Stop Motion Engine Rebuild Makes it Look too Easy

12 years, 4 months ago - 3 July 2012, Autoblog

The Triumph Spitfire is an interesting piece of engineering. There's plenty to love about the pint-sized convertible. It weighs so little, an enraged internet writer can pick it up enough to scoot it sideways in the garage with his bare hands.

Early examples were drop dead gorgeous and foolishly simple to work on, and parts are perfectly easy to find. But there are drawbacks, though. For one, the machines are about as safe as trying to tie your shoe laces with a rusty blender, and reliability is a term we can confidently say was never muttered in the Triumph offices of the day.

Then there's the power problem. Four-cylinder models were propelled by an anemic 1.3-liter engine with around 75 horsepower when equipped with dual SU carbs. This isn't a machine we'd call quick.

Still, the cars command a surprising loyalty from fans, and one die-hard Spit owner recently went through the headache of completely tearing down and rebuilding the tiny four-pot. He was also kind enough to film the whole process in stop motion. The toil took 11 months, and the quick film features over 3,000 images.