Both.
See
http://www.mgcars.org.uk/midgetspriteclub/MascNew/History/AustralianSprites.html
And
http://www.spriteclub.com/spridgets.php
Best
Chris
Sent from my iPhone
On 16/07/2011, at 5:10 AM, "Curt/Nancy Arndt" <cnaarndt at gmail.com>
wrote:
> Chris,
>
> When you refer to Sprites built down under do you mean the Mk I or
> was it the later square body cars?
>
> Curt
>
> On Fri, Jul 15, 2011 at 10:04 AM, Chris Dimmock <austin.healey at gmail.com
> > wrote:
> Ok.
> Personally I love this detail, & I think I need to add some
> Australian perspective here. ;-)
> Pressed Metal Corporation here in Australia were responsible for
> part of the "local content" when BMC started building Sprites and
> other BMC cars here in Australia.
> The first Sprite they built in Australia was given a body number
> 501. That was in conformance with a BMC policy which was underpinned
> by a customer satisfaction survey which dictated that no one ever
> wanted to buy anything from BMC which wasn't properly tested, and
> any number under 500 probably wasn't...
> Anyway, the first Sprite shell was 501.
> Many years later, we realised that the pressed metal corporation's
> previous job was building 500 pressed steel coffins......
> Legend has it that PMC took the project, because they didn't even
> have to reset the number stamps, and the tooling wasn't much
> different to a Bugeye .....
> Before you flame, this is meant to be funny, and is based on some
> historically bent facts! Ok ???
> So if you have a Bugeye with a body number less than 501 in
> Australia.... Check your boot.
> ;-)
> Chris
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>
> On 16/07/2011, at 2:15 AM, "Rich Chrysler"
> <richchrysler at quickclic.net> wrote:
>
> Gentlemen,
>
> The first 19 pre production cars were body numbers 1 through 19.
> Then with
> the production cars Jensen assembled and painted the body shells and
> sent
> the first 5 on a transporter over to the new Longbridge assembly
> line. Last
> one on (Body 24) was first off the transporter and therefore first
> one onto
> the assembly line. That became Longbridge Chassis number 138031, the
> "first"
> car down the Longbridge line, though it was about 3 t 4 weeks before
> it was
> actually done, due to constant adjusting and shuffling of the assembly
> process to make more sense and smoother flow of adding components,
> etc.
>
> As things progressed and the gradual speeding up of the new line, with
> logistics being constantly adjusted and improved, they eventually
> ended up
> with a number of transporters taking 5 body shells at a time over to
> Longbridge holding area. It is easy to imagine how the exacting body
> sequence numbers that left Jensen got mixed up coming off the
> transporters
> in the Longbridge marshalling area. That is one of the many reasons
> why the
> Body numbers fell out of sequence by the time a finished car came
> off the
> Longbridge line.
>
> For instance in the Hundred Registry, we list Body 133 and Body 140
> coming
> off the Longbridge finishing the same day (18 August 1953).
> Meanwhile Body
> 156 came off the next day (19 August, 1953).
>
> Rich Chrysler
> Hundred Registrar
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: healeys-bounces at autox.team.net [mailto:healeys-
> bounces at autox.team.net]
> On Behalf Of Curt/Nancy Arndt
> Sent: 2011-07-15 11:36
> To: David Nock
> Cc: healey list; Jim Cox; Mr. Finespanner
> Subject: Re: [Healeys] Kathy Wissig's AH 100
>
> David,
>
> I believe that's what I said...
> *
> "Blair Harbor's car, the first production AH with body no. 24..."*
>
> However I never heard about the switching at the loading and
> unloading. I
> assumed that Jensen would not discard the first 19 or 20 pre
> production car
> numbers and restart numbering with the production cars. Anyone
> else out
> there know about this, or have an opinion?
> Cheers,
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