Years ago, I had a good friend Ed who loved to acquire Healeys. Though I would have described most of his purchases as remnants at best, it was not uncommon for him to brag about the large number of Healey’s owned and I truly felt he valued even the least of his flock.
On one trip I accompanied him on, we picked up a 100-6 located in the middle of a muddy field. Questioning the sense of this purchase, he turned to me with a smile and a quip about the farmer using the wrong fertilizer. We dug the multi-part body and running gear out of the mud which turned out to be easier then originally though. Not surprising, everything from the bottom quarter of the door down had joined the field although the engine and trans survived as a multicolor display or not-so-careful handling.
Undeterred, Ed rapped the remaining body and running gear with the very strong plastic bands used by telephone line men when replacing a pole, and slowly pulled it onto his trailer. Driving home, I again questioned what he was going to do with this block of rust (sorry, but I saw little good in any of its parts) and he replied “Oh, it will contribute”.
Years later, I had to admit Ed’s insight. After retiring, he built his own Healey tri-carb using Original Healey Parts from the many cars he had salvaged and stored over the years. He had a love for the marquee, a dream in his hart, and a vision I just could not see.
Ray (64BJ8P1)