Mk III

[Chris]

A good car, sorry, no pics yet.
Can be had today for 3-5 grand in good condition. A fun (bu tslow, 0-60 in 12 seconds with a traction bar). It is a convertible, and would make an excelllent first car to learn driving and have tons of fun. A good car for fun on the cheap.

Anyone else have an opinion??

[dejoux]

Theyre alot better looking than the MKI in my opinon since they raised the front bumper.

Im not to versed on my spitfire marks but I think the MK4 is better ( i may be thinking of MK3)the early 70s one anyway.

Rivaled the MG Midget/AH Sprite when it was new, still does today. More of a cruiser than a Spridget due to having more cabin space and overdrive gearbox

[SpitfireNutUK]

Originally posted by dejoux

Im not to versed on my spitfire marks but I think the MK4 is better ( i may be thinking of MK3)the early 70s one anyway.

Rivaled the MG Midget/AH Sprite when it was new, still does today. More of a cruiser than a Spridget due to having more cabin space and overdrive gearbox

You mean the 1500. That one was the 70s one.

[karlInSanDiego]

Actually, I agree. The Mk IV has the best of all worlds. The Michelloti body finally lacked compromise, while still retaining the best Spit engine, the 1300. This engine is considered best because its power was equal to the 1500 and it was more reliable than the over-stroked 1500. The 1500 does have better torque, but all of these engines suffer from poor low end oiling, and thus often spin a bearing at 50K. Add the better looks of the overriderless rear bumper, and minimal overrider on the front bumper and you've got the best looking Spitfire. It also introduced the swing spring on the rear suspension which eliminated the need to add an aftermarket camber compensater. As noted previously, the 1500 got heavier (literally and in looks) year after year with bigger overriders and finally a full rubber bumper. The Mk IV's 1300 mated with UK 1500 Waxbottom SU's is a cheap but strong carb engine combo, as the Zenith Strombergs that were on US cars is strictly an ecology unit.

[SpitfireNutUK]

My stepdad's a mechanic who, last year, fulfilled his boyhood dream of getting a Spitfire 1500. And on the power scene, according to the Encyclopaedia of Classic Cars, the 1500 was the fastest and most powerfull spitfire, having something near 100 bhp (UK spec), where as the MKIV has only 90. Not that the MKIV wasn't a sweet car, mind, but the 1500 gets my look. But then that could be because that's the car that got me hooked on Triumphs... I swear, there must be some kind of bug or virus in the metalwork of those cars, because once you've felt the power go down, heard the bark of the exhausts as the pedal hits the metal, you're hooked for life!:alien: