Topic: Solved - NEH 3199: Peel-bodied 1961 WSM Sprite - completed in 2009

[Carnut]

What's this, built by whom and dating from when - for 1 point?:

ANYONE FOUND GIVING ANSWERS OBTAINED BY USING GOOGLE SEARCH BY IMAGE MAY BE BANNED FOR AN INDETERMINATE PERIOD!

[660851]

lenham sprite?

[Carnut]

lenham sprite?

It's a Sprite but not a Lenham.
I won't lock it though yet because it's fairly obviously a Sprite..

[AlexFrance]

Is it a John Sprinzel's Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite with a Williams & Pritchard body from 1961?

[Carnut]

Is it a John Sprinzel's Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite with a Williams & Pritchard body from 1961?

No, not that one..

[AlexFrance]

I got it! It was made by Peel Coachworks for Douglas Wilson-Spratt in 1961.

I didn't know much about all those Sprite specials so thanks a lot for your puzzle!

[Carnut]

I got it! It was made by Peel Coachworks for Douglas Wilson-Spratt in 1961.

I didn't know much about all those Sprite specials so thanks a lot for your puzzle!

That's the one!
There are lots of these special Sprites and one really good site dealing with most of them.  Looks like you found it!

[AlexFrance]

Thanks Carnut (that's my second point!)

Yes, I think I found the website you are talking about. It is full of interesting info and images. These specials are real beauties, some of them even look like tiny Ferrari 250 GT SWBs.

[D-type]

Surely this is a repost of Autopuzzles very first puzzle see http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=150.msg1117#msg1117

[Carnut]

Interesting in that the very same photo is used in that puzzle, but it's described at a WSM Sprinzel Sprite.
My puzzle is a (the?) Peel-bodied Sprite, so is that the same thing? Were the WSMs bodied by Peel?

I didn't think they were but I'll have to look into it!

[D-type]

Looking into the WSM history I found that the bodies of the WSM cars were made by Peel coachworks.  I also found this potted history of the puzzle car, WSM 208 which has registration number DWS 87.

WSM 208 . .

WSM 208 was not to be completed until 2009 - a 44 year pause in production following the ninth Spridget (WSM 301) in 1965. The fibreglass body was stored in 1963 and moved with the family from Leighton Buzzard to Hockliffe in 1970 where it was kept in the eaves of a double garage. When the family moved to the Isle of Man in 1976, the body was left with the new house owners on the understanding that at some time in the future it would be collected. It was not until 1982 that a trip was organised, and on returning to the Isle of Man it was again stashed away until the chassis was ready on which to base the body. In 2005, with the able assistance of local yachtsman Peter Hinds, the body was attached to a chassis sourced by Michael Lewis, Douglas's son-in-law, and the car moved from Peel to Glen Vine where running gear was fitted. Dale & Colvin of Union Mills were contracted to paint the car 'Chiron' blue, the match to the original colour facilitated by a cut-off rear wing section of WSM 201 remaining from accident damage at Brands Hatch in 1963 (201 was taken to Leighton Buzzard on Saturday after practice - the damaged section was cut out and a new section grafted in by Ray Halsall on the Delta Garage premises, and returned on Sunday morning to race). Although initially designated for ownership in the USA, when the planned Healey museum in Virginia failed to materialise, WSM 208 was shipped to England in 2008 for final detailing by Colmworth Classic Cars. Douglas approved highly of the work carried out by Paul Webb at CCC, and watched the car make its race debut at Croft on May 16th 2009 alongside WSM 210 in the 'Equipe' GTS series. Further races at Brands Hatch, the bi-annual Le Mans Story event, BDC Silverstone and Zandvoort kept the car busy in 2009 until brought back to the Isle of Man in December for hibernation in hangerage at Ronaldsway airport. A promising start to the 2010 season when the car qualified 11th amongst the 'Equipe' GTS grid at Brands Hatch in April was compromised by contact at the start of race one, but race two saw a dominant class win and another at Cadwell Park in September. The inaugural HRDC grid of Grand Touring Greats at Brands Hatch on April 9th 2011 saw the car qualify 5th amongst a host of similarly powered 'A' series-engined cars, and in July 2011 the car was invited to the Cholmondely 'Pageant of Power'. .

So, the correct name for this car is "WSM Sprite" possiblyy supplemented with "Bodied by Peel Coachworks" but it is not a Sprinzel Sprite or a Sebring Sprite, - those were different animals.

[Carnut]

Well well well!
I'll change the heading.