SPRITE 50^th Year Anniversary – Celebration Drive

Thames Valley Centre

(17^th August 2008)

The Thames Valley Centre decided to celebrate the introduction of the Austin Healey Sprite, 50 years ago, by organising a drive, passing through the Hampshire and Berkshire country side, culminating with lunch in a typical country Pub.

The start was chosen as the Queens Oak Public House in Finchampstead, this is the meeting point for the monthly Noggin-n-Natter.  At half past twelve, eight Austin Healey’s, four Sprites accompanied by four big Healey’s, set out on a gloriously sunny afternoon for a drive of approximately 40 miles.  However just a few miles after the start, an electrical fault caused Mick and Sue Brown to stop their immaculate Mk2 Sprite in a lay-by to try and rectify a fault on their misfiring car.  This proved not to be practical and they had to be transported back home to Wallingford.

The remainder of the group continued on their drive, stopping at the Roman City of Silchester and then continuing via Aldermaston towards Woolhampton, only to be thwarted by repair works on the railway line level crossing, just before Woolhampton.  A quick reversal of the convoy, followed by a detour back through Aldermaston and then on to the A4 and back towards the planned drive route, resolved the problem.

The remainder of the trip proved to be uneventful and at around 3 o’clock the group reached the Winterbourne Arms in the village of Winterbourne close to Newbury, where an extremely pleasant lunch and chat was enjoyed.

Those attending the drive were Mick and Sue Brown, Nick and Christine Crocker, Stephen and Ruth Huntingdon, Iain and Maggie Symon, James Sherry, Brian White, Dennis Horner and his navigator/mechanic Jack and Barbara and Alan Pitkin