Posts Tagged ‘grand prix’
An Early Love of Mine Revisited
anythingpurchasedstartingimmediatelyAs a child of the fifties I stood in awe of cars. Old cars, new cars, fast cars and anything that moved would catch my eye. Cars seemed to me to be a way to move out of your community and expand your horizons.
After a few old clunkers I took my hard earned savings and purchased a brand new Austin Healy Sprite in 1961. It was the last year of the bugeye model and had a good history of reliability as it had started its production run in 1958.
Yes it was sort of looked down on by the rich guys in their Mercedes and Jaguars, but it was a sports car, and it was mine, and it was paid for!
I had always had motorcycles starting at an early age, but a real automobile that I could put the top down on and go wow the girls was just what I had been looking for. It purred like a kitten and had just enough power and noise to make you know that this was not a Buick.
Man I drove that little tan car all over the states. Trips to nearby Watkins Glen to attend every type of race event or gathering were some of my best memories. I was in the winner’s circle at the Glen when Stirling Moss won the US Grand Prix and I can remember vividly when he took his helmet and goggles off and being congratulated, they presented him with a large silver loving cup with some local champagne in it.
Stirling tipped it up and almost immediately sprayed that champagne out all over the place uttering one word, “Domestic!” We LOVED it, I missed my photo op because I was laughing so hard, but I doubt the New York State Wineries cared for it too much.
One drunken infield campsite party day with a bunch of friends I looked around and my Healey Sprite was gone! It was in between time trials and there was a lull in the race at that moment and then we saw it. My date had driven my car out on the the race track and she was just having a ball pretending she was in the Grand Prix!
The race officials finally flagged her off the track and the crowd roared.
Well these fond memories have been coming back lately since I started reading two websites, HealeySprite.org and AustinHealeyRestoration.org. I’m thinking I better start watching ebay, I want one.
Tags: An Early Love of Mine Revisited, austin healey restoration, austin healey sprite, grand prix, stirling moss, watkins glen
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Sep 4th, 2010
