GEARBOX FOR SALE
John Austin has a spare genuine Sprite/Midget gearbox for sale. It is good except for noisy first and reverse gears. Email him if interested.
WANTED
Roger Friend is looking for a smoothcase gearbox – internals not important. FOUND
UP FOR AUCTION AT THE SILVERSTONE CLASSIC THIS WEEKEND
is Richard Sands’ newly completed Sebring Fastback. Originally on the market for £29,500 its guide price is now only £18-20K. A bargain for someone perhaps? SOLD £19,690
Hello Martin, I’ve been following your website regularly for the several years now. It’s a great site! As my own frogeye has a little competition history I thought you might be interested in seeing a few pictures. I restored XFD593 with my father when I was 15. It’s an August ’58 car. Following an article in Revcounter about my car, I got in touch with the previous owner, Mr Roger Folwer. He’s a very nice chap and has given me lots of information relating to his racing career.
He formed Neale-Fowler Racing Partnership around 1964 with a friend. Both cars were painted green and yellow, with yellow wheels. I’ve attached some old pictures, and one as the car is now. If anybody has any more information about XFD593 or XWP 332, I’d love to hear from them. It would be nice to know if XWP 332 has survived too! Keep up the good work! Jonny Coxell [Feedback please]
PICS FROM SHELSLEY WALSH ~ JULY 17TH kindly submitted by DENNIS WHARF
“Great day at Shelsley yesterday, fantastic cars, lovely people, superb weather, in a fabulous setting, even an air display – what more could you ask…..?Pride of place went to the Auto-Union C type Grand Prix car, not seen since June 1936 when it won the day driven by Hans Stuck. Yesterd
ay Hans junior (!) was driving. Audi, who now own the 4C, specially prepared and brought the car here from their museum in Germany just for this occasion, which evidently
has taken six years in the planning. The V16 500+bhp machine was right on song however, the sound quite like nothing I’ve heard before – bloody quick too.In addition to this we were also treated to a selection of the old eighties Group B rally monsters, some with their original pilots behind their wheels. The sound of the turbo wastegates in some cases drowning out the considerable exhaust notes. Although supposedly a demonstration run, the speed trap’s indicated otherwise….! A good number of Spridgets were out playing too”. Left to right: Stephen Casson, Maxwell Shand, James Thacvker, and Trevor McIlroy.
CHATEAU IMPNEY HILL-CLIMB
James Thacker has sent in these additional photos taken by his wife Matty. The first is of the 3 cars of David Wylie, James and Simon Durling. The other is of James changing the diff on the Sunday morning. He tells me: “Simon was, in the past, a top ten runner in a Pilbeam, then moved on to a Gould with a big V8 engine which he ran for ages before latterly racing a historic FJ car in circuit events alongside Gil Duffy and Chris Merrick. Previously builder from Kent, Simon got to like Shelsley from competing there so much that he bought the house at the top of the hillclimb course and it is now his front drive !
HEALEY MANIFOLD
Ivo Cappon is offering this Healey inlet on ebay at £175 expires 21 July SOLD £475!!
BOB BLAYDEN’S SEBRING
now sports rear fog and reversing lights which look “pretty neat”, don’t they?
FROM HANS VAN DER KERKHOF AT THE HEALEY MUSEUM:
Hi Martin, Famous sticker! When in 1968 Healey went back to Le Mans with the XR Bic Healey made these stickers to support the Healeys. There are also embroidered badges with the same text and when we went back to the Classic Le Mans in 2006 I made the same badge with the text I’m racing Healeys. In 1970 Healey went back and they cut of the roof of the car and it became the Healey SR. The other sticker is from the meetings between the Dutch and English clubs.
CAN YOU IDENTIFY THIS HARDTOP
recently acquired by Erick Moser,
and presumably for a Frogeye?
Feedback please
Derek Stewart’s dummy build of his Coventry Climax – Toyota T50 combo is ready for its trial fit (left)
SEBRING SIDE-SCREENS
I have come to an agreement with Andrew Forster by which he is to lend his jig and swaging tool to another engineer who I have appointed to assemble a number of sets of side screens. I have 12 people on a list but if others need side windows watch this space or: contact me if interested
ASHLEY HARDTOP
for a Mk2 Sprite or Mk1 Midget currently for sale on ebay at £250 expires 21 July.
WER 354 ploughs through the snow, with its studded Dunlop “Weathermaster” tyres, on the 1962 Monte Carlo Rally.
James Thacker pulls out all the stops in TZA at the recent Chateau Impney hillclimb
DECALS
Pete Taylor has identified the “I’m backing Healeys” badge as part of the assault on the 1968 Le Mans race with the Healey SR. Badge available from “Worldwide Austin Healeys”
Bryn Rossiter’s new pedal box installed in his Sebring Sprite. Note: re-positioned heater blower to clear it.
FROM MIKE HEATH: “I’m a member of both the Midget & Sprite Club and Austin Healey Club and have read with interest your pieces on the racing Sprite’s of the 1960’s. I have a couple of Frogeyes, one of which I acquired relatively recently and am in the process of restoring/conserving. I thought you might be interested in this sticker attached to the hardtop. It’s not one I’ve seen before – have you? Which car does it relate to, and what year?” Feedback please.
Alan Anstead: “Hi,
Reading John Sprinzel’s letter, my Frogeye has had the A40 8″ brake conversion on the front since I bought it 47 years ago.
Alan”
The late Ian Walker, in WJB 707, one of John Sprinzel’s W&P alloy coupes, at Silverstone in 1961. Andrew Hedges in a similar car (410 EAO), on the far right of the photo, trails behind. WJB 707, with Ian driving, was the most successful of the W&P coupes in 1961, but sadly never ventured abroad during this year. [Jonathan Whitehouse-Bird]
John Sprinzel: “Ian held the class lap record at almost every British Circuit, but not at Aintree, where Kenyan Vic Preston drove his car as Ian had a business appt he couldn’t miss”.
649 CAMSHAFT WANTED
by Roger Friend
Email
FOUND THANKS
“Wow– did I really take this much effort to reply to sales inquiries? At least Peter is still a friend after all those years, so it was obviously worth it…. J.S.”
[Jonathan Whitehouse-Bird]
SOMETHING A BIT DIFFERENT!
Dennis Wharf is reluctantly offering his MGB GT V8 for sale at £22,000 (see below)
Supplied by University Motors in 1974, it has been looked after by Beers of Houghton throughout its entire life. Carefully maintained by each of its 3 owners and now with 156,000 miles on the clock. NOW SOLD
PARTS FOR SALE
Roger Friend has: a pair of Tall side screens for DHMC hard top brand new unused never fitted £400 maybe for someone who needs urgently. Also: a pair of Peter May splined hardened drive shafts 600 miles on them selling due to change of plans (fitting minilites) £200. Email him – BOTH NOW SOLD
Roger is also looking for a 649 camshaft. FOUND THANKS
FROM FEMI ODUTOLU: I hope you are doing well and enjoying the summer. I am plodding on here with the build. Its always a bit slower when you stray from the norm and have to make everything to fit. But progress is good. We installed the glass, and wiring is almost complete I have reverse engineered the steering cowl and successfully printed a copy. I will be selling the expensive one I bought off now if anyone is interested. It is brand new and cost over £100 from Healey Spares I think . I would like £80 for it. Some progress pictures attached. Email.
STARTING PROBLEMS FOR MARK PETERSEN
Hi Martin, I’ve run into a problem with the Sprite and it has me stumped. A few weeks back I changed the starter motor, as the original failed, to do so I removed the distributor. Since then it’s been starting on the button and running well.
Thursday she ran fine and strong then after brief stop the issues began. When trying to start she started backfiring through the carb, Weber 45, right side and immediately stalled. The HT leads seem okay, distributor hasn’t moved, distributor cap is okay (although I have replaced them and the issue remains). Ignition wise, she has an Aldon Amethyst, with the Aldon Ignitor 2. The Amethyst led lights up fine, and connected to my laptop okay, and the ground points have been checked.
I’m at a complete loss. Any thoughts? Regards Mark.
[I have replied: “It would make sense to speak to Andrew Forster who now works at Aldons as they will be able to advise on the Amethyst and Ignitor. I know Ignitors can fail – always carry a set of points with you. Have you got a spark at the plugs? Check it with a plug out and attached to an HT lead lying on the head. Next – it could be rotor arm failure – many dodgy ones on the market from overseas. Distributor Doctor ones are best. Coil might have packed up – try another. I presume it is electrical and not lack of fuel – is pump working. Good luck. regards Martin] ANY OTHER THOUGHTS OUT THERE? Feedback please.
[Maarten Krikken]
IS THAT AN ALEXANDER BONNET?
Sprite For Sale
Damian Jones says its an after-market steel bonnet of unknown manufacture.
QUITE A GRID AT ZANDVOORT for the Oldtimer Festival on 30/31 July for the “Antonio Bertini Memorial Trophy”
ENX 415C
Hawkins and Rhodes,
1965 Le Mans car
[Photo from Facebook]
WHAT BECAME OF RWV 661 ~ ALEXANDER GT?
Ben Cole is researching his wife’s great uncle Geoff Williamson’s racing career in the 1950’s. We know of the other Alexander GT (777 EBH) but what happened to RWV 661? Anyone know. Feedback please.
Hi Martin, More on Cylinder Heads – I have attached a photo of the 12G 295 ( Mk-111 Sprite) Cylinder Head that the Australian Mini specialist, Peter Manton modified for Frank Cook during the late 1960’s, and was still fitted to GWS211 in 1978 when
I bought it. As the motor had been reconditioned, with virtually no miles on it, it was quite a few years later, after blowing a head gasket, that I found that not only was the head highly modified, but also that there were also 2 dowels (which can be clearly seen in the photo) fitted to locate it exactly in position onto the then fitted 1100cc (Mk-11A) Sprite Engine block. I then fitted this head to a 948ccc block, bored out to 1060cc, using Mahle “D” top pistons, and a 88G 229 camshaft. A brand new “Red”
crankshaft was also installed at the same time. it is still running in this configuration today. Happy Spriteing, Ray (English).
Joe Armour says “I was interested to see the XSP engine listed on ebay. When you view the LH carb/exhaust side the block casting has the number 707/254. The number 707 seems to be the prefix for all XSP components. I would welcome others comment on this. I am looking for 707/??? fuel injection trumpets for a works XSP engine”
Ray English’s “Peter Manton” modified cylinder head (see above).
Ian Burford in the Lumbertubs Sprite dices with Charles Rainford (Lenham Le Mans) at Snetterton last month.
[Photos courtesy of CCK Historic, taken by Jeff Bloxham]
Rob Maxtone-Graham adds: “Hi gang, I seem to remember seeing a pic of the Huffaker version of divided port, where the divider was part of the manifold….. Rob”
John Colegate sits in the Falcon Sprite with Skip Jackson. John c-drove it at Le Mans in 1960.
MORE ON XSP ENGINES – FROM JOHN POULTER
“Hi, the Irish engine referred to earlier has the centre exhaust port divided into two horizontally and the manifold made with two pipes but there is an engine in the USA where the central port was widened and a dividing wall welded onto the manifold. There is a serial number by the port but from memory nobody could remember where the engine came from. Just a little more useless info for you! Even more- also added a pic of a 998 head with very funny chambers.
“I’ve been looking at the photos of XSP 1973-7 particularly around the thermostat area where the thermostat housing has been milled away for the extra head bolt. The head is not a 12G940 casting however more like a 12G295. Its a pity the central exhaust port can’t be seen. I referred to the photos I have of the 1098 ex works engine owned by the guy in Ireland who wouldn’t sell it to the Car SOS team for JWB’sMk 2 [Ronnie White] and there is the same shape at either end of the head – this one does have the divided central exhaust port and was referred to in the receipt as a “special head not homolgated”. See the photos [to follow] just for your interest. Regards John.
” Hi Martin, Very sad news about Butch Gilbert; as you know I bought my DHMC hard top from him. I had many a long chat with him. Amongst his collection he had the factory Triumph Vitesse which he was very proud of. Just before he shipped my hardtop he had started his chemo. We stayed in touch – he fought a brave fight to the end. Roger Friend”
“Martin, I was interested to see the XSP engine listed on ebay. When you view the LH carb/exhaust side the block casting has the number 707/254. The number 707 seems to be the prefix for all XSP components. I would welcome others comment on this. I am looking for 707/??? fuel injection trumpets for a works XSP engine. Joe Armour”
“That XSP engine on ebay has been advertised before in Edinburgh. I believe it was down as dry sump in the original records but it’s now been wet sumped. The banjo to banjo connection is identical to that used by Howard Steele when he built the wet sump XSP engine for 2214 UE in 1963 and the enlarged sump is identical to one I saw on the Don Moore 995 F/J engine which came out of the same car. Period correct in that it has the 9 spring clutch and non vacuum distributor.
Regards John (Poulter).”
XSP ENGINE FOR SALE ON EBAY
This would appear to be Jonathan Peck’s engine which he offered previously. It is now at £3,500 (Buy-it-now), and expires 31st July.
[Pete Taylor & Mark Matthews brought it to my attention]
BUTCH GILBERT
I have only just learned that Butch died in October last year. He had made a wonderful job of restoring the 59 Sebring car.
ROGER FRIEND’S SEBRING SPRITE is “nearly ready, testing at Brands later this month, my son will be racing it in the Equipe GTS series, fast road engine by Peter May for the time being, race engine for next year ,with a few trips abroad planned (Brexit permitting) including Spa. Regards Roger”
ANYONE NEED A DONOR CAR? On ebay at a mere £46,200 expires 6 July. Consensus on facebook seems to be two 747 pilots want the plate!!
Will Corry giving it his best during the 2015 MGLive at Silverstone in his Corry Motorsport Sebring Sprite [Legendary Circuit Series]
