1968-1980 Triumph Spitfire / TR6 — MPG & Fuel Facts NO OFFICIAL EPA RATING

The EPA's public fuel-economy dataset only goes back to 1984 — the 1968-1980 Triumph Spitfire / TR6 predates it, so there is no government-rated MPG number for this car anywhere, including here.

Estimated 17–33 MPG combined.

The small four-cylinder Spitfire and the six-cylinder TR6 sit at opposite ends of this range: the EPA rated the 1.5L Spitfire at 21-22 city/32-33 highway in the 1975 and 1978 guides, while Hagerty's account of a 1969 Motor magazine TR6 test (originally imperial gallons, converted to US) works out to roughly 17-23 mpg overall - genuinely different cars sharing one entry because the site groups them together.

This is our estimate, not an EPA rating — built from the period road tests, marque-specialist guides and corroborated owner reports cited below, hedged where sources vary. Treat it as a ballpark for planning, not a spec to rely on.

The Spitfire (1.3L through 1973, 1.5L from 1973 on) and the TR6 (2.5L inline six) are mechanically unrelated apart from badge and era - the Spitfire is a lightweight economy roadster, the TR6 a heavier, more powerful grand-touring sports car, so it isn't surprising their fuel economy diverges sharply.

For the Spitfire we have genuine EPA figures from both editions we reviewed directly: the 1975 Gas Mileage Guide lists it at 21 city/32 highway, and the 1978 guide lists it at 22 city/33 highway (26 combined) - two independent government test years agreeing closely. Hagerty's Spitfire buyer's guide separately describes 'the 30+ mpg fuel economy' of the earliest Mk I/II cars.

For the TR6, no EPA figure turned up in either guide we could access directly - Triumph appears to have dropped it in favor of the TR7 by the years those editions cover. Hagerty's TR6 profile quotes a 1969 Motor magazine road test at 20.8 mpg overall / 28 mpg 'touring' - UK imperial gallons, which convert to roughly 17.3/23.3 US mpg. Independent UK road-test reprints (Classics World) of 1971 and 1973 TR6 tests report 19.8-20 mpg imperial (about 16.5-16.7 US mpg), reinforcing that the TR6 sits toward the bottom of this combined range.

All UK-sourced period-test figures here were originally reported in imperial gallons and have been converted to US mpg (roughly x0.83) for consistency with the rest of this site; treat the exact figures as approximate given both the unit conversion and the usual gap between magazine test-track conditions and everyday driving.

Sources: EPA/FEA, 1975 Gas Mileage Guide for New Car Buyers, via Internet Archive · EPA, 1978 Gas Mileage Guide (2nd ed., Feb 1978), via Internet Archive · Hagerty Media, "Your Handy 1962-80 Triumph Spitfire Buyer's Guide" · Hagerty Media, "In Defense of the Triumph TR6" (citing a 1969 Motor magazine test) · Classics World, "Road Test - 1973 Triumph TR6"

All classics Search Triumph Spitfire / TR6 on FuelFacts (in case a later model year is in our 1984+ EPA data)