A gathering of rally racing legends By John Sprinzel From Fishy Beginnings… If you have ever purchased a pair of competition driving gloves, they probably came from John Hopwood’s glove business, and if you have ever eaten fish and chips in the Manchester area, it is pretty certain that Roy Fidler’s company supplied the fish….
(After Ken and Barbara Smith logged over 5,000 miles while visiting countless states to attend British sports car events all over the country in their bright yellow ’78 MGB, it seemed that the time had come for Moss Motors to purchase a company RV. Although Ken and Barb proved that an MGB could hold an…
The Mini didn’t make nearly the impression in the United States that it did in Europe, mainly because the idea of tiny cars competing with Detroit iron on the freeways didn’t sound like too safe a proposition. However, on the narrower main roads and tiny lanes of European towns and cities, the Mini quickly won…
As I have been involved with the Sprite’s 40th and Moss’ 50th birthday celebrations, my mind has naturally been busy with memories of Motor Sport of the ’50s. Rallying, Tin-Top production car racing, and Formula One now has a much larger audience than it did in those days, and while the basics of each side of the…
One of the first 40th birthday parties for the Austin-Healey Sprite took place in Tasmania, that large and beautiful island off the southeast coast of Australia. It has long been the home of some of the most devout Sprite enthusiasts in the world, and no less than 14 of them prepared their beloved classics to compete in…
When World War II ended, Dad was 45 years old. He couldn’t drive and decided our family needed a car. Somehow, someone persuaded him that a Jaguar was just the thing for him, and a wonderful black beastie appeared outside our garage-less suburban semi-detached home. To this 14-year-old, the Jaguar SS1 was just magnificent. I think…
As I spent so many years playing with Sprites, folks think I have something against the “Big” Healey, but in reality, nothing could be further from the truth. I started motorsport around the time of the Healey 100’s introduction, and as many of the enthusiasts of the day, coveted one of these great-looking sports cars….
Nostalgia…35 years ago, I served for a year as President of the Westchester Sports Car Club in suburban New York. After a year as Activities Chairman and another year as the club’s Veep, one virtually could rely on being elected president. Club activities included a monthly dinner meeting, complete with a guest speaker and a…
