Triumph Spitfire 1969 donor Leaf 2016 30kwh 80kw
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Not quite ready, but wheels are turning now!
I tried to use the Leaf reduction gearbox. Unfortunately there was no space. So there is now a straight shaft from the bare motor to the rear diff. The motor wont run on optimal RPM, but the original Spitfire engine produces 70 hp at 6000 Rpm, so I hope this will be OK. The car is very low and uses a leaf spring over the rear axels. So putting the complete drivetrain in the rear would be too much work for me. Spring 2026, it will be rolling. -
Looks great! Did you cut the gearbox in half?
Just be aware that torque is linear with gear ratio, so you will have 8x less torque at the wheels than the original leaf (assuming same size wheels). Does the spitfire rear diff have gear reduction?
@isak Thanks! I really tried to put the motor in the rear with the whole gearbox including diff and axles, but the Spitfire has a leaf spring above the rear diff acting as both support and spring for the rear wheels. So then I decided to put the motor in the front and tried to use at least the first reduction on the second axle after the rotor. But.. The motor unit with the second axle was just a little bit too offset on one side. The driveshaft running to the back just has 8mm clearance on both sides from the frame. Bummer. But the Spitfire seems to have quite heavy reduction on the rear diff and now when I have driven it for the first time, It feels OK and peppy. I wont get all the horsepower out of the motor but the original engine was a 70 Hp design from the 50s. So I'm OK with my choice. The car is now a bit low in the rear, due to the batteries, so I will add a pair of coil over dampers, to lift it up slightly. -Stand by for spring updates
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