Bob Sykes wrote:
>
> Hi Doug,
>
> Sorry, I was the one who accidently spilled this thread
> over from the Triumphs list to the Spitfires list.
>
> The quest for data has led me to look in "all" the books
> tonight. Both of Graham Robson's Spitfire & GT6 books,
> Mike Cook's book and John Thomason's. Also Moss UK
> publications.
>
> None of them put too fine a point on it. Thomason writes
> that spoilers were introduced on GT6s at KE/KF 20000 which
> I believe was Feb '73. He says (home market) MkIVs were
> fitted from FH60000 which I think was around July '73.
> There are several photos of (UK) MkIVs and MkIII GT6s
> so equipped in the book.
>
> Robson's seems to agree. He puts the change in mid '73
> for home market Spits. He writes that for the '74 model
> year US Spits were fitted with the spoiler and there are
> a couple of photos of US '74 Spits decked out accordingly.
> (as well as UK MkIVs).
>
> There are obviously exceptions (as we have seen/owned),
> but my take is that UK Spits received the changeover
> a little earlier than the US. At any rate, as we all know
> by '75 all cars were included.
>
> I can find no mention of this thing being available as a
> factory "option". However if it were, then it's likely to
> have been included in the publicity shots of the era.
>
> ISTR that the spoiler uses the same four mounting holes
> (1 ea. in quarter valance & the two in the frame for the
> center valance) making the conversion a "bolt-on" snap.
> Does this sound right? My friend's GT6 has a trashed
> center valance and he wants to "convert".
>
> Don't you just love a good mystery? ;-)
Well, for the record, my GT6 (KF238220, Aug. '73) was not equipped with
the front spoiler, but I'm about to try to fit one, despite the lack of
corresponding bolt holes for the center section.
By the way, Joe C. mentioned earlier that the spoiler is related to
front end handling; doesn't it also direct air into the radiator to help
with cooling? That's the effect I was hoping to realize ...
--
Martin Secrest
73 GT6
74 Spitfire
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