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Club
Happenings
by Allen Williams
I hope everyone has been able to get out and enjoy
the cooler weather we've had in the last few weeks. At the end of
September, Ione and I went with Eddie and Joann to the
Natchez
,
MS
car show. It was a nearly 600 mile round trip, mostly on the interstate.
It had been a while since we drove to a show that far away, so it was
really fun to get the Healey on the road, and up to highway speed (and the
some!). It was most pleasant coming back on Sunday morning with the
temperature in the low 60's. It always reminds us how much we love
traveling the open roads with the top down experiencing the usual
countryside olfactory overload- the trees, freshly cut grass, flowers,
rivers and creeks, gas, oil, exhaust, various road kill, etc.
During the weekend of 10/13, we decided to take a
somewhat shorter trip to the
Barber
Motorsports
Park
in
Leeds
. This event was an all make classic car show. The majority of
participants could be classified as sports cars (foreign and domestic),
but there was a smattering of muscle cars and other special interest
vehicles. As a benefit of coming to the show, we were able watch some club
racers on the track for free throughout the day. Also, admission to the
Barber
Museum
was free. As I watched the racers round the curve where we were sitting
(on a grassy knoll in our lawn chairs), I had the "Walter Mitty dream"
of slamming the Healey brakes
hard approaching the curve, the accelerating out of the apex to the next
turn. I even imagined what is would be like hitting the straight away with
the overdrive engaged pushing past 90 mph in 3rd gear like
I'd read about so many times before in stories about the exploits of the
rally drivers in the '50's and 60's. Of course, the voice of reality
broke through to chastise me. "What were you thinking? Don't you
realize that 70 miles is a long way to push a broken Healey home? Don't
you remember that a Healey is a perfectly engineered death trap that would
require substantial modification to prevent you from never collecting your
retirement pension?" Yes, reality bites! But it was fun while it lasted,
and we had a great time. Best of all, I was able to put off yard work for
another day.
I encourage everyone to get out to some of the events
this fall, even if your car isn't operational. There are still a few
left before the long winter break. Nothing will get you motivated like
going to see a bunch of those old flivvers running, being driven, and
enjoyed. Like SteppenWolf sang, "Get your motor runnin'! Get out on
the highway!" as often as possible in your cars. That's what you got
for in the first place, isn't it? Make time for your self to enjoy it.
You deserve it. The more you
use it, the more reliable it will become! I was thinking just the other
day how much fun a Saturday drive up to Mentone would be- Lunch and Leaf
peeping; it doesn't get any better than that!
From time to time, people call me about someone
wanting a car, usually an MG. Usually, I don't know of any. But now,
there are at least 2: Roger Hall's 73 MGB and Denny Stapp's 69 MGB.
Roger's car is ready for the road. Denny's car has been sitting for a
while but has been maintained. Call me for a phone number if interested.
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