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TRIUMPH SPECIALISTS |
JIGSAW LeMans Triumph Spitfire ADU 1B SPARES, REPAIRS, RESTORATIONS, PERFORMANCE AND RACE PREPARATION |
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..a place to locate parts, standard, fast road and performance, for you car
.. recent introductions of new parts
.. a place to find the comprehensive range of services on offer, including:- repairs, restorations, race preparation and Four wheel alignment
LE MANS TRIUMPH SPITFIRE ADU1B .. build, technical info and races we have attended
Race Series with whom we race ADU1B
Updated January 2008
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A chance find, made some fourteen years ago was to set in motion a chain of events that would culminate in ADU1B once again racing at Le Mans, and as luck would have it the 40th Anniversary of the Spitfires first competing there.
The chance find in question was a set of four magnesium alloy wheels found at a local car boot sale, where they were being sold for the tyres! Although at the time of purchase Mark was not entirely sure what he had come upon, he scoured his Triumph reference books and sort the advise of Bernard Robinson at the TSSC HQ, they were verified as originals, and thus Mark commenced a project, with at that time, unknown duration and expense.
The initial step in the project was to gather and collate as much information and photographic material as possible on the Triumph Spitfires from 1964 & 1965, thereafter we were able to turn photographic material and modern day fabricated items into actual pieces for the car. The first panel to be fabricated was the bonnet, and with the help of a young panel beater, a copy was made of the uniquely styled bonnet.
Whilst the bonnet was in production, 1996 saw the birth of JIGSAW Racing Services as a full time business for Mark, and the star exhibit at the inaugural open day was the newly fabricated bonnet, this lead in turn to an invitation to exhibit on the TSSC stand at the NEC Classic Car Show. At which point the decision was made to make and exhibit the chassis alongside the bonnet, although at the time not realising quite how different the 1964 chassis was to the standard MkI unit.
Help came from Germany, when, now very good
friend, Michael Moenstermann
offered to send copies of pictures he had of the unique chassis.
The recreation of ADU1B was soon to throw other obstacles in the path of production, particularly with the fastback roof. However, once again Michael Moenstermann, owner of ADU7B one of the works Rally Spitfires, came to our rescue when he offered the loan of the roof from ADU7B to make a mould. Michael has also been invaluable in tracking down other parts, like the 70X cylinder head, camshaft and so forth. Whilst the roof panel was under manufacture, all of the other body tub panels were under production, all being made by hand in aluminium, these include the front valance, doors, rear wings, rear valance and boot hatch. The steel floor pans, bulkhead and screen frame were repaired as required.
As reality struck that AUD1B was to be an exact,
and not 'lookey likely' car, so did the fact that original parts and components
would be increasingly difficult to find and purchase. Headlamps for
instance are vertical dip with 'Le Mans 24 Hours' written on them. As for
the
To keep to the originality of components, the gearbox and rear axle with Salisbury differential were built to works specification, by one of the original Triumph Competition section employees.
Identity change Over the time span of the build, the car has gone through a slight change of identity. From the outset, the car was to be a replica of ADU 3B, due to the amount of information available, and its colour scheme. 1965 saw ADU 3B with a white nose and strip, but most people seem to copy the team car with a yellow front, and we wanted to be different. However, once there was confirmation that ADU 3B was in France and under restoration, we altered our plans, took time to establish that ADU 1B definitely no longer existed, and changed our plans to copy that car. However, we did not stick with the proper nose colour for ADU 1B, white 1964 & Yellow 1965, as we felt red was so much more dramatic in photographs, particularly when in colour, thus the present 'not to true' nose colour.
A number of other items in the car are not original, but these changes have come about due to regulations concerning safety when racing, including the harness's, full roll cage, seat and cut off switches, although original items were sources during the project and kept for safe keeping.
Praise is our reward With an entry secured for the Le Mans Classic July 2004 it was a requirement of entry to have FIA papers for the car, although we have always called our car a replica, the powers that be considered that enough original and genuine parts had been found and used in the manufacture, to be classified as 'original'. Such praise was indeed our reward. We later discovered that we were able to re-unite the car with its original number plate, and today ADU1B is a car truly worthy of its number plate and heritage.
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Le Mans 2004
Race Dates
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Having
sourced a suitable MkI Spitfire, for chassis and body tub, it then took three
weeks of measuring, cutting and welding to fabricate the 'cow horn' style front
of the 1964 car, but the hard work paid off and the bonnet and chassis were
exhibited together for the first time.
engine, although we had various original components, it was decided to get
them copies, so saving the unique parts for future reference. In some
cases items were specifically made including valves, springs, collets and head
studs. Other components were sourced as 'new old stock' including con
rods, Weber 42DCOE carburettors, likewise brake callipers.
The
original wheels, the catalyst to the whole project, were deemed too fragile and
precious to race on, so JIGSAW commissioned Compomotive Wheels to
remanufacture them. The new rims are made in very light alloy, and are
only slightly heavier than the originals.
The
rims finished in Jaguar Old English White as 1964, and to ensure that current
tyre profiles fit the rims, they were manufactured as 5 1/2J units.