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A 1967 ad introducing the much improved Spitfire Mk3 to the USA market, in March of that year. At last, the Spitfire had a real 'up and over' top and a piece of wood called a 'walnut veneer dash'. There was also a very welcome power increase. The 'sharp cornering' the ad speaks of wasn't yet as sharp as it was going to be in the MkIV, but never mind.
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Early 1967 UK ad introducing the Mk3 Spitfire to the British market. The picture is a variation on the famous photograph used for the early Mk3 brochure. Note how the girl in this pic is prettier, but still not in the driving seat. Prices were up: £717 for a softtop and £751 for the 'hardtop model', with which the softtop was optional. The heater now came as standard, though.
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This ad enthuses about the 'tough English muscle [...] in a sleek Italian designed body'. The reference to '0-60 Mph in 12.5 seconds' really shows how dated it is.
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This advertises the opinion of Car & Driver Magazine about the Triumph Spitfire Mk3: 'The very best thing to buy a Spitfire is because the thing is a ball to drive'. One wonders what it means... Did it roll a lot in corners?
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It's 1969 and Triumph goes after Volkswagen: 'if you can afford a Volkswagen, you can probably swing this car'. There's that swinging reference again.
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'If this car looks like you can't afford it - look again (under $2400)'. And it does 0-60 Mph in 13 seconds (.5 second down on previous years) and has 'integral head restraints'. Seperate head rests came later.
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'Triumph takes 3 out of 5 in the champion's championship'
Throughout its years of marketing in the US, Triumph kept emphasising the racing success of its cars. Best bit here: 'a TR250 placed third behind two factory Porsches (but in front of three others)'.
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'What it was like, going up in a Spitfire'
A feeble reference to the aircraft with the same name. Paraphrases one of the more famous quotes from Sir Winston Churchill: 'never before, in the history of driving, has so much been enjoyed for so little'.
As an aside: people have e-mailed me, convinced the Triumph Spitfire Mk3 was really available in camo paint with a roundel painted on. It's not true, it was just a one-off for this ad.
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'A sportscar for impoverished sports.'
This ad tries to sell the Spitfire Mk3 to people who are 'waiting to get enough bread together for a Ferrari'.
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Here's a clever way of cashing in on old glory: 'Own something better than a champion'. This is an ad for the (NEW! IMPROVED!) Triumph Spitfire MkIV, with a racing Mk3 (called 'MkIII' in the ad) in the background. It talks of stronger engine bearings, synchromesh on all four gears (long overdue), a new improved suspension system (at last, the dreaded rear axle got its swing spring) and - get this - a handsome restyling by Ferrari body designer Giovanni Michelotti. Trust marketing types to hitch a ride on another, more prestigious car maker's name.
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