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Max Brewster's 1979 Spitfire with Turbocharged 2.3L Ford Inline-Four

Max Brewster · 1979 Triumph Spitfire

Triumph Spitfire

britishv8.orgAs published in British V8 Magazine, Volume XVI Issue 1, May 2008

Read the full write-up at britishv8.org ↗

Photo: britishv8.org

A 1979 Triumph Spitfire rebuilt with a turbocharged Ford 2.3L four

Max Brewster swapped his Spitfire's engine for a turbocharged Ford 2.3L four, then built a custom coilover independent rear suspension and Mazda RX7-based brakes and differential to handle the extra power. The write-up is notable for its detailed junkyard-parts engineering, including a machined spindle adapter and a reworked GT6 bonnet for engine clearance.

Specs

As the owner states it.

Engine
2.3L Ford Turbo, factory rated 190 HP and 240 lb ft torque @3400 RPM
Fuel Injection
Upgraded to Turbo T-bird VAM, with computer and temperature sensor
Wiring Harness
From 1986 Merkur XR4Ti
Intake
Modified for clearance, stock cam, Porsche 944 intercooler
Exhaust
Side pipe
Cooling
Griffin aluminum radiator
Transmission
Borg Warner T5 5-speed with 0.79:1 overdrive, custom driveshaft, Triumph clutch hydraulics
Rear Axle
Second generation Mazda RX7 differential housing with first generation limited slip third member, 3.909:1 gear ratio
Front Suspension
Stock Triumph
Rear Suspension
Custom coilover IRS with unequal length control arms and custom antisway bar, designed by owner
Brakes (master)
Stock Triumph master cylinder with adjustable proportioning valve
Brakes (front)
1989 Mazda RX7 GXL 11 inch rotors and 4-piston calipers
Brakes (rear)
10 inch ventilated rotors with single piston calipers
Wheels/Tires
16x7 Rage 5-spoke aluminum wheels with 205x40x16 BFG g-Force tires
Instruments
Cobra style 160 MPH electronic speedometer and boost gauge, stock Smiths gauges for fuel, temp, oil pressure, etc.
Body
1968 GT6 bonnet section raised and welded to Spitfire bonnet, aluminum front air dam, relocated hinged rear license plate concealing receiver hitch
Interior
Mazda Miata seats
Weight
2080 pounds
Completed
November 2004, approximately 20,000 miles driven as of January 2008

Parts used

What the owner names in the write-up, grouped the way the Parts page groups them. Where one of the shops we index lists the same thing for this car, it is shown underneath with a link to the shop.

Engine 2

  • Ford 2.3L Turbo engineFord

    Base engine for the swap, factory rated 190 HP and 240 lb ft torque

  • Porsche 944 intercooler

    Fitted to the turbo system for charge cooling

Fuel & Ignition 1

  • Turbo T-bird VAM fuel injection system

    Used to upgrade the engine's fuel injection, computer and temperature sensor

Cooling 1

  • Griffin aluminum radiatorGriffin

    Used for engine cooling

Gearbox & Drivetrain 5

Suspension & Steering 3

  • Custom coilover independent rear suspension

    Designed by owner with unequal length control arms

  • Custom rear antisway bar

    Designed and fabricated by owner for the rear IRS

  • Shortened CV axles

    Rebuilt to shorter length by a local vendor to narrow the rear suspension without cutting originals

Brakes 3

Wheels & Tyres 2

  • Rage 5-spoke aluminum wheelsRage

    16x7 wheels fitted to the car

  • BFG g-Force tiresBFGoodrich

    205x40x16 tires fitted to the Rage wheels

Body & Trim 2

Interior 1

Electrical 3

Photos

All 27 pictures in the write-up, in the order they were posted, shown from britishv8.org. A picture opens larger here, with the way through to the page it is on.

Max Brewster's 1979 Spitfire with Turbocharged 2.3L Ford Inline-FourPhoto: britishv8.org
Porsche 944 intercoolerPhoto: britishv8.org
Ford 2.3L turbo EFIPhoto: britishv8.org
Griffin aluminum radiatorPhoto: britishv8.org
flapper air flow sensorPhoto: britishv8.org
Triumph GT6 center section with Spitfire sides.Photo: britishv8.org
1989 Mazda RX7 GXL 11 inch rotors and 4-piston calipersPhoto: britishv8.org
original spitfire spindlePhoto: britishv8.org
modified Mazda spindle for SpitfirePhoto: britishv8.org
rear suspension (overview)Photo: britishv8.org
front of differential / parking brake cablesPhoto: britishv8.org
rear suspensionPhoto: britishv8.org
rear swaybar bracket from abovePhoto: britishv8.org
rear swaybar bracket from belowPhoto: britishv8.org
rear swaybar connectionPhoto: britishv8.org
Racing Star Lightwheel / 205/40R16 BF Goodrich TiresPhoto: britishv8.org
Triumph Spitfire dashboardPhoto: britishv8.org
Mazda Miata seatsPhoto: britishv8.org
Triumph GT6 center section with Spitfire sides.Photo: britishv8.org
fabricated aluminum air damPhoto: britishv8.org
side pipePhoto: britishv8.org
before picture of a Spitfire 1500Photo: britishv8.org
Glenwood Springs Rallye, Independence PassPhoto: britishv8.org
Colorado ConclavePhoto: britishv8.org
Second Creek race trackPhoto: britishv8.org
Spitfire trailerPhoto: britishv8.org
Donate Now!Photo: britishv8.org

How it was done

Starting point

The Spitfire began as a stock car until a steep hill convinced Max an engine swap was necessary. He decided to fit a turbocharged Ford 2.3L four in place of the original engine.

Engine and fuel system

The 2.3L Ford Turbo, factory rated at 190 HP, was fitted with upgraded Turbo T-bird VAM fuel injection, a computer and temperature sensor, and wiring from a 1986 Merkur XR4Ti. A Porsche 944 intercooler was added, the intake was modified for clearance, and a Griffin aluminum radiator handled cooling.

Drivetrain

Power goes through a Borg Warner T5 five-speed with 0.79:1 overdrive, a custom driveshaft, and Triumph clutch hydraulics. Max chose a second-generation Mazda RX7 differential housing with a first-generation limited-slip third member and 3.909:1 gears, picked because its bearing housings could be removed for mounting custom control arms.

Rear suspension

Max designed a custom coilover independent rear suspension with unequal length control arms and a custom antisway bar. Using the stock RX7 housings let him also keep the Mazda brakes and handbrake cables. A local CV axle rebuilder matched shorter axles to narrow the suspension without cutting the originals.

Front brakes and spindles

To fit 1989 Mazda RX7 GXL 11 inch rotors and 4-piston calipers up front, Max machined a spindle combining the Triumph tapered shaft with the Mazda rotor profile, and built an adapter plate to mount the calipers.

Bodywork for clearance

To clear the engine, Max parted out a Triumph GT6 and welded its bonnet center section, raised about an inch higher than stock, onto the Spitfire bonnet sides. He also cut down and rotated the upper intake manifold 90 degrees before welding it to the lower intake.

Interior, wheels and finishing

Mazda Miata seats were fitted, along with a Cobra style 160 MPH electronic speedometer, a boost gauge, and stock Smiths gauges. The car rides on 16x7 Rage five-spoke wheels with 205/40/16 BFG g-Force tires, finished with an aluminum front air dam and a relocated, hinged rear license plate hiding a receiver hitch.

Ongoing plans

Completed in November 2004 and driven about 20,000 miles by January 2008, the car still needs a finished interior with wood dash and carpet. Max plans to rebuild the transmission with different gearing, is fabricating a roll bar, and has started building a Spitfire-based trailer for extra luggage room.

A summary in our own words. The full account, with all its detail, is the owner's: read it at britishv8.org ↗

Worth knowing

  • Using complete junkyard assemblies, like the RX7 differential housing, made it easier to reuse matching brakes and handbrake parts.
  • Choosing a differential with removable outer bearing housings simplified attaching custom control arms.
  • Having a specialist rebuild shorter CV axles avoided the weakness of cutting and welding the originals.
  • Machining an adapter spindle let stock Triumph uprights accept Mazda brake rotors directly.
  • Reworking a GT6 bonnet section solved engine clearance without a full custom bonnet build.

britishv8.org

Read in full on 5 September 2026. The work, the words and the pictures are Max Brewster’s; this page is a catalogue of them in our own words, and a signpost.

Read the full write-up at britishv8.org ↗

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