Rear Belts on a Spitfire
Posted By : Vin Poonwassie, 03-Aug-2005, 06:53pm
Hi, GT6's occasionally had rear seat cusions in from the factory, sets a bit of presidence as the space behind the seats are the same for your
spitfire, not sure how that will work with the insurance company though. Seat belts can be fitted, but this will be a custom job as even the GT6's
didn't have rear seatbelts.... at the very least a lapbelt could be fitted,
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Rear Belts on a Spitfire
Posted By : Ian Mulford, 04-Aug-2005, 09:47am
I'm fairly certain that the space behind the seats cannot legally be used as a seat. I may be wrong.-
Rear Belts on a Spitfire
Posted By : Chris Wilson, 04-Aug-2005, 10:09am
This topic has been the subject of discussion before but I'm bu**ered if I can remember where!! I thought it was here on the message board but a quick search hasn't revealed anything. I agree with Ian (Mulford), the spitfire is classed as a two seater therefore there can be no seating area behind the drivers' and passengers' seats. Even if you were to occasionally use the rear area behind the seats for carrying someone, even with a belt of some description fitted, it would be a dangerous situation in the event of an accident, not to mention the insurance would most probably be void!!
Sorry to be so negative but I think if you posted this question on the legal issues message board, then Mike Crewes would most certainly give you the correct answer.
Regards-
Rear Belts on a Spitfire
Posted By : Jason Chinn, 04-Aug-2005, 10:27am
I seem to recall seeing this discussed somewhere too - I remember there were all sorts of tricky issues about body type, SVA tests for altering the seating capacity, inspections, insurance and all that. The bottom line was that to do it legally would involve much hassle and even then insuring it correctly would be difficult - to test this just phone up Footman James and ask them for a quote on an immaginary 4 seater Spitfire.
My solution would be to buy a Herald / Vitesse convertible or even a Stag for 4 and keep the Spit for 2
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Rear Belts on a Spitfire
Posted By : Christopher How, 04-Aug-2005, 10:29am
Isn't the spitfire classed as a 2+2?
Failing that, just put your son in the boot, or strap him to the bonnet
Chris
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Rear Belts on a Spitfire
Posted By : William Davies, 04-Aug-2005, 10:37am
Not a sound legal argumant, but there is another precedent in that all of the TRs up to the TR4 were available with an occasional rear seat. Anyone remember the 4-seat Spitfire (on a Herald chassis) which was at SEM a few years ago? I liked that, and I have thought about building one myself - you can never have too many uncompleted projects
Cheers,
Bill.-
Rear Belts on a Spitfire
Posted By : Andy Cook, 04-Aug-2005, 12:38pm
I once got pulled up by the Police for having someone in the back of a 1500 Spitfire and they were very clear in the lecture that followed that a Spitfire is only legally a two seater and I would technically be uninsured if I was carrying a passenger behind the rear seats. The copper went on to say that the balance of the car would be adversely affected with a rear passenger and therefore unsafe. At the time the question of rear seat belts didn't come into it as this happened in the early 80's and not many cars had rear seat belts back then. I wasn't quick thinking enough to give the example of the ocaisional rear seats in the back of a GT6 which is essentially the same design as a Spitfire!
They made my mate who was in the back get out and walk and the b*ggers also hung around for a while to make sure I didn't go around the block and pick him up again!
I reckon you could adapt a GT6 rear seat kit to fit a Spitfire fairly easily (if you an get hold of one that is) and you could also find/strengthen a suitable mounting point for a custom rear seat belt installation, however, I'm sure that legally and insurance wise that you would still have a problem.-
Rear Belts on a Spitfire
Posted By : Jackie Forsythe, 05-Aug-2005, 08:21am
So, is a GT6 with the seat in the back legal (if you get custom belts fitted)? Sorry, I know this is technically a GT6 question but it seems appropriate to this thread????
Jackie-
Rear Belts on a Spitfire
Posted By : Andy Cook, 05-Aug-2005, 01:48pm
My understanding is that it's legal to have rear paassengers if the car was intentionally manufactured with 4 seats. As the GT6 had an occaisional rear seat as an optional extra then it would be legal provided the optional seat kit is fitted. There is also no need for rear seat belts from a legal perspective as any Gt6 is old enough not to need them. From recollection, rear seat belts only became necessary on cars manufactured/registered from sometime in the mid 80's onwards and the law was not retrospective so any cars registered/manufactured before the cutoff date don't need rear seat belts by law.
Incidently, the same goes for front seat belts which were introduced as a requirement sometime during the 60's, if your car is old enough you don't have to have front seat belts fitted. Not sure what the cut off date is but I used to have a 1962 MINI and it had no seat belts fitted when I bought it and it was perfectly legal. I did however fit some and also I wouldn't carry the kids in the back of my GT6 either on the road without seat belts, it's too much of a risk. I have ocaisionally carried them in the back off road at TSSC events like Stafford though-
Rear Belts on a Spitfire
Posted By : Ian Johnson, 28-Mar-2006, 11:42am
I know this very late to add to the discussion, but for what it counts..
MGB GTs sometimes came with rear seats, so if you could bare to fit some heathen parts into you spitty I dare say one of these rear seats would fit, they are simply a padded board shaped to fit around the rear wheel arches.
Jules
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