O.K., had to get my various LBC (and non-LBC) cars and stories in:
1963 Corvair Monza Spyder: got it from my brother for $200. Great handling,
fast when the Turbo kicks in, been off the road since 1986 (yes, I still have
my first car!)
1959 Sunbeam Alpine: no engine or gbx or interior, but rust-free. Ended up
parting it out when I had a choice between buying an engine or buying the
next car.
1967 MGB: Great to drive, completely thrashed but very dependable. Destroyed
by a hit-and-run drunk driver 4 months later.
1962 MG Midget: had Dodge Colt 1600 engine/gbx., extremely quick and would
get 40 mpg on the freeway. Ugly paint!
1963 MGB: basic rolling chassis - put the 67's running gear in it and drove
it for a year or so until I got...
1968 Triumph GT6: Best car I ever owned (yes I still have it), drove it
160,000 miles (extremely hard miles!!) over 7 years without ever touching the
engine; the gearbox twice, suspension 3 times, but never the engine.
1961 Jaguar MK IX: inherited from my parents (too much work for my dad who
also had a Lotus Europa and a V12 E-Type to work on) years after they bought
it in England. RHD, great fun to drive to school when I was a teen (I learned
to drive in this). Been in storage for years, but throw a battery and gas in
it and it starts first time! Will restore sometime soon.
1967 MGB: needed another LBC! Needed something to drive while my brother was
using my GT6.
1956 Berkeley: Got it in trade for the labor to rebuild a Porsche 924 engine.
Low miles (2000), but no engine or gbx. Have a small Honda motor for it to
get it running this winter.
1964 TR4: nice car but traded it for 2 rough TR3's before I got it running.
1958 TR3: Project car (read RUST BUCKET)
1959 TR3: Project car (read almost as bad a RUST BUCKET)
1961 Lotus Super Seven racer: supposedly never been on the road, was a racer
from the first (2064 miles) but suffered a front end shunt in the mid 60's.
PO 'fixed' the frame in 73' but never drove it. Now all apart with the frame
ready to be straightened and put back together.
1968 Ford Cortina GT: Heavily modified body - boy racer
1958 TR3: decent rust-free car gotten in trade for 67 MGB (great deal!)
1957 TR3: project, gotten in trade for 63' MGB (trying to rid myself of MGs!)
1957 Berkeley: gotten in trade for a bunch of TR6 work. supposedly runs but
had Briggs and Stratton engine!
1966 Triumph 2000: current project for my every day car.
Of course there were also 2 other Sunbeam Alpines, 4 Alfa Romeos, another
Cortina, a Fiat, numerous Spits, a TR6, a Volvo P1800 and 122S (Amazon),
Healey Sprites, etc... I guess the point is to have fun with your cars. New
cars are safe and comfortable, but I have more fun in my current Spitfire
then in any Toyota, Acura, Subaru, Mercedes, etc. that I have ever driven.
English cars were never the best built, designed, or engineered cars, but
nothing can beat them for pure entertainment! Of course this all comes from a
certifiable LBC lunatic, so take it with a grain (or so) of salt.
Craig Worley
"Still (LBC) crazy after all these years"
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