Nostalgia

[DonziJon]

Listening to Mr.Zeletore and Buizilla talk about cars brings back memories. Mr.Zeletore might remember this. I'm thinking 1962. It was in Norfolk, Virginia. There was a guy with a "Bugeye Sprite". ...STAGE 5. And he knew how to drive it.

It was almost as fast on the drag as a new Austin Heally 3000 MkII...and would run circles around it in the corners. It sounded kinda like a chain saw. The guy that owned it said he wanted to be a race car driver when he got out. None of us doubted he would be. Most of us in that group of sports car owners were military. In those days, you could actually Work on your own car...............No freakin computers. :bonk: John

[zelatore]

"Mr" Zelatore....now that's funny.:D

Sprites/Midgets are an interesting breed. I never really got into them or any of the vintage Brit cars that much, but they are very popular and dead-simple rides. I remember when I was messing with Alfas a friend got into Triumphs and I picked up one of his Moss Motors catalogs one day - no wonder they are popular - the stuff was dirt cheap compared to my I-Talian jobs!

The fast ones seemed to be mostly hand grenades, but if you build them just under 'explosion' spec they seemed to be a great entry level budget racer.

And I hear ya' on the no computers stuff. I still fondly remember swapping motors between my 302 powered Maverick and my brother's 302 powered Mustang. (mind, this was before I got into the corner thing and was more about the 1/4 mile thing) It was an afternoon job...no sweat. A ground wire to the block, a hot wire to the alternator, pull the fuel line, drop the trany and exhaust ... that was about all there was to it!

Things only got more complicated from there....

As for remembering 1962....let's just say I wasn't around when most of the vintage stuff I talk about had it's first go-round. I'm still on the underside of 40 even if my knee/shoulder/hand/memory don't always feel like it!

[BUIZILLA]

my dad had a 1960 Austin Healey 3000 MK something.... metallic light blue and white coves, rear jump seats, wire wheels, Dunlop dog bones...

sliding plastic windows....:nilly: when it rained that was an adventure, depending on whether you were into the rain or following.....

he drove that 3 years, and then got a 1963 Super 90 Porsche 356, that car is still around locally, with the same owner my dad sold it to in 1966...

[Ed Donnelly]

I had a Healey 100-4.. The first low rider:nilly:..So low to the ground, you couldn't keep mufflers on it .....on the streets of Toronto..........Ed

[Cuda]

I had a Sprite given to me in high school. I never got it running. :(
I couldn't get parts at the junkyard. :(

[DonziJon]

my dad had a 1960 Austin Healey 3000 MK something.... metallic light blue and white coves, rear jump seats, wire wheels, Dunlop dog bones...

sliding plastic windows....:nilly: when it rained that was an adventure, depending on whether you were into the rain or following.....

he drove that 3 years, and then got a 1963 Super 90 Porsche 356, that car is still around locally, with the same owner my dad sold it to in 1966...

I had a '55 100-4 and later a '59 100-6. They were really low to the ground. The 100-6 stock exhaust was just a little higher than a pack of "Luckys". I dropped the entire system in a cabbage field in North Carolina once on a Safari. :yes: ...but that's another story. (1962 ?)

BTW Buiz: They were NOT called "Jump Seats"... they were called "Ocassional Back Seats". Just Sayin. John

[BUIZILLA]

BTW Buiz: They were NOT called "Jump Seats"... they were called "Ocassional Back Seats". Just Sayin. John you call 'em what you want, we called them worthless :yes: :)