Barbara Walters: hot rodder

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/07/barbara-walters-sport-car-hot-rod-magazine_n_1577779.html

She doesn't have a drivers license? Wtf??

I swear 100/4's are some of the most beautiful, purposeful, cool cars ever to leave Great Britain.

Teh E36 M3 wrote: I swear 100/4's are some of the most beautiful, purposeful, cool cars ever to leave Great Britain.

agreed

BabbaWawa doesn't have a license. 100-4's have always been much more interesting than she is IMHO. Betty Haig, an early 100-4 owner/driver. is like a early version of our own Lesley. http://speedqueens.blogspot.com/2011/08/betty-haig.html

I heart 100-4's, too bad I could never afford one. IIRC the reason they have a 3 speed is because the rear axle ratio was bumped up to the point that 1st was useless, so it was blocked off, i.e. you actually start off in 2nd.

The one on the Earls Court stand way back when was actually a 'Healey Hundred', so named because it woud do 100 MPH. Donald bumped into Leonard Lord, the guy who ran Austin during the show, they got real chummy and hammered out the details of the A-H over dinner. DH had a badge made at his place in Warwick (an old aircraft or cement plant, depends on who you ask), it was sent to Earls Court and installed on the car about an hour and a half before the show was opened. The Healey Hundred car was covered and when that was whipped off, there was the first Austin-Healey.

http://www.firsthealey.co.uk/100history.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ryb1lDSbSzY

Don't know if an onboard exists or not.

June of 1963 my family moved out of San Francisco into Marin County. My Dad worked with a guy that had a 100/4 LeMans (fold down windshield) and when he visited he let me drive it a few blocks through town before he left.

This was 9 months after my uncle had taken me to Laguna Seca to watch some kid win the USSRC races there. Roger Penske, ever heard of him?

At any rate, by that time I was WAY lost to sports cars, sports car racing and anything related. Still am!

I was pretty sure I'd have a Healy someday, until that chicken farmer built a little car w/ a Ford V8.

thanks for the memories!

Love the shape of those Healey's. Since they are always out of reach price wise, I've set my sights lower and have a bugeye on my dream car list. Not nearly as elegant and sexy as the 100/4, but certainly cute and full of personality. I want a bugeye to park in the garage next to the Mini.

B430 wrote: She doesn't have a drivers license? Wtf??

Not that uncommon among people that live in big cities such as New York. Reason #17362 that I'd never live in a big city.

I was always fascinated by the fact that my father's older sister, who recently passed away in her mid 80's, never had her driver's license. She moved to NYC after high school, then to San Francisco.

I went to visit her in SF about five years ago and her level of knowledge regarding the public transportation system was mind boggling. She knew as much about that as I do about cars.

Not owning a car never seemed to be an inconvenience for her as she traveled around the country and Europe, although she seemed to enjoy the drive when I took her to Pebble Beach.

She was not afflicted with this car-thing and, as such, she seemed to do just fine without one.

David S. Wallens wrote: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/07/barbara-walters-sport-car-hot-rod-magazine_n_1577779.html

needs a better pick of her from back then

This is a seriously misleading post title. Here I thought I'd see pics of BW chain smoking and slugging down a PBR at the Power Tour (which may have actually lessen my raging dislike for her), and instead I get this. A better title might have been, "Surprise, BW knows as much about cars as she does journalism." Or perhaps "BW is exactly the kind of smug elitist you thought she was, oh and she did a little modeling back in the day". You, sir, should give yourself at least a ceremonial 15 minute banning as a show of contrition.

It is a nice car though . . .

Tom_Spangler wrote:

B430 wrote: She doesn't have a drivers license? Wtf??

Not that uncommon among people that live in big cities such as New York. Reason #17362 that I'd never live in a big city.

You would be amazed at how freeing it is to not have to pay for car repairs, insurance, etc... Reason #1 to dump your car in a big city, you never ever have to worry about driving drunk.

GTwannaB wrote: You would be amazed at how freeing it is to not have to pay for car repairs, insurance, etc... Reason #1 to dump your car in a big city, you never ever have to worry about driving drunk.

I have ridden in exactly three cabs in my life. I hope never to do it again.

Length of Manhattan? Sure, I can walk that...

Many people here have no license or at least no car. A lot of my drivers just have bicycles and our company passes to get around.

I love my cars, but the year I lived in NYC I didn't have a car, and never would have wanted a car - any car. You can get anyplace there on good public transit for cheap, or just take a nice walk.

Unlike here in DC, where public transit only goes places you don't want to go, and never goes near your house unless you life completely downtown.