Triumph Works Rally Spitfire ADU7B build information

BUILD DETAILS - December 1963 saw the re-introduction of the competition department at Triumph, with the decision being made to compete at Le Mans and famous tarmac rallies on the continent.

In preparation for the 1964 race season and in a development time of less than nine months, nine cars were built, four to compete at Le Mans, these being ADU 1B, 2B, 3B and 4B, a further four destined for the tarmac rallies, these being ADU 5B, 6B, 7B & ADU 467B, the ninth car, ADU 8B, was a test & development car that did not compete in any works competition events. An additional car, ADU 467B, was built for the use of the SMART racing team of Stirling Moss, this car was raced with some success by his secretary, Ms Valerie Pirie.

1965 saw a tenth car, AVC 654B, built for newly signed driver, Simo Lampinen, built to left hand specification at his request. This car was successful in the Monte Carlo rally, Geneva rally and with a 1296cc prototype engine in the Alpine rally.

For 1964 the rally were to run as Homologated cars and they started their life with an aluminium panelled steel body, an aluminium standard style bonnet, a close ratio Vitesse gearbox and the standard steel hardtop. After the first event, the Alpine rally of '64, the rally cars, with the exception of 467B, received a similar glass fibre top to the Le Mans cars and also a 18 gallon fuel tank, previously having had the normal production tanks, and for the Tour de France, they borrowed the bonnets from the Le Mans cars which were painted accordingly in Wedgewood Blue, to aid with the many high speed circuit races involved in the event.

For 1965 the rally cars were to compete within the prototype class, which allowed the 1296cc engine, they also reinstated the standard bonnet which also included two additional built-in auxiliary headlamps and a centre spot lamp.

INTRODUCTION

BUILD DETAILS AND

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

RALLIES ENTERED

1964 & 1965

and RESULTS

RESTORING

THE FORMER GLORY OF ADU 7B