Tony Giordano is a BMC freak. Case in point: this 1962 Austin Healey Sprite, #510 DWD. It was for sale in Texas, quite a long way from Giordano’s Long Island home. He discovered it on Craigslist.com, and at first glance, it didn’t seem too interesting—just another overpriced, dusty, dirty, and abused Sprite.
“They were asking $10,000,” he says. “It looked more like a $500 car.” But the more he looked at the photos and asked questions, the more intriguing the car became. “It had a very rare Warwick fiberglass hardtop, of which only three are known to remain,” he says.
There was also a plaque on the dashboard that read: “Built especially for USAF Sergeant Rudolf A. Davila.” Giordano bought the car from the daughter of Davila, its original owner, for half her original asking price.
The Austin-Healey Sprite #510DWD in this photo was purchased new by a U.S. Air Force Sergeant. This car was built with many rare racing parts, including a Sebring racing engine. TONY GIORDANO COLLECTION
The car also had a wood-rimmed steering wheel, wire wheels, and disc brakes, but it was the engine number that really grabbed Giordano’s attention: XSP-1862-2. “It is extremely possible that this 995cc engine was in the ‘Works’ Le Mans Sprite, driven there by American John Colgate in 1961,” he says.
“This car is one of one,” he said. “There were two right-hand drives like it built, but this is the only left-hand drive.”
So Long Island’s Tony Giordano adds another rare racing BMC product to his stable: the only left-hand-drive, square body, Works-modified Sprite with a Le Mans racing engine. And once again, he stole it right from under the noses of thousands of other BMC enthusiasts on Craigslist.
There’s a lesson here—when it comes to online sales, it’s usually first come, first served!
Giordano discovered the car on Craigslist. It was generally ignored as an over-priced project car by enthusiasts; Giordano dug a little deeper and bought a rare piece of history. TONY GIORDANO