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very August owners of Austin-Healey sports cars gather in groups around the country for a National Annual Ice Cream Social. Charlie Overcash says that last year the local group travelled to Greenville for the event. This year, on August 23rd, the destination was Oriental.

The lineup near the Town Dock.

After a lunch at the home of Charlie and his wife, Sigrid, the Austin-Healey owners of about a dozen cars went out for a spin around town and then parked along the wharf near the Town Dock.

At the head of the lineup, Charlie and Sigrid.

The Austin Healeys were built in Britain from the early 50s until the early 70’s. Other makes of car from that era — and before — were part of Saturday’s rally, too. Jaguars and MGs and even a Catherham (Lotus) lined up among the Austin Healey’s on Hodges Street.

Some of the car enthusiasts did eventually get ice cream — or at least a welcome blast of AC — across the street at The Bean. (Still more ice cream was served up a short time later when about 20 motorcyclists from Kinston stopped in during one of their occasional weekend rides in to Oriental.)

Here are some photos from the cars — and drivers’ — visit on Saturday afternoon:

Shininess abounded, whether on bumpers or medallions.

Ken King is the first owner of this 1964 Austin Healey. He figures it has 150,000 miles on it, including the 10,000 he drove while the odometer was broken. The back of the 44-year-old car’s side mirror was in good enough shape to reflect cars ahead of it in line.

An Austin-Healey Bugeye Sprite, a model that turned 50 this year. It seems to smile, and if it could wink, we think it would do that, too.

No right hand drives, but several British license tags were spotted at the Austin-Healey rally..

While red and green were the dominant colors, the one yellow car in the group found some solidarity with a boat at the Town Dock.

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It was an Austin Healey rally, but some other makes were invited to take part as well, as with this Jaguar.

The J-150 drew a young onlooker….

… who was invited to take a seat inside. Nevermind that red interior, it was the flap near the front tires that held his attention. The car’s owner, Stephen Duncombe of Bridgeton, says that flap – found on either side – was the only ‘air conditioning’ the car had. In theory, it would draw in air from the outside as the car zipped along. But a NC summer is a tougher test than a drive in England. Stephen says it gets hot driving the car.

The MG, was represented by this even more vintage model, the MG TB.

Melanie Fluharty, of Merritt checks out the MG-TB, a model that she says her parents had. That car, she says, was why she wanted to learn to drive.

Lotus Position. A Caterham belonging to Rodney and Kip Nicholas of Oriental. In the early 60’s, Lotus stopped making the car. The company’s employees bought the rights to and turned them out in a factory in Caterham, Surry, England, from which the car takes its name.

Lotus was the inspiration.

Jack Coulter’s Jaguar.

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More medallions.

The interior of one of the cars.

.. an early sunroof?

It belongs to this Austin Healey..

A double reflection and a shadow.

Badge on a grill.

Posted Sunday August 24, 2008 by Melinda Penkava