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Ex-Race Sebring 'time capsule' found in California

The car raced by George Du Vall, & Julian Doty

Last October, I received an email from Nick Conklin in California, USA. He had recently acquired a standard-bodied Sebring Sprite with a competition history in the States. Despite it having been raced by two of its three previous owners, the car remains in a completely un-molested state. You can still see where the race number 32 had been on the driver's door. It is reputed to have competed at Riverside and other US tracks.

AN5/21583 was built on 24th August 1959 and is, surprisingly, a right-hand drive example with Girling disc front brakes and the usual Sebring twin master cylinders, the experimental twin-pipe exhaust system tried by Healeys on several cars, Healey steering wheel, and a sway bar (anti-roll bar), plus Healey fabric side-screens. It also has the 8" rear brake drums and wire wheels. Jonathan White-house Bird has confirmed that certain details like the compensators fitted to the handbrake activating rods are Sebring ones and therefore original to the car. An unusual feature is an opening in the rear shroud where the registration plate is normally fitted, the inset panel being detachable, though its purpose is unclear - perhaps to allow trapped air to escape through the boot area at speed, or for access, - though not large enough to remove the spare wheel. A small circular lamp inset within the aperture replaces the original number plate light. Another feature is a front bumper fitted to the rear of the car, which has a steel plate bridging the gap between it and the rear body, - Nick thinks this may have been used for a quick-lift jack.

                                   

                                  Rear bumper & aperture                               Aperture from within boot area                           Substitute number plate lamp                                 Twin-pipe exhaust

The British Heritage certificate obtained by Nick confirms that all the car's numbers match and that the car was 'for personal delivery'. Nick bought the car from an elderly gentleman who had had it in his garage for 34 years!

In "Spritely Years", Tom Coulthard mentions (on Page 152) :

'However, during 1959 the Donald Healey Motor Company may have produced a number of cars to its successful Sebring specification, though with Girling disc brakes. One such is recorded, an Old English White car with red trim that was despatched to Warwick on 17 April for conversion, returned to Abingdon and then re-despatched to Toronto on 12 May. This is listed in the Longbridge production trace as 'Spec.Sebring spec. by D.Healey'.

It looks as though Nick's car was to the same specification.

The car's history :

1st Owner:        George Du Vall of early hot rod windshield fame (the Du Vall windshield, see right), who ordered the car pretty much as    it is today.

2nd Owner:      Julian Doty - AHRF (American Hot Rod Foundation) pioneer and racer, still active in racing at 85 years of age, who purchased the car from his Uncle George.

3rd Owner:       Martin (Marty) Clampitt - AHRF member and racer, though apparently he never raced this Sprite.

So Nick is the only the fourth owner of the car in 48 years. He plans to carry out a sympathetic restoration once he has completed the rebuild of a standard Bugeye for his wife.

Nick would be interested to hear from anyone who can help fill in the gaps in the car's competition history or who can explain the few non-Healey Sebring modifications and which are reminiscent of those carried out to the alloy rear end of 2214UE .

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