Many of you are going to have to endure the re-telling of this story but
it will aid some of the new folks in understanding why all of this part of the
Healey story has such merit to me.
I bought my 100 as a 20yr old kid right out of Army flight school... the
classic new pilot with the Red sports car... and for the next 5 yrs I restored
it, to my liking... it's not concours nor has it been restored again ( it's
due )... but it represented something that only those of us who have done a
restoration can appreciate... it was my part in preserving the breed... it
said to all around me that I finish what I start... Course monies weren't
available back then so I had to take on a second job just to pay for the 10k
worth of parts... which in the late 70's and early 80's was a lot of money to
me... But I love the car and it started a true passion for anything
Healey....
Somewhere in there I acquired the book Geoff Healey wrote and simply dog eared
the pages on the record breakers... These cars were some of the most beautiful
pieces of machinery I'd ever seen and they were used to accomplish some
amazing feats... They didn't hang out in parking lots... they went Racing and
set records well beyond anything of the time... Shoot Donald Healey even got
in the Bville 2 club... wow...
Fast forward to 86 and the Southeastern Classic, I had the opportunity to
share my Healey for the first time with other healey folks and eventually
became a part of the Atlanta club... which happens to be a truly wonderful
group of people... got invited to the Xmas party and got to hanging out with
John May, Len Thomas, Tom Long, and others but the gist of the conversation is
what it actually took to run 200mph... totally fascinating conversation...
normal bench racing bull.... but to me it was like a light turned on and I
decided then and there I was going to do something about it... course being a
man Talk is cheap... and that was what I did... had fits and starts with
several projects... but in 98 Tom Long was paralyzed and that was the wake up
call that fortified my resolve to do this... Life is SHORT.. and each of us
count on tomorrow's that are like today... which may or may not be in our
cards... Living like we mean it has become a normal way of life for me... I
want to share that...
I started with a Camaro and have ended up with a Berkeley... sure it's not a
Healey but I'm over that part... it's 6" narrower which is a critical
measurement on the salt flats because it represents 10% less Hp that I have to
create over the requirements of a bugeye body...
Today we are currently setting records at Bonneville 20 plus mph over the old
records... the car is truly successful... we've also developed a relationship
with Hot Rod magazine and the Camaro is on Loan to the editor and has been
re-named the HOT ROD Magazine SPL. I had the honor of taking Hot Rod back to
the Salt for the first time in 47 yrs and setting a record for the first
time... as well as putting David Freiburger in the Bonneville 200mph club....
What a treat...
I credit Donald Healey and all of the folks of the Austin Healey club.. and
this list to a degree for giving me the insight and support to do all of
this... the people associated with the Healeys are just incredibly special in
my life.... John May... Len Thomas and of course Tom Long... Guys I think of
you often when I'm out there doing my thing... and thank you for the
inspiration.
Keith Turk
D Gas Modified sports 246.555mph World Record.
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