BUYING GUIDE
Like the idea of a Spitfire but need more power and practicality? Then the GT6 should be at the top of your shopping list
W ith a handsome, low-slung body, straight-six power and a soundtrack to match, few British sports cars tingle the spine in quite the same way as the GT6 does. And yet it very nearly didn’t happen. Michelotti dropped off a prototype ‘GT4’ to Coventry in 1963 but it was clear that the four-pot unit wouldn’t be up to the job. So, in went the Vitesse’s straight-six and a star was born.
Unveiled in 1966, the MkI’s resemblance to the Spitfire is undeniable although the bonnet bulge was new thanks to the 2.0-litre unit tuned to develop 95bhp and 0-60mph 12 seconds.
Go for a MkI and you’ll get a cabin with lots of dials, a wooden dash and a heater – but little else; the focus was always on the driving experience. That said the Herald/Spitfire-derived rear suspension can cause alarming lift-off oversteer; hard driving can cause the rear wheels to tuck under. Triumph clearly realised it, too; it unveiled the MkII in 1969 with significantly re-worked rear suspension comprising a Rotoflex double wishbone-style arrangement. The engine was also upgraded to 104bhp thanks to a new cylinder head, camshaft and manifolds, while economy, brakes and interior were all improved.
The MkIII appeared a year later and would be the car’s final facelift. Not much changed under the skin although the more slippery MkIII was a bit quicker. A brake servo was added in 1973, as was a tweaked suspension system in line with the modifications made to the Spitfire MkIV.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
ANYTHING NEED REPLACING?
Interior trim is durable but Newton Commercial produces excellent kits, including a moulded carpet set (£497), if replacements are needed. A new headlining costs £115 and door trims £130 per pair. Seat refurbishment foam kits are £375-443 and cover kits £323-£971 depending on variant. The electrical system is very simple; broken and/or corroded bullet connectors are the usual culprits.
SUSS THE SUSPENSION
Ensure that the rubber-metal couplings on cars fitted with Rotoflex rear suspension are intact. Even the best ones (made by Metalastik, £200 apiece and now rarely available) last only 30,000 miles; cheaper ones can wear even faster. An upgrade to CV-jointed driveshafts is a more robust solution albeit at around £600. The rear wheel bearings run directly on the shaft of non-Rotoflex cars, so will wreck the half-shaft if they wear out and break up, leading to a £200 repair bill. Even replacing the bearings is tricky – it needs a heavy-duty hub pul
