My Healey quest (or saga) started in junior high. For a couple years,
I had a best friend in the neighorhood 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 footwell 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.
