Went to Saturday and Sunday of Austin Healey Sprite 50th birthday bash at
Goodwood here in UK.
1) Have never seen so many Frogeyes in my life. Nor 3000s for that matter.
Usually find my BT7 in a car park without any trouble. Yesterday there was a
sea of Healeys lined up in rows so cars not so easy to find!
2) I'd guess that there were more "Big" Healeys than little ones.
3) The outings onto the race track were curious to watch. People in "period"
dress,so emphasis on flat caps and tweed. Strange to see them whizzing
around without helmets. But all very proper, little overtaking and no
aggressive driving.
4) Some fantastic cars there. The rally cars were well represented.2 of the
ARXs for example.
5) The Le Mans special, whose name/serial escapes me, was there on display
and on track.
6) Interesting how the major UK suppliers are "developing" different things
in different areas. AH Spares, for example, seems to be doing a lot of body
panel work, also chassis. And, in rather a different area, their fuel
injection system looks the business as we say. Though whether one would want
to go that far is quite a choice. Denis Welch continues with engine bits.
Their racer, Number One, revs like a Honda motor bike! Did I read that it'll
do 8,500 rpm? Sounds like it. It didn't like idling!
Cape doing a lot of work on specials/one offs and rebuilds..all immaculate
looking. The Cape 100 and 3000 look very smart. SCParts just plodding
along..not the same since they were taken over.
7) Extraordinary the lengths, it seems to me, that some people will go to to
make their Healeys, primarily 3000s, as modern as possible in their engines
and handling. Seems that, by the time they've finished, they might as well
have bought a BMW. But, sincerely meant, each to his own. No flames please.
I don't care what people do to their cars.
8) A Sebring kit there. Didn't do anything for me. Was all by itself as if
the other Big Healeys were shunning it! Seemed to me that they'd got
virtually every compound curve wrong so it looked like a Healey at first
glance but then just looked wrong. Interior very naff. An HMC MkIV also.
Body much better than the Sebring and the interior not too bad...a bit
overcooked perhaps. Those things cost a lot. You can buy a top rate BJ8 for
HMC money so would one bother??
9) A 4000 there, the RR engined one. Very nice looking car. Walked past it
without really noticing that it was different..just something caught my
attention. The extra width I suppose.
10) Maroon metallic flake, on a MkII BT7, doesn't do it for me!
11) Some Nasty Boy 100s. Very smart, beautifully engineered. Never ever
actually seen one before! Had always assumed that they'd be thrown together
bodges, but these looked immaculate inside. Bet they go like rockets.
All nicely organized in a perfect location. Weather OK on Sat and perfect on
Sun. Drove up from Devon; used plenty of fuel. Pity at today's prices, but
needs must!
Simon Lachlan
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