by Graham Robson By 1965 I had settled into my dream job at Britain’s Autocar magazine, ready to drive new cars, describe technical developments, and to report on the most prestigious International rallies in Europe. Nothing, it seemed, could now surprise me—or could it? I was wrong. When the phone rang from BMC’s ‘works’ competitions…
By Michael Kotowski Mind if I take a few measurements on this twelve footer?” I ask the guy at the trailer rental lot as I pull out my tape measure. “Go ahead,” he says, eyeing my classic Mini with a hint of suspicion. I measure the rear door and call out to my buddy Jeff,…
By Graham Robson Long ago, in the early 20th century, every British road car was built in the same way. First there was a chassis frame, then all the running gear was bolted to it, and finally a body shell was added. In almost every case the body was based on a hand-crafted wooden skeleton,…
By Casey Yunker I became infected at the age of four in 1978. You know how the story goes, Uncle Rick had a 1965 MkIII Austin-Healey, black with red interior, and he’d take me for rides. The disease spread quickly in our family, given how contagious it is, and my father in 1981 got it…
By Bob McCowan My story begins with my first acquisition of a Triumph TR3. In January 1959 I returned to the US after spending 15 months as a Marine fighter pilot in the Far East. I was in need of a car after failing to purchase a Mercedes Benz 190SL in Tokyo at a discounted…
By Ted Eayrs I have owned English sports cars for more than 50 years now. Big Healeys, Sprites, MGs, TR3s, and Jaguars. I recently acquired a 1962 Austin Healey 3000 Mk II and am restoring it with the help of my friend William Staples. He and I have traded Healey survival stories over the years,…
By Keith Daniel I met Dave the summer my family moved to the country. He lived a short walk or shorter bike ride down the road, and by the second day we were best friends. His dad had a fantastic garage and hustled a buck on the side by clearing out things people wanted to…
By Mike Downs In my early teens I got a job at a foreign car parts store in Falls Church, Virginia. A couple years later I became a mechanic in a foreign car garage that was once a horse stable and still had a dirt floor. The attic above the tin plate ceiling was a…
The Mongrel in Tennessee: “A Day with Richard Lockhart” by Ralph Arata I previously wrote a driveline article on “Garage Tour – Tennessee Style” but this one is a bit different. Since relocating to the Knoxville Tennessee area, Susan and I have joined the Blount British Car Club (BBC) – an active club of 80 members….
By Bob Melka In the spring of 1971, I was a young Naval Officer recently back from a year in Vietnam. Assigned as a counter-insurgency instructor in Coronado, California, I routinely met with a few friends for lunch at the Officers’ Club bar. Discussion one day turned to sports cars, and I recounted my long-standing…
