DAC 952C
web page
up-dated
WANTED
Hardtop for SPRITE Mk2
by a contact in Australia
If you can help please contact me on Feedback
This week I have heard from Ray Cuomo Junior whose father owned the ‘works’ Sebring DAC 952C in the 60’s. He remembers driving it around the yard and took the photo of it on a trailer.
NEWS OF THE HEALEY PROTOTYPES NOW LIVING IN JAPAN, FROM HIROSHI TAKEMORI
LWD 959E, seen here in 2008 with Clive & Rachel Baker, is now owned by Shigeru Tanaka of Tokyo
ENX 416C (and its sister Le Mans car ENX 415C) are now owned by Masao Maruyama of Tokyo
693 LAC, racing in Japan
– and its sad fate at Fuji Speedway in July 1984 .
![At Watkins Glen,1968[photo: Gerald Melton]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/LWD959E-003L.jpg)
ANOTHER NEW WEB PAGE
This one tells the story of LWD 959E (or TFR 5)
from its first outing in 1967 to the present day.
![And at Sebring 1969, [photo Gregg Cameron]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/LWD959E-Sebring69-001L.jpg)
A MESSAGE FROM THE PUBLISHER OF JOHN SPRINZEL’S BOOK “LUCKY JOHN”, TOM COULTHARD
Just a word to apologise to the many Sprite enthusiasts and historic rally fans eagerly awaiting John Sprinzel’s autobiography Lucky John. As publisher of this new and weighty tome (368 pages and crammed with amazing photos!)I have to hold my hands up and say it’s all my fault – which I am happy to do because, let’s face it, I’m not a politician.
However, we do seem to have hit a major problem in the print industry. With the demise of the printed book as we know it being predicted on every street corner (and at other wi-fi hotspots), trade printing firms have been amalgamating left, right and centre and the facilities for producing the ‘case-binding’ of hardback books have been scaled back all over the country. Scaled back too far, it appears, for there is now a tsunami of demand and every surviving bindery is currently working flat out. They are working under such pressure that mistakes have started appearing – you may have read the press reports about the latest Bridget Jones being interspersed with 40 pages of comedy legend Sir David Jason’s memoirs.
Well, we haven’t had those kind of issues – though we have had some production problems – but we are still stuck in a very long queue. I suspect that the printers afford preferential treatment to their biggest customers (and in such uncertain economic times, why wouldn’t they?) and we have to acknowledge that our project is very small beer to them. However, our printers know our position and are doing their level best to fulfil our order – if only to get me to stop bothering them. Please rest assured that we are doing all we can and we will let this site know as soon as we have any news.
With best wishes and Spritely greetings, Tom Coulthard.
WANTED – MIDGET MK 1 ANGLED NEARSIDE SIDE-SCREEN
Martin Cunningham of Dublin is looking for one of these unusual raked side-screens for the nearside of a Midget
Mk 1. He has 2 offside (RH side) ones so could swap.
Contact him if you can help, please.
[photo: Ivo Visser]
John Sprinzel was at the “Rock of Gibraltar” in Oxfordshire last Monday, seen here with the Visser brothers’ Speedwell Sprite
Another interesting article
about Joe Armour’s
1968 Le Mans Sprite
Steve at another event [Dave Marriott]
YouTube footage at the Healeysport Championship 2013 Shelsley Walsh
Hill Climb, Steve Casson (Sebring Rep) 1m10s in,
followed by Ian Grainger,
in his W & P Sprite
YouTube footage showing Giorgio Taglietti enjoying the amazing hill climb at Sestriere in Italy in his Frogeye on 14th July
[Bob Blayden]
Archers Sebring brochure for sale on ebay
Link
SOLD AT £37.00!!!!
(concludes 27 Oct)
[courtesy of Paul Webb]
LOST LINKS
Unfortunately, and sadly, Jonathan Whitehouse-Bird has made the decision to remove his photo sequence showing his meticulous rebuild of EAO, from the SpriteSpot.com website. Similarly the history pages and those relating to his original Sebring Mark 2 have gone, so I’m afriad quite a few links from my website to his are no longer working.
DAS 9 ADJUSTABLE
Lever Arm Dampers
For Sale on ebay
Buy Now £1200
BMC Differential 5.3 (8/43)
suitable hillclimbs and Sprints, on ebay
Buy now £250
16th October 2013: Lots more on Tyres and PMO 200 on the “Your Comments” page
TYRES FOR A SEBRING
Graham Robson enquires: “I was planning to to put 13 x 5″ wires and Avon ZZ’s on my Sebring but after talking to Steve Casson on Tuesday I’m not sure what do now as (he has 51/2″ on Kumho’s)…now I’m not sure what to do! To sit on the fence before deciding on competition wheel/tyres, I have a set of standard 4″ x 13 wires which I will use as a ‘road set’ and later after some deliberation get a set of competition wheels & tyres. From your experience and great knowledge what tyres would you recommend for road use brand/size etc.” Can anyone make suggestions, please.
PMO 200
Sven Eckhardt writes: “I had a look at your website again, saw the news of the event at Ace Cafe and looked at PMO once more.There is one thing that has been bugging me for a while. The picture showing the flattened car. There is a steel back on it and the aluminium roof looks like a flattened fastback certainly not like a Kamm tail. I wonder if there is an explanation for that.” I have replied: “I forwarded your message to Paul Woolmer and will let you know if he replies. I think the Kamm tail may have been in fibreglass, fitted over the original steel bodywork, so in the picture you are seeing the original steel rear end and the crushed aluminium top. I imagine the Kamm tail bodywork had been stripped off by Tony Elshof at an earlier date.”
Dan Paul has discovered a hardtop which has been hidden in the rafters on the family farm and is delighted to discover it is an original DHMC/Jensen top numbered 207. Apparently his uncle and grandfather used to buy up wrecks and did little with them, though there is a yellow Sprite in a very sorry condition on the farm.
Chris Grainge is looking for a good 2nd hand W & P bonnet (Similar to an Ashley but with squarish air intake as left). FOUND
Paul Slangen in Holland continues to make good progress with his Fastback Sebring. Link to page.
David Scothorn is offering his Speedwell Rev Counter SORRY SOLD ALREADY
Converted to digital and in working order.
Andrew Forster would love to own a copy of John Sprinzel’s “Sleepless Knights”. Anyone got a spare copy at a ‘sensible’ price?
SPRINZEL VISITS ACE CAFE, LONDON AFTER A 60 YEAR GAP
October 8th: Organised by Gary Lazarus, Sprites galore and their owners gathered at the famous Ace Cafe to greet their hero John Sprinzel, and his wife Caryl, who are on a flying visit. Did I sense a tear in the Sprinzel eye when he arrived to see PMO 200 and Dave Groves’ Speedwell GT among a long line of Sprites including several Sprinzel Sebring replicas? Tom Coulthard brought along some sample copies of John’s autobiography “Lucky John” – the main batch to follow shortly, and John Baggott distributed copies of his new book “Frogeye”. Among the visitors were Willy Cave, John Brown, Paul Woolmer and family, Jack Wheeler, Philip Young, Dave Groves, Andy Actman, Mike Cornwell, Chris and Charlie Clegg, and Roger and Maggi Byford. Kai Eriksen came all the way from Norway just for the evening. JJO joined the replicas of Gordon Higgs, Steve Casson, and Roger Byford. I can’t possibly name everyone there but Pete & Linda Taylor, Graham Robson, Dave Marriott, and Derek Stewart were amongst them – sorry if I’ve left you out. A very enjoyable evening – great to see John Sprinzel again and in fine fettle. Thanks to Gary for organising such a successful fun event.
When my good friend and Sebring Rep owner, Neil Anderson of Chicago, Illinois was reading his copy of “Healey Marque” recently he encountered an article by Gregg Cameron: “The Little Sprite That Could”, about a road trip he took in his Bugeye from Alaska to New Jersey. Within the article Gregg mentioned an earlier article he had written in 2009 (see below left) about his racing with one of the Healey Sprite prototypes in 1969. Neil emailed him and discovered that Gregg owned and drove DAC 952C at Sebring that year. He was also able to supply a list of all its subsequent owners. We have been ableto put Gregg in touch with
Bruno Verstraete who now owns DAC and displays it in the Healey Museum. In the photo (left)Gregg can be seen beneath the car in ’69.
Gregg has kindly sent in the above, explaining: “Top left, the car when we purchased it as Wellington Racing from Ray Cuomo after Nassau Speed Week in 1968. Item 2 is a news clipping showing us signing in at Sebring. Being the first to do so we gained some publicity. I’m on the left next to Chief Registrar, Sunny Young”.
Keith Clark is re-making parts for Shorrock Superchargers Carb manifold CPP013/1 is £125 + p&p, & Inlet manifold CNM014 (not yet priced)
MORE FASCINATING ARTICLES ON THE STREAMLINERS (kindly supplied by Neil Anderson, Ian & Mark Turner)
“From HEALEY MARQUE, the official publication of the Austin-Healey Club of America”
SEBRING SPRITE 998cc RACE ENGINE FOR SALE
Glenn Clarke is restoring his Speedwell Sprite and wonders if anyone can help him with what year the Les Leston Stirling Moss 15″ steering wheels were made. Also what type of alloy gear knob he has and any infomation regarding the H4 Manifold marked “SUPA”. Feedback
AMOC RACE MEETING ~ SNETTERTON 28th Sept 2013
Dennis Wharf sent me the accompanying photos and reports: “Enjoyed some really good racing. Among those taking part were Gordon Elwell, with the ex-Mike Garton Sebring MEG 199, and Tony Wilson-Spratt in his WSM, DWS 97. It was the final round of the “Equipe” GTS Championship in which Gordon finished 4th and 1st in class, while Tony was 11th and 2nd in class. Gordon enjoyed a terrific scrap with John Yea driving his MGB, managing to stay ahead of the bigger car throughout.”
Mike Wylie has kindly sent me a copy of his article (which appeared in the A.H.Club’s Rev Counter magazine) about the Goodwood Revival 2006 where numerous historic Sprites took part in the Fordwater Trophy race
The LATE PETER CLARKE’S family would very much like all his friends to join them
at Brinkley’s Restaurant,
47 Hollywood Road
London SW10 9HX
on Tuesday 15th October
at 12.30pm.
RILEY 1.5 BRAKES
If anyone is looking for a set of 8″ Riley brakes for their Sebring I may be able to help. Contact me via Feedback
SORRY – NOW SOLD
