This is a read-only archive of the old Madabout Kitcars forum. New posts and replies are no longer possible, but every thread is still here to browse and read.
Beautiful picture, makes my spine tingle just looking at it. Even though I spent 23 years working on fast jets you can't beat the sound of a Merlin.
The original name for the Triumph Spitfire was, of course, going to be... the Triumph Bomb. This would make a nice connection with the RDX or cordite theme.
Sammio S6b has better alliteration though, it has quite a poetic ring to it I feel. It's your baby though...
Thinking of Spitfire based cars, I always thought the Spitfire Macau Special, built by Triumph as a one off in 1965, could provide some inspiration... The original is now owned by Canley Classics
Always loved the combination of the faired in headlights with the fairing on the rear deck...
Liking that Macau special - Inspired me to suggest Sammio Shaaark...
I saw an Ozzie comedienne perform in Dracula's Bar in Melbourne (great night out!) a few years back and she told the following story, which works best if you imagine it in an eccentric, Australian female accent:
I went for a swim in the haaarbour today and I saw a shaaark.
And I found out why they're called shaaarks.
Because when you're swimming in the haarbour, and you see a shaaark, you don't know whether to shout shiiiiiiit! or fuuuuuck! so it comes out shaaaaaark!
Thinking of Spitfire based cars, I always thought the Spitfire Macau Special, built by Triumph as a one off in 1965, could provide some inspiration... The original is now owned by Canley Classics
Always loved the combination of the faired in headlights with the fairing on the rear deck...
Baz
Hi Baz,
How are you ?
Macau is interesting - I haven't seen that before...
I am not really a Triumph enthusiast - or wasn't. Initially they were chosen due to being dimensionally and financially viable for my concept.
I had no idea if they would be accepted as a suitable base car being over 30 years old but it seems they have been....
I was only going to put a handful of these cars together and sell them.........
The Spitfire is an obvious move forward.
I should have done it earlier really.
I have secured the chassis , Mike is going to put a body together for me over Xmas and I will start cutting and shutting as soon after that as possible.
I want to take advantage of the quiet period when every normal business around here is shut.
I'm hoping to have something roughed out by first or second week of January.
I have to get a painted roller at the very least ready for the show season....First one will probably get built up and sold to recoup costs.
Been giving the name some thought and I think I might stick with SAMMIO CORDITE - It was my first thought , is very relevant to the ground it is being developed on and has a very 50's Special sound to it.....
Gary, the Cordite shell is that a case of a spyder shell cut down to the 83" wheelbase of the spitfire (10" shorter) or have you got to take some out of the track as well. I'm thinking of a hillclimber/trackday machine on a lowcost chassis with a bike engine need to vent it some where I get a bit lairy in skippy, PAT
Gary, the Cordite shell is that a case of a spyder shell cut down to the 83" wheelbase of the spitfire (10" shorter) or have you got to take some out of the track as well. I'm thinking of a hillclimber/trackday machine on a lowcost chassis with a bike engine need to vent it some where I get a bit lairy in skippy, PAT
hI,
Yes basically the Spyder reduced in length and a cockpit shift to get gearsticks etc in the right place.....
sounds easy as I type it.....probably add doors too as an option.
Having had a look on the How Many Left? website, I have roughly found the following:
Herald's taxed on the road 2643, Heralds SORN 1359, Total 4002
Vitesse's taxed on the road 1434, Vitesse's SORN 606, Total 2040
Combined total 6042
Spitfire's Taxed on the road 4006, Spitfires SORN 3153, Total 7159
GT6's taxed on the road 888 GT6'S SORN 559, Total 1447
Combined total 8,606
So by extending the model range to cover the Spitfire/GT6 chassis as a basis for more Sammio's Gary will have a potential donor pool of vehicles in the order of 14,648 vehicles!
Having had a look on the How Many Left? website, I have roughly found the following:
Herald's taxed on the road 2643, Heralds SORN 1359, Total 4002
Vitesse's taxed on the road 1434, Vitesse's SORN 606, Total 2040
Combined total 6042
Spitfire's Taxed on the road 4006, Spitfires SORN 3153, Total 7159
GT6's taxed on the road 888 GT6'S SORN 559, Total 1447
Combined total 8,606
So by extending the model range to cover the Spitfire/GT6 chassis as a basis for more Sammio's Gary will have a potential donor pool of vehicles in the order of 14,648 vehicles!
Good business decision in my opinion.
Great website, hours of fun for any petrolhead!
I ran an old favourite through and now feel rather sad though: the Fiat 128-3p Berlinetta that I owned and loved in the early eighties now sports just five licenced and six SORN.
For those of you who've never seen one, it was a little front drive sports hatch with a high rev 1300 ohc motor. It was also the first ever production car to sport passive rear wheel steering, which FIAT patented and then sold on to Peugeot, who used it in the 306. The handling was pin sharp and I enjoyed throwing it around the mountain roads for about two years while I lived up in the highlands of Scotland.
With fond memories of my first one I bought a 'restoration project' in the late nineties, only to find it was too badly rusted to save. So, to my eternal shame, it was sold on to a banger racer...
I ran an old favourite through and now feel rather sad though: the Fiat 128-3p Berlinetta that I owned and loved in the early eighties now sports just five licenced and six SORN.
For those of you who've never seen one, it was a little front drive sports hatch with a high rev 1300 ohc motor. It was also the first ever production car to sport passive rear wheel steering, which FIAT patented and then sold on to Peugeot, who used it in the 306. The handling was pin sharp and I enjoyed throwing it around the mountain roads for about two years while I lived up in the highlands of Scotland.
With fond memories of my first one I bought a 'restoration project' in the late nineties, only to find it was too badly rusted to save. So, to my eternal shame, it was sold on to a banger racer...
a friend of mine had one as his first car hand me down from a parent,wow what a car he did everything he could to it,until the body work let it down,totally underestimated by everyone including the insurance companies at the time,i suppose they compared it to the 124 (later fso/lada)
the days when cars were different,and cars had a company 'character' had a 131 meself
must say i can't wait to see how the spitfire based kit turns out.
hope it turn out as good as the other sammios
Pretty keen to get going myself !
Interesting figures on the remaining Triumphs , I assume any cars that have been off the road since pre-SORN won't be necessarily included , but gives us an idea of survival.
The Cordite isn't going to be breath takingly different from the current Spyder - main body will look fairly similar , bonnet changes are the main thing.
Not sure whats going to happen yet , but something maybe a bit Maserati-ish , the lower fish mouth grille styling could work....
not sure really....will stick to 7'' headlight styling though ....probably !!
Lancia D25 is finding itself at the top of my list at the moment and will be a nice follow on from the 24 type Spyder looks...
