in class 5 it will take a lot of devlopment . adrian
ReplyDeleteHmmmm! I see what you're all driving at! Pretty much what I thought...yet the shell is absolutely spot-on....dry-state import,had more sand in it than anything else, when he got it as I recall..... Still leaves him with the problem of what to do with it......
ReplyDeleteAlistair, Flog it and tell him to get a decent car like a Skoda! Seriously though, it may be worth trying to sell it via the TSOC or TSSC. A good shell MUST be sought after I would have thought. Nigel
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