May 16th I was fortunate enough to attend the AHCA conclave. The meet was put on by the Austin-Healey Association of Southern California and featured a full schedule. Something for everyone and my intent was to make the most of all items on the menu. It isn’t worth mentioning that my wife, Chris and I attended every cocktail party from Sunday thru Thursday night. Each night had a theme and if you tow your Healey, as we did, there is no shortage of space in the truck for your wardrobe. Some of the themes were California Cowboy, Fifties, wearable art. We were able to meet some new friends at these gatherings including connecting with Utah locals, Glen and Karen Schimmelpfennig who were encouraged to help cheer Chris across the applause meter finish line to a $25 Target gift card on Fifties night.
Monday featured Concours Judging and Eric Hoover, of Santa Fe, New Mexico received a gold award for his incredible ’62 BN7 Tri carb. Eric also owns, an equally beautiful Triumph TR5. We forwent the judging experience and instead drove the Poker run to a mediocre hand, but the winding roads reminded me to put some oil in the steering box as apparently this was overlooked during the restoration. The Poker Run ended where the Drive Through Tech Session began and Steve Day was able to give me a few pointers on getting the steering box just right. As I ran to NAPA to get some STP to lube things up, Steve stayed hard at fixing as many Healeys as he possibly could until about 5 pm.
The Gymkhana/Autocross were held at the local airport on Tuesday and competitors were welcomed by Terry Cowan of the Toy Shop who was also driving his familiar, red Sebring Sprite. The cars were run through in small groups but during my time we were treated to watching the four by four Healey race down the slalom while an airplane taxied alongside. I also met Lon Bender who ran his 100 through and in speaking with him learned that he had raced in the IMSA Camel Light Series so I was able to add his signature to my Sebring book, where I collect signatures of guys who ran in the race, he raced there in 1988.
After that we proceeded back to the host hotel where the Funkhana was held in the parking lot. In the good old days, these events featured driving the cars while shooting nerf guns or tossing bean bags but this time the challenge was to pedal tail happy adult size big wheels through a challenging pylon course while sliding through the turns. Chris was able to best my time as I was a little less careful about slugging cones. Then came the nerf gun sharp shooting, corn hole toss, toss the ring on the suction chamber, Healey interior scavenger hunt and finally, my favorite, identify random Healey parts. David Nock of British Car Specialists was officiating the event and I had fun jesting with him.
We enjoyed the boat ride around Big Bear Lake either before or after the cocktail party, that part’s a blur, but the local history box got checked.
Wednesday started early with an O dark thirty car wash as the car show was on deck. Some portion of the 160 odd registrants were dispatched to park in groups through out the village. I stood by our car ready to speak Healey with anyone ready to listen and had a great conversation with Robert Hall, owner of American Powertrain and The Driven Man, who will supply you with all that is necessary to install a Tremec (formerly Borg Warner) 5 speed gearbox into your Healey. You will see Robert on the Saturday morning Motortrend car shows from time to time. Robert seems to be a certified car nut who has merged his love with his career.
The BAHC’s own, Schimmelpfennig’s 1969 blown Sprite received the first place award in the Sprite category and despite all of my glad handing and vote swapping, I was unable to distinguish our car from the other fifteen 100’s parked around it. As soon as we could, close down the car show, it was off to NAPA to get a proper fan belt and other fluids to prepare for the marathon that lie before us on Thursday.
The TSD (Time, Speed, Distance) road rally promised 5 hours (200 odd miles) of uninterrupted driving action from Big Bear at 8,000 some odd feet all the way down to 29 Palms, a destination I’ve always secretly wanted to visit, then back up to Big Bear via the twisty road we drug the trailer up on Sunday. The weather was predicted cold in Big Bear, which meant below sea level, at Joshua Tree National Monument, it wouldn’t be too hot, but wind would be a feature to heighten the experience. Off we went about 8 or as early as we could. Down the mountain we went, the temperature, maybe about right, it got windy and unpleasant on the stretch we did on I-10 past Palm Springs. The fingernail marks in the paint near the grab handle on the dash board will serve as a lasting reminder of Chris’ love of dicing with freight on the freeway. A quick dispatch of a thirty dollar entrance fee and we were off through Joshua Tree. We did a head fake towards the obligatory photo at Skull Rock and then proceeded 20 odd miles through the park at the rally induced speed limit.
Up the road we stopped for lunch at a restaurant named La Copine, that I can now recommend. There we were flattered when approached by a young couple from Alabama who were eloping out there in the desert and asked to use the Healey in an impromptu wedding day photo shoot. Jumping at any opportunity to glorify the Healey brand, I quickly maneuvered the car beneath some Joshua trees and let the shutters start clicking away. The kids were in, out, but not on top of, the car and seemed to be having a great time.
We then dashed back up the mountain to turn in our rally sheet, stuff the car in the trailer and get ready for the Grand Banquet sponsored by Moss Motors. After dinner, Moss Motors Owner, Robert Goldman, dispelled and doubts about his enthusiasm for British Cars, as apparently there are persistent rumors of Moss being managed by “a bunch of Bean Counters”, in an excellent speech and slide presentation.
A Farewell Breakfast Buffet sent everyone off to home on Friday morning capping off a week full of activities to relax and take part in. It had been too long since I had attended a Conclave and I was happy to see the many people I have known through the years. You should consider attending next year’s event, the 70th anniversary International Meet in the Pocono Mountains, PA, September 18th-23rd 2022.
Text: Henry Morrison
Pictures: Glen Schimmelpfennig and Henry Morrison