Bruno and others,
I am fixed to Healeys, big and small, except minor deviations to a Lowlight
Morris Minor and a Daimler SP250. I had an XK120 for some time but sold it
because my wife didn`t like it at all. She called it the lorry. The car was
too big and too heavy for us. The engine was a delight and the interior, it
was a DHC, was very sophisticated, but it was not that car we like. Anyway XK
Jaguars are far superior in the quality they were build compared to the
Healeys.
Bud to be honest, most fun on small winding mountain roads makes a Sprite. Its
much more responsive and agile than any Big Healey.
I am also not an objective person regards Healeys. My love is with the 6
cylinder 100/6s and 3000, and I often ask me why, but I have no answer, even
not for me.
Josef Eckert
Konigswinter/Germany
Von: Bruno Verstraete [mailto:brunoverstraete at mac.com]
Gesendet: Samstag, 23. Juli 2011 08:11
An: Healeys at autox.team.net
Cc: Eckert, Josef
Betreff: Re: [Healeys] 100-Six with XK150 engine for sale
Dear Healey friends,
Dear Josef,
Interesting to see that every now and then there are heavily modified Healeys
popping up that were unknown to us before. We all know the period Nasty Boys,
but every time that there is one with some "competing" British heritage
components as mechanical surrogate for what is unfriendly called a taxi
engine, there is an immediate discussion coming up.
Living in Switzerland and having owned, but happily departed with, a Jaguar
XK120 and 150, my experience is that with any of the 2 unmodified Jags one
would be much slower on it's way on the winding roads of Switzerland. If you
make it up the pass without overheating, your (standard) Jag brakes would cook
coming down the pass and so would you as driver having slid all the way on the
car bench called drivers'seat. Not mentioning the clutch and gear box.
Having experienced this just 2 weeks ago on the British classic car meeting
driving up the Stelvio pass, I've witnessed this again. Healeys leave maybe
starting last but always finish first...
Jaguar XK's (and in particular the XK120) are almost as nice to look at in the
garage as a Healey, but on the bending roads, you can propose me to swap any
of the above XK's with a Healey, I would happily refuse.
Long live our taxi engines and nimble cars jumping up and down the mountain
passes with an ability to enjoy it along the way. Nothing beats a 3speed
Healey gearbox flicking the overdrive in 2nd!
But then again, I might not be the most objective person on the planet when
Healeys are involved ;-)!
Happy Healeying to you all!
Bruno Verstraete
President Austin-Healey Club Switzerland
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