I'd hoped to have debuted this at SOS '05, but the deal didn't finish in
time.
A couple of weeks ago, Thicko buddy, and original owner of Redrum
http://www.thicko.com/jack.htm "Uncle" Jack Drews emails me and tries to
have me convince him not to take the plunge and buy a Sprite he'd found.
The car? A 1959 Bugeye. a racecar since new with. get this, 19,000 original
miles, and probably more than half of that from being flat towed to and from
races from 1960 thru 1967. Never hit, original paint, will all the hard to
find original bits like ribbed door & floor mats, etc. Jack took some pics,
in an effort to show the worst of the car.. like where the body calk had
dried up in the fenderwells, etc. The car, even in those pics was stunning.
The original owner had recently sold the car to a friend of his, who, with
his 2 replaced knees and large girth, found himself unable to get into it.
The car was in storage, at a unit owned by a friend of Jack's. When price
was discussed, Jack decided to take a pass, and I stepped in. Jack truly
knows my passion for Sprites, and was quite thrilled at my genuine interest
in purchasing the car.
The deal was struck, and Larry "Dr. Fine" Daniels and I set out at 5 AM, in
a snowstorm, for a 270 mile (one way) journey to bring the little beast into
the fold. The "Stealth Bomber" black Dodge diesel dually and 30' Thicko
trailer didn't even see a plow for the first 1.5 hours. Despite some
potential white knuckle moments, we made it just an hour later than
predicted had we had good weather.
The storage unit door rolled up, and there it was. Amazing. Time capsule.
Holy Grail. Has lightning struck twice?, Well, yes indeed.
http://www.thicko.com/bishop.htm
This car is amazing. It's still rolling on its Michelin x tires it last
raced on. It runs, beautifully, in fact. After retiring from racing, it's
just been driven around the block a few times a year to keep it loose.
The original owner is alive. I'm expecting to have a lengthy conversation
with him.
I have some pics taken by Jack today as we loaded the car. If you'd like to
see them, e-mail me, and I'll send out a bulk mail to all interested.
It'll get washed tomorrow, but I will do nothing to destroy the patina of
this car. I hope to enter it at next year's Brian Redman Road America race
car concours held on the streets of Elkhart Lake.
I also might light up the Floundervision cam over the weekend for those that
would like a "live" tour of the car.
Grinnin' like a 10 year old that found his Dad's secret stack of Playboys.
I am, respectfully yours,
WST
The Flounder
Team Thicko
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