A Herald in a party frock, or a great British sports car for the masses? The Triumph Spitfire pulled off the trick of being both, its pretty Michelotti-designed body periodically tweaked to keep it looking fresh throughout its 18-year production run.

Like its chief rivals, the Sprite and Midget, it represented affordable, wind-in-the-hair motoring with the emphasis on fun over outright performance.

Introduced in 1962, the Spitfire 4 (latterly known as the Mk 1) embodied the essence of carefree motoring.

With its sleek lines and low-slung profile, it exudes a sense of timeless elegance.

It was closely based on the Herald saloon, inheriting that model's backbone chassis and all-independent suspension (front double wishbones; rear transverse leaf swing-axle arrangement) and the entire bonnet and wings assembly hinged forward providing unparalleled access to the engine and front suspension.

Motivation was provided by an 1,147cc inline-four, all-iron pushrod unit with twin SU carburett...