FULL REPORT ON THE GOODWOOD 73RD MEMBERS MEETING NOW COMPLETE
GOODWOOD 73RD MEMBERS’ MEETING
What a fabulous weekend we had at Goodwood. Not too many people, freedom to wander wherever you wanted – even including grid walks, nice warm halls with hot food to enable you to get warm, absolutely amazing cars and excellent racing. What more could you want? – well, warmer weather I suppose. My full report will follow shortly.
Graham Robson leads Rae Davis in practice in their WSMs
and Ian Burford (Lumbertubs) leads David Wylie (Speedwell)
THE RESTORATION OF 9253 WD ON CAR S.O.S
Due to appear on Thurs, 9th April at 8 p.m. on the National Geographic Channel is the CAR S.O.S. programme’s rebuild of Jonathan Whitehouse-Bird’s ex-Pedro Rodriguez Sebring car. You can view a snippet on http://youtu.be/luoFiGkhRbw
(The standard Mark 2 of Michael Meerlo was, I believe used for comparison purposes.)
CONGRATULATIONS to DAC 952C which first raced at Sebring exactly 50 years ago last weekend.
A 750cc Coventry Climax engine & Shorrock supercharger were recently offered on ebay but failed to get a bid. Asking was £900. Follow it up if you like.
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While at Goodwood over the weekend I visited Ted Walker’s Ferret Fotographics stall and discovered a photo marked on the back ’64NSCC Silv – Cole’. I wonder if this could be the Peter Cole that Bob Hinchliffe was enquiring about. The same car, UMW 685 is also on another of Ted’s photos, driven by Jeff Goodliffe at Wiscombe Park in Sept 1962, right. I wonder what became of it.
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Trevor McIlroy tells me that the ex-Mike Youles, ex-Paul Tarry Sebring which displayed JT 51 in homage to the late Peter Clark “has made its way, via Julius Thurgood, across to the emerald isle”. It is now owned by Will Corry who “intends to compete in the Irish Historic race series”.Trevor took these photos on Sunday “at the first Cars & Coffee meeting at the Maze Race Course in the City of Lisburn Co. Antrim”. We wish Will every success with the little car.
Sven Eckhardt has pointed out that the ex-Bowen Replica is for sale at 22,500 Euros through Robert Visser’s company, Carrosso
Peter Cole’s FJ-engined Sprite
Bob Hinchliffe reminisces about a special day he spent at Silverstone in 1963. See his letter in “Your Comments“. Can anyone tell us more? Feedback if you can please.
Cynthia Longhurst (partner of the late Ian Ashfield) has kindly offered to get a friend to put CAR S.O.S. on disc for us.
For those with access to the National Geographic Channel
on CAR S.O.S is to be “Stirling Moss Sprite Special ~
Tim & Fuzz fix up a historic racing car, the Austin Healey Sebring Sprite so that Sir Stirling Moss can get back behind the wheel!”
~ to be shown on Thurs, 9th April at 8 p.m.
(repeated Fri, 10th April at 1 a.m. and Sat 11th April at 4 p.m.)
SPRITE MARK 1 DASH COWLS – NOW SOLD
Though very hard to find these days, there there have been both LHD and RHD cowls available on ebay. The LHD one (left) is #171711330617 and fetched £40 andthe RHD one (right) is #301556428969 and fetched £128, both expired Sunday 15th.
PHILIP YOUNG
It is with great sadness that I have to report the death of Philip Young that maverick historic rally organiser who took us on the Monte Carlo Challenge, the Classic Marathon and many other fascinating events. Apparently Philip fell from a motor cycle while organising his “Road to Mandalay” rally out in Burma. Tom Coulthard tells me: “there is an Italian website where someone comments with evident authority that Philip was shuttling between customs posts trying to iron out problems at the border crossing, which has been closed for years. He had jumped on the back of a local motorbike – without a helmet, of course – and had fallen off at relatively low speed, hitting his head badly”.
Read more at: http://www.endurorally.com/pages/philip-young
1961 SEBRING
Charlie Clegg sent me this link to Jack Mahall’s 1961 Sebring photos with many shots of the Sprites that year.
Brett Pruitt in Hawaii just told me of this advert for WJB 707:
http://www.sportscarillustrated.com/News_2015/E/news15E_0405.html
Word gets around!
Having just realised that his W & P brochure could be worth £107 Graeme Williams (son of Charlie) has kindly shared his copy with us before filing it safely away!
487 CKP
You guys were quick off the mark with your answers to my question below. Many thanks to David Scothorn, Steve Nash, Ian Grainger, John Sprinzel and Maarten Krikken. The facts: 487 CKP was driven by Ray Brookes navigated by R. Wells-West and finished 25th overall and 3rd in class behind Sprinzel in PMO 200 and Wisdom in YAC 940, the 3 Sprite team cleaning up – the only time that happened for quite some years. Mark is preparing an article for the motor racing blog: http://primotipo.com
487 CKP
Mark Bisset in Adelaide is trying to identify the driver and navigator of this Sprite No.105 in the 1958 Alpine Rally – Sprinzel won the class.
Feedback please.
Remember this mystery car mentioned in July 2012 ~ looks like it could be the same car (110 JHA) in Ian Turner’s photo lower down this page on right
WSM 203
is still for sale in Japan
(at £95k) see Car & Classic
I can provide more info if anyone is interested.
JAX 12 in the hands of Jack Wolchover (left)
and the Brians with their creations, a photo taken from the Plastic Surgery article, below
“NEW” ARTICLES
Someone kindly sent me a copy of Classic & Sportscar for Sept 1993 containing this article, right, entitled Plastic Surgery about the 2 Brians – Archer and Wheeler at the time the Sebring kit and Wheeler bodyshell were first on the market.
Left is another article, this time from Stephen Bowen’s collection of Sebring records and taken from Collector’s Car in June 1980 – and written by John Sprinzel.
Graham Robson’s WSM now has its new stripe and only awaits its race numbers for Goodwood and, right, Ian Burford leaves the pits while testing Tubby, the Lumbertubs Sprite.
I hear Dan Paul and Colin Barnett will be spectating with me.
Graham Robson has been out practicing his Sebring at Goodwood in readiness for the 73rd Members Meeting on March 21-22 where he will drive his WSM. [Photo: John Baggott] I’ll be there – anyone else coming?
URGENTLY WANTED
Pete Fletcher is urgently in need of the outer sections of the Frogeye rear wheel arches for his car. None of the main distributors seem to have any in stock. Can anyone help?
If so please email him
2 INTERESTING PHOTOS FROM IAN TURNER.
On the left in 1965 is the very sad looking 1413 WD of Arthur Appleby which had been the Ecurie Ecosse Le Mans car 4 years earlier alongside Peter Smith’s Speedwell GT. Right are B. White and R.Eccles at Mallory Park in Oct 1969. I’ve not seen that coupe before and which driver is in which car?
Bob Kemp has sent me a number of photos of ENX 416C, one of the 1965 Le Mans Sprites as it was when discovered in Scotland by Dennis Welch. Seems incredible someone would let such an important car deteriorate to that extent – but it looks a bit different now. Thanks Bob.
Femi Odutolu is building this Sebring Fastback and has now decided to install a K Series engine, leaving him with a surplus 1275. It has been stripped down, bored out to 1330cc, and has a set of used +60 omega pistons. The crankshaft is wedged and new camshaft bearings have been installed. All the parts are there with the exception of the front and back plates and carburettors. He is looking for £350 – email him if you are interested. NOW SOLD (31Mar15)
MG & TRIUMPH SPARES DAY – MARCH 1st – STONELEIGH
Hoards of enthusiasts braved the cold, damp weather to gather in 4 large halls to devour the feast of cars and spare parts on Sunday. The Tifosi SS was again present, but the car of most interest to me was the ex-Alec Poole “one-eyed Sprite”, newly restored, after many silent years, by James Thacker and friends. A new web page coming I think.
