Advertising the Spitfire
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by Eric Kieboom &
Jacob Poortstra
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From 1962 to 1980, Standard-Triumph and later British Leyland (see also Spitfire history) marketed the Spitfire in more and less enthusiastic ways in the USA and on the home market. This is a selection of mostly US-market advertisements. Click on a thumbnail to open the full-size ad in a new browser window.

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Click to open large size ad in new browser window 'Sports Car Club of America drivers call it a champion (typical American understatement)'
There is a bit of a weasel in this 1971 ad for the MkIV Spitfire: 'we designed a new, close-ratio all-synchro gearbox'. No they didn't, they lifted an existing gearbox straight from the Morris Marina, a lowly, indescribably dull saloon car of the time.
Note how the open bonnet/hood is sitting at a very odd angle. Maybe this is to make it look more like a Jaguar E-type?
Click to open large size ad in new browser window Almost the same ad as the prvious one, but with a slightly different layout.
Click to open large size ad in new browser window 'Triumph Spitfire MkIV: 50 years of sportscar'
Of course by 1972, Triumph did have a bit of history, so the marketing department of the day rightly thought it might as well cash in on this.
Click to open large size ad in new browser window 'Our little inexpensive economy car can beat your little inexpensive economy car.'
And a lovely little inexpensive economy car it is. Nice picture of a Triumph Spitfire MkIV (look ma, no front spoiler!) below a whole series of race results from 1969, 1970 and 1971, probably all achieved in lighter, quicker Mk3 Spitfires. This picture was also used in a 1972 sales brochure for the US/Canadian market.
Click to open large size ad in new browser window 'You don't stay a champion by resting on your laurels. Introducing the Triumph Spitfire 1500.'
Again, reference is made to the many race sucesses of the Spitfire, but it's not mentioned that most, if not all of these were by the older, lighter versions of the car. Note that this is an early, US-market 1500, lacking a front spoiler.
Click to open large size ad in new browser window 'You not only get a car and a girl but a piece of history.'
By this time, the Triumph Spitfire had been in active service about as long as its flying namesake. For the occasion, British Leyland trotted out Ginger Lacey, Battle of Britain ace with eighteen kills on his name. Again, it's an ad for an early US-only Spitfire 1500: no front spoiler.
Click to open large size ad in new browser window The three traditionally leading American car magazines (Road & Track, Motor Trend and Car & Driver) all had something good to say about the Triumph Spitfire. The marketing department was all too happy to advertise selective quotes.
Click to open large size ad in new browser window '.87g's for only about 3G's'
Apparantly, in 1973 Car & Driver Magazine tested the cornering abaility of the Spitfire on a skidpad sticky enough to achieve .87g. British Leyland was quick to point out in its advertising that this was 'in the same league as the $5000 Datsun Z series, the $6,300 Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV, even the $10,000 Porsche 911'. Some league. Did any of the Alfa 2000 GTV's not rust into the ground?
Click to open large size ad in new browser window 'Endangered species'
By the mid-1970's, most car makers had stopped making true open sports cars. In the affordable class there were the Fiat Spider and X-1/9 (the latter of which was a targa, not a true drop-top), some MG's we shall not mention here and the Triumph Spitfire and TR6 in this ad.
Click to open large size ad in new browser window 'From the land of British Racing Green'
This is a nice ad, with a good picture of both a darker-than-BRG Spitfire and a TR6. It talks of Great Britain as 'the land that introduced sports cars to America'.


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