WHY I LOVE MY SPITFIRE

1979 SPITFIRE 1500 JAKE CLAPPISON

Jake has owned his 1979 Spitfire 1500 since last September. ‘I wasn’t looking for a Spitfire,’ he says, ‘I wanted a Mini, but when I saw the Spitfire that was it. I try to use the car a couple of times a week and I absolutely love driving it. There’s good performance from the 1493cc engine and, within the obvious limits of a two-seater sports car, it’s easy to live with. And what more could you want than motoring with the roof down? I haven’t had any major problems with the car apart from cylinder head gasket issues. It’s easy to work on and spares aren’t a problem, but it’s definitely worth making the effort to find the best example you can.’

1968 SPITFIRE MkIII M SUZIE SINGLETON

Suzie is the Triumph Sports Six Club’ Early Spitfire Register Secretary and her husband, Guy, is the Bond Equipe Register Secretary. They also have a 1962 Spitfire 4.

She says: ‘I’ve had my Spitfire MkIII (DBH 725F, known as Baby Blue) for 26 years. She brought Guy and I together at a camping weekend where she seriously let herself down at the entrance to the campsite, refusing to proceed any further and needing to be transported to Guy’s after the weekend for repair.

‘She had a reasonably comprehensive bodywork re-build shortly after I bought her in 1994 and since then has had new floors. She drives beautifully with a lovely smooth gearbox, and sounds good.’

MULTIPLE SPITFIRE OWNER! JANE ROWLEY

Like many Spitfire enthusiasts, Jane has more than one example. She’s owned her 1976 1500 since 1986 and used it regularly, over ‘thousands of smiles and thousands of miles.’ She has a particular soft spot for the 1965 MkI (DOC 752C) that she’s owned since 2012, and also a 1962 car in blue (1141 JN) bought in 2015.

She says: ‘They are stunning, all three of them, and each one is a bit different from the other. I bought the cars to drive and enjoy but I also do some maintenance along the way.

‘The 1500 obviously benefits from the extra performance and a less sparse interior, but the MkI has more appeal to the purist, and more space inside – plus all the period chrome and other features.

‘I’ve never had an issue with the MkI’s handling though I am running the cars on slightly wider wheels and tyres than the originals.’