Feb. 1997 Yeah, I know critics would say that I’m here holding up a string of cars. WRONG! Some say how great a good day of fishing is, I’d have to reply that while it could be a good day, a GREAT day is showing the way around Phoenix International Raceway to a Lotus 7, two Bummer’s and a lowly 911. Not a good day, but a great day!
1997 – VARA Annual Banquet – The Sharkskin jacket helped me pull off George Thorogood’s “If You Don’t Start Drinkin’, I’m Gonna Leave.” Good thing I didn’t quit my day job.
1984, possibly 1985. I’m dating the future Mrs. Colby (#1), my folks just happen to be on vacation, they just happen to have a recently painted and drywalled all white garage AND, my dad just happens to be a semi-pro photographer. “Honey pie, sweety, apple of my eye – would you mind posing with my ‘lil Sprite?” Reply: “Okay, but no nippies!” I’d watched my dad set up all this junk up before – get out some lights, some more lights, and a few more lights. Damn, wasn’t quite as easy as I thought. Pesky shadows. And it was so frustrating having to spend all that time making sure there were “no nippies” showing. This picture was on the back cover of The Austin Healey Store’s catalog and I was quite surprised by the amount of attention it received. To this day I still now and then get calls about it. What I wonder now is how soon Mrs. Colby #2 will hear about this picture on the website, and how pissed off she’ll be. Hey, a new idea -if she does get too pissed off, just maybe I can get her to pose for an all new “Miss Austin Healey Sprite picture……………………..I bet this is all a bad idea. Still won’t stop me. Yet.
1986 Palm Springs Vintage Grand Prix. Just finished the car with no sleep before putting it on the trailer. Built it out of used parts sitting on the shelves at The Austin-Healey Store. This pic was taken on pre-grid. Pole Position/First Place. Damn did I have great hair!
The world famous Kablooie. I wish any Sprite fanatic could have had a chance to drive this car. Over the years I’ve had the chance to drive and race quite a variety of cars, many of which were quite faster. But NONE drove like this Sprite. The top two pictures are when tip-top. Bottom picture when my buddy drove it for two laps. Next day (and after very fabled debauchery the evening before) I won the Blackhawk Small Bore Grand Prix in the condition you see here.
- The best driving car I ever raced!
- The good ‘ol days
Clockwise from top left: My first Sprite (& first and only mustasche), a model posing with a customers Sprite in 1990 (yep, she’s now 20 years older also!), me and some dude in my newest ride, Speedwell Monza nosed bugeye on April 1, 1990 – this guy years later rolled one of my Sprites at Blackhawk Farms – then gave himself a black eye helping fix it. Colby and Miss Budweiser @ Tustin in 1997. Personally, I’d have preferred to meet her mother – Mrs. Budweiser.
My Eagle Formula Formula Ford at Las Vegas in Nov. 2000. I think this was the first time I raced it. I do vividly recall the pool of fuel after the Saturday race under the car in the paddock. I yanked the seat out and found that the 22 year old fuel cell decided to delaminate itself. Me, being the crafty devil that I am, dumped the remaining fuel to let it dry overnight and on the way to the track Sunday morning stopped at 7-11, bought a 10 pack of Hefty Trash Bags, (yes, I did opt for the higher priced “cinch sack variety”), poured a tube of weatherstrip adhesive all over it, bagged it, bagged it, and after having 10 Hefty bags tied firmly around the rotting fuel cell – christ, I had a perfectly good one time only fuel cell! Five minutes before the Pre-Grid whistle I dumped 5 gallons in the cell, rolled to the line and actually finished! Think I was 1st in class and 5th overall in the open wheel group. Safety First I always say! And folks, this was MY car – ain’t no way you’d see me doing something that stupid with a customer’s car!
Dan Gurney bought the car, restored it and it is now in his Museum (below)
You were much better looking 20 years ago. The car looked better.
Wow, her bikini matches the paint perfectly.
Michelle
Glad to see you are back online.The Brabham Midget is coming along fine. The restored shell is now at the pain shop,and some of the suspension components are ready to be fitted.The gear box is ready,Just the Climax engine to build,but customer work seems to get in the way,I must learn to say NO some times,we are due at the Silverstone Classic in 14 day’s time,so must get back into the workshop.My best wishes ,David
IF YOU LIKE, I’LL POSE NUDE ON YOUR NEXT BUGEYE, SO YOU CAN GET SOME EXCELLENT PICTURES FOR YOUR NEXT SPEEDWELL PUBLICATION.
That’s not the picture on the back of ‘The Austin Healey store’ catalogue because on my copy she is standing by the side of the car and is clearly seen wearing a blue thong. Is this catalogue worth big money on e-bay?
Your brother married Miss Budweiser? Do you want the rest of the prints from that photo shoot back?
Love the new website (and the aluminum radiator you weld up for my ’67 Midget), but I’m starting to question your engineering methods. I mean, using a bikini-clad brunette to run stress cycles on your roll bars? Any sane and sober gear-head would’ve used a blond. I was contemplating ordering your tubular anti-sway bar and pan-hard rod, but shudder to think how you might ‘bench test’ those beauties…
Hi Tom,
Enjoying reading your blog.
Whatever happened to your beautiful Walker Bonnet? You used to list it with your other fibreglass products but it no longer features on the latest site.
What’s the story behind the development? Is there more to it than moving the headlamps to the wings. I’d love to know more. Since first seeing it in Daniel Stapleton’s book I’ve wondered how I could source one for my Sprite. It so suits the Sprite, and is in my view the most beautiful front end available. I’m guessing it is unique to your shop & that there are no UK retailers. Are you aware of any in the UK? Have you ever shipped one?
How about some more pictures of it to remind us what we are missing?
Thanks for your time, keep up the great work.
Regards
Paul
Tom, you reference your blue monza Sprite from the old days. I have a Speedwell Sprite first raced at a SCCA regional/Riverside Raceway by Tom Dadson on April 5, 1972, the logbook signed off on by Jerry Stevens, chief scrutineer. The logbook says the car was blue in color; the serial number is BAE/36047 and the rollcage configuration to the one in your above article is the same. In May 1982 the car was bought by Mark David Bjostad and rebuilt by Dave Helms, Scuderia Rampante, Boulder CO, 303-938-9000. It had the monza bonnet on it at that time, according to Helms. March 1990, the car went to Gayle Louise Galvin. Gary Curtis, now the chief driving instructor of Brainard Intl. Raceway, raced the car in the 1993 and 1994 Minneapolis Grand Prix, placing first in group in ’93 and second in group in ’94. The last owner before me was Ralph M. “Pete” Towell who bought the car in 2003. The car started out it’s racing career with a 981 cc engine but, somewhere along the way it was upgraded to the 1275 cc unit, as are most racing Sprites.
I am very interested in anything you might be able to add to m knowledge of the history of this car. Thanks for your time on this and I look forward to hearing from you. John Alpers
Tom,
We really had some great times with these old race cars.
The real story about the Rolex Enduro in 1993 is that your driving and great pit stops had us 2nd overall to the “NASCAR” Aston DB4 with 30 minutes to go. My best was not good enough to keep ahead of the 2 liter 356′s.
You are the best!
Jerry