Healey Reminiscing ? Elan-Gated Lotus Trouble Shooting Session 2009 Year in Review @ Caption Contest a 2010 Calendar Updates
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December 2009 Vol. VIII No. 9 Healey Reminiscing ? Elan-gated Lotus Trouble Shooting Session 2009 Year in Review @ Caption Contest A 2010 Calendar Updates VINTAGE FOREIGN MARQUE CLUBS OF THE UPPER MIDWEST Arrowhead Sports Car Club Miata Club of Minnesota North Star Rotary Rockets www.arrowheadscc.org www.miataclubmn.com www.northstarrotaries.com Austin-Healey Club Midwest Sunbeam Pagoda Club of Minnesota of Manitoba www.midwestsunbeams.org 651-452-2807 www.ahcm.ca Minnesota The Regulars Twin Cities British Iron Society Austin-Healey Club Vintage Scooter Club of Greater Fargo www.mnhealey.com www.minnescoota.com 701-293-6882 Minnesota Autosports Club Thunder Bay Vintage Citroën Car Club www.mnautox.com Sports Car Club tbvscc.ca of Minnesota www.citroenmn.com Minnesota Land Rover Club Transportation Artists and mnlandrovers.org Authors Guild Delorean Owners Association, www.transportationguild.com Minnesota Minnesota MG Group www.deloreanowners.org www.mmgg.org Triumph Drivers of Manitoba www.britishcar.ca Ferrari Club of America, Minnesota MG T Register Minnesota Chapter www.mnmgtr.org ‘Sota MINIs www.sotaminis.com www.fcamn.blogspot.com Mini-Sota Minis Pizza Glacier Lakes Quattro Club Eating and Psychiatric Stella del Nord Alfa Romeo www.glacierlakesqclub.org Self-Help Assn Owners Club www.mini-sota.com [email protected] Inter-Marque Council [email protected] Minnesota Morgans Twin Cities VW Club [email protected] [email protected] www.twincitiesvwclub.com Jaguar Club of Minnesota Minnesota Rolls Royce and Vintage Sports Car Racing www.vscr.org www.jaguarminnesota.org Bentley Enthusiasts [email protected] Lotus Eaters Volvo Sports America [email protected] Minnesota SAAB Club Minnesota Chapter www.mnsaabclub.org David Olson, [email protected] Lotus Owners of the North [email protected] Minnesota Triumphs Wheels of Italy www.mntriumphs.org wheelsofitaly.com Mercedes Benz Club Nord Stern Porsche Club Twin Cities Section Clubs listed in red are members of the www.mbca-tc.org www.nordstern.org Metropolitans North Star BMW Car Club from Minnesota www.northstarbmw.org www.metropolitansfrom Updates for web sites, email addresses, North Star British Iron (cycles) phone numbers, and meeting times and minnesota.com [email protected] places (see calendar) are most appreciated. InterMarque Monthly, December 2009 PAGE 2 Managing Editor’s Note DECEMBER 2009 2009 has been a year of change for the InterMarque Monthly. VOLUME VIII, ISSUE 8 Copyright 2009 In May, after three months in transition, we introduced a new editorial team and a new design for the newsletter. As we move forward we will continue our Publisher commitment to the vintage foreign motoring community to provide a newsletter INTERMARQUE COUNCIL that is not only a news source but is devoted to having FUN... Managing Editor PHYLLIS GALBERTH In this issue we spotlight our year in review and unveil the official Production Editor announcement poster for the 2010 Spring Kickoff. BRIAN CORNELL Photo Editor The InterMarque Monthly will take a winter break after this issue…which means KEITH GALBERTH we will NOT publish a January or February 2010 issue. We will return with the Editor Emeritus ANDY LINDBERG March 2010 issue to be released February 15th. Publisher Liaison Phyllis, Brian, Keith, Aaron and Andy would like to send you our best wishes AARON COURTEAU for a wonderful Holiday season and a very Happy New Year. Article Contributors DAVE BRIELEY, Phyllis FRANK HOWARD Photo Contributors PHYLLIS GALBERTH, DAVE BRIELEY, FRANK HOWARD SUBSCRIPTION IS FREE! Please submit your request to [email protected] ADVERTISING COSTS A LITTLE PDF Business Card ads (3.5x2) are $5/month. Please inquire to [email protected] Editorial contributions are always welcome, but are due by the 5th of the month prior. Submit your story or article to [email protected] InterMarque Monthly, December 2009 PAGE 3 Healey Reminiscing - Donald Healey & My Bugeye Sprite plus a 3000 ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY: Dave Brieley I lived in San Diego from 1980 to 1995 and the San Diego Austin-Healey Club was fortunate to have several visits by none other than Donald Healey. I know of three visits - two brunches and one pool picnic. “(Donald) stated that the One of the brunches was held onboard a floating restaurant on Harbor Island. We had a great turnout of Healeys, big and small, and many club Bugeye/Frogeye was his members. As I recall, my 1960 Bugeye wouldn’t start due to a suspected favorite Healey because it dead battery. So…I had to push it down a driveway and pop the clutch hoping that it would start and hopefully would start again when I was made the most economic ready to return from visiting with Donald Healey after the club’s sense; certainly not the brunch. It seems my Bugeye was receptive to having its father view it, so there were no further problems. fastest or best handling, but the Healey that was Before brunch, Donald Healey was kind enough to visit with each Healey owner and discuss each vehicle. Many photographs were taken, inexpensive to build, one Healey after another. I was very pleased to be able to stand and talk exposed new owners/drivers with him and acknowledge his compliments for my Bugeye. to Healeys, and was cost- After a fine Sunday brunch, Mr. Healey addressed the club and spoke about various aspects of Healey lore. It meant very much to all of us - effective for the company.“ picture Zora Arkus Duntov or Enzo Ferrari speaking casually with an attentive club of owners and users of vehicles that bore one of their names. He spoke about the various Healey variants and why some were better than others. I asked him which Healey was his favorite one. The reply was not as expected. Donald Healey was a driver, engineer, and designer, but always a businessman. He stated that the Bugeye/Frogeye was his favorite Healey because it made the most economic sense; certainly not the fastest or best handling, but the Healey that was inexpensive to build, exposed new owners/drivers to Healeys, and was cost-effective for the company. CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 InterMarque Monthly, December 2009 PAGE 4 HEALEY REMINISCING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 Once we had exhausted the club’s treasury of questions, SHORT HISTORY OF MY FIRST HEALEY Mr. Healey was kind enough to sign autographs or books. 1963 3000. I have the book on the Bugeye written by Geoff Healey My parents bought it for me after I got out of the Navy. It and autographed by Donald Healey at this enjoyable served me well during college years at the U of MN. A brunch. He inscribed the book with “To Dave - My SCCA racer friend (same friend who just helped me with Favorite Healey. Donald Healey.” I also asked him to sign the Bugeye) showed me how to drive it on a go cart track my copy of the Big Healey book since I had owned a 1963 where he would test his B-SR Peyote special. Fun! Later Austin Healey 3000 in college. Speaking of the Big that summer—I autocrossed it once in the tennis court Healey book, has anyone noticed that Donald Healey is course at the University of Minnesota. In 1968, I drove it wearing slippers on the cover? The cover photo was taken to Connecticut for a summer college class with a side trip in San Diego in the driveway of one of the club members to Portland, ME, for a wedding. and Donald Healey was still wearing slippers around the member’s pool. I’ve been told that this photo was not The next summer, I headed the opposite direction and intended for use, but I can’t explain why it appeared and headed north to Canadian highway 1 to drive to neither could my San Diego contact. Vancouver and down to Seattle. Camping was great as was top down driving through the Canadian Rockies. One special campsite was at Glacial Lake Moraine near Lake Louise. I arrived at the campsite after dark, pitched my tent, heard running water, and awoke in the morning to look out and see a stream, glacial lake, and the glacier. Not bad. Toward the end of the summer in Seattle while working on a conversion of a 1904 Coastal and Geodetic ship into a schooner, I drove the Healey to San Francisco to pick up “To Dave – My Favorite Healey. Donald Healey” my sister. We drove back to Seattle while camping along SHORT HISTORY OF MY 1960 BUGEYE. the coast. The transmission developed a tick afterwards in Seattle (chipped tooth on 1st gear/reverse cluster) and I bought it in December 1977 in Connecticut. It had been required pulling the transmission for repair. A friend and painted yellow by then and was being sold by a college I got it back from a shop, we installed it by 4 p.m., and I student. A friend (he and his wife had met at a Rhode got in, turned the key, and headed back to Minnesota. The Island Austin-Healey club meeting since both of them final travel day was 1,000 miles and 18 hours from central had Bugeyes) and I drove up to Hartford area to inspect Montana so I could get home in time to see my sister the Bugeye. I bought and drove it home that night. Many before she left the next morning for an AFS program in projects and miles later in CT, I drove the Bugeye on France. planks from a stone wall encircled yard into a U-Haul truck and headed west to San Diego. The Bugeye liked Austin-Healeys are amazing vehicles to preserve and to San Diego temperatures much better.