That is amazing. Your father definitely rawks!

 

Beautiful car Katherine! :thumbup:

 

My dad has a 1964 Austin-Healey BJ8.

It's been in his garage, waiting for restoration for 25 years.
It ran when he parked it there.
It kills me.

Glad to see your dad is more motivated than mine.

 

If it was anything but a BJ8, I'd take it off his hands. I can't do the roll-up windows.

My dad's is a BT7, and his shop manual is signed by both Donald Healey and Geoffrey Coker. His hard top is factory, which is actually pretty rare now.

I wish I could describe how amazing it was to grow up with this car.

 

I have very fond memories of my mom and dad driving it, going to Road America, and all of the great classic car stuff. The sound of the Healey engine is very distinct.

Since I was the third child, I had to sit on the hump in the middle of the back seat (which is pretty small anyway), and I used to complain about the lack of padding there, but the open-air rides were nothing but fun.

When it went into storage, I would play in it pretending I was Speed-Racer.

Despite its current disrepair, my wife loves it. She wants me to restore it if I can ever liberate it from my dad.

 

Oh, do everything you can to get it and love it. If one were so close to me, it would be in my garage instead of the Rabbit. As much as I am a MkI nut, I would gladly run with a BJ8. If you do get it and need patterns or sources, please let me know. I have a raft of info - parts are very easy to get now, albeit kind of costly.

My little sister had to ride the hump. And people ask me if I think it is safe to put the kids in the Rabbit! Little do they know!!

The sound of the Austin 6 is what every exhaust tuner in the world is trying to duplicate. Once you hear one, you will spend the rest of your days searching for that sound again. It is very low and deep, and because it is a dual system crossed at the muffler, it rumbles and growls. And it's really loud.

 

That pic reminds me of when I was restoring a Mustang...after I broke in the cam I was so itching to go for a ride that I bolted in two front seats and belts, nothing else inside - no dash, pads, carpet, etc. Got pulled over not two miles later, the cop asked me if I knew how fast I was going, I said I had no clue (no speedo or tach). He asked if I knew if the exhaust was legal, I said it was stock. He was impressed that I bolted in the belts, said I was doing 50+ in a 35, and told me to slow it down. My soon to be wife was with me, none too happy, but glad we got away with a verbal. Nothing like tooling around almost literally with your backside almost literally riding on the road!! Looks like he has enough toys to keep him happy for awhile, and glad that he's picking it up again!

 

Cathy, yes, your dad rocks. Just give me a few years and you'll get to see my "go-kart"