TRiuMPH (1966gT6 1973)

Want a Spitfire but hanker after more performance and practicality? Then the GT6 should be just what you are looking for

The Triumph Spitfire offers entertainment aplenty, which explains why this classic drop-top has such a loyal and enthusiastic following, but what it has less of is outright performance or practicality. Fortunately, 1966 would see an answer arrive – the GT6.

The car had debuted at the Earls Court Motor Show two years earlier, and although original design plans were for a ‘Spitfire GT’ utilising the same four-cylinder engine, it was soon apparent that the additional weight blunted performance.

Enter the much lustier straightsix transplanted from the Triumph Vitesse, a motor that provided a nigh-on 110mph top speed and had the 0-60mph sprint reeled off in around 10 seconds.

MkI and MkII models lasted from 1968 to 1970, with 15,818 and 12,066 built respectively, the second generation perhaps proving the most rounded model and one that boasted improved handling; the swing axle rear suspension made the GT6 a handful when pressing on until it was replaced with a Rotoflex double wishbone-style arrangement. Initially retained for the MkIII, which lasted until 1973, it would revert to the earlier type towards the end of production. The third generation did benefit from styling changes though, bringing it into line with the MkIV Spitfire.

Although the GT6 was intended to compete with the MGB

GT it would become known as the ‘poor man’s E-type’, and thanks to the refined and flexible six-pot engine and sleek bodywork it’s easy to see why. The additional luggage space was useful, too, and allied to a snug, sporty cabin and decent driving dynamics, it’s as appealing today as it was half a century ago.

Fifty years on it’s a bit pricier, naturally, but with values on the rise buying well – think hard before considering a project – these could prove a tidy investment indeed.

‘The lusty straight-six provided nighon 110mph top speed’