The 7 Greatest British Sports Cars Of All Time

The Triumph Spitfire was unveiled at the 1962 Earls Court Motor Show in London, according to Just British. The vehicle immediately turned heads with a four-speed manual transmission and a 1,493cc inline 4 engine (via Auto Express).

The Spitfire was designed to be a sports automobile for the everyday driver. Sports Car Digest notes that Triumph’s parent company, the Standard Motor Company, had already developed high-end vehicles to compete in a category more akin to luxury travel, but the Spitfire was something entirely unique. Instead of adding to an already crowded marketplace of luxury automotive options, the Spitfire catered to those who wanted to enjoy the open road as more of a weekend warrior.

The Triumph Spitfire delivers on this goal in spades. The vehicle was engineered to outclass the existing Austin Healy Sprite (via Sports Car Digest) while providing significant value for the price. The Spitfire borrows its name from the iconic, powerful fighter jets that helped turn the tide over European skies during a bygone era of wartime anxiety, but the newest Spitfires to leave British factories were designed to place that same attitude of fierce maneuverability and grace into the hands of drivers across Britain as a leisure item instead.