Gary & Chris Zachman's 1964 MKII

PDLJMPR Web Magazine, June 19, 1996
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More Photos
Photo 2, Photo 3

Hi Les, here is some text and some more photos of my (HAN7). Feel free to display them if you wish, there is also a photo of the original sales brochure for the MKII Sprite. All photos were made using a Snappy video frame grabber and a Cannon E80 8mm video camera.

My first encounter with a Sprite was a 1965 MKIII, which I had to beg my father to let me purchase. Thanks Dad!! That Sprite I drove for about a year and like most of us who have fallen in love with Sprites, I also fell in love in the Sprite, with my wonderful wife Chris (Chris' Mom and Dad's first new car it turned out, was a 1964 Sprite). We had many a memorable date in my (our) first Sprite.

A few years later, we purchased a 1968 MKIV basket case which we have finally begun the restoration of. Not being satisfied with a non-running Sprite, we found a 1964 MKII 1100, HAN7/ L34849. The newspaper add listed it as a 1962 MKII, so we were surprised upon seeing it to find it was really a 1964 model, and since I was born in 1964 I just had to have it. When we showed off the new purchase to Chris' parents, her Mom and Dad dug out all of the old photos of their Sprite, along with some 8mm movies of them driving around in it. Best of all Chris' Dad gave us the original sales brochure, accessories list and service manual from Continental Motors Inc. in Wichita, KS. where they purchased it. Bless them for saving these. I've had the car for 3 years now driving it as often as I can. I've gone through and refurbished the brakes. I replaced the worn out radius arm bushings and I've just finished the fuel tank, sending unit and guage. One of our favorite pass- times is taking the Sprite to the Las Vegas Speedway park to watch the vintage races put on by the V.A.R.A., maybe some day I'll be able to race one too."

Gary Zachman