When the world is topsy turvy, there are some of us who find sanctuary in a garage and peace of mind with the turn of a wrench. Joseph LeamingMy ’79 Spitfire was part of an elderly man’s extensive collection of dilapidated Spitfires that were left abandoned when he passed away, his children uninterested. The gentleman…
It never fails to surprise me how much real life is like high school. Back then we were typically identified with a group and that appellation likely stayed with us throughout our entire four years. Jock. Nerd. Slacker. Freak. Sometimes you were lucky enough to cut across such crass distinctions by creating a niche for…
1963 was a bad year to fall in love with a girl from the German Democratic Republic – especially if you lived in the Federal Republic of Germany. The Berlin Wall had been erected two years earlier to stem the tide of East Germans seeking to cross the border that divided Berlin between the East…
Long before the Austin-Healey Sprite “Mk I” entered into legend for its amicable appearance, many considered its styling to be odd – even stylist Gerry Coker was nonplussed with the fixed headlights – and plans were made to combine the many virtues of the car with more attractive styling. In 1959, Innocenti – famous for…
Widely considered to be the most successful Sprite ever built, WJB 707 was constructed as a Works Rally Car by the BMC Competitions Department for use in the upcoming Tour de Corse with Pat Moss and Ann Wisdom behind the wheel. Upgrades included disc brakes, wire wheels and an improved suspension but a gearbox failure…
The name Lenham Motor Company might not mean much on first blush, but the firm has existed in various forms for over 50 years and has epitomized the men in sheds that formed the second tier of the British automotive industry in the 50s, 60s and 70s. In a small corner of Kent in the…
By Ronald Hunt After searching for a car to restore, in 2002 I found a 1967 Austin-Healey Sprite in the Classic Auto Trader in Buckeye, Arizona, listed for $500. I thought it was a cute little car, and bought it for $450 plus a 16 oz. beer. The car had been sitting for 25 years….
By Kelvin Dodd, Global Sourcing Engineer Moss Motors As seen in June 2007 Hemmings Motor News. When you think “cute little sports car” the Bugeye Sprite just immediately springs to mind. The car just exudes cute from the smiling face to the raspy note of the exhaust. After that first impression of just how cute the…
By Rick Feibusch These cheap and cheerful little roadsters were the mainstays of entry-level sportscar ownership for decades as well as fierce little battlers on the racetrack. They still can be seen as viable contenders in contemporary SCCA sportscar racing as well as very capable and competitive vintage racecars. This guide will concentrate on the…
I read with some interest the story on Herschel Silverstone’s real Sebring Sprite in the Fall issue of Moss Motoring and started thinking to myself, “Maybe not so real!” Geoff Healey and I did not actually homologate (the FTA’s technical term for registering the specification of a competition car) until the fall of 1960.The first…
