Nick Chamberlain Signals that The Little Red Beastie is Ready to Race
Nick Chamberlain's Austin Healey Sprite Race Car, Number 41
Owner: Nick ChamberlainCity: Beaverdam Virginia
Model: 1965 Austin Healey Sprite
Engine: 1275cc BMC A-Series
Race prepared by: owner
The Little Red Beastie
In 2005, Nick Chamberlain purchased this 1965 Austin Healey Sprite. It had been stored in
a Buffalo NY barn for years, partially disassembeld and in a state of disrepair. Many parts
were in boxes. The engine that came with the car needed to be reclaimed from an engine builder.
Only a small portion of the little Sprite's history was known. Reportedly, it was a street
car until about 1975, at which point it was prepared specifically for autocrossing. It
participated in SCCA Solo 1 competitions until converted to vintage racing in 1985. The
Sprite was originally painted white, and its logbook shows a photo of it wearing number 53,
Later it was raced as number 541, and currently it wears number 41.
After buying the Sprite, Nick stripped it down to the bodyshell and built it up again.
Many new and current-technology parts were added, including new electrical wiring, instruments,
a fuel cell, an aluminum radiator, a racing seat and safety harness, etc.
Nick and his crew chief Elaine Chamberlain have named their Sprite the "Little Red Beastie",
and since completing the rebuild in 2006 they've raced it on about 18 weekends. They race at
Virginia International Raceway, at Summit Point in West Virginia, and at New Jersey
Motorsports Park.
Nick and Elaine would be delighted to learn more about the history of their Little Red
Beastie. If you have any information for them, send it to our webmaster and we'll pass
it along.
Like many racecars, this Sprite appears to have been built with parts from multiple donor cars.
The front fenders with high-mounted turn signals are from a 1965 Sprite, as is the distinctive grille.
The "round wheel arch" rear fenders are characteristic of a MkIII (1971 through early 1974) MG Midget.
Features and Specifications
| Engine: | BMC A-Series 1275cc four cylinder engine, built by Bill Cosby at CDA Machine Inc.
Ported, big valve, 11-stud cylinder head.
Winner's Circle race-spec camshaft.
Dual 1.5" S.U. carburetors, mounted on a Maniflow tubular steel manifold.
K&N air filters.
Crane Fireball HI-6 electronic ignition.
Crane FireBall PS40 ignition coil.
Pertronix digital rev limiter (set at 6500rpm).
Remote mounted Mobil One oil filter. Oil cooler.
Accusump 2 quart oil accumulator. Aluminum valve cover. |
| Cooling: | custom aluminum radiator.
Spal electric cooling fan. |
| Exhaust: | long-center-branch, 2.0" bore tubular header with straight pipe. |
| Transmission: | 4-speed, straight cut, close ratio, synchronized transmission.
1:1 top gear.
Aluminum flywheel.
Modified stock clutch. |
| Rear Axle: | stock housing.
Double bearing hubs.
4.22:1 gears.
Detroit Locker differential. |
| Front Susp.: | stock shock absorbers.
Racing stub axles (converted to tapered roller bearings).
3/4" anti-sway bar. |
| Rear Susp.: | three leaf gull-wing leafsprings.
Panhard bar.
Stock shock absorbers. |
| Brakes: | (master) Lockheed dual circuit master cylinder (from a 1971-74 MG Midget). (front) stock calipers. Slotted and drilled rotors. Hawke pads. (rear) stock drum brakes. |
| Wheels/Tires: | Minator 13x6 aluminum alloy wheels with Hoosier Street TD tires (A70-13). |
| Electrical: | Gear reduction starter, epoxy filled to prevent breakage of internal contacts.
Lead/acid battery.
(No charging system.) |
| Instruments: | AutoMeter shift light (with 6800rpm rev-limiter chip),
Westach dual EGT gauge (700-1700F),
Stewart Warner "Maximum" gauges (left to right):
fuel pressure (0-15psi),
voltmeter (8-18V),
oil pressure (0-100psi),
tachometer (0-8000rpm),
oil temperature (140-320F),
and water temperature (100-260F).
Longacre "Hot Lap" lap timer. |
| Fuel System: | Fuel Safe 8 gallon "Enduro" fuel cell.
Facet electric ("cube") fuel pump.
Holley adjustable fuel pressure regulator. |
| Safety Eqmt: | G-Force 5-point cam-lock safety harness.
Ultra-Shield aluminum racing seat.
Quick release steering wheel hub (installed on a Momo steering wheel).
Firecharger centralized fire suppression system.
Rollcage built by James Bowler at Weldone Inc. |
| Performance: | 120hp on the engine dyno. |
| Weight: | 1495 pounds. |
| Racing Class: | SVRA 1FP. |
Engine Installation
BMC A-Series 1275cc four cylinder engine.
Dual 1.5" S.U. carburetors, mounted on a Maniflow tubular steel manifold. K&N air filters.
This Lockheed dual-circuit brake master cylinder is an upgrade from the original single-circuit cylinder.
Custom aluminum radiator. Spal electric cooling fan.
Crane Fireball HI-6 electronic ignition. Crane FireBall PS40 ignition coil.
A gear reduction starter motor installed in lieu of the original Lucas
inertia starter weighes less and draws less current.
Custom aluminum breather tank, made by Outlaw Motor Sports of Ashland Virginia.
Suspension
The front crossmember has been "slotted". With this modification, it's possible to remove the crankshaft
pulley without lifting the engine from its mounts, which in turn facilitates altering camshaft timing.
The modified crossmember will also make engine removal a little easier.
Slotted and drilled rotors.
Anti-sway bar.
Three leaf "gull-wing" leafsprings from The Winner's Circle provide clearance for wider than stock tires.
(The Winner's Circle recommends that for best results traction bars should be used with these springs.)
Stout Panhard rod bracket on the chassis.
The Panhard rod is located several inches below the axle's centerline and thus it lowers the roll center
of the rear suspension from stock. However, its main purpose is to keep the rear axle laterally centered.
Fuel Safe 8 gallon "Enduro" fuel cell. Facet electric ("cube") fuel pump.
Interior
Custom, flat, aluminum dashboard.
The Momo steering wheel is installed on a quick release hub.
Stewart Warner "Maximum" fuel pressure (0-15psi) and voltmeter (8-18V) gauges.
Stewart Warner "Maximum" oil pressure, tachometer, oil temperature, and water temperature gauges.
Longacre "Hot Lap" lap timer.
As shown here, at Summit Point the Pertronix Digital Rev Limiter was set at 6500rpm.
This is a very, very conservative setting for a race prepared BMC A-Series engine.
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Ultra-Shield aluminum racing seat.
G-Force 5-point cam-lock safety harness.
Both the Ultra-Shield seat and the G-Force safety harness are mounted to the roll hoop cross brace.
A molded acyrlic low-profile windscreen reduces the Sprite's frontal area.
Manually operated two-quart Accusump oil accumulator.
Firecharger centralized fire suppression system.
The roll hoop is supplemented with side bars and also a cross bar behind the aluminum dashboard.
Exterior
Higher-mounted turn signals (compared to later models) suggest that these fenders are from a MkII Sprite.
HSR: "Historic Sportscar Racing Ltd." sanctions a series of about eight race weekends
each year various roadracing venues in the southeastern United States.
Minator 13x6 aluminum alloy wheels.
Hoosier Street TD tires (A70-13).
All photos shown here are from November 2009 when we viewed the car at the VRG's Turkey Bowl
at Summit Point Motorsports Park, West Virginia. Photos by Curtis Jacobson for BritishRaceCar.com,
copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
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