Triumph Spitfire's Final Repose by CoreyBlack
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Description
It's sometimes amazing the things you find when you wander the back streets of your neighborhood. I have a tendency to stay within a certain radius of my own house when I move into any given area, venturing out into the rest of the city on a daily basis while mostly ignoring the full dimensions of where I live. Big city living can be a very transient proposition for those who rent rather than own. When you rent an apartment, like I always end up doing, you're at the mercy of many factors beyond your control, chief among them being how much the landlord raises your rent every year. Life, like Chicago landlords, can be capricious, and in the 28 years I've lived in this city I've moved 14 times. Needless to say, I don't really start exploring the full parameters of an area until I've lived there for several years. I've lived in Albany Park for almost 3 years now, and one afternoon last winter I took a stroll down an unfamiliar side street to see how lost I could get. Not very, as it turned out, because the street dead- ended at the Chicago River. In an overgrown lot behind some trees at the water's edge I was surprised to see the remains of two fairly rare cars: this 1970s vintage Triumph Spitfire,( a Mark 4, or possibly a 1500 series), and a 6.9 litre Mercedes 450 SEL from the same period. The sun was going down by the time I made pictures of them and half of the photos didn't turn out. I had intended to go back and make more pix in daylight, but couldn't manage until several weeks later. By that time, the City of Chicago, in a rare bout of municipal efficiency, had pruned the trees, mowed the grass and hauled the cars away. Sometimes you just can't win.
Photographed February 26, 2012.
Comments (11)
Chipka
I remember when you were working on this and I'm glad to see that it's up! Now, I have to figure out where this is, even though you SAID where it is. It's one of those things. I like the light in this one, the shadows and the colors, too...I'm not much into those automotive contrivances, and yet seeing them through somebody else's fascination is always fun. I love the rust and decay and the slight Urban Explorer vibe this has, and the POV is excellent. I like this.
KatesFriend
It's always a curious sight see the remains of an old car. "End of the road", may be an easy catch phrase but is also most fitting. It's rather sad really to see this venerable old vehicle left to rust all cold and alone. I think of all the places it might have been. Brand new, it would have just hit the streets in the last decade of the drive-in threatre - I know some still survive but really the 70's was the end of that era. How many productive citizens owe their existence to the back seat of this car?
auntietk Online Now!
The question above is easy to answer: the number of people who owe their existence to the back seat of this car (and uncountable others just like it) is precisely zero. Unless I'm mistaken, this car had no back seat. Still, I like the idea of the question. What are the chances of finding a car like this, one that's been sitting there for half of forever, and going back a few short weeks later and finding it gone? Bummer, dude. Still ... this is a wholly acceptable and interesting photograph. The tree trunk (or large branch?) and the green astroturf platform give it a bit of surrealism that I find quite pleasing!
bmac62
A great find Corey. Glad you got this pic before the city hauled it away. In the 1960s I owned three British sports cars...an Austin Healey and two Triumphs (TR-3B and TR-4A). They were fun cars but weren't much in winter weather...brrrrrrrr. British cars are almost a thing of the past. Companies that still exist have been bought by Germans or Chinese. Thanks for the memories:)
durleybeachbum
Sad end! I had several friends who had either these of Midgets, both extremely uncomfortable rides for someone of mt height, but great fun all the same. I do like this rather bizarre still life that it makes now.
whaleman
I never saw a hardtop model of the Spitfire in my Province, only the rag tops, and I well remember taking one for a test drive thinking to purchase it. The test drive convinced me to keep looking for an MGA which I eventually did buy, a 1959 model. The Spitfire was okay, the one I drove had been poorly maintained.
fallen21
Fantastic shot.
kgb224
Superb capture my friend. Pity it was gone though when you went back to photograph it again. God Bless.
flavia49
wonderful image
Fidelity2
It is amazing. Thanks. 5+!
ColdWarBaby
An excellent portrait of modernity and the purpose of consumerism. I actually owned a GT 6 Special for a while. Same size and design as a Spitfire but with an inline six instead of four. I was actually quite fond of it but it kept eating differentials, which were expensive and very hard to install. Between the CV joints and the crossover leaf spring for the independent rear suspension, it was really hard to do lying on one's back in the front yard.