ANOTHER LOOK AT THE CARS OF 2 FRENCH WEBSITES
Pierre Lequeux has kindly translated the content to facilitate your enjoyment of them.
Click here or for the originals here and here

1 x Healey Magnesium Racing Wheel - as fitted to the Sebring Sprite -No Reserve!
on ebay currently at £50 [SOLD £215]

Woodrim Steering Wheel

Sorry, you are too late for this one. It fetched £876 on ebay !!

Any takers for carbon-fibre copies of Speedwell door handles?

Jake Wootton works alongside Andrew Forster and has created these replica door handles for Sprites. Based on the old Speedwell pattern they still need the 45 degree operating bracket to finish them off, which is in the process. He is keen to 'test the water' and asks who might be interested in buying a pair before proceeding with costly tooling up.
They are 70g lighter than the original, but they look a little different and are going to be cheaper than the ali ones.
If you would be interested please let me know via Feedback [2 replies to date duly forwarded]

1962 Austin Healey Sebring Sprite Replica For Sale

Barry McCann is reluctantly offering his part finished Sebring Coupe for sale on ebay.
He describes it as:
"Flawless Austin Healey Sebring Sprite Replica Shell on original 1962 donor car with roll cage fitted. All work professionally completed by Brian Archer and Andrew Forster with bills to prove. All parts boxed to complete inc Original 948 engine and many spares. Only part missing are the side screens which can be manufactured via Martin Ingall Sebring website. Please come and see the car - you will want it if you see it. On a SORN for years - someone else needs to finish it... get yourself a great project for the new year. Any questions let me know. Thanks Barry"
NOW SOLD (16 Dec)
By the way new sidescreens are now available. Current bid is £8,000

LATEST NEWS ON EX-WORKS SPRITES

My good friend Neil Anderson in Chicago recently turned up a 2009 Healey Marque article about HAN8-R-202 which was then owned by Jeff Brenner who was claiming it to be the 1966 Sebring race car No.67 which won its class. Its strange that at the same time Tom Cotter owned the 'real' Sebring car HNX 455D not far away in North Carolina but thought it had originally been lime green, confusing it with the '65 Le Mans cars. Nevertheless the article makes interesting reading and HNX 455D is currently up for sale in Germany. for a cool £219,000! What a pity the car continues to display No.49, its LM number, though by that time it was painted red.

A big thank you to Neil Anderson, Dave Matthews, Pete Taylor and Mike Wood for their valuable contributions this month.

ALEXANDER GT ~ RWV 661

I recently received from Stephen Williamson this photo of his father Geoff Williamson racing Alexander Sprite RVW 661 at Silverstone on 2nd May, 1959 . This must be the second of the two GTs built, the other being 777 EBH.

R.I.P. Gerry Coker

I was very sorry to read in the motoring press in the last few dayys that the designer of the Healey 100 and the Sprite, Gerry Coker had died at the grand old age of 98. We have a lot for which we are grateful to him. What an immeasurable amount of fun he has given to so many of us who have owned these cars over the last 70 years, and what splendid designs he came up with in these two British sportscars.

Dave Marriott awarded the Brian Archer Trophy for his new Sebring Fastback

With the Classic Car show at the NEC Birmingham being cancelled this year, I made the decision to award the Brian Archer Trophy established by the late Ian Ashfield, to Dave Marriott who is in the process of completing his new Sebring. Below is his story:

WILLIAMS & PRITCHARD MK2 SEBRING BONNET FOR SALE

Asking price £300 on ebay DID NOT SELL
As so frequently happens this is advertised as an Ashley bonnet.

108 CPX FOR SALE AT £29,500 ON CAR & CLASSIC

Glenn Castle drew my attention to this SEBRING BONNET FOR SALE ON EBAY
Buy It Now price £495 and Stated to be
"VERY GOOD, slight crazing on top of one wing but easy to sort with light skim of filler"

Falcon Sprite Update

I'm not sure that I ever published these photos of the Falcon Sprite (which raced at both Sebring and Le Mans) when its owner Roger Sieling sent them to me back in 2018, so here they are. It's good to see it back on its wheels after a long period in pieces and following Roger's unfortunate accident when it was on his trailer. Roger is now working on the Le Mans engine ready for it to be re-installed in the car, and he writes:

"Next spring I'm going to apply for a title and if it has to be inspected, I'll leave the screen as is until after the inspection. Then I will chop it off lower or maybe just remove it. What do you think of the JAP Magna wheels on it?
I took the original Le Mans block along with the 948 Mk2 autocross motor from my my old Bugeye to the machine shop that does my critical work, along with the Le Mans head and a new set of Hepolite PowerMax .060" over pistons, I've had on the shelf for at least 20 years.  I took the Le Mans block along so they would have it to model the eyebrows and duplicate them into my Bugeye block.  But, they said that Chevy 396 BB motors also have eyebrow cuts and they have sleeved many of them with no problems. So, they're going to sleeve the original block!. I'll have them surface grind the top of the block and and the mating surface on the head.  Re-assembly should then be a breeze. I have bought a set of the "Max Speeding" H beam rods for 1275 as I have fitted Carrillos into a friend's 948 vintage race engine".
All sounds very good Roger.

The Archers Sebring Makes a Comeback

A message received from Andrew Forster, formerly of Archers Garage:

"The Archer’s Garage Sebring Sprite is returning.
After too long an absence new Sebring parts are now available. Over recent years I have tried to produce a few parts in my spare time but unfortunately that time was insufficient to sensibly continue in production.
Some may know that since I closed Archers Garage in 2016 I have been working for Aldon Automotive. Aldons were a leading supplier of Sprite and Midget performance parts a long time ago and were responsible for designing and producing many that are still sold today. It was they who designed and produced the panhard rod kit fitted to many Spridgets over the years.
Aldon's principal, Alan Goodwin also owned and competed in the Targa Floria Sprite TFR 5 that is now in Japan.
Having worked closely with Alan, I decided it was time to bring back the Sebring so that people can have an a “second stage original" as John Sprinzel described it during the early years of its production.
The one thing that will be different from the early kits is that a logo will be laminated into the fibreglass. This is just a way of telling our kits from the copies and give the owners a little bit extra provenance.
Although the sales and distribution will be via Aldon Automotive the kit will always be referred to as the Archers Sebring as a mark of respect to Brian who made it all possible and as many are familiar with the name.
If anyone is interested in making their own Sebring then the contact information for Aldons is:

Aldon Automotive
Breener Industrial Estate
Station Drive
Brierley Hill
West Midlands DY53JZ
Telephone number: 01384 572553.
Email: link.

We look forward to hearing from you.
The pictures above show a new dashboard with the AK (Archers Kit) logo we will be using, designed by my brother Kevin who has been working with me making Sebring parts.
Andrew Forster".

"Happy 90th Birthday to John Sprinzel! I just finished reading his and Tom Coulthard’s excellent book “ The Spritely Years”. Thanks for letting us know Martin. Pete Schumann"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN (SPRINZEL)
90 YEARS OLD TODAY, 25th OCTOBER 2020

Have a splendid celebration, John. We are all so grateful to you for your creation of the sensational Sprinzel Sebring Sprite Coupe which gives so many of us so much pleasure on a daily basis. Congratulations to you on all your great achievements in motorsport.
Aloha, Martin

"He just recalls a mould, and the bonnet being fibreglass. The whole car cost £350 at the time. It raced as Team Lido as the family owned a lido" (Andrew Clower) 

Peter Westacott wonders if the ‘Batman Joker’ bonnet on the Clower Sprite No. 29 might be a cut-back Alexander as on RAM 35?

A few stills from Andrew Clower's father John's YouTube film "Driving a Ferrari F40 at 80 years old".
I've not seen a bonnet like that one on his first Sprite before!

NEAT DETAILING TO ROLL-OVER PROTECTION ON KEN GRASING'S CARS

More from Ken - Aluminium/fibreglass doors:  "The difference of the door inner frames between the fiberglass doors and the all-aluminum doors seems to be readily detectable by members of the Sprite community.  It’s probably the number one noted deviation from the original cars, and it is not really attributable to required safety equipment.  I had elected to use the all-aluminum doors as I had thought they would be more durable, without recognizing the difference in appearance.  As we’ve not started the body and paint work on the California Sprite yet I think we’ll be able to use the all-aluminum doors on that car and mount the fiberglass framed doors on the coupe".

Dashboards: "The second most noted deviation is the dashboard, as we elected to use a full Frogeye dashboard rather than the abbreviated panel used in many of the coupes.  I had looked at the pictures of PMO 200 taken at Goodwood in 2006 and 2008 and thought the full dashboard made it look like a much more finished, complete, car.   If we find we need to lose weight we can always change to the flat panel dash, or replace the steel dashboard in alloy or fiberglass.   We did find the roll cage conflicted with the full gauge location which was disappointing, as I had wanted to retain the stock Frogeye flavor". 

A NEW PETER MAY ENG SEBRING COUPE REP FOR DAVID LOVEGROVE

I was recently contacted by David Lovegrove who is building a Sebring replica coupé. He bought the fibreglass panels from Peter May Engineering but they were unable to supply the laminated front screen (or the polycarbonate rear). I tried Andrew Forster (who has none at present) then Halls Garage who can supply at £179 + VAT (collected) and Pilkingtrons who want £497.75 + VAT + £25 carriage.
David's car's spec is: "partly MkIV and partly Sprinzel Sebring and will of course be different again for the finished car (whenever that might be - we’re hoping 2021!) particularly the kerb weight and therefore the 0-60mph time (hopefully as the bhp per ton should be over 120)".
He has obtained one of Graeme Jenner's Classic Car Portraits [see lower left image]
Prices range from £40 to £50 + p & p

7080 AC ~ JACK WHEELER's TWO SPRITES PASS TO JOHN PHILLIPS ~ AND WHO BETTER TO TAKE CARE OF THEM?

"I've known Jack all my life as I lived next door to his parents in Cheam, and used to help him with his various cars even before the Sprite came on the scene.   I remember him taking me for a wild ride in his Bugatti Type 13 with a Brescia engine when I was only 4 or 5 years old in the mid 1950's. I helped with the Ginetta G12 when he was building the Jerboa in 1969 and was part of the team when we took that car to the Targa Florio in 1970. Apart from Jack, I put in more hours than anyone helping in the rebuilding/ restoration work on the Sprites and ran the cars in at Dunsfold and Bruntingthorpe before we raced the car at Silverstone and Goodwood. I think that it's safe to say that Mr Wheeler was the main reason I got involved in motorsport, be it rallying, racing, sprinting and hillclimbs! all the best, John".

[Jack continues fit and well but, as he puts it "moving slowly".]

AN UPDATE ON KEN GRASING'S FOUR NEWLY-BUILT SEBRING SPRITES IN THE USA

"Our last trip to Iowa, where the Sebring Sprites are located, was in mid-March, 2020.  We continue to work on them, albeit from a distance.  Still a few items to locate, still a few more engineering issues to sort through and still a few more historical details to investigate.  We have not yet received the FIA HTP’s for the three cars we had inspected last fall.  This is understandable, as the FIA is not an “essential” business and they are most likely not having staff in to complete these. None the less, it’s a bit disconcerting as we’ve invested a significant sum into the inspection fees and shop time to complete the applications.  Below are a few insights into the various ongoing projects:  
Alloy-bodied Coupe
The alloy-bodied coupe is largely complete, although I find we still have several items to complete to make the car truly track-ready.  We’ve deferred the purchase and installation of many of those safety items that carry an expiration date, as there was little point of seeing them go out of date limit while setting on the shop floor.  We are hoping to get a little private track time later this year to work on sorting out suspension and handling of the coupe. I suspect we’re over sprung in the backend, as it seemed a bit skittish during the couple of short road trips we’ve taken it on.  As you know we’ve done very little to publicize the car.  We’ve made one trip to the 2018 Sprite 60th Anniversary at Elkhart Lake, and one trip to the Austin Healey Club of America 2019 Conclave in South Dakota.   None the less, I’ve managed to garner a fair number of criticisms for lack of authenticity. I am, slowly, building a photo library of, what I call, rectifications.  Some of these details we can clear up fairly quickly, others might be down to a future owner.  In my defense; many of the deficiencies relate to either interferences with safety equipment, or interpretations of the original FIA Recognition form #47.  As I wasn’t out to create a museum piece, nor willing to compromise on driver’s safety, I’ve had to make decisions that may not meet others expectations. For example, while I would very much like to incorporate the twin SU fuel pumps that John Sprinzel had installed in the rear of the cockpit, the FIA looks unkindly on vinyl fuel tubing in the cockpit.  I have installed twin pumps, but they are safely tucked way in the FIA approved fuel cell.   In a future email I will catalog the choices we had to make in the build.
Standard-bodied Sebring Sprite
The red standard-bodied Sebring Sprite patterned, generally,  after XOH 276, is also largely complete.  There are a few wiring issues to be completed but otherwise the car is ready for suspension tuning and development work.  There are a number of long-term projects that I’ll need to address in the coming months/years:
* We had the pictures taken for the initial FIA HTP application with the DHMC hardtop fitted, but without the glass rear screen installed.  We had to resubmit the photos to the FIA with a rear screen in the hardtop, and ended up using a BMC hardtop, as we’ve found there is an issue with fitting the rear screen in my DHMC hardtop.  I’ve ordered several of the replica DHMC hardtops from Sven, but I think the long-term solution will be to locate one of the Universal Laminations / Denis Ferranti hardtops that are more appropriate for the July 1958 car.  Tom Coulthard and John Sprinzel have a photo of one of these tops on the front cover of “Spritely Years”, the photo being of PMO 200 during the Coupe des Alpes in July 1958.  Herve Chevalier has three more photos of PMO 200 taken during the ’58 Alpine in his work “Les Healey dans les Alpes”.  Referring again to “Spritely Years”, there are two more pictures, on page 39, of the Universal Lamination top fitted to PMO 200 with the nine-stud windscreen, this time for the 1958 Liege-Rome-Liege.  I do have the correct nine-stud windscreen frame for this car, but had the later windscreen frame installed to use the DHMC top. 
* I’ve finally found the answer to another bit of Sprite mystery.  Were you aware there were two rear axle casings (housings) for the AH Mk1, Frogeye, Sprite?  Part number ATA7329 gave way to new part number ATA7618 at chassis number AN5/4333.  We discovered one of the differences in the rear axle casings when offering up a narrowed axle housing and finding the rear shocks links wouldn’t meet the bracket on the axle casing.  Upon measuring we discovered the distance between the shock link brackets differs between early and late rear axle housings by ~1 in.  I’ve reached out to my contact, a specialist on Armstrong shocks, and he has confirmed there is a difference in the offset in shock arms of early shocks 2A7298/2A7298 and late shocks AHA5312/AHA5311 that would account for the almost 1” difference in bracket spacing.  The upshot of all this is that in a future project I will want to get the arms changed on the Armstrong adjustable shocks currently on the car and install the earlier axle housing so all the 1958 bits match up. 
* One further project being undertaken is to swap out the current C39 generator and RB106 control box for the uprated C40 generator and RB310 control box specified by Geoff Healey in ST 200 (1959 Sebring).  You’ll remember I had started trying to source the double bearing C40 generator with tach drive some years ago, before getting discouraged and setting it aside.  I’ve now got a much larger supply of generator parts so I’ll tackle it again.  I hadn’t previously realized that the change from the RB106 to RB310 control boxes is not a simple parts swap.  The RB106 is five-screw terminals, while the RB310 is three-screw terminals, so I’ve gotten an automotive electrical firm involved to create the appropriately modified wiring diagram. 
* I still want to fabricate the twin pipe exhaust system, as Geoff Healey had used on the 1959 Sebring cars.  There are still quite a few good pictures of the Butch Gilbert restoration that show the detail of the twin pipe exhaust system.  
Standard-bodied Bonneville Sprite
We still have to fit the blower oil feed, plumb in the oil cooler and finish the wiring.  I’m running a Setrab oil cooler mounted vertically along the R/H side of the radiator to mimic the period installation.  Some of the other details are described below:
The blue standard-bodied Bonneville Sprite has been, generally, patterned after the 1960 Alpine rally car of Tommy Wisdom and Jack Hay, 7080 AC.  Wisdom and Hay had run the car with the soft top, which makes further development of this car in the historical configuration really problematic. The Sebring Sprite falls into Period E of FIA Appendix K, with rollover protection recommended.  The Bonneville Sprite falls under Period F of FIA Appendix K, where rollover protection becomes obligatory.  I’ve put roll-over protection(ROPS) in both the alloy-bodied coupe and the standard-bodied Sebring Sprite, and in each case we’ve been able to fit it under the roof/top.  It’s just not realistic to get the ROPS under a soft top in the Bonneville Sprite, so we’re probably going to fit a DHMC replica hard top from Sven on the Bonneville.  We had used the DHMC top for the original pictures for the FIA HTP, until required to have rear screen installed, at which time we used the BMC top for the final pictures.  The Old English White hardtops looked quite sharp against the blue car, but I think I’ll go with a black finish, to approximate the Wisdom/Hay car.
* Period pictures of the 7080 AC from the Targapedia, John Phillips collection, appear to show a pair of Lucas HF 1748 horns mounted to the left of the radiator.  I’ve found one horn of the pair, still searching for the mate. The period photo also features a four-blade electric radiator fan, quite similar to the very early Kenlowe fans.  I’ve located a similar fan and we’ve built a bracket to accommodate the fan.  We’ll need to relieve the bottom panel of intake ducting in the bonnet, as the inner edge hangs on the fan motor.
* I’ve never located an interior photo of 7080AC taken during the 1960 Alpine, so we have been a bit liberal with our cockpit arrangement.  I’ve gotten the Halda trip meter installed along with the auxiliary panel, Shorrock boost gauge, electrical cut-off etc.  Currently trimmed in blue, but I think a darker, navy, blue would have been a better choice. 
California Sprite  
The shop I use here in Oklahoma City is basically a one-man operation, so I can go up there and work on the sub-assemblies we’re getting ready for the next build.  We socially distance in the shop, by standing at opposite ends of the building and shouting at each other.  We wear masks 100% of the time.  I tend to go in mid-morning and mid-week when there are few visitors.
* Right now, I’m building up the rear axle assembly for the ex-SCCA Southern California race car.  This is another MG Midget quarter-elliptical sprung wire wheel axle housing, so it won’t require narrowing, and there is some drilling of the brackets for lightening.  We’re using another set of the Girling backplates from the Riley 1.5 as base for the 8” x 1-1/2” rear drums.
* We’re going to use the next experiment in Girling rear wheel cylinders on this build.  As the 5/8” bore cylinders have become harder to locate I’ve had a few sets of the ¾” cylinders sleeved to 5/8”.  I had three sets of the ¾” cylinders one hand, and as they were of no use on the Sebring’s I thought it a reasonable use of otherwise dead stock.
* I’m trying to work out whether the double bearing rear hubs will work with the hand brake levers in the 8” brakes.  I’m told the extra width of the double bearing hub with interfere with the hand brake levers on the 7” brakes, but I’m hoping the 8” brakes might provide more clearance.
* We’re also looking at the aftermarket, high strength, axle shafts.  I’m not sure the large nut on the outboard end of the three-piece axle shafts will not interfere with the bolt-on splined adapters.

Have you spoken with Andrew Forster lately?   I was wondering whether he might have a set of the Sebring doors he used to make, the ones with the fiberglass innards and aluminum skin.  I could also use a set of the Speedwell inlets for the next engine build if he had any available.     

And, finally, two new mysteries for yourself and your readers!

• I noticed, in the 1961 BMC Competition Catalogue, a close-ratio gear set I had not previously seen.  Listed as Q 2354A it consists of;   3rd speed gear 2A3299, 2nd speed gear 22A 37, Laygear (cluster) 22A 39 and 1st Motion Shaft (Drive Gear) 22A 40.  No information on actual ratios or tooth counts is given and the part numbers are different than those commonly given for converting the 9C gear box to, closer, Mark II ratios.  The 3rd Speed Gear seems to have come from an A30.  Any further information on this gear set would be appreciated.

• While looking at FIA Recognition #26, for the Speedwell GT, valid 16 Nov 1960, I noted a gear box ratio with a first gear of 2.569:1, being offered well before the 2.57:1 first gear ratio finally listed on FIA Recognition #568 for the MKIV Sprite, valid 12 Jan 1967.   Further, looking at the tooth counts provided on the Recognition Forms it appears the actual gears used are quite different.   My original Speedwell catalogs don’t provide any further details. Again, any further information would be appreciated.
  Best Regards, Ken Grasing, Oklahoma, USA
  
  [A tour of Ken's cars back in November 2019, on Youtube]

DHMC 'WORKS' HARDTOP FOR SALE
£1,250

  Gordon Elwell is offering this genuine DHMC hardtop for sale and wonders if any of my 'readers' may be interested? "It is a sort of 'barn find' and still has all it's original fittings including a very good/original glass and seal + OE rear deck seal + front seal too. It is only missing the side seals and fixing bolts....but all the OE mountings and screws are there. It is sound and damage free but needs prep / re-paint. I am yet to advertise it but would be looking for £1250 ex works".
If interested please contact Gordon at Classic Revival on 0115 9663762 or by email His website is:
www.frogeyesprite.co.uk

CAN ANYONE IDENTIFY THESE NEGATIVE CAMBER TRUNNIONS?

Erick Moser asks "if anyone can identify the maker of these negative camber trunnions. Whoever made them had access to unfinished BMC castings, so are they a factory tuning part? Or could they be from one of the tuning companies back in the day? I haven’t yet done the calculations to verify that the “1.8” and “1.125” correspond to the camber angle they’d achieve, though I imagine this to be the case. Any help from your wise contributors would be greatly appreciated". Feedback please  

SUPERCHARGED SPRITE WITH PEMA BONNET FOR SALE

Peter Jackson (of 46 BXN fame) bought this rather special Sprite at auction 5 years ago. Unfortunately his advancing years and the onset of arthritis are now preventing him from making good use of it. He is therefore reluctantly putting it up for sale. Soon after his purchase the car went to Paul Woolmer's restoration company where 100 hours of work were spent on it. It has had only limited use since that time. It is equipped with a Shorrock C75B supercharger and a Pema (Peasmarsh) bonnet. Peter is looking for offers around £14k. He is based in Cornwall and can be contacted by email.
[PLEASE NOTE THE PHOTOS BELOW WERE TAKEN AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE IN 2015]

HAS ANYONE GOT ANY JCP WHEELS TO SPARE?

Gordon Elwell has some and is looking for 2 more:
"I am always intrigued by the flow of information across your site and wondered if anyone can help me identify the source of the 4 off 5½J x 13"  'JCP' wheels I have. So far the only possible source may be JC Performance in Wiltshire, but the company doesn't seem to be old enough? Photo attached shows the 'Made in Britain' marking.....which probably dates them to the 1960's ? Ideally I need to find another two so I can use them on one of the race cars. Any help would be appreciated"
If you can assist please email Gordon using this link.

KIM JOHNSON

James Thacker reported to me last month that his very good friend Kim Johnson had died just 2 days after being diagnosed with lung cancer. James says:
"I don't think you ever met him but my very dear and close friend Kim Johnson died on Thursday evening very suddenly. We were both at Shelsley on 29th Aug and he won the historic sports and saloon class on scratch and I was  2nd equal with someone else in a 2.0 litre Alfa. I have been in Cornwall for two weeks and during this time Kim became unwell. He went to the doctors on Tues 15th and was taken by ambulance to hospital where he was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer and died two days later. I had known Kim from the late 1960's when we both had and raced our  MG TF's and then progressed to Spridgets. Kim did some circuits but then specialised in speed events particularly at his home venue Shelsley and Prescott and Loton. To my knowledge his time in his Midget up Shelsley in the 33 second bracket has never been achieved by any other Midget. [ I was in the 34 second bracket].  The only other A series production sports or saloons to do that time with an A series are 1400 cc Minis with  8 port twin cam heads and fuel injection. etc.  Kim had a conventional 1380 five port with split  Webers. Kim was very much the engineer who rebuilt TZA 238  with me and Kim being an engineer [ex Longbridge Austin  apprentice] and me the amateut; he was the major player by far. I cherish the memory of the many hours we spent together both in the barn working on cars and on the track". [Photo: courtesy of Zipp Photography]

ANOTHER BONNET FROM PETER WESTCOTT DOWN UNDER

"The Ecosse car (lower left) appears to have inspired a similar shape Sprite front made in Sydney by JWF, who made a couple of glass-bodied cars, the Milano and the Italia.  In the photos (right) it’s been incorrectly identified as a JWF front and top but, while it has a JWF front, the hard top is J&S.  I’ve emailed the website to correct it, and to see if I can be put in touch with the guy that owned it at the time". 
[Photos courtesy of www.oldclassiccar.co.uk]

A LITTLE ADDITION TO BXN's HISTORY

It's always interesting to learn more about a historic car's early history. Thus I was excited to hear from Andrew Clower last week when he told me that his father, John, bought 46 BXN from Frank Williams' receivers back in 1964.

The photo on the left was taken on 31st May 1964 at Mallory Park where John was overall winner and took fastest lap. He is seen leading the "Tatty Turner" which had previously held the lap record for several years. The right-hand picture is again of John Clower at the wheel also in 1964, this time at Caswell Park.

I am pleased to report that I have now taken delivery of a new PC which should considerably speed up my uploads to the website. The old one lasted nearly 20 years so it was unsurprising that it was beginning to tire.

FROM SVEN ECKHARDT:
" I did take DA onto a racetrack again Friday gone. Jochen Schmitt had organised a trackday on Padborg circuit in Denmark. I had Martin Burhenne in the car talking me around the course - thank you Martin, again. When I got out on my final stint I manged to pass a Big Healey and pull away from him. Unfortunately towards the end of our session the driver's side front wheel hub (Lockheed PLC) gave up and put an end to my proceedings. Unfortunately I did not pay attention to Jonathan Whitehouse-Bird´s advice not to lose or brake anything of this setup because of the rarity of the components. So if anybody out there has a spare Lockheed PLC wheelhub and is willing to part with it I´ll have it".

And another from Peter Wescott to Mike Authers: "It appears I went a bit early, I didn’t realise the bonnet of 812 UYS was steel, not glass.  It is though the same shape as the J&S bonnet for which the earliest image I have is 1961.  I wonder which was the chicken and which was the egg?  Do we know when 812 UYS was fitted with its current front?  Maybe it was a Works prototype but then how did J&S come up with the same shape? Also, for what it's worth, we had a local competition Mk2A Sprite that also had a vacuum catch tank but it was discarded after a few events as it provided no tangible benefit.  It’s an interesting idea that’s supposed to let the engine rev more freely. By the way Martin asked about the brackets on the front of the car when it was still a Bugeye, it looks in that photo outside Stanleys that it’s a standard shape glass front, forward hinged (not T handle) so perhaps they’re part of the hinge arrangements? Best Regards Peter Westcott"

My apologies for the lack of updates during the last 6 days. This was due to my web hosting company having made some updates to their 'platform' after which I could not upload anything. Hopefully now remedied. I have added various notes on DHMC hardtop fitting, steering wheels, etc, some of these lower down the page in the August listings.

ANOTHER INTERESTING STORY SUPPLIED BY PETER WESTCOTT IN AUSTRALIA:
Hi, Martin.  I won’t be sending you every single thing about every single modified Sprite but I think this one fits in with the ’Special Sprite’ flavour of your site. It’s a piece (from Sports Car World Nov 1961) about the BRIAN FOLEY Mk1 that achieved third overall in the local GT championship in 1961.  The specialness is that the engine was built using Paddy Gaston’s bits, including a FJ cam, and the car is fitted with wire wheels, front disc brakes and larger rear brakes (possibly not Riley 1.5, which didn’t come to Australia, but the locally produced Wolseley 1500/Morris Major/Austin Lancer units) which could be Healey special tuning parts?  The body has alloy door skins, fibreglass bonnet, is fitted with a J&S ’Small’ hard top and the general presentation of the car is very much in the Special Sprite mould of the cars on your site. As far as I know Brian is still around but will be in his late eighties.  I think he’s still in Sydney so maybe one of your Sydney contacts could chase him down if you want to find out more about the car? Best Regards Peter Westcott.
Link to the story.

DHMC HARDTOPS CONTINUED

And from ALISTAIR ROSS:
Dear Martin, Apologies if I'm repeating whats gone before on the DHMC wing nuts, I have modified some commercially available nuts that are not to far from the original. Attached is a word document that may help. ttfn...Alistair. See PDF attached.

And, from DAN PAUL: "I can't find any door seals for a Morris Minor that look anything like the seals on my DHMC or on your engineering diagram. Morris seals look like a completely different draft extrusion. Not saying it won't work, but doesn't have the same profile at all as the originals. I agree, having looked in more depth, with Sven's comments that its a rubber coated foam extrusion". 

From Andrew Musgrave: "I’ve taken some photos (below) of some of the fittings on my Hardtop. Some will be original but some may be aftermarket but are still old! I have also attached a photo of the side fitting bolts/machine screws that I have. On the right is an original, in the center is one purchased from Austin Healey spares several years ago and on the left is one currently available from bugeyeguyparts.com in the US. The windscreen seal is an all in one design as on the illustrations already on your website, the rear deck seal is probably not original but worked. The headlining was thin yellow foam with a white channeled fabric on top. My hardtop number is 328 if you want to add me to your list of owners, keep up the good work, cheers Andrew Musgrave"

Fastenings

Headlining

Rear deck seal

Rear screen seal

Windscreen seal

MORE ON THE FITTING OF A DHMC/JENSEN HARDTOP
Hi Martin,The door seal and clips pictured in the article on the hardtop is the same as the original seal and clips on the Morris Minor, just in case the person who wrote the article didn’t know. Available in numerous colours from Morris Minor spares supplies. Regards Keith (Luck)

COLLAPSABLE STEERING COLUMN ANYBODY?

"Hello, Martin.  Perhaps some of your readers might be interested in the telescopic steering column a few of us are using in Australia?  It was an idea inspired when someone, in a competition incident some years ago, had the steering column push back into the cockpit and whack them in the (fortunately full-face helmeted) face with the steering wheel. It’s a simple arrangement using a Spitfire steering column with the Sprite splined end replacing the Spitfire arrangement at the rack end, in my case sleeved, pinned and welded by a proper engineer (he even had letters after his name!).  You need to fit a second clamp or something for the column to stop against to force it to slide, and the bonus is that you can move the steering wheel further towards the dash, affording some extra arm-swinging space.  (Oh dear, I’d forgotten how scruffy this car is!).
Best Regards, Peter Westcott."

J & S FIBREGLASS,
AUSTRALIA

JAMES THACKER AND TZA 238

"Last week it was 50 years since my cousin, Edward and I bought TZA 238 on 23 Aug 1970. After taking part in several of the excellent end of season two lap Silvestone sprints in Oct/Nov 1970; the following year we did 28 events [3 of them sprints] between us; in by far the busiest motor sport year for both of us. The most prolific were 7 each at  at Oulton and Silverstone including the GP circuit."
CONGRATULATIONS GUYS

FROM ALISTAIR ROSS:

"In answer to Peter Westcott's question about the height of the horn boss on the Speedwell steering wheel. The height is 1" - this is the same as the height between the top face (where the horn push mounts) and clamping face (that the 27mm nut tightens against) as the original BMC steering wheels. This allows enough gap between the nut and the wire connection on the horn push. The fixing nut should be level with the top face of the steering column when its tightened.Hope this makes sense....Alistair"

Hello Peter, You might be aware that I have recently aquired the remains of (Speedwell GT) 7140 RO. Prior to this maybe this was pre-adaptation I bought a Speedwell steering wheel. It looks very simimilar both pattern and condition to yours. Interesting enough (of) the plastic has suffered the same sort of distorsion to yours. Maybe it was Down Under as well. I have been thinking of making  a horn push boss on the lathe like I did  with the Les Leston in DA. I would certainly be interested in your 3D printer job. I could put a ruler or a caliper to mine if it would help. Sven (Eckhardt).

Hi Peter, I don't know if it's of any use to you but I have just had a look at my Les Leston wheel and attach photos and dimensions (below). regards Martin.

CAN YOU HELP WITH DIMENSIONS OF A SPEEDWELL STEERING WHEEL BOSS?

Peter Westcott has a problem: "I yesterday unearthed this steering wheel from the crypt.  I think it’s a Speedwell and I need to have the horn boss re-made because the plastic has suffered from the Australian sun. If anyone could help me verify dimensions I’d greatly appreciate it.  The plastic behind the wheel is not so bad and is a good pattern, but the front plastic that holds the horn button is severely deformed. The critical dimension I need is the height of the front plastic, my man is confident that the horn button and the wheel itself will provide the diameters.  I’m having the parts reproduced in ABS by 3D printing, along with the cowl that screws to the dash (that I dropped and broke).  I’m happy to have a few extra wheel parts printed up if there’s a need? I did some more digging elsewhere and discovered the Speedwell wheels were supplied by Formula and I’m confident that’s what I have". Feedback please.

AND MORE ON THE FITTING OF A DHMC/JENSEN HARDTOP
Hi Martin, The door seal and clips pictured in the article on the hardtop is the same as the original seal and clips on the Morris Minor, just in case the person who wrote the article didn’t know. Available in numerous colours from Morris Minor spares supplies. Regards Keith (Luck)

MORE USEFUL STUFF, (FROM DAN PAUL THIS TIME), ON FITTING A DHMC/JENSEN HARDTOP

From Daniel Paul: "Pulled my DHMC down from the rafters to start looking at refurbishing it this winter. I seem to have the original seals on. The funny shaped seal that goes around the door lips and along the back is interesting. From the engineering photos on your website I thought the rubber groove would clip on. Instead they're held on the other lip by a fabric coated door seal with internal metal clips. Small brackets hold this at the rear end. The front seal to the screen is a simple packing seal. I haven't yet removed the rear windscreen seal but looks like a simple 'H' type glass seal. I've had good luck with Phoenix Trim before. Once I have it all apart this winter I will investigate further to see if can find direct replacements. The cross sections on the engineering diagrams look correct though. Best wishes Dan".

1961 Austin Healey Sprite converted to Sebring Fastback with Speedwell Monza bonnet.

SEBRING FUEL FILLER PIPES IN COMPETITION

Jeff Lehmann says: "I love the design of the Sebring Fastback I bought but getting it to meet US racing regulations is a challenge. The open rear design does not allow the fuel cell and filler neck to be walled off from the driver as required. I was thinking that I could do a flush mount fuel cell and delete the filler neck with the rear window opening to fill the tank. If you have seen other options please let me know".
I sent him the accompanying photo showing the aluminium enclosure I made for my Sebring Coupe but does anyone else have alternatives ideas?

FITTING YOUR DHMC/JENSEN HARDTOP

I asked SVEN ECKHARDT for help with this one and here is his reply:
" I think the technical drawings on the DHMC hardtop on your Sebringsprite website are very helpful. Drawing 1 - Drawing 2 The clips and brackets to fix the hardtop to the car are the same as for the BMC hardtop. The clips are available from AH Spares part number XHOD153 (£33.75 each). The correct brackets are not available new. I did find a set at the Sprite 60 Autojumble at Wroxall Abbey. I have started making them myself and could supply them for £50 a pair. Going by the technical drawing on your site these brackets are fixed to the hoodstick bracket by a 4" X 5/16" UNF hexagonal headed bolt and special winged nuts. The bolts are easy enough to get but the nuts I hadn´t been able to find. However Jochen Schmitt got me onto this: The winged nuts used to fit the sidescreens to the BN4 look very similar and have the correct thread. They are available from AH Spares part number SID117 at £4.50 each. The other possibility is to use 10cm M8 bolts. I have been able to find winged nuts with an M8 thread meant to tension drums and have ordered them from an ebay supplier - they are a good bit cheaper though at £4.50 for the ones from AH Spares aren´t really too dear - you can take your pick. For the rubber in the channel for the windscreen I have used 15X8 self adhesive foam rubber. So far I have been using a good dimension draught excluder as the hardtop to body seal as well as on the apertures for the sidescreens. Going by the drawings on your website it should be a complex foam rubber profile and we found the remnants of this profile on an original BMC hardtop we bought for Franz Josef 2 years ago. So far I had not been able to find this profile anywhere; however one of the seal kits for a Big Healey Hardtop AH Spares offer a seal which looks uncannily like the profile on the drawing on your website. AH Spares have agreed to supply me with a section of this seal and I might be on to something here and I shall keep you posted. Sven".
[I am sure this will be very helpful and if Sven sends me more I will add it here. If you want to get in touch with Sven I can also put you in touch. Martin]

"Dear Martin, Interesting to see the feedback so far. I don't know if you want to carry on with this but I spoke to Chris (Keeble) about the drilled centres. He said that he drilled the 3-eared spinners on his race MGC GT and didn't suffer loosening or weakness. Ditto with them on the Sebring, on which he fitted 14inch 72 spoke wires. Chris also said there was also a theory regarding reducing unsprung weight - however marginal it might be! Now I am not completely sure about this but I did a bit of thinking and... I have just thought of something from my Mallock U2 hill climb sprint days (1978-1983). Didn’t the RAC Rule book of the time say something about the removal of shiny chrome hub caps this so the scrutineers had access to the grease caps to enable them to flick them off to see if the retaining nuts were secure. It follows if the centre of the wheel spinner (or hex nut) was solid they wouldn't be able check (rear half shaft or front hub) to see if the retaining nuts were tight and correctly split pinned or even in place! This has been known in the heat of things! I do have doubts over my memory on this it may simply have been to see if the wheel nuts were on tight. Anyway signing off. Best wishes, David (Morys"

"Dear Martin, They bored the centres out of the knock off nuts on the MGC GTS Lightweights and then when they arrived at the Nurburgring for the Marathon de la Route in 1968 for the 84 hour marathon event they soon found out in practice that the nuts were coming loose! The remedy was to shrink on an ugly, weighty metal ring in EN strength steel to keep them tight and from distorting. The other problem was they needed an extended long handled box spanner to get them off after they had been tightened. I remember talking to Doug Smith of MG Motorsport years ago and he was asked by customers for this tweak. Not for any weight reduction though just cosmetic. I always wondered if the the relatively thin cap in the centre added much but it obviously does so my advice is don't mess with nature if you are intent on the look perhaps you could get some slightly stronger spinners made with more meat around the centre. Turinno Wheels make bespoke spinners but as with all quality products the price reflects this. Best wishes. David (Morys)"

"Hi Martin, concerning the centerless knock offs I am using them for years now on my racing car. They work just as they are intended, the weight saving is minimal but they look really great. They were originally fitted by Rae Davis (now RDR) back in the last century and now sold by his brother Daryl at £189 a set:-) regards Christoph Klamert"

A QUESTION ABOUT HUB SPINNERS
Pete Schumann says "I have seen a few Sprites, Midgets etc. with what appears to be the center of the eared knock-off hubs removed as in the attached silver blue Speedhunter web site Sprite picture. Do you know how this was done, ever see one up close? Did they just use a hole saw to take the center out?  I wonder if that weakens the knock off? I love the look and was considering it". Feedback please

LENHAM LE MANS COUPE FOR SALE

This car is immaculate in every area.  New build to highest standards.  Photographic history available.  Eligible for many historic championships.  Chassis (1972 MkII MG Midget) was stripped, dipped, coated and given full respray.  Engine prepared by Smirthwaite (build spec available) with zero race miles.  1293cc.   New gearbox.  New clutch.   Suspension rebuilt.   Full roll cage.  Plumbed extinguisher.  Foam filled racing tank.  All new pipes and hoses.  Fully re-wired.  Lightweight race seat.  Currently on Avon tyres but equally happy on Dunlops.  Every part on this car is either fully refurbished or brand new.  Large file of bills with the car.  Too much to list.  Currently on SORN but could be road registered if race series requires.  (i.e. HSCC 70’s Roadsports.)   This car is “on the button” and ready to go and provides the perfect entry into the world of classic racing.  Sensible offers considered.  In addition, a new, painted but unfitted Lenham front end is available by separate negotiation.  £29,750
Call Bob on 01737 224175 (Car is located near Dorking in Surrey). 

INFORMATION RELATING TO DHMC/JENSEN HARDTOPS REQUIRED PLEASE

Several owners have original DHMC/Jensen (tall side-screen) hardtops and lack fittings and seals. Can one of you guys who have fitted one recently come up with what fittings and seals are required and the source from which they can be obtained, please Then I can publish that info on the website. Feedback please. Many thanks.

DHMC TALL SIDE-SCREENS
For a long time it has been difficult to obtain side-screens for the DHMC/Jensen hardtops which are taller than the standard BMC ones. I learned recently that Pete Farmer still had 5 sets of reproduction side-screens in stock and I am pleased to say I have placed all of those. There will be no more from that source but Sven Eckhardt has made some and so, if asked nicely, I expect he will be able to produce some more.

TRAILER FOR SALE:
Brian James 'Minno Max', two axle trailer with manual winch. Bought new by me. Very good condition. £1,800 o.n.o. Email Ian Grainger

SPEEDWELL GT - 7140 RO RECOVERY

The history of this car is complex to say the least in that a former owner with two Speedwells swapped their identities. Then more recently the car subsequently having number 7140 RO was dismantled and following the death of its owner parts were sold off in different directions. Sven Eckhardt has been busy bringing these back together in order to rebuild the car in its former glory. Despite the long delay due to Covid 19 he was finally able to make a trip over to the UK from Germany to collect various items last week. When rebuilt he plans to take the car to the European Healey Meeting in Norway in 2022, and tells me:
"I got the aluminium front, top and one door as well as the original fibreglass back from Bill McDonough. I got the body tub with various suspension bits partially restored with a new fibreglass front and back with new aluminium doors and a 1098 engine plus an original Weston Speedwell rev-counter from Tony Shirtcliffe. This lot was inspected by Alistair Ross who verified that they bore the signs of a Speedwell modified chassis as well as suspension. The rain channel shows marks of two different tops being fitted. I got the original sidescreen frames from (a former owner of the car) Bill Graham who I paid a visit back in March. I took photographs of all the period shots he had in his albums - what a nice guy he is. I am  going to fit an aluminium back to the tub as well, so collected an aluminium rear shroud and wings from A HEAD4 Healeys on my trip last week".
I look forward to seeing the restored car before very longf. Sven doesn't usually waste any time.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!!

[photos courtesy of Bonhams, auctioneers]

You will recall that Jack Wheeler and Martin Davidson campaigned Jack's Sebring Sprite 7080 AC in numerous races including several Targa Florios and races at the Nurburgring. David Morys has drawn my attention to:
"I see the Daren MK 3 BRM that Jack Wheeler/Martin Davidson raced at the 1972 Targa Florio was unearthed after 47 years and sold at Goodwood Member's meeting by Bonham's 29/03/20 (must have been online). It was a rolling chassis and achieved £18,400 including premium I think this was cheap. The FG400 gearbox for the car sold separately for £5750. The BRM Tasman V8 2-litre engine in need of rebuild didn't sell. It had been partially restored by Hall & Hall who suggested to complete would cost within £40,000 - bear in mind a brand new one would be £125,000 + vat. Got to be the cheapest 2-litre sports racer when completed. The Daren BRM and Nomad BRM's and drivers, mechanics that trailed all the way to the Targa Florio along with the Austin Healey Sprites, MG's and other privateers have my admiration what an adventure. The Nomad BRM has thankfully also been reunited with the correct BRM V8 after running with a V6 Ford and Porsche Flat six in more recent years. In V6 form the car was hillclimbed and I saw it compete at Prescott on several occasions - what a truly wonderful shape in open form with cut off Kamm tail. Sorry to ramble on but I hope the Daren will be seen out again soon and that common sense dictates a BRM being installed as without it how can it be raced in Historic's with a conscience - however other Mk 3's were built with other engines so... Still got to be the cheapest 2-litre sports racer when completed".

I knew that John Phillips would be interested in this as he was part of the Wheeler/Davidson team on the Targas back then, so forwarded David's message to him.He relied: "Yes, Martin D did finally sell the Daren, which was what I thought he would do, despite the original intention to restore the car himself after I moved it from Goudhurst to the farm in Oxfordshire some years ago.  Despite the rolling chassis being complete, it was in need of a total strip down and refurbishment. I just hope that whoever bought the car will do a good job and get it running again and as David says, "preferably with the BRM engine".  As for the BRM engine, this is where it gets a bit confused, as Jack took the engine to Hall & Fowler (as it was then) and 'gave' another engine in bits as a payment for them to do a complete rebuild on the first lump. Unfortunately, over time, Jack and Martin stopped racing, their situations changed, discussions were never confirmed in writing, Fowler left Rick Hall, things got forgotten etc etc".

XSP ENGINES
Jonathan Whitehouse-Bird has given me some more engine numbers enabling me to make some addition/corrections to the web page

ALISTAIR ROSS'S SPEEDWELL GT - 5447 HX (455 EVE)

Having retired from Cambs University at Xmas, Alistair had little excuse not to progress his Speedwell GT during the lockdown: "I have rebuilt and fitted the engine and running gear into my car; I ran the engine out of the car just to make sure I have all the bits in the correct place and I'm pleased to say this went well. I used a Weber 40 rather than the twin Amals as it was a lot easier to control. It remains to be seen if the Amals ever go back into the car!!, but I have attached pictures of these 'in situ' on the engine. They have been fitted with float chamber extensions - I think this was an Amal accessory of the day, I suspect because the float chambers could run 'dry' with a standard carburettor? So the engine is in the car and most of the pipework is in place, along with a new petrol tank. I have fitted the rear leaf springs as Speedwell's fitted them to the later cars, that is, beneath the spring socket, Speedwells had the springs re-set to suit this fitting, and according to Peter Eva this set up worked well, so I have run with this modification to keep the spirit of Speedwells."

An old shot of the car parked up.

PROJECT FOR SALE

1974 RWA MG Midget ORG 178M (needing) Full Restoration

I’ve owned this 1974 RWA project since 2008. She came to me when I was serving at RAF Wyton and I’d noticed the sorry sight of her parked up near the Officers' Mess with barely any weather protection. As the winter of 2007 progressed the thin tarp had disintegrated and she was left open to the elements. I eventually tracked the owner down and rescued her in 2008. I basically cleaned the accumulated leaf mulch from her now very rusty footwells and managed to get her back under cover, renting a spare Officers Mess Garage from where she’d been ejected in the first place. Well, out of sight out of mind and the years rolled on. As you can see she had no front wings so I hatched a plan to make her a Streamliner. I found her an original Williams & Pritchard Sebring Mk2 front and an Ashley hardtop. Both need work on the gel coat to bring them up to standard and the odd fibreglass repair. I made an error with the hardtop as I think it’s for the earlier flat rear deck Midgets and requires trimming to mount, the N/S rear quarter Perspex window is missing (the fittings are there) and it didn’t come with the boot section (the mounting holes need rebuilding). These and all the fittings are available as you all know from Motobuild. The shell was last on the road in 1983 and had some welding work carried out, new inner/outer sills and A pillars and a few footwell patches. I can’t say what the quality of the welding was like. The floors including the rear spring hangers are shot. The front inner wings are patched. I think the boot floor looks pretty good and the RWA wings are in fair order. One of the front chassis legs has a small hole between the towing eye mounts.
Also the Midget 1275 engine was replaced with a Marina 1275 unit using a lightened flywheel and brand new clutch according to the previous owner (the Marina crank flange has only one dowel and is slightly larger in diameter). Amazingly after all this time the engine turns easily by hand. Given the price of second hand units you could sell/swap or if the car is receiving a K Series or Zetec heart transplant sell the engine and box for decent money. Marina cranks are often used in Stroked out 1430 cc engines using S journal rods so there’s scope there. The dashboard is complete and all the loom looks there as well. There was no glass in the frame, good time to stick a laminated screen in. There is a soft top and frame and the original seats. Also, the heater, pedal box and a set of 1¼" SUs with manifold are somewhere in my loft along with a few other bits'n'bobs. I believe the steering lock was broken when they ejected it from the garage.
The previous owner eventually admitted he’d lost the V5, wings and glass during various house moves. I applied for and received the V5 last year. I have e-mails from him confirming my ownership of the car. The keener eyed amongst you may notice the registration no ORG 174M could easily be spaced to spell ORG1 78M for a giggle and we’ve always called her Orgy. Previous owner said he’d been quoted over a £1000 for the plate alone! Unfortunately, I was eventually booted out of the garage at the end of last year and although I could continue to store her, she is so far down my to-do list she would be better off with a new owner. I’d hoped she might end up a race/track car as is the fashion. I don’t want to break the fiberglass bits separately yet, I’d rather she had a chance as a complete package. The asking price is ,
£1500 or very near offer
Will definitely need trailering away and a car cover to tie all the bits down. No Export Enquiries and can supply a few more pics of the troubled zones but if you know Sprites then they’re not going to frighten you.

Email – Simon Hutchinson STILL FOR SALE 8TH SEPT

With many thanks to all those who have contributed to the website this month including: Simon Hutchinson; Gordon Elwell; Alistair Ross; Jonathan Whitehouse-Bird; Mike Wood; David Morys; Sven Eckhardt; Ian Grainger; Peter Westcott; Bob; Pete Schumann; Christoph Klamert; Larence Maudsley; Dan Paul; and James Thacker.

1964 WELSH RALLY RESULTS

James Thacker has pointed out that his Sprite, TZA 238 actually came 9th, not 12th in the International Welsh Rally of 1964 in the hands of Alec Poole and John Bilton. I have amended the web page accordingly. Not a bad result for a Sprite. Note familiar names like John Sprinzel among those entered.

RARE MG MIDGET Mk1 HARDTOP SIDESCREENS FOR SALE ON EBAY
AT £400
As Mike Wood says:"These really need uniting with the sidescreen-less hardtop that pops up for sale periodically".

PHIL ZAMLYNSKI'S LATEST NEWS OF HIS SEBRING REPLICA

1963  SPRITE MARK 2 PROJECT FOR SALE ~ £3,000 o.n.o. [NOW SOLD]
[Donor car with chassis jig and engine stand.]

  [N.B. Third and fourth photos above are of Martin's new shell on the jig]

Purchased in 2008 and used as his everyday car Martin Hull replaced the original 1098 engine with a rebuilt early 1275 with EN40 B crank in 2009.  He had intended to rebuild it as a Sebring but his plans have now changed. It comes with the jig he constructed in order to build a complete new shell for his now-completed Mk II ‘Twin-Cam Special'; and also with a bare-shell roll-over jig and the stand on which he ran the engine.  The shell is rotten but the bulkhead and transmission tunnel would make a good start, and a shell could relatively easily be built up on the jig using new Heritage panels. The car has a  V5, is currently SORNed and there is a Heritage Certificate.

The cylinder head was overhauled with hardened valve seats, but not fully ported; the crank was reground and balanced and it had a 60 thou rebore; this work being carried out by SRD Ltd of Launceston.  I fitted a Kent 256 cam with new pushrods and 1.3:1 roller rockers.  It has a 1 1/2” SU on an Oselli Torquemaster manifold with a LCB exhaust manifold.  The intention was a flexible, torquey motor, which it was.   Later MartinI decided to convert to Specialist Components injection, and to this end fitted their Ignition Management Kit, which included crankshaft trigger wheel and ECU. He intended to go on to fit the 5 Port Injection System later.  The Management Kit is included, as are the bills for the above.  At present it is back on distributor ignition.  The new engine subsequently did a happy 9000 miles but when the rot became terminal the car was laid up, in 2013.  The engine was last run about 18 months ago and it smoked a little on starting so it maybe it could now do with new valve stem oil seals.  

The car comes with steel bonnet, front wings, boot lid, doors, original seats and steering wheel, and a Frogeye dash and Mk II instruments.   Full details with explanation of the jig/s with photos by email or call

MARTIN HULL [NOW SOLD - 27 Aug 2020]

[N.B.Third and fourth photos above are of Martin's new shell on the jig.]    
   

BRITISH MOTOR MUSEUM, GAYDON

COMBINED MINI/METRO & BMC/BL DAY ON SUNDAY 6TH SEPTEMBER.

David Scothorn has asked me to mention that
"having had to cancel most of their activities this year, the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, have announced that they will hold a COMBINED MINI/METRO & BMC/BL DAY ON SUNDAY 6TH SEPTEMBER.  For details click this link. 
The all-singing, all-dancing Abingdon Works Motorsports Celebration that was due to be part of the BMC/BL day has been shelved until 2021.  However, we are pleased to announce that we will present a display of BMC, BL and associated Works competition cars as part of Gaydon’s event on 6th September. The Historic Marathon Rally Group will also be present with a fascinating and varied collection of other makes of Works and privateer- entered cars.
BMM are constantly reviewing how to make best use of their facilities during the current situation and updates can be found on their website   Whilst access to the inside of the Museum may be restricted by numbers on 6th September, they will provide toilets and refreshments outside too. Admission will only be allowed with a pre-issued ticket which is £8 per car, though there may be a small number of complimentary passes, available on a first-come, first-served basis.
BMM need an indication of numbers of drivers, volunteers, and 'special guests'.  If you’d like to be part of what could turn out to be the highlight of 2020’s classic car scene, please email 'davidscothorn@hotmail.co.uk', giving details of the car, name and address for a pass, and a mobile number.
For advice on accommodation we suggest you visit the Warwick Tourist Board website". 

[photo courtesy of BRDC]

MIKE GARTON ~ 1936 to 2020
I was very sorry to learn of the recent death of Mike Garton one of the early and most successful racers of Sprites who competed at Nurburgring, Spa, Sebring and in other prestigious events through the 60's and into the 1970's. I only met him once just last year when he and his wife Lyn joined us for the Frogs and Friends weekend tour in the dales of County Durham. I recall reading his little tuning book on Sprites many years ago and finding it incredibly useful. Our sincere condolences to his wife, family and friends. Mike will be much missed in many club activities. See the BRDC's obituary for details of his illustrious career.

Originally built in 1966 and registered in 1967, this Mk 3 Sprite has undergone a full nut and bolt rebuild by a marque specialist Alan Haste.  It has the sought after Williams & Pritchard Sebring GT front with an Ashley hardtop, polycarbonate side and rear windows and finished in Tartan red throughout. 
It has a rare 1293cc engine completely rebuilt by Allan Cameron to race spec with only 250 road miles.  All new parts used where possible and a huge list of modifications. 
This car would be ideal for Circuit Race, Sprint and Hill Climb or Rally use and eligible for the Healeysport Sprint and hill climb championship, the Equipe GTS series and numerous other race and rally series.
Engine spec: 1293cc A series block with 11 stud Oselli Stage 3 large valve head, Weber DCOE45, Omega cast pistons, Piper 285 billet camshaft with venier, Roller Rockers, ARP bolts, Lightened flywheel, Maniflow 2” race exhaust and manifold, Aldon distributor with Ignitor electronic ignition, alternator, FIA Cut Off and an Electric fan.
Transmission: Rib cased gearbox with HD AP Racing Clutch with remote bleed and a 4.2 diff
Suspension: All new front suspension with ¾” anti-roll bar.  Completely restored rear axle and rear suspension with Peter May Panhard Rod.
Brakes: New calipers/drums, Mintex 11/44 pads.
Interior: Sparco race seat, 6 point TRS seat belts, rear Roll cage and Odyssey Gel Battery.
Wheels and tyres:  MWS wires wheels with Avon CR6ZZ tyres.
Contact: Paul Baker by email or on 07802 608529 for more details and pictures.

With many thanks to all those who have contributed to the website this month including:
Paul Baker; the BRDC; David Scothorn; Martin Hull; Phil Zamlynski; Mike Wood; James Thacker.

ALEX HAZLEWOOD
has recently purchased this rather unusual hardtop to compliment his A.G.Thorpe bonnet and tail. Can anyone help with the name of the manufacturer of this hardtop?
Feedback please

Bob Kemp recently sent me these photos taken in 1995 at Silverstone, UK. Left to right are the late Brian Archer, Ray English over from Australia, Brian Wheeler and Tom Coulthard, pictured with the Archers Garage demonstrator, fitted with its K-Series engine. Where have those 15 years gone to? [Whoops - I should say 25 years] The car is now in Japan.

David Morys recently sent me this old photo (left) of 4 HAC taken at Silverstone. The car was then owned by the Late Richard Budd and is now with his son, Charlie. James Thacker remenisces below about his past racing scraps with Richard:-

"Richard Budd came back to spectate at quite a few MG May Silverstone meetings and would always come and have a chat  so i guess it was one of those events.. I think his last  race in the  5 lap Midget /Sprite scratch race was at MG Silverstone in 1974 according to my records. Our cars were very similar in lap time and we had some great close races in 1973 and 4. I had the wider wheels/ tyres  7" to his probably 5" or maybe  51/2"]  but he had a bit more bhp with the 1293    over my  XSP 1071.   Richard was much quicker than me in the wet in 1972 when it poured  just after the start. on the first lap and Malcolm Beer won. . I remember Richard's one outright win in the scratch Midget race in 1968 not long after he had bought the car and changed from racing his MGB. I recall that he had a cine camera; 8mm or 16mm with which Corrine or someone else took a film of this. Richard had gone well in practice and was probably on pole and I recall him modestly giving the camera to someone to use as he said he might with a bit of luck do quite well .  I wonder where this footage is and if it could  be put on YouTube?" [See MGCC May Results 1968 to 78]

CARS FOR SALE (28.6.2020)

This "Works advertising car" (right) was originally owned by Donald Healey Motor Company to advertise their special tuning parts. With a consecutive number from the race cars, it is a nice bit of Warwick History.

link to advert

WANTED ~ MARK 2 DHMC SEBRING HARDTOP

Michael Lehre and Mike Wood are both looking for one of these hardtops. If you have one for sale or know the whereabouts of such an item please let me know: Feedback
Jeff Lehmann also wants one should there be one in the States.
Another interested party is Douglas Anderson: “Like Michael, Mike and Jeff I too would like a Mark 11 Sebring hard top.  Perhaps there is room for a reproduction hard top.  If there was a demand I could have them made, if someone could lend an original from which to take a mould.  Get back to me by email.“

SEBRING PEDAL BOXES

Mike Wood has pointed out to me that Pete Moreland-Moore of BrookFab is offering pedal boxes for Sebring Sprites to order. You can choose either the basic box for £175, and new pedals for £50, spacers, mastercylinders, etc or buy the complete unit for £450. A link to their website is: LINK

THAT SEBRING BONNET ON EBAY

....was purchased by Vince Gillin of the West Midlands. He believes it is an original W & P bonnet rather than a later replica and is keen to know of its origins. Anybody recognise BTJ 674J ? Send feedback if you can help please.

GREETINGS

Although the lockdown appears to be easing a little there still seem to be few, if any, opportunities to take part in any events this summer. I imagine many of you are making little improvements to your cars while things are quiet, probably sneaking out to your workshops whenever possible. I send you all my good wishes and hope that when things return to some form of normality we will get to see lots of completed projects in all their finery. Martin

SIDE-SCREENS FOR DHMC/JENSEN HARDTOPS

Some time ago Pete Farmer produced a number of sets of the taller side-screens for use with the DHMC/Jensen hardtop. The supply got used up and, to my knowledge, no-one else has produced any more. I have recently heard from Jeff Lehmann in the USA who has acquired such a hardtop and is now looking for side windows. Can anyone recommend a possible fabricator or supplier to whom Jeff can apply? Feedback please.

Since preparing the above I have remembered that Sven Eckhardt has produced some sidescreens for these hardtops having also produced several replica hardtops. So it looks like we now have a source for both hardtops and sidescreens.

More replies and advice on fitting "rally" seats:

JOHN SPRINZEL:

"In order to fit our Sprinzel seats  we used to get the bodyshop to bang a dent to the corner of the interior bodywork just behind the seat back, two or three inches there gave a huge extra amount of space for those as tall as me. I'd draw it if I had the vaguest idea of how to do that in an e-mail. Cheers J"

PAUL SLANGEN:

"Yes, I installed those seats. I made wooden wedges to have the seat lean more backwards and give more space. Besides, I changed the seat cushion. Took out the wooden frame and bought special foam which I covered with the original seat vinyl. By that I could sit into the car very good. Otherwise it is too cramped. The cushion can be changed for the passenger seat, then smaller people can drive the car. Seat runners are installed too".

HAS ANYONE FITTED SEBRING BUCKET SEATS TO A STANDARD-BODIED SPRITE?

Malcolm McCrae is trying to fit a pair to his Sebring XSC 500 and to gain access to the boot area it will be necessary for the seats to tilt forward. They also need to be mounted with a slight backward rake for comfort. Malcolm would welcome suggestions/experiences of this problem please - feedback

DAVE MARRIOTT'S SEBRING FASTBACK MAKES BIG PROGRESS DURING LOCKDOWN.

The body kit has been fitted by Jason Elliott of Halls Garage and they have done a very nice paint job. Now the fun starts!

This photo appeared on Facebook recently, showing HNX 455D when owned by Stan Huntley around 1981 - possibly at Riverside

ANYONE WANT A TATTY SEBRING BONNET? - only hours to go on ebay SOLD for £50

Gary Lazarus recently sent me these two photos of the alloy bodywork which came from Douglas Wilson-Spratt's Sebring DWS 97 and was then fitted on to Peter Skellern's Sprite where it remains. Peter has kindly updated the car's web page.

Mike Authers is now the proud owner of this supercharged Sprite!  It’s been stored, used, stored, used, etc, etc, and has covered a verifiable 15,000 miles from new. It has a Healey hardtop number 19 and one of the original 'Supercharged' bonnet badges.

The Ex-Ian Ashfield Sebring Fastback 5116 HN has recently been sold by Mark Petersen and the new owner is Lawrence Maudsley.

APRIL 1958 FROGEYES
Having recently spoken to the owner of a Sprite with a very early chassis number, JOHN BAGGOTT wonders what other examples built in April 1958 are still out there, either in use or under restoration. Current information he has is as follows:
AN5L 501 Kerry Bennetto Australia
AN5 503 Under restoration UK
AN5L 505 Under restoration USA
AN5 507 Reeves UK
"If you own one of the very early Sprites (built during April 1958) would you kindly get in touch as it would be really good to know just how many survive" Feedback

SVEN'S BEEN OUT PLAYING WITH HIS TOYS!

"I am at the moment building a new shell for one of Bill (McDonough)'s Sprites as well as one for Jochen´s Fastback. Our own (aluminium) Fastback has been painted inside and underneath (and) we are in the process of rivetting the top to the body. Enclosed are some pikkies of my roadworthy cars coming out of the winter hibernation we took two of them for a semi-legal spin in the Alps (Sudelfeld). Cheers from over here and stay healthy. Sven"

ALEX HAZLEWOOD sent in these photos of his A.G.Thorpe front and rear body panels as purchased on ebay and fitted to his car. Unfortunately the original boot lid was missing so he is making a replacement using a 3d printer. Once he has completed a full rebuild he plans to enter the car for hillclimb events. [See also under 'bonnets']

THIS WONDERFUL PHOTO IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN TAKEN IN 1960 AT BRANDS HATCH WITH PAUL HAWKINS AT THE WHEEL OF S221
(Courtesy of the Healey Museum)

RELUCTANTLY FOR SALE - SEBRING FASTBACK

 

HALLS GARAGE TO MAKE PEEL FASTBACK BODYWORK

HALLS GARAGE are pleased to announced that they are now going to be producing the Peel (Sebring) Fastback.
"We are building this for a customer on one of the last Brian Wheeler, Wheeler and Davis, shells .
If anyone is interested in one please get in touch".
HALLS GARAGE Folkingham Road, Morton, Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 0NS
Tel. 01778 570286 Email: steve@hallsgarage.co.uk Website: http://www.hallsgarage.co.uk

MONTE NEWSFLASH & ADO COUPE DEVELOPMENT

MIKE WOOD ON AVAILABILITY OF BRAKE/CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER SEALS

"The Girling 3/4 inch master cylinder repair kit (SP1967) as well as the 5/8inch repair kit (SP1963) and 7/8 inch repair kit (SP2029) are widely available from motorsport suppliers, such as Merlin Motorsport as seen via the above links,
or through Raceparts or Burton Power . It's also worth trying Powertrack Brakes Ltd too as they stock original AP Caparo (Lockheed)".

SEBRING MASTER CYLINDER SEAL KITS

Professor Malcolm McCrae recently acquired the green standard-bodied Sebring, XSC 500, and found it had a fluid leak beneath the brake/clutch master cylinders. He needed both master cylinder seal kits SP1963 and SP 1967 and was able to source them from the Moss Group. He tells me: "Interestingly SP1963 (Moss part number GRK 1029) is described as  a Repair Kit, clutch master cylinder and priced at £7.50 and SP1967 (Moss part number GRK1027) is described as Repair Kit, brake master cylinder and priced at £7.00. Interestingly the Sprite is not  listed as a car to which either part is applicable, it being the 100-6 and 3000 listed as the Austin Healeys they are suitable for. SP1963 is described as 5/8” but there is no size mentioned in the much sparser description for SP1967". Thanks Malcolm for this useful current info.

DAVE MARRIOTT'S
Sebring was collected this week by Jason and Michael from Halls Garage for the body/chassis to be completed and painted. Seems like a good time to make some progress on a new project.

MIKE AUTHERS
has obtained another photo of his very early Sprite (812 UYS) soon after its arrival in South Africa. Unusually it has a separate pair of front sidelights, and what are those brackets beneath the front valance?

PETE SCHUMANN TAKES DELIVERY

of the ex-Bill Prout standard-bodied Sebring complete with its W & P/Speedwell hardtop. Very nice!

ASHLEY FASTBACK HARDTOP FOR SALE

[TO FIT ONLY AUSTIN-HEALEY SPRITE MK.2 or MIDGET MK.1]
"It has all the plastic windows in it which are in good condition. The headlining needs replacing and it requires painting. Looking for offers around £450". Contact:
ALDON AUTOMOTIVE on 01384 572553 or email

FROM JOHN BAGGOTT:

"Following recent posts regarding Speedwell badges, does anyone have similar information regarding Sebring badges? Having established that my Speedwell example is indeed genuine, I wonder about the provenance of this Sebring badge bought at an autojumble last year. Photos of front and reverse (without any markings) are shown here".
Please send Feedback if you can assist him.

Alistair Ross spotted this Spridget with what looks like a Sebring style bonnet,
on an old black and white film called "Cuckoo Patrol" filmed in 1967
The location is Well End, Borehamwood. Registration looks to be YPX ???
Anyone know if it's still around? Feedback please.

NEW SPEEDWELL GT FROM MOTO-BUILD

Interesting to see that Moto-Build Racing have assembled a race car using one of the late Keith Hopwood's roof panels (created for RAM 35).
Now on ebay at £32,000.

776 KNX

ANOTHER PHOTO OF THE '67 'WORKS' LE MANS SPRITE EMERGES

Although I have a few pictures showing the accident damage caused by an accident in the Esses at Le Mans in 1967 this is one I hadn't seen. Clive Baker and Andrew Hedges still managed to come in 15th overall despite a delay for temporary repairs. See more

PETE SCHUMANN'S CARS

"Attached are some pic's of my 1960 AH Bugeye, Frogeye to you!  It's got a newly rebuilt 1275, stainless steel headers & exhaust a Bugeye guy twin-tip muffler, a spare spark plug holder, a Ford T-9, 5 speed, a 3.9 diff, new Timken bearings all round, new Armstrong Lever shocks all round, new Frontline disc brakes both front and rear, a front sway bar and rear Panhard rod, a front forward tilt bonnet, leather hold down straps, drilled aluminum pedals, a new Lucas alt /gen to neg ground, all LED's including fog-lamps and hardtop 3rd brake light, lower signal lights converted to running and signals, new Kumho 175/70/13 tires on new black powder-coated MiniLite wheels, a flip top gas cap, new Raydot side mirrors with SS mounts, a 14" wood trim steering wheel, a rally stop watch, a Russian WWII vintage 5 day wind tank clock, drilled wiper blades etc, etc. Most of the modifications done in 2018 were done by Jack Merryman of Merryman Modifications in Hanover Pennsylvania about 90 miles from me in VA. Recently it won the local annual Hunt Country British Car show in Middleburg, Virginia for it's class and took 2nd in a MD British car show in 2018. It's a real hoot to drive and folks love it wherever I go. 
I also have a Beck reproduction 57 Porsche Speedster and 55 Porsche 550 Spyder. My friend Mark Gagnon has Peter White's Sebring Sprite here in Virginia - it's a very cool car".

WANTED: A PAIR OF GIRLING TYPE 10 BRAKE CALIPERS

"You will be please to hear that I finally finished rebuilding the Ecurie Ecosse Sprite after its little bump at the Goodwood members meeting. Although the aluminium bonnet was folded up like a crisp packet we were able to save it. I was invited to show the car at this year’s Salon Prive. Unfortunately I was away but my son Robert & his sister Rebecca did take the car along to hang out with some very fancy machinery. It didn’t win a prize but the kids did drink a lot of champagne and eat a few lobsters. I am of a mind to try and get the car some FIA papers so I can run it in some historic events. With that in mind I am trying to track down a set of Girling 10 brake callipers. Do you or any of the readers know where I can find a set. Nick Skipworth".

We all know these things are now like hen's teeth but if you can help please contact Nick by email.

SPEEDWELL REPLY TO CHUCK'S QUESTION BELOW:

JONAS LINDQUIST reports: "Saw your question regarding Speedwell badges on “sebringsprite.com”,
there is a very good site showing the difference between an original and a reproduction badge:
http://mk1-performance-conversions.co.uk/spot_a_fake.htm
and how the rocker cover badge looks like in original:
  http://mk1-performance-conversions.co.uk/speedwell-tuning-products.html
There are quite a lot of fake products on E-bay and elsewhere so one have to be careful.
Some more reading:
http://mk1-performance-conversions.co.uk/pdf/spd-cat-71.pdf
http://mk1-performance-conversions.co.uk/speedwell_cat_64.htm
and my own homepage with a few Speedwell related pictures etc:  www.speedwell.se
I have a small collection of Speedwell parts myself for my BMC Mini Cooper Mk2 and my Austin Healey Sprite Mk1,
and if you have any questions regarding speedwell, I just might help you".
Many thanks Jonas

SPEEDWELL MONZA BONNET FACTS FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH

Message received from John Sprinzel:

"Hi there - Didn't make the Speedwell Monza front until 1959 so he (Tommy Rougeux, see lower down the page) wouldn't have had one fitted immediately after he bought his Bug Eye in 1958. I seem to remember that Stuart Turner and I took the prototype bonnet on the Liege in September of 1959 and the prototype complete Speedwell GT was on show on the Speedwell Stand at the BRSCC Race Car Show in 1960 at the Royal Agricultural Hall. Cheers. J

Curborough ~ April 2019

PAT COOPER'S RACING FROGEYE FOR SALE

606NEV or ‘Tango’ is bright orange with a massive spec (134bhp). Pat says: "I ran her at St Gueno last season and Joe Mackrell and I have campaigned her on the hills, Joe looks after her for me. Although currently set up for hill climbs she is a race car – though road legal".
If interested contact Pat by email.

ST. Gueno, Brittany
June 2019

SPEEDWELL HELP WANTED

"My late friend and I collected Speedwell bits for our Sprites. I have 3 Speedwell badges.   One I'm pretty certain is either a horribly rechromed original or a counterfeit.  The other 2 (1 with a black background & 1 with a yellow background) look to be originals.  
When Speedwell attached a badge , where were they attached on a sprite bodywork? Also I'm seeking any fellow Speedwell enthusiasts , I would like to locate a second Speedwell SU carb velocity stack (rampipe we usually call them in the UK) to complete a set for my own car" If you can assist Chuck please contact him via email.
I am not sure there is any particular place on a Sprite where a Speedwell badge would have been located - I have seen them on bonnets, boots, hardtops,etc. The lowest of these badges is, I believe, one which would have replaced the AUSTIN badge on the rocker cover. My old Speedwell catalogue does not illustrate any rampipes, merely the small bell-shaped items so maybe this was a later addition by a firm using the Speedwell name. If you can assist further please get in touch. Feedback.

THESE 5 PHOTOS COME COURTESY OF BONHAMS.
The car was sold at their recent auction at Scottsdale (Arizona, USA) and I was interested to see a Facebook post on 23rd Jan from Bob Fisher who worked for Royston Distributors from 1972 until they closed in 1980. He says::

"This Le Mans Sprite just sold at Scottsdale. It was (once) owned by Royston Distributors. I worked for Royston until they were bought out in 1980. I would often eat my lunch on the 3rd floor where Mr Royston kept his car collection.... I've had lunch in this car....." He probably imagined what it would be like to drive the car down the Mulsanne Straight at 150 mph - while eating his sandwiches!

FOR SALE
Well known Hill Climb and Sprint Austin Healey Sprite with rare Williams and Pritchard 'Sebring GT' body. Ready to compete for the new season, complete with trailer.
Contact Ian Grainger by email

STILL AVAILABLE 2 FEB 2020

ALLOY WHEEL WANTED

Glenn Clarke is looking for a 13inch Twin Fin Minilite alloy wheel (quite rare) 5 inches wide as in the photos, for a Sprite - 4 inch PCD. [they did make them in magnesium also]   On the photos you can make out the fins. On the inside of the wheel they also have small ribs. On Glenn's 2 have this and 2 don’t.   He is not bothered which. Contact him by email if you can help please.

ENGINE FOR SALE
1380 A+
Ported and polished 11 stud Longman big valve head
Payan head gasket 
73.5mm forged Omega pistons
Stock rods 
Stick crank
Duplex timing chain
276 Kent cam
Aldon distributor
Rear Oil seal conversion 
45DCOE Webber carb that was rebuilt before I bought it and was used for one event, fitted with:
Choke 40; Emulation tube F9; Main jet 190; Main air 170
and Idle 50F9
Tinavo intake manifold; K&N air filter,used for one event 
2x small trumpets; 2x large trumpets 
Motor plate for a Morris gearbox or Ford type 9 gearbox
Bell housing for a type 9 box for the motor plate 
Flywheel for a Ford or Morris clutch
Ford 7.5inch Sierra clutch
LCB 3 into One manifold 

OFFERS TO JACK GROVES
who can be contacted by email

I was interested to hear that SVEN ECKHARDT is building another Sebring in aluminium using one of the Marcus Fellows's Fastback tops.

JOE ARMOUR tells me he recently drove his Le Mans/Sebring Sprite
on the public roads to get it inspected by Colin Dodds for
street use in Australia.

NEWS OF A SPEEDWELL SPRITE FROM TOMMY ROUGEUX:

The car in times past.......

.......and as it is today

"I live just outside Washington, DC. I inherited a project vehicle from my uncle before he passed away a few years ago and am now getting around to figuring out exactly what I have. From what I was told before he passed:
1958 Speedwell Sprite - purchased new while he was stationed in Germany. He took it directly to Speedwell after purchasing it to have some modifications completed on the vehicle. He had the original 948 fitted with a Jensen supercharger as well as an aluminum Speedwell front clip (bonnet), aluminum doors, different side curtains, and a different top. Somewhere around 1975 the top was stolen off the vehicle while he was on vacation when it was parked along side his house in Maryland. The doors were damaged while racing the car as well and had been removed and steel door re-installed. Also somewhere in its lifetime the 948 was removed and replaced with a 1275. I have been collecting parts for the last 10 years (slowly) because the condition I received the car in was basically a body-in-white. The only thing I have from the original car is the chassis and this aluminum forward tilt nose assembly. I reached out to Tom Colby at Speedwell Engineering in California to help identify the nose but he said that it looks like a Monza nose but with slightly different headlamp flaring and the Monza nose was made from fiberglass not aluminum like mine. I'm hoping you can help identify this so I can document my progress so far. I have attached a couple pictures for you to review and tell me what you think. Tommy Rougeux."

[I have confirmed to Tommy that he does have a Speedwell Monza bonnet as they made (I believe) six in that material. I have also put him in touch with Speedwell guru Alistair Ross who, no doubt, will supply a lot more info than I can. MEI. ]

XSC 500 FINDS A NEW OWNER
Back in October 2017 I showed details of this standard-bodied Sebring on the News page after Ben Tyer acquired it. Since then it moved on to an owner in France but is now returning to the UK as it has been bought by Malcolm McCrae. Malcolm is keen to find out more of its earlier history so if you can assist please contact me via Feedback.

LEW McALLAN MOVES FROM THE USA TO AUSTRALIA

Lew McAllan has finally relocated from Chicago to Australia, and is now living in the Lake Macquarie area, North of Sydney. He shipped his Sebring, a Bugeye and 2 x MGC's in a 40 ft container from New Jersey to Sydney and picked up all 4 cars a few days ago. To his pleasant surprise, the Sebring fired up with a bit of extra juice as well as the driver green MGC. The other two were non runners but are now tucked away in the garage. No asbestos import issues - having had all brakes removed just in case, they then shipped the brakes wrapped in plastic wrap with the cars ! Lew is now waiting for his tools and parts to arrive. Before leaving the States Lew traded with Neil Anderson for his Sebring front mould, which is currently in transit with his household goods. The plan is to make a few Sebring fronts for the Australian/NZ market, albeit perhaps a small market.

THE SPRITE ROOM
Back in early December Hans van der Kerkhof of the Healey Museum in the Netherlands posted the announcement that the entire collection of memorabilia previously held by Ray English in Australia had been purchased by, and transferred to, the museum. A Sprite weekend is planned for later this year.
(I note that the Midget & Sprite Club have a trip planned for 16th to 19th April 2020)

LAUNCH OF DOUGLAS ANDERSON'S NEW ADO COUPE

On Saturday 14th December, Douglas Anderson launched his new ADO Coupe based on a Sprite/Midget floorpan. Held at the DockStreet Studios in Dundee, the event went well and the car was well received. Douglas now has to productionise the moulds and hopes to be 'in business' by early summer. Here are some images from the paint shop and the official launch. For more information you can contact Douglas by email.

A couple of old photos of the car.

At Creg-Ny-Barr, Isle of Man
- late 70's

The car today

Roger Hewitt built this Lenham Le Mans in 1971 around a 1967 MG Midget donor and then ran it on the road for a number of years. He then modified it to compete in sprints, hill-climbs and races through to the early 1990s. At present the car is on a SORN (needing some much loved attention when he has the time!). Stored at his brother's place for the moment they pushed it out of the garage for the photo shown above right.

MIKE AUTHERS' SOUTH AFRICAN SEBRING

Built from a CKD (Complete Knock Down) Kit in 1958 this standard-bodied Sebring has a number of interesting features. See web page

NIGEL DILNOT-SMITH:

owns this lovely standard-bodied Sebring which was registered in 1959 and Warwickshire Council archives confirm that it was first sold to Donald Healey Motor Co. It is presumed that was where the Girling disc front brakes, 8" rears and wire wheels were added. Nigel has recently fitted a 3.9 ratio diff.

EX-WORKS STREAMLINED SPRITE UP FOR SALE BY AUCTION

HAN8-R-202 which I call 'the Display car' was sold last year by Jeff Brenner to Emilio Cruz in Mexico. Now it is up for sale again on 16th January through Bonhams with a guide price of US$100,000 to 140,000 (£76,000 to £100,000). Here's the link.
Sold for US$ 123,200 (£ 93,827) inc. premium

A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL SEBRING SPRITE ENTHUSIASTS WORLDWIDE