Reid and the rest of the group,
As a member of the North Texas Austin Healey Club, I can attest that this
Healey club is very open to Sprite Owners.
The reason that I am interested in what happened with SMOG, is that I feel that
a clubs greatest attraction towards gaining members is the exchange of
knowledge. I also think that a club has the ability to generate excitement
around a particular car. When there is excitement, there is interest, when
there is interest there is growth. Better organization and dedication to our
cars can help get more parts available by showing greater demand, lower the
prices on those parts, and even bring the value of our car up. It is sad that
so many of our cars are being left to rot because they are not worth a fraction
of the cost of fixing them up.
I know well over a quarter a million of these cars were built between 1958 and
1980. And if you use the years where both the Midgets and the Sprites were
being produced side by side at Abington as the center of the line. the bugeyes
and the 1500's are not really that different. It's hard to believe that these
cars share one basic design for 22 years of production.
I just realize that we are missing out a little locking ourselves in
compartments with the Big Healeys or the larger MG's. I think if any British
car owner needs two clubs, it would be our lot. I defiantly view myself as a
Healey guy, and really wouldn't belong at a MG meeting, but wouldn't it be a
shame if I missed a tech session on replacing the kingpin bushings just because
it was done on a 72 Midget, instead of on a 1968 Sprite. Our cars will rarely
be the highlight of any MG or Healey event. The value, rarity, or just plain
ole' popularity of our cars big brothers will always steal the show (that's not
a chip, it is the truth).
We (at least I) don't have the time to be active in two clubs. But what might
happen is that we figure out a committee, group, or club that's main goal is
keeping the link between the Healey guys and the MG guys active.
Our cars share an important spot in LBC land, and or production numbers are
hardly rivaled in any other car. It can be easy to get a chip on your
shoulders about the lack of real resale value (you bugeye guys are lucky in
that respect), lack of vendor emphasis that is placed on our cars, or
relatively small amount of literature (though much of what is there is very
good).
Maybe there isn't a need, I'm not sure, but I wanted to see if there is
interest. This list is really eye opening, because, even though I know most of
you from the other lists, it is the first time that everybody is getting all
the questions and onsets.
Patton
trummel@caa.army.mil wrote:
> Saw your post on the spridgets list inquiring about the Sprite Midget
> Owners' Group (SMOG), and thought I'd add what little I know and send an
> info copy to the healeys list. I'm pretty sure there are a couple of
> people on the healeys list who can add to this little bit that I know.
>
> I believe that the SMOG was first formed in California in the 1970s. At
> the time, the Austin-Healey Club, Pacific Centre (now Austin-Healey Club
> USA) was for big Healeys only (but is now most certainly for *all* Healey
> enthusiasts) and so the Sprite guys formed their own group.
>
> I don't believe that the SMOG really exists any more. All Healey
> clubs in North America that I know of now welcome Sprites, and have for
> many years. Therefore the perceived need for a separate group seems to
> have gone away.
>
--
'67 Austin Healey Sprite MKIV
My Spritepage (featuring a JAVA Spridget newsgroup) is found at...
http://www.GEOCITIES.COM/TheTropics/Shores/1256/page2.html
|