42 replies to this topic

[hama61]

Hello,

I'am looking for all possible information on the Austin Healey BN7 1960 Sebring cars and which actually raced on March 26 1960

These cars were registered under UJB 140 (the practice car) and the UJB 141 (race number 19) UJB 142 (race number 20) driven by Gilbert Geitner and Lew Spencer and the UJB 143 (race number 18) driven by Sears and Riley.

I know that the UJB 143 went to the UK but the others were sold most likely locally.

It is said, that a number of these cars raced under the ecuri pip raceteam with drivers Richard Ecklund - Bob Duell and Bob Preibe who raced at Watkins Glen / Dunkirk and the Harewood circuits.

Who can inform me, which races these Healeys did after Sebring and when they did retire ?

Who has pictures of these cars ao know were to find them ?

Who can tell more about the drivers Gilbert Geitner and Lew Spencer who drove the UJB 142 ? before and after the Sebring race

All information will be highly appriciated

regards


Harry

[David Birchall]

Lew Spencer worked for Hollywood Sports Cars and was a respected driver "out West'.

I drove the practice car in Ontario in about 1990. But I seem to recall it was registered UJB144....
In any event, it had a club racing career in Ontario, Canada before going into 'hibernation' for an extended period, during which I looked hard for it. It was one of those cases where a guy had it, was going to restore it, the wife didn't like it and years later it came up for sale. Still with very low mileage and very original. I couldn't afford to buy it..sob....

[hama61]

Hello David,

Thanks for your input

The UJB 144 was built as a replica of the UJB 140 UJB 141 UJB 142 and UJB 143.

From what I understood was it sent directly to Canada when the cars arrived in the US

Harry

[Carles Bosch]

UJB 143 did some rallying in 1961 under the banner of the works team:

- Midnight Sun Rally, driven by Peter Riley & Tony Ambrose, finishing 12th o/a and 2nd in GT Category
- Tour de Corse, driven by Pat Moss & Ann Wisdom, finishing 16th o/a and 1st in Class



Carles.

[David Birchall]

UJB144 was built by the Healey works so far as I am aware.
UJB143 became DD300, the car that John Chatham made famous.

[hama61]

Hello David,

I meant to say :

The UJB 144 was built in the MG factory in Abingdon and was prepared by the Competition Department of Healeys at Warwick The record card for this car is mentioned "special engine" It was built as a replica of the four Sebring cars. This according to the Heritage Trust. With other words all 5 cars were the same but only 3 raced and one was used as P car.

Kind regards

Harry

[fbarrett]

Originally posted by hama61
Who can tell more about the drivers Gilbert Geitner and Lew Spencer who drove the UJB 142?

Lew, who went on to race (and sell) Cobras and Sunbeam Tigers (Hollywood Sports Cars?) is alive and well. He came to the Shelby American Collection's annual celebration in December.

Frank

[hama61]

Hello fbarret and others

Does someone know how to get in touch with Lew Spencer to discuss the UJB 142

Kind regards

Harry

[J. Scott Morris]

The Barrett-Jackson auction at Palm Beach in April has a knock-off of UJB 142 listed as Lot 699. The listing description follows:

"An extensive body-off restoration was completed on this car to model the 1960 works car #20 UJB-142 that finished fourth at Sebring in 1960. Tom Rocke, Healey Lane Restoration of Riverside, California, finished the newly restored car exclusively for the Barrett-Jackson West Palm Beach Florida Auction. Restoration features of this car include an exterior finish of DuPont 2-stage Dark British Racing Green paint, black interior with ventilated 3000 Sebring front seats, the rare ultra tulip-type engine with intake and factory works exhaust, tri-carbureted HD-8 2" carburetors to help produce the engine's 190hp, 6-blade fan, 4-row radiator, jet coated flowed intake and exhaust components, exterior intake cooling, alloy front and back shroud member as well as boot lid, factory lightweight fiberglass top, center-lock rally wheels, BJ8 ventilated disc racing brakes in front, rally front grille and road lights. This car qualifies for all State Grand-type rallies. The car comes with fully photo documented restoration and British Heritage Industry Motor Trust certificate."

Amazing what comes out of the wood work.

Check out
http://www.barrett-j...n...=04/09/2009
or
http://tinyurl.com/bdp24j

--Scott Morris

[Alan Cox]

UJB 140 appears to be for sale here (2nd car down)
http://www.healeywer...om/sales/autos/

I see from The British Car Forum, Harry, that you reckon to have UJB 142.

Lew Spencer was, as David Birchall says, a respected West Coast racer, who was a Shelby works driver racing Cobras and Sunbeam Tiger, and was Shelby American Competition Director and also managed the Shelby Mustang Trans-Am team.

[hama61]

Originally posted by Alan Cox
UJB 140 appears to be for sale here (2nd car down)
http://www.healeywer...om/sales/autos/

I see from The British Car Forum, Harry, that you reckon to have UJB 142.

Lew Spencer was, as David Birchall says, a respected West Coast racer, who was a Shelby works driver racing Cobras and Sunbeam Tiger, and was Shelby American Competition Director and also managed the Shelby Mustang Trans-Am team.

Hello,

I have been spoken to Lew Spencer in the meantime but unfortunately he couldn't remember much from the 1960 Sebring race. He was driving the Healey on a kind of invitation and from what I understood it was the only time he had driven a Healey as he was more involved in driving Cobra's as mentioned in the previous listings

kind regards


Harry

[David McKinney]

Originally posted by hama61
it was the only time he had driven a Healey as he was more involved in driving Cobra's as mentioned in the previous listings

He was driving Cobras in 1960

[tristar]

Lew Spencer did not drive or work for Hollywood Sport Cars. Lew's 1st accomplishments were in Morgans nicknames Baby Doll I - V.

Lew will be the guest of honor at this year's Wine Country Classic at Infineon Raceway May 29 - 31 where the 100th anniversery of Morgan cars will be celebrated.

Cheers,

[simard]

After the 1960 Sebring race British Motors Corp on Church St Toronto brought up one of the 3 1960 Sebring Healeys to Canada.
I bought it from BMC in the spring of 1960 and raced it for 2 years at Harwood acers and Mosport and other tracks.
I then drove it as a street car for about 1 year and subsiquently sold it to a teacher who I believe lived in Hamilton Ontario.
I have only 1 pictuer of the car and no record of the vin #.
I was only 19 years old at time and obviouly not too inteligent or I would have kept the car. It did have triple 2" SU carbs, right hand drive,sling passenger seat, sintella vertex magnito, a huge fuel tank, leather hood strap, light weight hard top, each door had a white full round circle for the racing number.
Can anyone shed any light on this car?
Mike

[David Birchall]

The car sat in somebodies basement for many years I understand. I tried to track down the car, and you, in the late seventies. It finally surfaced, still in remarkably original condition in the late eighties and I had the pleasure of driving it. It has been for sale at least once since. If I can find the contact info for the person who had it when I drove it I will pass it on.

You are Brian Rowntree?

Edit: I see you just signed yourself "Mike"--did you sell the car to Brian Rowntree?

Edited by David Birchall, 20 October 2010 - 17:45.

[David Birchall]

I just found the advt:
http://www.race-cars...86/a76686ss.htm

[simard]

The car sat in somebodies basement for many years I understand. I tried to track down the car, and you, in the late seventies. It finally surfaced, still in remarkably original condition in the late eighties and I had the pleasure of driving it. It has been for sale at least once since. If I can find the contact info for the person who had it when I drove it I will pass it on.

You are Brian Rowntree?

Edit: I see you just signed yourself "Mike"--did you sell the car to Brian Rowntree?

I am Mike Simard 519-622-0850 ext 226 call collect if you like!
If memory serves there might have been a second car sold to BMC around that time but
I did not sell it to Brian.

[David Birchall]

Mike: As far as I am aware the car in the advt was raced by Brian Rowntree in Ontario and is certainly the car I drove in the late eighties. I 'think' it was owned/restored by sometime TNFer John Lindsay at the time? I used to have copies of "Canada Track and Traffic" with photos of Brian Rowntree racing the car but I disposed of the magazines some months ago.
Do you think the car in this advt is the car you owned?

Edited by David Birchall, 20 October 2010 - 22:18.

[simard]

Mike: As far as I am aware the car in the advt was raced by Brian Rowntree in Ontario and is certainly the car I drove in the late eighties. I 'think' it was owned/restored by sometime TNFer John Lindsay at the time? I used to have copies of "Canada Track and Traffic" with photos of Brian Rowntree racing the car but I disposed of the magazines some months ago.
Do you think the car in this advt is the car you owned?

I will dig up the one picture of the car on Sunday and forward it to you.
My car had only white # circles on the doors not on the bonnet or boot!
The car in the advert does not seam to have cross laced wire wheels, and I am pretty sure mine did, the pic will tell us.
What years did Brian race the car?
Thanks
Mike

[JRL]

David
Sorry but I never was involved with this car

John Lindsay

[David Birchall]

David
Sorry but I never was involved with this car

John Lindsay

Sorry to drag you into this then John! Twelve posts in seven years! You have a lot more to add to this forum I know!

The person who had the Healey in the advt for sale was out towards Hamilton I seem to think and it was in the mid nineties I recall now when I went to see him and drive the car. He was a historic Lotus racer. I would be surprised if he doesn't frequent this forum...

(I will never part with historic magazines again! )

[J. Scott Morris]

Hello Mike; My understanding is that there were five cars were prepared with the 1960 Sebring specs.

UJB140
- was the practice car; No xx – It was really the spare car to fill in if one of the others failed completely.
- was owned and raced by Robert Deull of Milleville, NY but has recently been sold.

UJB141
- raced in 1960 Sebring; No 19 – John Colgate & Fred Spross - crashed
- Phil Stiles drove car in practice, but did not race it; and Lew Spencer and J Levins were listed as drivers for the car, but did not participate in meeting
- currently owned by Len McNeely [via Bill Bolton/Bill Wood/etc. ] in BC, Canada

UJB142
- raced in 1960 Sebring; No 20 Gilgert Gietner & Lew Spencer - finished 2nd in class / 15th overall 167 laps
- Jack Breskovich was listed as driver for the car, but did not participate in meeting
- sold after the race and disappeared
- I have a photo of the car at Watkins Glen 1961-09-23
- Bill Wood advertised for hardtop for it back in 1978
- has been found and now [2008] in The Netherlands

UJB143
- raced in 1960 Sebring; No 18 – Peter Riley & Jack Sears – finished 3rd in class / 33rd overall 141 laps
- returned to England and re-registered as DD300
- original registration UJB143 assigned to rally car
- considerable confusion as to history of each car with same registration number

UJB144
- came directly to Canada and was assigned to the British Motor Corporation of Canada in 1960
- the car then enjoyed a one year stint of club racing in the capable hands of BMC Canada driver Bryan Rowntree.
- Rowntree sold the car in 1961 after which the second owner re-commissioned it for street use.
- Canadian motor sport personality F. David Stone became UJB 144’s third owner in 1967 and kept it as a summer driver.
- In 1987, Alasdair McNellan of Oakville purchased the car
- McNellan had it out to British Car Day at Bronte [1991] and to the Ancaster British Car Flea Market in 1999.
- McNellan raced it at the Christie Sprints [1993] [I obtained partially edited TV footage but have yet to convert to DVD.
- In 2001, Alisdair McNellan sold UJB144 at RM Auctions – March 10, 2001 – Sold @ US$77,000

From this brief history, I figure either UJB142 or UJB144 was your car. My guess is UJB144 but sometime in 1961, not 1960.

--Scott Morris; Simcoe, Ontario, Canada;

[slucas]

You could try asking on the VARAC racing web site .VARAC is the vintage car racing club in Ontario. Their forum is only for club members but a note in the "classifieds" would probably work. Good luck with this.
Were any of these cars the ones involved in the Bonneville speed trials? I may be confusing things but I think BMC took some big Healeys to the flats in the early sixties.

www.varac.ca

[David Birchall]

UJB144
- came directly to Canada and was assigned to the British Motor Corporation of Canada in 1960
- the car then enjoyed a one year stint of club racing in the capable hands of BMC Canada driver Bryan Rowntree.
- Rowntree sold the car in 1961 after which the second owner re-commissioned it for street use.
- Canadian motor sport personality F. David Stone became UJB 144’s third owner in 1967 and kept it as a summer driver.
- In 1987, Alasdair McNellan of Oakville purchased the car
- McNellan had it out to British Car Day at Bronte [1991] and to the Ancaster British Car Flea Market in 1999.
- McNellan raced it at the Christie Sprints [1993] [I obtained partially edited TV footage but have yet to convert to DVD.
- In 2001, Alisdair McNellan sold UJB144 at RM Auctions – March 10, 2001 – Sold @ US$77,000

From this brief history, I figure either UJB142 or UJB144 was your car. My guess is UJB144 but sometime in 1961, not 1960.

--Scott Morris; Simcoe, Ontario, Canada;

Many thanks for clearing that up :)
It must have been Alisdair McNellan I met. I think it was Oakville I went to see the car. (I live two thousand miles away, hence the vagueness.)
I offered him a trade involving my 1923 Vauxhall, he declined. $77,000 was a heck of a deal!

[David Birchall]

On October 23rd 2009 I made a post on the "Ebay Thread" about an ex Sebring Healey 3000 for sale on ebay. This had remained in the ownership of the two original drivers until this ebay advt appeared. The car was in stunningly original condition. Which car was that?
(The ebay listing has expired of course-one of the negatives of that thread).

[J. Scott Morris]

Hello David; The auction you saw was for UJB140.

After the Sebring race of 1960 all four cars from the track were sold through the BMC dealer network.

On July 14th, 1960, UJB 140 (HBN7/6682) was purchased by Richard Ecklund of Buffalo NY and raced under the Ecurie PIP! race team. The team, comprised of Richard Ecklund, Bob Deull, and Bob Preibe, raced the car in numerous events at Watkins Glen, Dunkirk, and Harewood circuits. Richard Ecklund last raced UJB 140 at The Glen 500 August 23rd, 1964.

In 1986 Bob Deull purchased the “P” car from his teammate. UJB140 was back on the track again as a far-from-normal Austin Healey 3000. He was at Watkins Glen with the car in 2004 and I got a few more photos of it.

As of October, 2009 the car was listed for sale at $217,000 on Craig Hillinger's Healey Werks website ( www.healeywerks.com )

eBay auction ended Oct 22, 2009 with a high bid of US$129,322.00 and the Reserve not met. There were 22 bids and 4339 hits

As of October, 2010 the car was listed as ‘SOLD’ on Craig Hillinger's Healey Werks website ( www.healeywerks.com )
Note: it is the 5th listing down at http://www.healeywer...om/sales/autos/ At this time, I do not know who has obtained stewardship of UJB140.

If you would like a pdf file of the eBay auction and discussion about the car, drop me a note at jstmorris@yahoo.com

--Scott Morris; Simcoe, Ontario, Canada

[David Birchall]

I love those cars!

They may not have been as sophisticated as some but they had soul-and that is what matters.

Plus, I downed a couple of bottles of Scotch with Don...

[simard]

I have located the one and only picture of my 1960 Sebring Healey, as well as a picture of my later Ruddspeed Healy 3000.
How do I post these 2 pictures????
Mike Simard

[David Birchall]

I have located the one and only picture of my 1960 Sebring Healey, as well as a picture of my later Ruddspeed Healy 3000.
How do I post these 2 pictures????
Mike Simard

Mike, unfortunately this site requires you to use a third party host. It takes some practice to put it mildly!
Send the photos to me and I will post them. davidandandrea "at" telus "dot" net

[David Birchall]

Mike has sent me the photos but unfortunately they are in pdf format and I have not figured out how to post those with imagshag!

Ray Bell! you have an email!

[Ray Bell]

David Birchall... you have two e.mails!

Converted the pics to jpgs, but they are small and of poor quality. And why can't they get some quality and size out of pics with a scanner?

Edited by Ray Bell, 01 November 2010 - 19:31.

[David Birchall]

Many thanks again Ray!

As Ray and Mike both say, the photos are not great! Whoever took the photo of the works car doesn't seem to like cars:


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

The car certainly appears to be one of the Sebring type cars. It has the racing number illumination and the correct leather bonnet strap. Pity the bottom is cut off! Also, despite Mike Simard's memory, it does appear to have a white number roundel on the bonnet.

The "Ruddspeed" car:


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Edited by David Birchall, 02 November 2010 - 01:02.

[David Birchall]

The "Ruddspeed" car looks rather like the car that Grant Clark won the Canadian Drivers Championship with in 1961 (?). Except that car did not have the bonnet 'scoop'.

[simard]

The "Ruddspeed" car looks rather like the car that Grant Clark won the Canadian Drivers Championship with in 1961 (?). Except that car did not have the bonnet 'scoop'.

At the time that I was racing the ruddspeed, I believe Grant Clark was racing a supper hot Mini Cooper with obsene power (as memory serves) Mike Simard.

[hama61]

The car Mike Simard is reverting to is most likely a 100-6 MM which was raced at Sebring 1958 (Gus Ehrman and Ray Cuomo) This car was light blue and finished 23 rd

UJB 140 -UJB 141 and UJB 142 were sold localy Dick Ecklund from Ecurie Pip made the deal. (these cars were green)

On the Healeywerks website you can see the rollbar added after Sebring on the UJB 140 notice the same rollbar on the UJB 142 see picture Watkins Glen and these were welded by the same shop.

UJB 143 this car was driven by Sears/Riley went back to the UK to be entered at Le Mans and became later DD 300

UJB 140 was sold out of the US

UJB 144 is said, that it is staying in the US

[David Birchall]

Looking at the photo that Mike provided it certainly looks like one of the 1960 Works cars...

[hama61]

Looking at the photo that Mike provided it certainly looks like one of the 1960 Works cars...

Hello David,

To me to colour seems to be light blue. Unfortunately we cannot see if there is a light on the hardtop

On the front cover of the August 1959 issue of sports cars illustrated it seemed to me the car in question

[hama61]

Hello David,

To me to colour seems to be light blue. Unfortunately we cannot see if there is a light on the hardtop

On the front cover of the August 1959 issue of sports cars illustrated it seemed to me the car in question

Hello,

If Mike can remember its colour than we know

UJB 144 ( this car is green) was almost identical to the cars that raced Sebring March 1960 and was used for dealer display and racing like Harewood

The 1960 version didn't had a vent for the oilcooler the one on the August issue of sports cars illustrated does but is unfortunately not visable on the picture

[David Birchall]

I just got this response from Mike Simard:

Hi David.

The Sebring Healey was British racing green with white # circles as it was raced at Sebring, the Ruddspeed Healey was White with triple 2” SU carbs a Sintella vertex magneto and blueprinted engine and Dunlop R5 racing tires on cross laced wire wheels.

Thanks Mike Simard

I think it very unlikely that the car had been repainted green and new number circles painted on before Mike bought it don't you?

I recall the picture of the 100/6 MM in the cover of Sports Cars Illustrated-unfortunatley, my copy went to the land fill...

[simard]

I just got this response from Mike Simard:

Hi David.

The Sebring Healey was British racing green with white # circles as it was raced at Sebring, the Ruddspeed Healey was White with triple 2” SU carbs a Sintella vertex magneto and blueprinted engine and Dunlop R5 racing tires on cross laced wire wheels.

Thanks Mike Simard

I think it very unlikely that the car had been repainted green and new number circles painted on before Mike bought it don't you?

I recall the picture of the 100/6 MM in the cover of Sports Cars Illustrated-unfortunatley, my copy went to the land fill...

Hi David
I commited to British Motors Corp on Church St in Toronto to purchase the Sebring Healry upon its arrival. I took delivery of it the day after it arrived.
It was never repainted.
Mike

[simard]

Hi David
I commited to British Motors Corp on Church St in Toronto to purchase the Sebring Healry upon its arrival. I took delivery of it the day after it arrived.
It was never repainted.
Mike

Hi David
I found a slide with an other picture of my Sebring Healey, its a head on shot, when I get it converted I will Email to you.

[JHenry]

8<---
UJB142
- raced in 1960 Sebring; No 20 Gilgert Gietner & Lew Spencer - finished 2nd in class / 15th overall 167 laps
- Jack Breskovich was listed as driver for the car, but did not participate in meeting
- sold after the race and disappeared
- I have a photo of the car at Watkins Glen 1961-09-23
- Bill Wood advertised for hardtop for it back in 1978
- has been found and now [2008] in The Netherlands

Scott (and everyone),

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread a year later, but I thought some of you might be interested in more info on the Sebring Healeys. Every year or so I scour the web for info on my uncle Robert C. Priebe's (us "kids" always called him Uncle Robert or Uncle Rob, but everyone else knew him as Bob) relatively brief racing career. Both sides of my family were involved in racing from the 1940s through the '60s and I have been a car and racing nut since I was a little kid so I am always on the lookout for anything my family members may have been involved with. My mom met my dad because of racing. My maternal grandfather, Charles D. Jones was involved with The Glen in its early years and owned the Ahr & Co. Sports Cars dealership in Buffalo for many years. My mom worked tech inspections at Smalley's Garage for races at The Glen in the '50s. My paternal grandmother hillclimbed Morgans and uncle Robert road raced. Uncle Robert bought a Jag from my grandfather at Ahr & Co and flipped it at The Glen in '59, I think during the June races. As he recalled it, he was leading and pulling away when he lost it. His resulting shoulder injury from that wreck bothered him until the day he died. Everyone thought that he and my mother would get together, but his younger brother, Henry (and soon to become my dad!), who helped out with pit and prep work, met mom and the rest is history.

My uncle, Robert Priebe (note correct spelling, it is unfortunate that it is spelled Preibe in several places on web), bought UJB142 and raced it for a couple of years. I couldn't get him to talk about it much (and never knew why), but I know he dearly loved that car. Uncle Robert died in 2006 so I'll never get any more the details out of him. Mom died in 2006 (a few months before mom), dad has been gone since 1997 and uncle Edgar passed last year, they were the only people I know of who might have more details about it so I'm pretty much stuck with what I can find on the internet.

I found a wonderful color shot of UJB142 at the Glen in 1961 on Barc Boys at http://www.barcboys....-H3000GRweb.jpg and you can even see the U and 2 from the British plate on both sides of the NY plate. That was one sharp car! I believe the car next to it was uncle Robert's relatively new Chevy wagon, looks like a 1961. I vaguely remember that car as my dad used it from time to time. (I had a '61 Nomad for many years myself, I was born in '61!)

There is also another shot of it from the same day, September 23, 1961 with uncle Robert driving it in the Six Nations Cup race in one of the Watkins Glen circuit history books, can't remember which one and I don't have either close at hand at the moment.

Uncle Edgar's widow has the only other shot of it while uncle Robert owned it, it's a great B&W shot of it at speed with lots of motion blur, I hope to persuade her to part with it some day.

The best description I have seen of how most of the factory Sebring cars came to be sold was published on page 14 of the November 2010 issue of Spokes, the publication of the MG Car Club of Western New York in an article titled "Secrets of Sebring - Shuffling Off To Buffalo" by Dick Powers. It recounts a conversation with Bob Duell that took place after Vintage Races at The Glen. here is a relevant excerpt"

In 1960, Bob was racing a TD in SCCA and he and
Art Smith went to the Sebring 12 Hour. They saw the
BMC factory Healeys and MGA Twin Cams race but
didn’t think much about owning one. In July, Bob
was instructing at an SCCA drivers school at the Glen
and happened to be standing next to Dave Martin.
Dave worked for the BMC distributor, HAMBORO,
so Bob asked about the Sebring cars, as Dick Ecklund
Wanted to buy a Healey and Bob wanted a Twin Cam.
Dave said they were behind a fence in NJ at the
warehouse, “Want to buy one?” Bob said he wanted
the “P” or practice Twin Cam. They then saw Ecklund
and he wanted the “P” Healey 3000 and started to pull
Money out of his pocket. While this was happening,
3 other Ecurie Pip team members came over and
bought cars. Art Smith and Bob Wilson bought the #39
and #38 Twin Cams and Bob Preibe (sic) bought the # 20
Healey. The Twin Cams sold for $1820 each except
for the # 38 that lost a valve during the race. It went
for only $1200. The Healeys were about $2200 each.
Bob remembers: “In the space of about an hour, we
bought 5 Factory Sebring cars for less than $10,000!”
The next week, Deull, Smith, Preibe and Ecklund went
to NJ to get the cars. Ecklund trailered his Healey back,
but the other 3 drove, yes DROVE, their factory
Sebring racers back to Buffalo. (Very few vintage race
cars can do this today, but in the ’60’s, it was the norm,
Not the exception.) The trip took about 9 hours and
they used the roof-mounted lights to indicate safe
passing areas because all the cars were right-hand
drive; and so the trailing drivers couldn’t see when to
pass. Bob said the cars had no problems on the trip.

When I was a kid I remember dad telling me about driving to "NYC" to pick up a car with uncle Rob, maybe it was that one.

Regarding the mystery of what happened to uncle Robert's UJB142, some light was shed on that as well:

Another mystery surrounds the #20 Healey that Bob
Preibe (sic) owned. He sold it in 1963, but never got paid.
The car then disappeared for 40 years. Supposedly it
had been painted red and was in Florida, but never
found. About 2008, a Healey enthusiast in Holland
wanted a 2-seat Healey and bought one from the US.
As he started sanding it, he discovered the unusual
racing green the Sebring cars were painted and then
license numbers that were painted on (to save weight).
has been authenticated as the missing ’60 Sebring
Healey, but no one has fully accounted for how it
disappeared or where it’s been.

That might explain why uncle Robert seemed somewhat bitter about that car and was reluctant to talk about it. I would love to find out the full story some day. If I had known about it being for sale in 2008, I would have bought it myself. Hell, I would have paid more than the BJ auction price for the Sebring replica sold in 2009! http://www.barrett-j...n...d=284&pop=0

That issue of Spokes is available in PDF format at http://www.mgcarclub...kes/2010nov.pdf

The only other tidbit of info I have on UBJ142 is that uncle Rob once told me that he spent 100 hours polishing its head. He must have loved that car, I really wonder why he ever sold it.

Scott, if you have a different photo from the one at Barc Boys, I would love to see it some time.

Sorry for being so long winded...

Henry (J. Henry Priebe Jr. in Buffalo)

[J. Scott Morris]

Hello Henry; I am on a road trip for the next couple of days and will get back to you when I return. Let me know your email address and I can forward material directly. I can be reached at jstmorris@yahoo.com
--Scott Morris; Simcoe, Ontario, Canada