I've loved sports car since I was 5 or 6 years old. My brother was nine years older than me and was a car freak as a teenager. He was into Formula One, Le Mans, and sports cars. I learned that love from him. When I was a little older, Jim Clark was my hero. I loved Lotuses (or is that Loti?). Around that same time (1966 or so) my best friend's older brother took me for a drive in his Austin Healy 3000. I'd never ridden In a car with bucket seats, much less a four on the floor, or one so small and nimble. (Remember what cars were like then. We had a 1964 Pontiac Catalina that was about a football field long and a "compact car," a 1966 Tempest convertible, that was, relatively speaking, huge.) As I got older I was attracted to MG's and Triumph's. After college I got my first car, a 1971 poop brown TR-6. This was my first car. If it had been a beat-up VW bug I would have been in love with it. Being a haul-ass, sexy sports cars with balls, I was smitten. I loved that car totally and completely. I had it dialed in. We were one. I could double clutch, heel and toe automatically without thought. It's powercurve and I were totally in tune. Then I hydroplaned at low (30-40 mph) in heavy rain, and cracked the frame beyond repair. I was heartbroken. With my insurance money I bought a 1964 Spitfire 4 with a GT6 bonnet and drivetrain. Whoever had modified it knew what they were doing. I suspect it had been raced. The suspension was lowered, the rear spring dearched, headers, free-flow, and it had a very fast road cam, you had to shift constantly around town, but, boy, when you nailed it and the revs hit ~3500 then hold on tight! From 3500 to around 7000 rpm it was brutally fast. I once beat an XKE on the NY State Thruway, the speedo said >125 mph, but the car hadn't hit its top end. Anyway, I didn't have a garage, I was 24, just married and, as incredible as the Spit was, it wasn't a TR-6, the car I really wanted. So I ditched it for $600, since I couldn't get it running. (Bad fuel pump). Stupid! That was 1979 or so. In the fall of 2000, a friend of mine was selling a 1967 Mk3 (red, of course) and a 1970 parts car. $500. Cool. $1500 or so later, it has all new steering, totally new brakes front & rear, all new hydraulics, poly bushes throughout, replaced the differential, fixed the electrics, replaced the water pump, etc. The body is OK, but faded, the heads smoke (worn valve guides, but it drives like a charm. I'd be embarrassed to show it a car show, but that'll come later. I recently got a 1970 for my 14 year old to work on and restore. I'm addicted. (Plus now I've got a garage and the tools and $ to be able to do this.) Brian Yarborough
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