EX-FORMULA JUNIOR ENGINE FOR SALE
Spotted in the current issue of “Rev Counter”
-correct 1071 block, crankshaft and Cooper ‘S’ rods. Good condition. Loosely assembled for rebuild. Rare opportunity.
Tel: Les on 078 6035 7413 for more details. Around £2,000.
SPEEDWELL GAUGES
on ebay at
“Buy it Now”
price of £1000
Click to read the article
FROM BRETT PRUITT IN HAWAII:
“Aloha Martin, I hope you, and your family, are enjoying a wonderful holiday season. Attached is a feature that you hopefully can add to your “Articles” section. It’s the cover story from Healey Marque magazine, which is the monthly publication of the Austin Healey Club of America. Reid Trummel and his team did a fantastic job. The story is about the restoration of John Sprinzel’s Sprite. Of all his cars, this is the one he held on to the longest and yesterday afternoon he and his lovely wife Caryl were reunited with their Sprite of over twenty years. Though John participated throughout the restoration with details and advice, it was great to be there to see their reaction to the finished car. It was a day of reminiscing as they were staying in the very cottage on the beach they lived in and married at decades earlier. So naturally we had lunch at the beach side restaurant that was their regular haunt all those years ago. John is sharp as ever and over lunch everything from racing in the 50’s to predictions of what will happen in F-1 in 2017 was discussed. Attached is a photo of John and the car. It should be noted that John was having fun with being back at Kailua Beach and celebrated by wearing the same shirt he was married in! Thank you again for all the work you do on the website and creating a place that celebrates these wonderful cars. Brett Pruitt, Kaaawa, Hawaii.”
A NEW ARTICLE ON TREVOR McILROY’S SEBRING
was published in the Jan-Mar issue of Retro Classics.
Now included in our archive of interesting articles these are 5 pages to savour over the Christmas period. Read it here.
TZA AT CHATEAU IMPNEY ~ A MESSAGE FROM ALEC POOLE’S FORMER NAVIGATOR JOHN BILTON TO JAMES THACKER:
“James…… You have done a super job on the restoration, AND it clearly goes well, also …….not just cosmetics! The way it is picking up an inside front, I would say it is set up ok! Going back in time to Ingliston, say 1965 and 66, TZA was the main influence on Tom Walkinshaw starting out his career with a Spridget. He then of course moved to Fords and Mazdas. I assume you have the ”cold air box” joined up to the headlight….? Happy Christmas………….yrs John B”.
James explains: “I enclose a copy of a very recent message from John Bilton who was Alec’s navigator in TZA in all the club rallies and few internationals, the Welsh and Circuit of Ireland. John continued to go to race meetings after the car was completely rebuilt for circuit events in 1965 onwards and he has an amazing memory for detail information about the various specifications of the car during that period and invaluable anecdotes as well. For instance, I did not know the Tom Walkinshaw connection that he mentions. That era clearly was very important in his life to remember so much and to want to chat on the phone to me about it from time to time.
You did very kindly include one of the Chateau photos on the “latest news” website in the summer but the one with this message I feel is probably the best. This was taken by ex Midget racer Peter Richings who I have known since 1972; he has won the Clubmans racing championship this year in a Mallock. Peter and Mike Donovan , both Longbridge employees at the time, shared the Midget in the mid 1970’s [Heatherborne Midget with rear radiator, see John Baggott’s book] and then went on to race Clubmans in the late1970’s and then F3 for a couple of years in the mid 1980’s. Mike Donovan this year has won his class in the FIA Historic Sports racing championship in his Lola T70.
It would be very much appreciated if you could possibly find a space for the attached photo on the TZA web page as it complements the famous Car and Car Conversion front cover photo taken at Dunboyne, Ireland in 1965 or 66 with the car on two wheels, some 50 years earlier. There may be just enough space in the bottom right hand corner of the TZA web page. I will leave it with you. James. PS: I have had various comments/advice from qualified engineers/ex Sprite racers about the three wheeling photo including “you need stiffer front springs”, or some say “stiffer back springs” and also “fit a rear anti roll bar” and lastly “Sprites always cornered like this, leave it exactly as it is!”.
ANOTHER SHOT OF 7140 RO
sent in by Alistair Ross and showing the Speedwell with Jack Mathe of Waypass Garage at the wheel.
NEW OWNER REVEALED!
I’m delighted to report that Bill McDonnough of Hardy Engineering has become the new owner of 7140 RO.
The flow of incoming ‘stuff’ for the website seems to have slowed to a trickle which gives me time to wish all of you in the “Sebring Sprite family” a very happy Christmas and more thrilling Spritely driving IN 2017
7140 RO CHANGES HANDS
The Speedwell GT owned by the late Brian Kenyon has now been sold by his widow Pat and went to its new owner just last week. The car is believed to have one of the 6 alloy bonnets made as well as the usual alloy hardtop. It was featured on the news page in July last year (2015) and in this photo when it was purple and gold, the driver is Bill Graham. Who bought it I wonder?
ALAN ANSTEAD EXPLAINS:
“Oliver Wilkinson who lives in Switzerland has bought the Sprite with the bonnet that Gary Lazarus identified as by Swiss coach builder Frey. The car will need restoration. Oliver (together with Georges Guggenheim of Spridget.CH) is planning the Swiss part of next years Alpine Miglia Tour (1st to 11th Sept 2017). Oliver & Georges did this year’s tour with me (see www.masckent.org).”
WHAT BONNET IS THIS ?
Alan Anstead was asking what this bonnet was (above left)? I couldn’t remember but Gary Lazarus had the answer, sending in the photo of the light blue car above. It’s from Emil Frey AG of Switzerland.
Ray English suggested it was an Aussie “Jewitt” which is quite similar. See lower left and right. He Says:
“It looks like an Aussie “Jewitt” to me — do you know where the photo was taken? You might remember I did a few articles on one of these bonnets, that I refitted to GWS-211. It turned ou
t that it was the same one that was fitted to it when I bought it from Frank Cook in 1977. I have a feeling that Jim Jewitt was the first person to make a fibreglass front to suit a Sprite, ~ I am working on this theory at the moment. Jim’s first Sprite bonnet (he was making complete shells for racing cars at the time) was made for Peter Manton, who fitted it to the Sp
rite GWS-692, in late October / Early November 1958 – this was one of the three first shipment cars to arrive [in Australia] on the 9th of September, 1958. This car, now Coventry Climax powered, was driven by Peter Manton; he was able to keep up with the Healey 100S’s during the 1958 Victorian Tourist Trophy at Albert Park. I am working on an article “How to Identify Sprite Bonnets” for the next issue of Marque One “.
AN AMAZING MODEL OF AN ASHLEY GT
to a scale of 1/43
by Yashuji Morizumi
(See Facebook)
MASCOT EDITOR, GARY LAZARUS, HAS FINALLY RETIRED HIS FROGEYE KNOWN AS ‘GAPS’
and bought another to be called ELVIS. He also has this rare, if not unique, hardtop from Watford Sports Cars – anyone know of another? Gary’s new Frog has a fibreglass bonnet which he is suspending on one of Tifosi’s hinge arrangements.
MEG TO RACE AT GOODWOOD
Gordon Elwell has been invited to race ‘MEG’ at the 75th Members’ Meeting and has “put a note on the workshop blackboard to remind me to prep. her in plenty of time!
Should be an interesting race since the Regs. call for a minimum weight of 650Kg and this should even things out a bit for those of us with heavier cars”.
LE MANS 1966
Karsten Stelk shared Fred Kalkhuis’ photo of the start line-up at Le mans in ’66. The Baker/Rhodes and Hopkirk/Hedges Sprites with a long line of Alpine Renaults and a lone Mini-Marcos.
“Great website Martin. I have enjoyed cruising around inside and looking at all the Sprites prepared for Sebring-style racing and the historical articles. I recall reading about the drive from Sebring, FL to Los Angeles CA in a Sprite and an MGA fixed-head coupe as detailed by Ocee Ritch and published in my Floyd Clymer service manual. Always loved that story and must have read it a dozen times or more. Years ago (1968 to 1979) I had Sprite AN5L/7106 that I restored starting from a bare-metal-body and finishing up looking close to this one below. It ended up with a 1098 cc engine, front disk brakes, wire wheels and a factory hardtop. It was in the days prior to digital photos, so I don’t have anything other than this close match that was on sale not too long back with a classic car dealer in the US. That one had a red interior, but mine was done over in the green that was originally matched to the dark green exterior. I was curious about this car that is partly shown in your site. I was wondering what the complete car looks like if you have that photo available to share. Interesting paintwork as, perhaps, one might find on a big Healey (below right) Alas, I barely can contort an entry to a Sprite at this juncture and have this 2000 Z3 2.3 Roadster at my summer place in Boothbay Harbor, and a Green coupe which is on route to my place in Florida shortly. Not Sprites for sure, but they have some of the fun aspects that I recall so well with the Sprite. I plan to take the coupe across a similar route to the Sebring run to CA (Rte 10 all the way from Jacksonville to LA) and then up the West Coast in a year or so when I hope to retire. Best regards, Daniel Boucher, Amman, Jordan.”
[I was, of course, able to enlighten Daniel that the blue and white car is 2080 PO of Pierre Lequeux]
WANTED
Femi Odutolu is looking for an Ashley hardtop for a Frogeye. If you can assist him please contact him via email.
NOW FOUND ONE THANK YOU (28.12.16)
GOODWOOD MEMBERS MEETING ~ 18/19 MARCH 2017
Bob Hinchliffe pointed out that the Weslake Cup will be a race for “A Series engined sports and GT cars that raced between 1958 and 1966”. Ian Burford has already entered the Lumbertubs. More to come I expect. Get your tickets now.
LATEST UPDATE FROM PHIL ZAMLYNSKI
“November 24, 2016 ~ It’s been too long that I have not written. I do hope you and yours are well and in good spirits; ready 
to celebrate the upcoming Holidays. Its Thanks Giving week and the beginning of the Christmas Season. We have had our first SNOW tooooo!!!! 
I thought that you might have time to up-date my pics on the web; no rush. The pic (left) is of my window with door handle, white tape on handle is so it can be seen. As you can see there is no metal trim on the Plexiglas. Although the front has been mounted several times, I have left it off so any engine issues can more easily dealt with. The grill is my design and there are side vents for the brakes and intake fresh air. All lighting mountings are new too. Phil Z.”
AND NEWS OF ANOTHER SPEEDWELL GT, 2824 MV, FROM COLIN CRAMPHORN
Hi Martin, I am at an age where you tend to think about the past and 2 or 3 weeks ago I thought I would research a car I once owned. It has always had a place in my memories as it was a fantastic car to drive and I sold it to buy an engagement ring. So I typed the registration number 2824 MV and to my surprise pages of information appeared. I always knew the car as a Speedwell Sebring Sprite but I never realised what a rare car it was. At the time I was studying engineering at High Wycombe College and was part of a group with high performance cars such as a Turner Climax and several Morgans. I bought the car in the summer of 1969 and sold it late in 1971 or early 1972. It was dark blue with two silver stripes when I bought it but I sprayed it red in 1970. The engine was a highly tuned 948cc red lined at 9500 and as a road car had a startling performance. Difficult in traffic and would backfire if kept stationary for too long. I had very few problems with the car other than the very tight ground clearance and some rust in the chassis. I cannot remember who I purchased the car from or sold it to but I have found two photographs which include the car. They were taken by my wife to be so the car was not the center of her attention! I will send them to you but they are not really suitable for your site. I would be interested to know how this fits in with your current history and I will be checking to see if I have any further information. Kind regards, Colin.
ORIGINAL SPEEDWELL ALLOY BODY PARTS
I recently received an enquiry as to the value of a Speedwell alloy coupe top, alloy bonnet and fibreglass rear end for a Frogeye. Understood to be an early example, the owner had recently died. It would be interesting to learn more. Speedwell guru, Alistair Ross is on the case.
BARWELL ALLOY HEAD FOR SALE
Richard Hart is offering this rare item on ebay (expires next Sunday 11th Dec) Auction starts at £350 or ‘Buy-it-now’ for £1200. Suits 848 to 1098cc and weighs a 3rd of the original. There are also some details about the head on the Mk1 Performance (Mini) website. SOLD at £560.50
NICK BARNES’ SEBRING KIT
(originally Paul Webb’s) has been sold on to Sean Sandoe.
(See No.69 on the list)
FROM ANDREW NODWELL IN NZ
” Hi Martin, Just a quick note to offer my thanks for helping those shock absorbers find a new home, which they have, in Wales…a fair way from New Zealand! All the best and compliments of the season”. [Nice to hear]
458 STJ
Ben Tyer’s Sebring Sprite restoration projectr has been acquired by Bugatti specialist, Ivan Dutton.
2284 WD IN THE 80’S
John Moon sent in this photo (left) of 2284 WD which has been owned and campaigned more recently by Jonathan Peck. Apparently John restored the car in the 1980’s.
STOLEN FROGEYE PARTS
Our old friend Bob Beaumont recently had the misfortune to have his lock-up broken into and a great many parts meticulously stripped from his Frogeye. These included the seats, all the weather equipment and side-screens, all the dashboard items except the speedo(!) and the exterior brightwork i.e. lamps, etc. So, if you are offered any rare parts like an original fuel gauge FG2530/31 or a Southern Counties Sprite Club badge please contact Bob by email.
“Aids for Spritely travels”
Attached find some pics about the tailgate as requested. The idea was initiated by seeing the New Zealand car of …. on your website. I only had thought, the frame he used for the stiffening of the thin 4mm polyacryl was a bit cumbersome and and not really required if we got a bit thicker material , believing the shape of itself and giving it four proper anchoring points on its circumference should make it very stiff, which indeed it does. I had discussed this with Andrew, who agreed with me and ordered two samples of 8 mm thickness. He mentioned somebody else being interested in the second one, I do not know who. Obviously the new material was not in the perfect shape to fit into the aperture of Archers fastback body, but Dominic Mooney, who at that time took over on my request after I realized Andrews overload, put a lot of skill and sweat into shaping and fitting it, very much to my satisfaction. Two chromeplated bootlid hinges , provided for £11.50 each by Minispares provide the fixing on the roof, a Healey boot handle the lower fixing , with or without locks. The leverage from there to the two locking plates on the lower end of the window is mostly hidden inside the body and was designed and provided by Dominic, again based on materials available (period correct ! ) from other Brit cars. Sealing is by a simple rubber foam stripe, app. 3 x 20 mms, selfadhesive. For better ventilation we have just now fitted two bulging outlets on the upper end, outside of my viewing field and quite effective, as used by racers and obtainable from Demon Tweaks or the likes. It wonderfully eases access to the depths of the vast loading bay of the car. You have to either hold open or sort of lay it down overturned onto the roof carefully, as I do, but I can imagine self supporting gas filled levers as commonly used for boots of other cars can be fitted as well. Whoever is interested, feel free to inquire from Andrew and Dominic how they can advise. Juergen Schafer.
KAI ERIKSEN
has now sold his Sebring panels ~ to Michael in Denmark
YASUJI MORIZUMI
shows these pictures of an Ashley topped Sprite hill-climbing in Japan – on Facebook
