Hot on the heels of our own Stars and their Cars evening, the Sporting Car Club of South Australia invited us and the Austin Healey Owners Club to their Classic & Modern section evening to celebrate all things Austin Healey night, where Don’s stunning Sprite was one of the feature attractions!

Three amazing cars featured on stage, a genuine 100S with an incredibly well documented history and pedigree, a beautiful 3000 MkIII (BJ8) and, of course, Don’s 1960 MkI Sprite.

If I a dollar for each time I heard ‘I had one of these’ from people pouring over the Sprite! I genuinely think people were stunned at the lengths Don had to go to to restore the Sprite. The effort required to just restore the bonnet I think left many amazed, a story made even more interesting as he’d sourced the bonnet from another ex Sprite owner and Sporting Car Club member (Doug Gordon) who was present on the night …. I don’t think even he realised how much work had to go into just the bonnet!

For those who don’t know, to straighten the Sprite’s bonnet it was completely unstitched (unwelded), each panel was individually straightened and re-shaped, before it was all rewelded, lead wiped and repainted in Carnation Red as we all know it today!

A big thank you must go to Sprite Club member (and outgoing SCCSA Classic & Modern section president) Gary Dodd who’s brainchild it was to bring together the Sporting Car Club, the AHOC and the Sprite Club. A great night with some fabulous stories about the history of some amazing cars!

Thank you to also to Gordon for the photos from the event!