1977 Triumph Spitfire

You did indeed read that mileage correctly – and this car has genuinely covered just 6420 miles since it was built in 1977. The original owner bought this Spitfire brand new as a present for his then wife, who sadly passed away not long afterwards. The husband then locked the car away in a garage, and there it stayed until very recently.

Time warp car is an oft used phrase, but this is the real deal. It’s unlikely there’s a more original, low mileage and totally unmolested Triumph Spitfire for sale anywhere – even if such a car exists at all.

1970s British cars are quite capable of rusting away over a 40-odd year period, even if kept in a dry garage like this one has been. But what makes this car even more remarkable is that it was Ziebarted from new. Ziebart is a wax based rust prevention treatment that that was used to coat the car’s entire underside, and was also injected into all the hidden box sections to stop rust forming inside them.

It’s very effective, and in this case, bearing in mind the car hasn’t been near any salt-laden winter roads, has allowed it to survive in extraordinary condition.

The bright yellow paintwork has clearly not even been exposed to any sunshine as it’s colour and sheen is very uniform. It really is as though time stopped for this Spitfire on or around Saturday August 15 1981, as there’s a copy of the Daily Mail from this date that was found in the boot when the car was woken from its Rip Van Winkle like 41 year sleep.

We couldn’t see any rust, and the marks you see around the black trim – on the tail for instance – are the wax based rust preventative coating that was applied before the imposed rest.

Obviously the wheels weren’t subject to the Ziebart rust prevention treatment so do show the odd sign of corrosion, but they wouldn’t be hard to refurbish. They’re simply silver painted steel, so a weekend with some wet and dry and a few rattle cans would have them looking good as new.

This car was clearly stored somewhere very dry, as the cloth sections of the seats would easily have been damaged by any damp, as would the wooden dashboard. But there is no such damage, and the Spitfire’s interior is, much like the outside, in truly remarkable condition.

All the white scripts on the switchgear are clear and bright, with no signs of wear, as you’d expect in any four year old car – except this one is 45 years old.

The tonneau cover and hood, will need some work to revive them, but don’t look to be torn or otherwise damaged, and the car comes with a factory hardtop, the vendor tells us.

Ziebart, Ziebart and more Ziebart. The wax coating may not be the prettiest of finishes but it’s the reason this car exists in this fabulous condition today. The underside is absolutely smothered in the wax, and is rust free as a result. The only rust we could see was on the exhaust, which obviously wasn’t coated, and there’s a small hole in the rear silencer as a result. This was likely caused by water inside the exhaust system rotting its way out.

The bulkhead and under bonnet areas also got their fill of rust prevention wax, and the black coating has done its job. There’s some corrosion on the exhaust manifold – it was uncoated cast iron from the factory – and some of the fixings show signs of surface corrosion, but generally the under bonnet area is very tidy. And, of course, totally original.

No attempt has been made to start the car, nor has any work been done in an attempt to. It will require full recommissioning before any such attempt is made, although the Spitfire is a simple Seventies car that any competent DiY enthusiast can work on. Change the oil, clean out the carbs and replace the plugs and points. With some fresh fuel and a battery we reckon you could have this going in a few hours. Wouldn’t that be something?

That said, the brakes will require a complete and thorough overhaul before the car can be used, as will the clutch hydraulics.

The Spitfire comes with its original handbooks, stamped British Leyland service book and an invoice detailing the Ziebart rust proofing process. In addition, that copy of the Daily Mail from August 15 1981 is still with the car.

The seller says: ‘The car was purchased brand new by the vendor's late husband for his first wife, who sadly passed away shortly after. As a consequence this remarkable Spitfire was used only for the first year or so of its life and was then covered and garaged until now.

Zeibarted from new (bill on file) this wonderful car has remained in virtually 'as new' condition whilst in long term storage at the vendor’s home in Devon. ‘Presented in yellow with matching factory hard-top and black and white chequered interior, VDV 640S is in unmolested, original condition and can only be described as a 'time-warp' motorcar. No attempt has been made to start the vehicle as it has not been run for the last 40 or so years and consequently we would advise careful viewing by any prospective bidders. Certainly before it is returned to the road, it will require some recommissioning work before use. ‘It’s possibly one of, if not the lowest mileage and original Spitfires still in existence.’

Unique is another word oft used to describe things which are very nice but not actually one of a kind. But this is a unique car and a unique opportunity. It is to all intents and purposes a four year old car, except it’s actually 45 years old. If there’s a lower mileage, more original Triumph Spitfire 1500 in existence then we’ve yet to hear of it.

The car is quite likely unique in another way, too. It may well never have had an MoT test, as it was so young when it was laid up. And as it’s now more than 40 years old, it will never have one either.

It’s story is obviously tinged with tragedy, but its survival is a Triumph, in all senses of the word.

We estimate this car to be valued between £8,000 - £12,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.