The Austin-Healey Sprite was announced to the press in Monte Carlo by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) on 20 May 1958, just before that year’s Monaco Grand Prix. It was ...
The Regent Mews were originally built as stabling for the guests of John William’s Bedford Hotel – purposefully built opposite, rather than next to, the hotel. The mews provided stabling ...
The 1950s brought about some changes for the burgeoning Regent Garage business in Leamington. More space was needed to accommodate both cars for sale and for repair and maintenance. The ...
In October 1965, the garage opened a showroom on the Parade, the first model on show being the newly launched Wolseley 1100. The showroom had space for six to eight ...
Most of us are used to carrying around our driving licences in our wallets. It is an essential form of ID which proves who we are, as well as our ...
Coventry and Warwickshire has a proud motorsport tradition. Coventry Climax supplied engines to Formula One teams in the 1950s and 60s, and in more recent history John Judd’s engines have ...
When researching the Jensen brothers, I discovered that their second design, after the one based on the Austin Seven, used a Standard 9 chassis and running gear. This was later ...
Local manufacturer the Rootes Group owned some of the outstanding names in British motor sport heritage, Sunbeam and Talbot in particular. Like most British manufactures Rootes and its successor, Chrysler ...
A 500-mile cycling and walking network is being set up in the West Midlands and named the ‘Starley network’. This prompted me to investigate further: there’s a Starley statue I ...
Home thoughts from abroad?
Well from the Isle of Wight actually and unlike the poem by Robert Browning, it was September rather than April, but apart from that……..
Anyway, it was in ...
Where the Motoring Centre in Leamington High Street is now, was a company called Moss Agencies. They were a Riley-Morris car dealership. The original building (since gone) was apparently art ...
Interviews with John Gardner on preparing engines for a record breaker, Bill Price on working in the BMC competitions department, Paul Stanforth on conditions in the Le Mans pit, John ...
Interviews with Gordon Barton on the acoustics at the Coten End site, Paul Stanforth on the conditions in the experimental building and modifying a Healey 3000 to form the Healey ...
Interviews with Garth Wood on snow inside a 58 Frogeye, Rob Harrison on learning to drive in a 100 Healey, David Unitt on driving a Healey and Paul Stanforth a ...
The postman’s just been, and in among them is a pile of model cars – I really must stop browsing auction sites! In this set, however, is an Alvis TD21 ...
Interviews with John Gardner, Gordon Barton, Geoffrey Shepherd and Terry Westwood. They talk about working at the Cape Works site, the hardships of metalworking and visits from American airmen.
John Gardner ...
An interview with Sam Nelson on buying a Healey Silverstone as a young man.
Sam Nelson owned several Healey motor cars and was an associate of the Healey family.
Transcript
Sam Nelson: there ...
Interviews with John Gardner on the designs for the Healey 100, Geoffrey Shepherd on getting the order for the big Healeys and David Unitt on driving a big Healey.
John Gardner ...
Interview with Paul Stanforth on the partnership with Jensen and Tony Marshall on what went wrong with the Jensen Healey.
Paul Stanforth was an apprentice mechanic and part of Healey Le ...
Interviews with Gordon Barton and Brian Marsh on the development of the headlights on the Sprite and Nick Maltby on the introduction of the Sprite Mark 1.
Gordon Barton worked in ...
An interview with Geoffrey Shepherd on making chassis for Nash Healeys.
Geoffrey Shepherd was a mechanical assembler at the Cape Works
Transcript
Geoffrey Shepherd: …we was doing them things for Tickford, we were ...
Take a look at the publicity shot for the Hillman Imp. Notice anything different about it? No? Well you’re not looking hard enough…
Back in the 1960s and 1970s, design for ...