My Austin-Healey Sprite MK IV was built by the Austin Motor Company Limited from parts manufactured in the U.K., at Abingdon, Berkshire, on July 5 in the year 1969. I purchased it on September 5, 1969, from Stockton Motors, Huntsville, AL. This was my third Sprite/Midget and was purchased primarily as a vehicle to get…
Prior to the much anticipated millennium, this my 15-year chronicle started to unfurl. It began innocently enough with a brisk drive here in North Idaho at an excursion with Northwest British Classics. The next day, I heard a knocking sound emanating from under the bonnet of my 1971 Triumph TR6 when I first fired it…
After languishing through the long and especially cold winter of ’14, we were ready for spring and the stimulating thought of summertime cruises through the beautiful Maryland countryside. The ‘78 MGB barn find had more than a few issues, and many winter days were spent lovingly restoring our little red convertible in our somewhat heated…
The first car I ever sat in may have been an MG. However, I can say with complete confidence that the first car I ever saw was an MG—an MG TA back in 1938, when my father took me to the Abingdon Works on a British bank holiday. The factory was open so that families…
Let me say right now that I am a product of my upbringing. Any foolish notions that I have towards British sports cars are all inherited from my father (and mother, to a lesser extent). Now that my disclaimer has been disclaimed, let me tell you a story… There once was a boy who had…
Much more fun than writing an article is the process of defending it after the fact. How could I, a paid professional, so utterly butcher the spelling of Snoqualmie Pass? My good friend Jim Pesta called and told me about the time he had an experience like mine driving top down in the rain with…
I suppose any 19-year-old college student in the late ’60s sporting his favorite pair of Dingo boots would have been upset to find them unexpectedly ruined while sitting in Western Civ class. A little investigating found the culprit to be my 1964 MGB with a leaking master cylinder. Brake fluid had found its way through…
When I saw the picture in the winter issue of “Moss Motoring,” I did actually recognize the little Triumph, and wondered how many of your readers had ever seen one, let alone driven one! The Super Seven was my first-ever motor car, although the one I purchased in 1950 was a single-seater hill climb version, originating…
After I bought my TVR 2500 some two years ago, I started to cast about for an appropriate name for it. Then one fateful day it acquired a name—easily! The Carlisle Import Auto Show in May is a favorite event of mine to attend. As I drove out the 132 miles from Philadelphia to Carlisle,…
First off, I have a confession to make. My car’s not really a Triumph. It’s an Austin-Healey 100-6, 1959 vintage. Unlike the proverbial virtuous maid in the sleaze bar, the Healey has seen its share of “Whoas,” and rust, and car abuse. But in early August, I like to sneak out of Pittsburgh with “Dirty Harry,”…
