I have made some preliminary arrangements with the organisers of Midget 50 (which takes place on 12th June this year at Burghley House, Lincs) for us to have a gathering of replica cars on the site. I would like to get at least 12 cars there and arrange them like a clock face, with all their ‘rear ends’ to the centre. If you would like to be one of them please contact me via Feedback. You will also need an entry ticket, for which please go to www.midget50.com
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Mike Wood & Jonathan Whitehouse-Bird have both tipped me off that David Jamouillie’s Fastback is For Sale and can be viewed at www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/
C205222/
He is looking for £18,000.
Neil Anderson of Chicago sent me the above Sprite advert from the past as well as an interesting article on one of the Works Cars which I will add to the site shortly. Neil has also given me an article on TFR 5 which will appear shortly.
So far I have 7 Replica owners for the get together at Midget 50, ~ myself, Stephen Bowen, Michael Meerlo, Roger Byford, Alan Anstead, and Trevor McIlroy from northern Ireland who hopes to have his coupe finished before then. Derek Stewart hopes to have his car finished and Gordon Higgs will be there though his car is unlikely to be ready. 5 places now remain.
Geoff Dixon has just bought this Sprite with Ashley hardtop and W & P bonnet from Rae Davis, and intends to use it in some mild competitive events.
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A great picture of Richard Pugh in action with Kermie
Ken Grasing from Oregon is collecting parts and researching original standard-bodied Sebring Sprites before building a replica. I am trying to source a Girling brake set-up for him. He has asked me about the fitting of the Healey 100-4 anti-roll bar and thinks the wishbones have to be strengthened. Can anyone help him with advice on this matter, please?
Paul Slangen from Belgium has a Fastback on order from Archers, and a Monza bonnet. Not satisfied with that he is also now building a Lenham Sprite.
Nick Conklin tells me he now has his standard-bodied Sebring sorted out and it’s running “like a top”. The dual exhaust is a screamer and the supercharger looks great installed and functions very well, he tells me. He is in the final stages of fitting the bonnet with a power bulge. Photos coming soon.
Mike Wood is planning to build a copy of the Barry Shawzin rally car,(above) He lives in Ayrshire and is looking for a suitable donor car, hopefully within about 500 miles. He asks how people have bonded their Sebring tops/rear ends to the shell and what MOT testers or IVA personnel make of it. Comments invited, please.
David Pratt took delivery of his Fastback kit in July intending to use his rotten Mk 3 Sprite as a donor. He then found it has a 1500 shell so is now having to remove all the reinforcement.
The Star Motor Co of Devon displayed their Tifosi SS (right) at the recent MG Spares Day at Stoneleigh. They offer it as a complete bodyshell or as bodywork fitted to your shell.
Dean Powers
continues to progress his Sebring Rep and has been very fortunate in acquiring a set of Girling calipers for a mere $200!
Bill Postins tells me that the ex-Alan Haste/Kim Dear Rep 317 AOV is now with George Wilkin who hails from Northern Ireland.
Alan Anstead has learnt from Keith Brading in IOW that his later cars had K Series engines and Ford MT75 gearboxes, but he lost money on all of them.
Pierre Lequeux is looking for a standard-bodied historic Sebring like the Butch Gilbert car. If you know of one please let me know.
