Today I got the Big Healey from its storage place in anticipation of the Goodwood event. It is always good to drive the car for some time in advance to find out about any new quircks or old ones you forgot about. It proved good practice; it reminded me that the overdrive needs to be looked at! Ever since I bought the Big Healey, the overdrive has been reluctant to switch on - especially with the lights on. Coming winter I plan an overhaul of the overdrive (amongst others), but it would be good if for the Goodwood trip it is somewhat more reliable. Since I'll be traveling or busy coming weekends, and with Goodwood less than a month away, I made an appointment with my favorite classical garageshop, JagPoint. Let's hope they find the problem and that I won't have to switch off all electrical driven features (such as headlights and wipers) before trying the overdrive.
Driving the Big Healey again after many hours in the Sprite was quite a treat, especially since it was wet. The larger engine capacity and the abundance of torq makes the 3000 quite nice in the wet. I encountered a Lotus 7 (derivative? - it wasn't a Donkervoort though) on my way to work, and we blasted along the military facilities and testing grounds between Amersfoort and Soesterberg. Good fun! I was especially impressed the acceleration of that car, and the fact that I almost had a birds-eye view on the Lotus 7. The Healey isn't a tall car at all, but the Lotus only seemed half the height of the Healey! Maybe another type of car to consider for the 'collection'.