Our customer is no stranger to collector cars and found this car to be perfect for everyday use. It’s a blast to drive, but like so many kit cars, it needed many details and maintenance items to be sorted. Really runs and drives great now!
A long time member-of-the-family, as the car owner’s now-grown daughter learned to drive in this car. We’ve cleaned up a few chassis issues and are on the road to a proper restoration on this beautiful Healey.
My close friends and racing associates, Jim and Lynn Waldman campaigned this car for many years, Jim in ITB and Lynn in Vintage / Historic with me in Midwestern Council. When Lynn became pregnant she continued for a while, but eventually the 02 went into storage. Fast forward almost twenty odd years, and their daughter Andrea is now in college. After a few inquiries as to the 02s current status Jim relented and allowed me to make him an offer which he accepted and put me into my first BMW race car. I’ve had many street cars, but a new chapter is here.
This is a really solid car that had many “lot rot” issues. It sat too long, needing to be thoroughly cleaned, freshened and updated. Everywhere. The motor started right up though, which I will always be grateful for. Big win! All of the fuel system, suspension, brakes, hydraulics, tires, and the subframe components have been removed and restored. Virtually all of the rubber was petrified simply due to age. The underpan and chassis have also been rust proofed and painted. The floor has been cleaned and painted, new safety equipment installed.
The body work included the replacement of a rotted rocker panel, paint freshened where needed, and repairs of the many ITB wounds it has suffered. It is a good looking and performing car for that will be campaigned in 2022 season. Follow along for even more changes as we race.
This car belonged to a fellow long time North Suburban Sports Car Club member, Ross Fossbender. Ross was legendary as an instructor and club booster and an avid Alfa Romeo fan. He had owned this car off and on for the better part of thirty odd years and knew the odds of restoring it to pristine condition were low once he has a mishap with a drainage ditch one fateful Sunday morning. He knew the car now had a damaged frame and was more bondo than steel in some places, but held onto it until his death some years back.
When his lovely wife Cheryl finally decided to move to Nebraska to be with family, it was time to find a future for the Veloce. After promising to restore it to original condition, I purchased the car and brought it back to Sport and Specialty for a full restoration. The chassis was bent and there was little good steel under the paint, but the numbers matched with the records and I quickly obtained the production records and build documents.
The car has had the frame straightened and is currently having the body resurrected by Sport and Specialty’s uber-talented fabrication manager, Ryan Vetter. Whole panels are being made along with some that were available to purchase. In addition I have found a properly numbered 1600 block and crank. The original 1600 heads for these cars typically failed and cracked quickly and were replaced with Duetto heads, which I have done here. I have the original cracked head in my possession.
It was delivered in Germany in Grigio exterior and Rosso interior, which I will return it to. The mechanicals will be properly restored, and I can’t wait to enjoy this beauty.
