I too have found Big Healey owners to be great people. The Atlanta AHCA is
full of great people. However, there is definitely a a "poor relation"
mindset, even though several of them own Sprites in addition to Big
Healeys. For instance, the first AHCA meeting I attended, mine was the only
Healey in the parking lot. Several members made comments to the effect of
"Oh, you have a Sprite. How nice. Of course, after a couple of years you'll
move up to a Big Healey." As if I was just testing the waters or didn't
make enough to own one (ok, at least one of those is true). But, I pointed
out that I had enjoyed my drive over to the meeting and I asked how did
they like their drive over in their Buicks and SUVs. At the next meeting,
there were three Sprites and three or four Big Healeys in the parking lot...
---
On 6/20/99, Tom Zuchowski wrote:
>I agree with you that Big Healey people are tops! The Big Healey owners in
>the Triad Austin-Healey Club in North Carolina are a really great bunch of
>people. If there is any snobbishness there, I have yet to see a trace of it.
>And my Bugeye is pretty ratty, too. Heck, I know of at least one member who
>doesn't even own a Healey, he owns an MGA!
>
>Tom Zuchowski
>'61 Bugeye
>Clemmons, NC
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Lancer7676@aol.com <Lancer7676@aol.com>
>To: Herb_Goede@amsinc.com <Herb_Goede@amsinc.com>; pvanner@pclink.com
><pvanner@pclink.com>
>Cc: Spridgets@autox.team.net <Spridgets@autox.team.net>
>Date: Saturday, June 19, 1999 12:17 PM
>Subject: Re: Calling All Midgets
>
>
>>In a message dated 6/18/99 3:35:34 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
>>Herb_Goede@amsinc.com writes:
>>
>><< Big Healey owners treat us worse than Porsche 911 owners treat the 914
>> crowd. >>
>>
>>
>>I haven't found this to be the case. I know there are individual car
>owners
>>who are, in their own honest opinion, "holier than thou", but I don't think
>>you can lump all Big Healey owners together. I am a member of the Smokey
>>Mountain AUSTIN HEALEY Club, by virtue of my Sprite that I have under
>>restoration (seems that I always have and always will have it under
>>restoration), but I drive my Midget in all the club functions. We have a
>pub
>>night , very popular, once a month and park our cars on the grass lined up
>>outside the Pub. My little blue Midget sits proudly flanked by Big
>Healeys,
>>and in April I was the Drive Captain of a Saturday weekend drive--the
>Midget
>>again proudly led the Big Healeys through the Tennessee Mountains. And I
>>have felt absolutely no snobbishness on the part of the Big Healey
>>owners/club member. Only acceptance.
>>
>>As to a separate MIDGET meet? I am not really in favor of splitting our
>>ranks. I think that in BOTH the Austin Healey camp and the MG camp we
>should
>>promote not Sprite or Midget, but Spridget!! After all they are virtually
>>the same car. So I would have shown up at Sprite Rush in my Midget and
>>participated fully in everything I could, and if my Sprite is finished and
>>there is a Midget thing, I might drive either one--who knows? My fender
>fits
>>your fender. 8^) ALWAYS be Siblings and always promote SPRIDGETS!!!
>>
>>My loose change on the issue!!!
>>
>>-----David
>>
Jeffrey H. Boatright, PhD
Senior Editor, Molecular Vision
http://www.molvis.org/molvis
"Seeing the Future in a Very Tiny Way"
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