Corgi VA06712 Triumph Spitfire – 1964 Alpine Rally – Terry Hunter and Patrick Lier

Triumph entered three Spitfires for the 1964 Alpine Rally, the car’s rally debut. All were fitted with aluminium panels, Vitesse close-ratio gearboxes, hardtops, and aluminium cylinder heads. Initially they performed well, however a car driven by a Belgian tourist crashed into Jean-Jacques Thuner and John Gretener’s car, whilst Roy Fidler and Don Grimshaw’s blew its engine, leaving only Terry Hunter and Patrick Lier. They had an almost perfect rally, however, they were held a little too long at the Entreveux service halt and the team then slightly underestimated a section time, meaning the pair missed out on a coveted ‘Coupe des Alpes’ by one minute.