In 1962 the British company Triumph introduced a two-seater sports car named the Spitfire. The Austin-Healey Sprite had proven there was a demand for small cars with sporty intentions. Triumph wanted a piece of this market and felt they could produce a better automobile than the Sprite.
In September of 1960 construction of a prototype began and was codenamed ‘Bomb’. Triumph used the mechanical components from their small saloon, named the Herald, and transplanted them into the Spitfire. Basically, a sports body was applied to the chassis of the Herald.
The Italian designer Giovanni Mechelotti had been instrumental in the creation of the Herald and was tasked with aiding in the creation of the Spitfire. The Spitfire was ready to go into production but unfortunately, Triumph could not produce the vehicle. Sales had been slow during 1960.
Leyland Motors was looking to expand in the car market and found their opportunity with Standard-Triumph. A deal was in place, funds were available, and Triumph could again resume automobile production.By removing the Heralds side members, outer rails, and rear outriggers and replacing them with sills, the seats were able to be placed on the side of the chassis, allowing the frame to be lowered a few inches. The frame was shortened by nearly nine inches and the welded body was attached to the frame with twelve bolts. The rack-and-pinion steering and four-cylinder engine were straight out of the Herald; as was the suspension, consisting of a single transverse-leaf swing-axle arrangement in the rear and a front coil-and-wishbone configuration.In many respects it was a better car than its competition. Triumph designed the car to be small and sporty but not at the sacrifice of comfort or convenience. The easy access toBefore going into production, the name Spitfire was agreed upon derived from a fighter aircraft used during World War II. During its lifespan, lasting from 1962 through 1980, there were five versions of the Spitfire, the MK1, MK2, MK3, MKIV and the 1500. The first version, known as the Spitfire MK1 or Spitfire4, was produced from 1962 through 1964.
When introduced it was almost 10% more expensive than the Austin-Healey and continue to be more expensive through most of its production lifespan. Top speed was achieved at just over 90 mph and zero-to-sixty was accomplished in about 17 seconds, which, in the 1960’s, was good. Heaters, wire wheels, overdrive, and a hardtop were offered as optional equipment. In its introductory year over 6000 examples were sold. In 1964 nearly 9000 examples were produced. the engine with ample room to make repairs was something no other small car manufacturer was offering at the time. Due to the placement of the engine, there was ample room in the cockpit for the passengers. Luggage space behind the seats and in the trunk was sufficient. Basic items such as rubber mats and a large plastic steering wheel held keep the Spitfire inexpensive.
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Pickups were available in the 3100 Series (half-tons), 3600 Series (3/4-ton) and 3800 Series (1-ton), with wheelbases of 116, 125 ¼, and 137 inches, respectively. All three lines had boxes that were 50 inches wide and 16 ¼ inches high on the sides (14 inches on the ends). Box beds still featured wooden construction with steel skid strips. Chrome grilles were not available from the factory on 1952 models. The painted grilles had five broad horizontal bars below a broad hood ornament with rectangular parking lights in the upper corners of the top bars. Buyers could choose between Swift Red, Armor Yellow, White, Jet Black, Seacrest Green, Sun Beige and Cream paint colors.
1939 Chevrolet Pickup – Classifieds: In 1939 the Chevrolet pickups were re-styled and for the first time their appearance broke away from the lines of the passenger cars. In comparison to the ’38 trucks they also added wheelbase (now up to 113.5″) and ..Some consider the 1939 and 1940 models to be the best looking Chevy trucks of this ear. As such, they are popular with restorers and hot-rodders alike. Since these trucks lived most of their lives doing hard work, their chassis can show considerable wear after all these years and are not up to the demands of a modern enthusiast. (Pictures Pinterest,cruzin trucks)
In May of 1947 the new Chevrolet Pickup truck was introduced to public and was considered the new Post War II new trucks. They had new designs but still contained the same engine. New advanced designs and models were offered The different models had numbers on the side to indicate Wether it was a half-ton which was the 3100 series and 3600 was 3/4 ton.
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