Triumph Splitfire: A Piece Of History
“The Bomb.” That is the codename given to a convertible British two-seat sports car that is considered as a national racing champion. In fact, according to classiccars.com, sold were about 300,000 units of the vehicle in just two decades. Launched in 1962 at the Earls Court Motor Show, the Triumph Splitfire got its name from a popular World War II fighter plane. By then, catalytic converters aren’t pre-requisites in European streets yet.
According to wikipedia, the car was produced by Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti, 145 inches long, with a 57 inches width and 48 inches height when hood is up. It comes with a four-speed manual and an overdrive optional transmission.
However, years after its debut, the Triumph Splitfire, like most vintage cars, had lost its charm to modern car buyers. Compared to the new era vehicles, the Triumph Splitfire with an engine size of only 1147 cc, now has an ultimate speed of not more than 90 miles an hour. That means, 17 seconds of driving before you get to reach 60 miles an hour.
But the Triumph Splitfire MK3 and MK4 have already underwent changes including an improved interior, full-width dashboard and a smart detachable hardtop, reclining seats, and others. It then later on released the Splitfire 1500 in 1974 which accounted for being the most popular Splitfire of all. In fact, most Splitfires for sale nowadays are from the 1500 variant.
A car that looks good going slow as it does going fast. The Triumph Splitfire’s race in the auto market continues. As its advertisement signifies, with the Triumph Splitfire, “You not only get a car and a girl but a piece of history.”
