I remember being stationed in R.A.F. Upper Heyford in Oxon when I was just
a young shaver of 19 and seeing a brand new 73 Triumph spitfire. All the
other Airmen were gathered 'round and gawking at it and I though to myself,
"boy, I'll never have a cool car like that". After I rotated back across
the pond, I never thought or heard of Triumphs again. Jump ahead to April
1989, I wake up one Saturday, look out the window and diagonally across the
street, a neighbor is having a garage sale. Sitting on the lawn is a maroon
(damson) 77 Spitfire 1500. I tell the wife to get dressed and we go over
and while she's buying a whole bunch of stuff, I check out the car. It's
been sitting, baking in the sun for a few years, but the paint isn't
terrible, the interior's shot, the tranny is shot, everything else looks
fine. Body is perfect, no dents, no dings, no rust, 35,000 original miles,
one owner. Motor purrs like a kitten. All gauges and electrics work. She's
asking $650.00 OBO. I stroll back to the house and make a few calls and I
found someone who has a used spitfire tranny and will install it for
$750.00. I walk back across the street, offer her $600.00, figuring that
with the tranny, I'll have a good running car for $1,300. The owner cries
when I drive it across the street to my house. Her baby's gone. Well, her
baby is one hungry mouth to feed. and shipwright's disease sets in quickly.
After 10 years of fixing, fixing, fixing, anybody reading my posts know
that I still finding new and bizarre problems to fix that I need help with.
I've got close to $4,000 into it now, and I'm looking at even more next
year. I've owned that car for ten years, and I still get excited just
looking at it in the carport. I've got a Spitfire Jones that just won't
quit. I wouldn't give this car up for anything. It is just too cool.
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