WorksCars

The "Works" BMC/DHMC Sebring Sprites

Some of the 'Works' cars as they are today (click on pics to open separate pages - some still under construction)

The title Sebring Sprite was born out of the success of the 'works' team of Sprites which were entered for the 12 Hour Grand Prix d'Endurance at the Sebring Raceway in Florida, USA in March 1959. Less than a year after the Austin-Healey Sprite went into production, BMC entered four cars for this prestigious event. The cars were taken from the production line at Abingdon and transferred to Donald Healey Motor Co at The Cape Works, Warwick where Geoff Healey, son of Donald, organised their preparation. They were equipped with Dunlop disc brakes on all four wheels as well as Dunlop wire wheels and tyres. Modifications to the engines included fitting 1¼" SUs in place of the smaller, 1⅛",originals. Jensen's pretty hardtops were fitted together with the taller-than-standard side-screens. Paintwork was Speedwell Blue (as against the standard Sprite colour: Iris Blue) with white hardtops. The all-American driver line-up was:

SEBRING 1959 - 12 HOURS

Race No	Driver 1	Driver 2	Driver 3	Pos in race	Today
53	Ed Leavens	Dr. Harold Kunz		2nd	Owned by Butch Gilbert
54	Hugh Sutherland	Phil Stiles		1st	believed destroyed when fell off trailer 'en route' to a 60's race at Wisconsin
55	Fred Hayes	John Christy	John Colgate	3rd	car bore reg no 173 AC
78	Sydney Oakes	Greta Oakes	P. Bethel	dns

The fourth car, No. 78, was a reserve and did not race. The remaining three ran (mostly) reliably throughout the long race finishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd in their class (for 750 to 1000cc GT cars). After the event the cars were apparently sold off to local dealers and did not return to the UK. One of them, the No.53 Leavens/Kunz car which came 2nd in its class is currently under-going full restoration by its owner Butch Gilbert in California. For more, click photo►

1960

SEBRING - 4 HOURS

	A new car was built up by the Canadian distributors using parts supplied from Warwick, England. It bore the registration plate 7080AC and had a red body with white or grey hardtop and was entered with Stirling Moss as its driver. He finished 1st in class and 2nd overall. (Historic photos kindly supplied by Jonathan Whitehouse-Bird)
Moss at the wheel, Sebring 1960	Rob Gordon's Sprite is believed to be this car.	the car repainted, in 1962
A second car entered may have been one of the 1959 cars which this time ran un-registered and its drivers were Moore and Lilley. It failed to complete the distance.

& 12 HOURS

John Sprinzel and John Lumkin drove the Falcon-bodied Sprite bearing the registration 5983AC in this, the long distance race, to 1st place in class, 41st overall

1961

SEBRING 4 HOURS

Reg No:	Race No:	Driver	Co-driver	Body	Overall result
	4	Ed Leavens		GRP body	6th
	6	Briggs Cunningham	Dick Thompson	GRP body	8th
	5	BruceMcLaren		GRP body with hood	4th
	3	Walt Hansgen		Alloy hardtop by Les Ireland	3rd

(N.B. It is not known whether Nos.4 & 6 were 8423UE or 8424UE, or vice versa.)

It was in this event that Stirling Moss, driving Sprinzel's Coupé PMO200, came 5th overall and his sister, Pat, was seventh in S221 (See under Williams & Pritchard). Butch Gilbert has kindly given me information relating to one of the above team cars which is currently for sale in the USA. I am unclear which car this is but believe it to be that driven by Briggs Cunningham. Click on pink box above to view. The Walt Hansgen car later became the Ecurie Ecosse Le Mans car and was re-registered 1413WD.

& 12 HOURS

Reg No:	Race No:	Driver	Co-driver	Body	Class	Overall
	65	Ed Leavens	John Colgate	Alloy open sports "roadster"	3rd	25th
	66	Joe Buzetta	Glenn Carlson	Alloy hardtop by Les Ireland	2nd	15th

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[The content of the above notes is largely extracted from Tom Coulthard's chapter in "Spritely Years", with his kind permission]

I will be adding to this section details of other Works Cars

as this information becomes available.