Triumph fan goes electric with Spitfire
Older British cars have their quirks, but owners are charmed nonetheless. Nathaniel Pearre is one of those owners.
“Seventies British cars are famous, both for their electric systems and for ‘marking their territory’ wherever they park,” the Dalhousie University research engineer says.
Pearre acquired a 1971 Triumph Spitfire last year in Woodstock, N.B., about 500 kilometres from his Halifax home. He has now successfully swapped out all of the oily bits in exchange for a fully electric powertrain. Well, perhaps not all of the oily bits.
“The only oil left in the car is in the differential,” Pearre says. “But it leaks, so the ‘character’ is still there.”
In fact, there’s a lot that’s still there. Pearre’s Spitfire wasn’t exactly in mint condition when he bought it, but so far the body, frame and interior have been left alone. The suspension required upgrading to deal with the low-slung weight of batteries, and a new wiring harness was the major finishing touch.
Although Pearre says there’s a certain level of approachability to EV conversions — he’s not the first to do a Triumph EV swap — the Dalhousie engineer’s place of employment has certainly simplified matters. Pearre works in the Renewable Energy Storage Lab on Dalhousie’s Sexton Campus at the Emera ideaHUB, which offers access to equipment (and colleagues) most gearheads won’t find in their neighbour’s garage.
To tackle the project, Pearre involved the lab’s director, Lukas Swan. He also hired an undergrad, Mitch Gregory, to join in the project, and received support from Albert Murphy and Graham Muirhead, technicians at the Heavy Prototype Lab.
The final outcome: out go the engine, transmission, fuel tank and exhaust, and in goes a 37-kWh lithium-iron phosphate battery, split into two packs. They’re hooked up to a 125-kW drive motor.
Those custom-shaped battery packs, Pearre says, were the primary concern.
“Any time you store a big pile of energy in one spot, there’s the potential for trouble, whether it’s batteries, gas, hydrogen, etc.”
Expecting around 200 km of range and “outstanding modern acceleration,” according to Dal News, Pearre’s 1971 Triumph Spitfire EV will charge through either J1772 or ChAdeMO ports for fairly quick charging capability.
It hasn’t been an overnight project. The Spitfire sat in Pearre’s garage for nine months while he completed the removal of all unwanted parts.
While there’s no intention for the Spitfire to be a daily driver — Pearre commutes to work on a bicycle and owns a plug-in hybrid Mitsubishi Outlander — he is hoping to have paperwork in order so the Triumph can be driven before the snow flies.
“I was thinking that inspection and registration might be easier in a pre-OBDII vehicle,” Pearre says. “And pre-Clean Air Act. And pre-crash-worthiness standards. And pre-seatbelts.”
An EV swap won’t turn the 1971 Triumph Spitfire into a modern car, let alone a Porsche Taycan or a Tesla, but driving the Triumph, along with owning the story of its creation, may well be more fun.