We now have 55 Sebring replicas pictured in the Replica Gallery
Graeme Maggs’ Sebring Fastback is making rapid progress having just returned from the paint shop, and is now to be fitted up over the next couple of weeks before final polishing. The car will then go on the market for sale. Graeme’s website can be viewed at: http://www.sebring-classics.co.uk/
LAST CHANCE TO GET CHEAPER TICKETS FOR THE SILVERSTONE CLASSIC (25/26/27 JULY) ENDS MONDAY, MARCH 31ST
Join us in the Midget & Sprite Club area at lunchtime on the Saturday for a get-together of Sebring and other Special Sprites. Use MASC Code C14044 to buy your ticket.
Steve Coleman’s 1969 ex-works Sebring/Le Mans car and Targa Florio cars will be on show at the circuit coming all the way from Texas..
4 new photos of HAN8-R-202 kindly supplied by Dr. Rick Moses of the Austin-Healey Sprite Registry of the USA.
Believed taken during the period 1983 to 85 by then owner Bill Wood they show the “display” car pretty much as it is today.
2 NEW ARTICLES SUPPLIED BY JOE ARMOUR
Firstly “The amazing marathon MG Midget” – about John Sprinzel’s marathon drive with Roy Fidler, and, right, an article from CCC when their team built a Lenham Le Mans Coupe.
Newly completed Sebring Fastback For Sale £21,995
It certainly appears to be finished to a very high standard – pity about the late-type dashboard, but I’m being picky now.
This is the Steve Griffiths, Severn Classics car DTA 949C.
[Spotted by John Egan, Pete Fletcher & Tim Halket, on ebay]
Bob Kemp has also supplied this record of the ex-works HAN8-R-202 showing that Lynn (& Bill) Wood acquired the car in 1983 and possibly from Royston.
Laurent Soubirac’s alloy-bodied replica (#3) is for sale at €56k having raced it in the “Dix Milles Tours du Castellet”,the “Pau Ville” and other races.
RTL 304
Bob Kemp (Austin-Healey Club UK Sprite Registrar) kindly sent in these photos given to him in the early 80’s by a former owner of this lovely Sebring, Peter Ecury.
Brett Pruitt has acquired John Sprinzel’s Hawaii-based Frogeye and has decided to convert it to the spec of John’s 1958 Alpine Rally car. Consequently he is looking for:
i) Delaney Gallay oil cooler (see photo)
ii) A ‘Universal’ hardtop
iii) RKN Swedish seat belts, full harness, which Speedwell imported
iv) Ferodo VG95/1 brake linings (shoes)
v) Side hood vents from a 1950-54 Austin A70 Hereford
vi) Speedwell Badge (see Photo)
vii) Replica 24 hour RAF/Smiths type clock with the second hand on a button.
He also needs a code number for BMC Iris Blue, a Speedwell rocker box badge/label, and wants to identify a decal in the lower left of the windscreen (I think it is in fact an electrical demister strip).
If you can help please contact Brett by email. Thanks.
BUILDING A SEBRING FASTBACK by Patrick Harris
119 UXK
Philip Zamlynski’s Sebring Coupe is finally heading for the spray shop and he hopes to complete its final assembly in the coming months.
The ex-David Jamouillie Fastback seen at Angouleme in 2009 is now owned by Patrick MISTOU. Chris of Nostalgic British Cars, Toulouse, France is currently seeking a new windscreen for it.
Graham Robson has already been out at Goodwood with his new Fastback. It is featured in some of the publicity for the 72nd Members Meeting. [Photos by Andy Craig]
Tom Coulthard helps out with an answer to the B & W photo of PMO (see below right).
See “Your Comments“
Tom Coulthard has also, I suspect, come up with the answer to my query below: “The only Elite in the 1965 12 Hours of Sebring was apparently a US entry by Crespi Motors (No. 64) which retired with broken steering. It does look implausibly high on the sandbank (? at Webster’s or at the hairpin?) in the shot with the streamliner, but this pic looks much less dramatic: http://www.racingsportscars.com/photo/1965/Sebring-1965-03-27-064.jpg “
Many thank, Tom.
RECENT SALES PAGE
I was pleased to discover this may be useful when confirming values for insurance purposes.
1965 Sebring photo in Henry Camicasca Collection.
I have long been mystified by this photo which appears to show a car airborne behind DAC 952C at Sebring. Looks a bit like a Lotus Elite? Feedback me if you can help.
Maarten Krikken came across this advert in a copy C&SC from 1994. XNB 712 was offered for sale by Porters of Kensington (now in Japan)
200 PMO ??
Ivo Cappon sent this interesting photo of PMO with reg no. reversed! See Ivo’s Facebook page for his new project.
photo: ctsy of Ton Blankespoor
After considerable development by Mike Youles, Meredith is reluctantly offering for sale his race car project which includes the modified Fastback body with opening boot, Rolls Royce rear lights, lightweight doors, and a rare bonnet which takes 5″ headlights. It comes complete with the 1962 donor shell, engine and gearbox, period registration and documents.
Having spent over £6,000 in its development he is looking for offers over that figure. Email him
HEALEY FIESTA & ESCORT
Did you know there were a Healey Fiesta and Escort? Well David Matthews has just published a 24 page article about these cars – see the flyer on left. To obtain a copy priced at £5 go to www.wwah.org
!979 Silverstone Test Day
Dave Matthews (on far right) tells me there was also an open ex-works Sprite (metallic blue) in the pits. What car can that have been? Feedback
Hiroshi Takemori has sent me this photo of the CCK, ex-Paul Johnson, Rep (99) now owned by Katsuhiro Sugimoto who lives near Yokohama in Japan
Richard Rooks kindly sent in this photo to show how the screen of the W & P Speedwell GT (furthest away) has a different inclination to that of the CMC car (foreground)
Joe Armour (from Australia) kindly sent in this article from the American “Healey Marque” featuring the 3 Healeys which raced at Sebring in 1965. He owns the Healey 3000 today.
Graham Maggs’ Fastback being prepped for painting – fully restored seats are ready and waiting to go in.
RARE BMC mag wheels
Set of 4 sold on ebay
in the USA at $2175 (approx £1,300) [Paul Webb]
Speedwell GT page has now been re-designed and largely completed. Other Speedwell pages will be up-dated soon.
JOHN BAGGOTT has for sale a special ‘A’ Series inlet manifold to fit HS4 1½” SUs. He wants £40 incl p + p SOLD
Steve Norton of Cape International has taken over the Dave Grove replica, #37, 603 MUY pictured right.
Toyota T50 5 speed gearbox on ebay would suit Sprite.
SOLD at £199
16th March
In this month’s “Safety Fast” magazine, Dennis Wharf interviews Alan Goodwin, the “Al” in Aldon including his ownership of the ex-works Sprite 693 LAC back in 19666/7. I have added extracts from the article to my web page
Dave Matthews sent me these 2 photos of a Mk 1 Sprite fitted with one of the original Lenham GTO rear ends, and now owned by Azuma Murayama who lives near Yokohama in Japan. [Photos were supplied to him by John Shepherd who runs the Lenham Register in Australia]
Pete Taylor kindly drew my attentiuon to this photo, now withdrawn from ebay, of the ‘works’ Targa Sprite TFR 7 engine bay (HAN9-R-250)
Pierre Lequeux directed me to this very unusual bonnet on Gumtree – it looks very like Gerry Coker’s original design for the Frogeye! GONE
MG & Triumph spares day at Stoneleigh Sunday 2nd March
It was a hectic day at Stoneleigh taking me 3/4 hour just to get into the car park. Masses of stalls with new or old spares and lots of display cars. The latter included several Sprites masquerading as MGs including the Skipworth Ecurie Ecosse car, Geoff Hill with his now fully upholstered WSM Sanction 2, plus another on the MGOC stand, and the Tifosi Sebring (can it call itself a Sebring Sprite with standard Frog wheels?). The Gilbern had a bit of a meltdown on the way home so more work to do now!! Above, left, Ian Hulett is, in his words: “propped against the open front of the Ecosse Sprite re-creation talking to Arthur Appleby. I scrapped the original shell for that car in the early 70’s and Arthur raced it during the 60’s. We were discussing the detail on the car in his ownership which confirmed that – as far as either of us could recall after more than 40 years – that we were talking about the same car. He stripped it out and sold it as a bare shell. I bought it several years later as a race car rolling shell with fibreglass Mk2 bodywork, less engine and wheels. Comparing notes it handled just as badly in my ownership as it did in his!” Great stuff – wish I had realised they were both there at the time so we could have had a chat.
LENHAM GT IN GERMANY
Kees Van Beijmerwerdt of the Netherlands was chasing Ashley parts when he ran into this Lenham in Germany. It had just been sold to a chap in Hamburg. No registration, no ID, but certainly worth taking some pictures. Tuning is by a German company and he points to the interesting engine stay as well! I think that is from a Morris Minor 1000.
Paul Webb has pointed out that Meredith Hutchins’ project (see Feb news) is now on ebay at £2,950.
DID NOT REACH RESERVE
Anyone re-building a Frogeye? This rear shroud with boot lid could be just the thing. It’s on ebay . 9 Mar – fetched £104
SEBRING TAILGATES!
Having seen Mike Curtis’s attempt (Jan News) to make his Coupe’s rear window open for access Juergen Schaefer writes to confirm that Dominic Mooney is doing a similar ‘mod’ on his car: See Your Comments. I was amused by his: “I had a ‘test sitting’ at Dominics shop and start to realize how old I am! Cutting my toe nails will help, but still I have to take yoga lessons! “
HEALEY MUSEUM SPRIDGET MEET
The announcement and registration form for the Healey Museum Spridget Meet are now on the museum website: http://www.healeymuseum.nl/en/nieuws/evenementen/
The provisional time schedule for the weekend can be found here, more details will follow in the next weeks. Please note that the Van der Valk Hotel is offering a special rate for the participants. [Click the Union Jack for English]
PAT HARRIS’s MONZA FASTBACK is now on the road. Intended for competition it turned out “too good to race”
[Photo: Pete Taylor]
ALEC POOLE’S article in the January “Motorsport” tells of the Le Mans spoiler and using ‘last year’s tyres!’ See Joe Armour in Your Comments
