Brad,
I think that the author didn't check his facts very well, or else was
going entirely on personal feelings rather than be bothered by facts. I
need to check the data, but I'm sure I have more than 4 Mk1's listed in
England. I am also quite well aware that there are far more than 50 in
the U.S.of A.
I am amazed how some people's bias's taint their better judgment. Did
the author actually believe people could not or would not check those
details out?
Joe Curry
Brad Kahler wrote:
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> I just purchased the book "Triumph Buyers Guide" by Richard Newton.
> I don't know how many of you have seen or read this book but there
> are a few comments about the MK1 spitfires that I thought would be
> worth quoting here.
>
> Quoting page 106, "This is probably the rarest of all the mass
> produced Triumphs. They made a bunch of these cars and they all
> rusted into the ground. Only four of the Mk1 Spitfires exist in
> England and I'm willing to bet that there are less than fifty in the
> United States." And another quote, "The MK1 GT was the best looking
> of all the spitfires. The hardtop was offered for the first time in
> the Fall of 1963 and continued until the introduction of the MkIV.
> They are easily identifiable in flea markets and unlike the cars, the
> hardtops didn't rust! At this point there may well be more Mk1
> hardtops than there are complete cars. Still another quote, "Once
> these rocker panels, or sills, begin to rust, the body of the car
> becomes very flexible, and very expensive to repair. The Mk1
> Spitfires were really throw-away cars." Only two more quotes
> and I'll stop quoting, "There's very little collector interest in
> these cars, and most have simply rusted into the ground. No Spitfire
> will ever approach the value of a good Bugeye, or even a nice TR4.
> The Spitfire is one Triumph you'll probably never even break even
> on." Here's the last quote, Spitfires are great little cars for club
> racing, hillclimbs, and autocrosses. They're cheap, they're fun, and
> you aren't destroying some valuable pieces of automotive history to
> have this fun."
>
> Sorry about all of that but I found his attitude very interesting
> and amusing. Personally I feel he is apparently somewhat biased
> against the spitfire and doesn't really know much about how many are
> still left in the world and how much some people prize them. Joe's
> database should attest to that. But I do realize that this is just
> my opinion. By the way, this book was published first in 1994.
>
> I would be interested in hearing other listers comments on what Mr.
> Newton has to say.
>
> Brad
>
> 1964 Spitfire4 BFC25720L (After 10 years will be on the road in
>March!!!)
> 1966 TR4A CT72398L (Needs Restoration)
> 1951 Dodge Truck 82217766 B-3-B-108 (Boxes & Boxes of parts right now)
--
"Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible
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anything." -- Charles Kuralt
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