I had another of Derrick Shire’s “Ye Olde Egg Boiler” Sprint Specials, the last one he had, and in road trim, but no kickstart provision. When he died, in November 1997, Margaret sold it to David Earnshaw, who in turn sold it to John Thompson, and I bought it from him. It had a Hemmings ‘Paramount’ nine-stud head/barrel assembly, with a solid copper head gasket, and it went well for a short-stroke engine. I wonder what became of his supercharged sprint bike, the one with Douglas ‘Radiadraulic’ front forks. I have all his photo albums (4) and various Sprint Specials feature in them, but no doubt some are just reincarnations of the same bike, much modified over the years.
Brian
