Having bucked the car industry’s trend towards monocoque construction with their Herald in 1959, creating a small sports car based on its components was a simple and cost effective way for Standard Triumph to earn American dollars with a cheaper companion to their larger 1961 2-litre TR4. The first prototype was produced by Italian stylist, Giovanni Michelotti, at his workshop in Turin in autumn 1960, and was actually built by cutting down a Triumph Herald although the production versions used a bespoke chassis design.
The Spitfire was announced at the 1962 Earls Court Motor Show and would go on, through four distinct updates, to be produced until 1980. A total of 314 332 were made.