[Healeys] End of an era

[Richard Collins]

Yep,
At 81 and owning a barn find BN7 (with Gary Anderson, RIP) I've put together as a driver over the last 20 years, Perry's note and others ring true. I have an original 230SL Pagoda in a neighbors garage from my mother-in-law which she purchased back in 1965 in Europe to drive to reduce import taxes when she came home back to Florida. Runs but needs some rust fixed. Been on my to do list for 15 years; And a 73 914 that I started an engine rebuild in my basement 3 years ago where it still sits. My daughter has no interest, my son cant afford them and my 12 year old grandson will be driving an EV when its time I suspect. So, what to do ? I still drive them and a few others I have. I do HPDE's and still instruct on tracks but I'm thinking time is running out on that activity also, although I think/hope I'll know when that should and will end. Tom Brady made it one extra year, I hope Mike Tyson doesn't get killed if he tries fighting again, etc. Father time just keeps on ticking as sunset is now  closer to sunrise, and we now attend more funerals than weddings.

Still, we car guys have a lot to be thankful for and I'm personally not ready to call Gull Wing or Alex Manos yet. I for one will continue to push "my" limits until just before someone takes my keys away.

Hope to see some of you at the Lexington Concours this weekend. I'll be in a white 1989 930 Porsche (the Healey can get there no problem but I prefer AC over sunshine and engine heat.)

Regards,
Richard C
Bowling Green, KY
BN7 #440
________________________________
From: Healeys <healeys-bounces at autox.team.net> on behalf of HealeyRick <healeyrik at gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, July 18, 2024 7:34 PM
To: Perry Small <healeyguy at aol.com>
Cc: Healeys <healeys at autox.team.net>
Subject: Re: [Healeys] End of an era

Watching all our Healey friends age, including myself, isn't a lot of fun. Some of us have been on the Healey list for about 30 years now, I think. We were once all those cool kids that had the best cars, now we're a bunch of old guys in our sunset years. I loved Perry as one of those Nasty Boy guys and as we both had some time in Oahu and knew some of the same people there was an extra bond. We're all going through the same thing now. I still love my Healeys and don't want to let them go one second sooner than we have to. But what am I going to do with all those tools, Healey parts, and memories? I've got a couple of sons, but do I want to stick them with these cars? I've been thinking of my next Auction Report column for the Healey Marque and does the term "brown furniture" ring any bells?  "Brown furniture" refers to all the antiques our parents placed so much value in that nobody cares about anymore. I think that's where our Healeys are heading. I just hope we all got enough joy from them that their value as collectors' items isn't going to concern us anymore. I'd love to hear your thought on this as I still have to fill up my Auction Reports column in the Healey Marque

On Mon, Jul 15, 2024 at 1:37 PM Perry Small via Healeys <healeys at autox.team.net<mailto:healeys at autox.team.net>> wrote:
All things come to an end and our ownership of our BN1 and BN2 has ended. The red 1955 BN2 was my first car that I bought for $275 in 1965.
I scrounged up the funds delivering newspapers. That car followed us to Hawaii then back to PA and on to South Carolina. The modified BN1 I bought and built while living in Hawaii . Sold it to a guy in California only to buy it back years later.
Probably have had 50 Healeys, big and little ones over the years. Maybe there is another one waiting out there for us but in a few days when the transport arrives to take Red and Yellow to their new homes things will be different.
The garage will only hold the daily driver, tools that will not be used for vehicle maintenance anymore and miscellaneous other things that will need to be cleaned out hopefully before what ever comes next. Kimberley jokes with me and others that she gets to “go” first so that she does not have to clean up the “stuff”!
I have known probably 40 or more other Healey owners that have previously visited the same chain of events and I always thought it would somehow be different but it’s not. These little British beasts really get under your skin but they also still bring a smile to your face .
All the best to you and yours.
Perry and Kimberley

Sent from my iPhone
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