Fellow Listers,
The Healey was designed to take us on journeys, and I
have found that it is not just ones involving roads.
Almost two years ago Patton posted a thread about racing
sims which brought to my attention the game Rally Trophy and that it had a
Healey you could race in it. I proceeded to buy the game and download the
Healey to race. The car looked nice but did not drive or go very well. One of
the
interesting features of the game is the availability to build cars and tracks
and edit some of the game code. The cars can be edited and their physics
altered to try to copy their real life performance. I contacted the original
builder of the car and asked if I could "tune" it some. The answer was yes.
That experience has led to a detailed study of the history of
the Healey Works Rally cars. The life and times of Pat Moss and Ann Wisdom. A
greater understanding of European Rallying of days gone by. A tremendous
amount of information gained on Healey suspension and engine specifications
and
their effects on the performance of the car. I have to say that perhaps best
of all has been an excellent friendship was developed with the person who
built the first Healey.
It turns out that my Austin Healey has taken me on many
wonderful adventures. My virtual Austin Healey has taken me on an equal number
of
adventures. Along with all of the regular things that we find to like about
our Healeys, I cannot help but be amazed, in how many different directions,
pursuits and quests these somewhat simple vehicles propel us in. They always
have been and always will be much, much more, then just a car.
CDK
Dave K
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