My Healey quest
My Healey quest (or saga) started in junior high. For a couple years, I had a best friend in the
neighborhood and through him I was introduced to British cars. He was a year older, but more
importantly he had an older brother. Their father was an engineer, and though they didn’t pursue
that same track academically, they had the genes when it came to hands-on tinkering and
practical experimentation.
In particular, with motorized vehicles. In 1963. I was going on 14 y.o. and I had a go-kart. They
had go-karts, mini bikes, and motor scooters (a couple of Lambrettas), as I recall. Nothing was
around long. The older brother’s daily ride was a modified 1954(?) Studebaker Commander.
Red with a white racing stripe, the nose (and maybe more) was highly modified, and I still think it
was “cool looking” to this day.
Well, in rapid succession, they had an MGTD, an MGA, and then a BE Sprite. The Bugeye was
the first “stick car” I ever drove. For some reason, my friend and his brother thought “it” a good
idea to teach me one night. I had some trouble locating the clutch pedal on shifts – looking down
into the pitch black foot well was no help at night- but with their yells (3 of us in a BE?) I avoided
going off the road or “taking out” the Bartlett’s mailbox.
So at 14, I decided I would start saving for my BE. I figured I needed about $ 600 and maybe,
I’d have it by the time I turned 16 y.o. I actually succeeded in reaching my savings goal with
time to spare. But by then, I decided I wanted a “Big Healey” and figured it would take about $
2,000. Well, in life ….stuff happens. About 35 years later, a couple of years after moving to
Michigan, I started to think again about getting that “Big Healey”, even if it was going to be a bit
more than $ 2,000.
I forget the details, but in Spring, 1994, I was able to meet and chat with a couple club members
and they were very helpful with their advice; one even gave me my first lead, a tri-carb in one of
the Grosse Point(s). He was quite excited about it being a tri-carb. What did I know? Not much.
My second encounter in June 1994 was at a small? (15 car garage) restoration shop in Ontario
(Chatham). I recall a gull-wing Mercedes and a Duesenberg, etc. The Healey was not in that
“league” and needed work. It was, I guess on consignment, “as is”. I really still didn’t know very
much (and don’t to this day). I couldn’t “pull the trigger” that time either.
Later that same Nov. of 1994, there was a big auction in Novi, where I saw the same car from
Canada, with a lot #, for sale on Sunday of the auction. My memory is the auction company was
Kruse Intl., but recent research says they probably handled the marketing, but it was one of the
first auctions managed by a new venture, RM Auctions (Chatham, ON). Being my first (and so
far my last) auction, I went on Saturday, just to watch, get a feel for it, and hopefully learn
something. You know, to learn from moments like “Come on people, the bid is only $ 40K on this
beautiful Vette, and the owner has spent $ 90K in its restoration.
My memory is it came up for sale in the afternoon (Sun.) and there was decent interest. Finally,
it came down to two of us. I was determined now. After a few bidding exchanges, my last bid
was another $ 200 more, even though the auction floor guy was yelling in my face, urging me to
go another $ 800 higher (to the next even $1,000). Going once, twice, sold. It was mine. And I
was happy ( kind of) because the sale price with buyer’s fees was about $ 2,600 less than the
asking price when I saw it in June. I say kind of, because it was an auction, what did I
know….and what did I not know about what lurked hidden, to later discover. In hindsight, I was
pretty lucky. And getting a BN7, Mk I (though windup windows and a convertible top would
sometimes be nice). But can’t say I did as well as RM Auctions, now RM Sotheby’s, self-
described believably, as the world’s top classic car auction house.
