I have started to put together a web page for “The Brian Archer Trophy”.
Darryl Davis of Moto-Build Racing Ltd tels me “We have just remoulded the original Ashley fastback style roof for the Frogeye Sprite. We managed to find a perfect one to copy, and can supply this roof in kit form, unpainted but including all windows, rubber seals and gutters to be fitted. Our price for the kit is £1000 + VAT.”
Contact Darryl at Moto-Build on 07956451470
Kristian Jourgensen from Copenhagen, Denmark tells me that his brother Lars has recently acquired this Frogeye with Monza bonnet and DHMC hardtop No.356 – that makes 30 of these hardtops on our record.
NICK CONKLIN is looking for a RH sidescreen (or pair) of the early polythene/celluloid type like these. If you can help, please email him
With Trevor Mcilroy’s Christmas message came this photo of some of his cars awaiting hibernation until next season.
AND TONY STEVENS FOUND THIS FROGEYE
“with rare Donald Healey Motor Co hardtop AND sidesreens. There are other parts, exhaust manifold, distributor, wide wheels, etc which might indicate some level of tuning in the past”. On ebay currently £6,800 expires 27 Dec Wow, ended at £13,200!!
RANDY ZIMNMERMAN
directed me to this unusual Frogeye hardtop the like of which I have never seen before. presumably designed and built in the States its on ebay there at $699 in Reading, Pennsylvania
ROBERT VISSER’S RESTORATION OF EX-WORKS RALLY CAR
XOH 276
How about this for a backdrop (left) and look at the detail in that cockpit – amazing!!
NICK CONKLIN
has kindly sent in these sheets showing the DHMCo’s
Q part Numbers which John Hopwood was looking for. Prices are of course in US Dollars. Would there have been more numbers between 1961 and 68 – probably?
FROM DAVID MORYS:
Dear Martin, Thank you and all your contributors for another wonderful year promoting the Sebring Sprite and various activities around the globe. i would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and prosperous new year. Best wishes, David
SVEN’S PICKUP
“Merry Christmas – I just picked up our Christmas tree
One of the many uses you can put a Speedwell Sprite to
HO HO HO
Sven
The SPEEDWELL SPRITE which was for sale on ebay
(see lower down this month’s page) has now been
SOLD at £7,100
HALL’s GARAGE (BOURNE) – TIFOSI SS
“This Sebring kit in blue (above) went to a customer in Scotland. We are now also supplying moulded rear windows [for the Coupe]”.
BILL RAWLES CLASSIC CARS: “After work hours Charlie Rawles is making an aluminium Sebring bonnet for his Sprite – using the fibreglass bonnet as a buck – the wheeling machine, edge shrinker, fitting pieces together and tig welding up before final shaping – the bonnet will be lighter, more robust and traditional ” See his many other photos on Facebook
1960 AUSTIN HEALEY FROGEYE SPRITE ID AND HERITAGE CERTIFICATE – ON EBAY
“The ID is from a Frogeye that was broken for parts back in the day when they were worth nowhere near what they are fetching now, the previous owner kept the shell and ID until it fell apart and was disposed of, the car was never scrapped or sorned and although there are no DVLA documents, the ID should allow you to rebuild the car and hopefully either reclaim the original reg number (again the previous owner has quoted the reg number stated on the heritage cert) or get an age related plate from a DVLA vehicle inspection of the completed vehicle?” Currently at £205 (reserve not met) Expires 20 Dec.
MARTIN HULL – THE SPRINZEL TROPHY RALLY & DVLA RULES
“I’ve just read on your Sebring site of the Sprinzel Trophy Rally, and I remembered reading a report of one such rally in Safety Fast many years ago. So I dug it out, from April 1964. The crew in the MkII about to enter the ford were novices, Elizabeth Rietberg and Peter Nelms (see below right). A Mini, an Anglia, a VW and a Zodiac all finished with clean sheets, and the winners of the Healey Centre Trophy for best performance by an Eastern Centre member were Miss Laura Wilson-Spratt and Miss Maureen Manser in their Sprite, losing only 4 mins and finishing 8th.
On another subject, I have just received the latest copy of the FBHVC Newsletter and thought the following quote would be of interest…
“We are aware that many people have been confused by the potential use of existing DVLA rules, which is not now going to happen, into thinking this change relates to registration. May I emphasise most strongly that it does not. This is not only our view but is shared within DfT and DVLA. The worst thing that can happen to a historic vehicle which does not qualify as a VHI is that it has to undergo an MoT.”
It seems that not all modified vehicles will be Vehicles of Historic Interest, but they are “moving towards a fairly generic description of a substantial change, which will have the effect of meaning most historic vehicles will qualify.”
And, “The Federation has agreed to be the custodian of an approved list of experts and we will be working to create a fair and equitable method of accession of experts onto the list.” So to me that implies that if one is in doubt about the extent of one’s modifications, then consulting an expert may simply result in a modified car not being classed as a VHI but will still be a historic vehicle, albeit one requiring an MoT.
Thank you for all the time and effort you put into your excellent web site. Best wishes, Martin Hull”.
CHRISTMAS SALE
“A Peter May 1293 fast road engine which has covered 800 miles only (just run in), it was removed when I turned my Sprite into a race car. Steel flywheel, heavy duty clutch, Aldon distributor, alloy back plate, in fact all the goodies. £2500. Also a pair of fibre glass doors, unused £50 “.
Please contact Roger Friend for further information.
ALL NOW SOLD
FROM PETE TAYLOR: “Here is a short video of our LM Sprite replica being tuned at Willshires Garage by the tuning maestro Peter Baldwin. The Rolling road has since been retired and we will miss this facility”. LINK
ANDREW STORER’S FROGEYE
“You may be interested to know that I have DHMC hardtop number 106. I bought it from Gordon Elwell as a standard works hardtop. Neither he nor I realised it was an original DHMC hardtop – it was in a poor state and in my store for about a year. When I got round to thinking about having it renovated I began to realise that the apertures for the side screens were for the tall windows which is what I was looking for in the first place so quite an irony. It’s cost a fortune to repair but looks brand new. I have just got to get the fittings now and then make it fit.
For your information my car 507 GLK has no history as such. It was however a very late car chassis No 48988 and because of this the first owner tried to reject it claiming he would have bought the MK2 had he have been told about it. After a lengthy court battle he finally accepted the car at a reduced cost and as a result it was first registered on 21 August 1963. Maybe one of the last to be registered? It was overall winner of the AHC Midlands and Overseas Concours on 12th June 2016″. CONGRATULATIONS Andrew.
UWE QUACK
tells me that the car below was made from a kit – ex Kurt Sturm from Baden Baden in Germany.
Uwe’s own car is shown right and left at the time of the Tulip Rally in 2009.
From Albert Voogd: “Last summer I paid a visit to Aaldering Classic Cars in Brummen and to my surprise found a Sebring Sprite parked outside by another visitor. I spoke to the owner who’s name is Quirin Walraven. Quirin told me that he had bought the car as an unfinished project from Classic Car Clinic in Nijmegen. He had finished the car and made the special items like the wooden grille, dash and brass sidescreens by himself. It all looks very special and a bit extravagant to me! Looking at the missing raingutters I don’t think the coupé top is an Archers replica, maybe it’s one of the copies made by Classic Car Clinic from Archers kit no. 20(?). Quirin allowed me to make pictures and said he was okay if I’d sent these to you”
MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR THE LATE TONY BENNETTO
Bob Blayden reports: “I will miss Tony Bennetto. I had formed a good friendship with him over the years, despite his good-natured banter that my car was mostly plastic. He was a purist regarding Mk I Sprites. I drove down to Melbourne for his memorial service. It was very sad and he will be missed”.
And also from Bob down under: “Russ and I are planning a trip next year, driving around Australia in his Mk I Sprite. It should be a real adventure – Russell’ls car being prepared for our trip around Australia (note the new aluminium radiator) We mhope to set off mid April or early May”.
There is a lot on the Hemmings website about WSMs
Expires 20 Dec
Advertised on ebay are some items to enable a Climax engine to be fitted in a Triumph Herald. the seller also has a sump and backplate to suit the MG Midget engine and gearbox.
SPEEDWELL SPRITE FOR SALE ON EBAY
This looks like a nice little project for someone. Currently (7 Dec) bids are at £3,605 with 9 days to go. The owner states:
“Up for sale is my Speedwell Sprite which I have owned since 2005, but due to my advancing years and numerous other projects, I have decided to sell. The car started life as a standard Cherry Red Frogeye during 1960, but was modified by Speedwell Performance Conversions, London, I believe during the late 1960’s (unfortunately I do not have any paperwork to back this up). From what I was told by the person I bought it off it was used for racing during the Seventies, then stored for many years and re-registered during 2002. The bodywork is fairly rusty, particularly in the floor pans, but I have a very solid American shell which goes with the car. The shell was used for racing in the USA and appears to be straight (although rear wheel arches have been modified/flared) and very sound in all the areas normally rusted out on the home market cars (chassis legs, sills, floors, Spring hangers, doors etc… See pictures). Please feel free to contact me to arrange to discuss or view the car – this would be adviseable prior to bidding so that you can see exactly what you are getting. Happy bidding”.
NOW AT £7,100 (27 bids) with 25 hours to go.
DONALD HEALEY MOTOR COMPANY
Q PART NUMBERS
JOHN HOPWOOD, one of the MSA Eligibility Scrutineers, who races his own Sebring, is
“trying to track down a Healey competition parts list that shows their Q part numbers to try and expand on the options shown on the Sebring homologation form options page”. Does anyone have a copy of such a document or any idea who might? Feedback
SEBRING REP FOR SALE:
DTA 949C is up for sale again, now with a central white stripe and priced at £22,450. Built a while ago by Severn Classics for Stephen Griffiths on an MG Midget base.
Find details here .
Six hour relays at Silverstone 1963 to 67
“More from the 6 Hour Relay: a very wet spell in ’63 or ’64 – I had the only open car but running on Dunlop SP’s so was sent out when the rain came down. Nearly missing the team manager with the sash. Then EAC in colour and 1967”.
[Dudley Lucas – Facebook]
“Two more from 1967: in the pits ready to get back on the circuit, waiting for the sash, and a reminder that in those days the lap times were in the 1:13 to 1:14 range. I wonder what we would have done with the power units of today – probably gone into the scenery very quickly!” [Healeysport – Facebook]]
