If you’re in the market for a fun little summer car, you could do a lot worse than an old British roadster. Of course, you’d rather drive your new car than spend the warm months chasing faults in Lucas electrics, so maybe an engine-swapped roadster is your bag. But if you’re swapping the engine anyway, you may as well add some tire out back to handle the power. And some suspension, of course, for better launches. Actually, maybe just get one that’s had all that done already — like this 1964 Spitfire that’s been built up into a gasser.
Is a Triumph Spitfire a typical choice for a gasser? Absolutely not! But British roadsters done up in this style aren’t without precedent, and applying the aesthetic changes to something as small as a Triumph really makes the differences apparent. A big Chevy V8 in a big Chevy sedan isn’t the absolutely wild modification that putting the same engine in this little Spitfire is.
Gimme Danger
This gasser appears to have a name, as so many of its ilk do: Gimme Danger, presumably after the Stooges track. It also has a small block Chevy V8, a four-speed transmission, a Toyota diff with a solid rear axle, disc brakes on all four corners, and — most importantly — headers that dump straight out the front wheel wells. Plus, it has yellow headlights, which I specifically am a sucker for.
Is this the perfect summer daily? I don’t want to unequivocally say yes, having not driven it, but it makes a strong pitch for the throne. I guess you’ll have to buy it and give me your review, because it’s listed for just $10,000 down in Florida. You couldn’t put this car together for that, without doing all your own labor, so be glad someone’s willing to let it go for the lowest five-figure sum possible. Pick up this Spitfire gasser, and have the best summer of your life.
