In 2010 we visited the 90-year-old Spitfire Dick, who had bought, sold, scrapped, restored and thoroughly enjoyed 50 Triumph Spitfires and GT6s, rescuing and re-homing as many of them as he could. Now we return to get the story behind one of those cars.
Mel Carter is one of Spitfire Dick’s regular customers and friends, and bought both his current Triumphs from him as projects for full restorations. Dick is now 96, and after a spell in hospital has moved into a care home: we all wish him well and hope this is temporary, and that he’ll be rescuing some more Spitfires and bits this summer. (Although it’s probably time to stop moving engines around without a crane –you shouldn’t do that when you’re approaching 100.)
Mel’s first Dick-sourced Triumph is the red Spitfire pictured below and on p54. The GT6 is his second –it tempted him twice, and the second time he gave in. The first temptation to buy this 1970 GT6 Plus (as it’s known in North America) came about in 2001, when Mel was buying a few bits and pieces from Dick for a 1968 MkIII Spitfire he already owned and was restoring. Dick had brought the GT6 out of long-term dry storage, and was working towards getting it running and drivable before selling it on.
The car had been parked since 1980 and the then owner was more interested in finding someone to restore it than in the money. Mel would have loved to take it on, but as he was already in the middle of a Spitfire restoration he was sensible and resisted. He actually got to meet the GT6’s original owner though, when he dropped by his house to pick up the registration papers and some leftover hubcaps as a favour to Dick.
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