Austin-HealeyÂ’s and the Austin Healey Car Club of NZ and Others

[Roger Dowding]

Photo from Nigel Watts at " The Elms Car Show " a few months ago

an EX USA car - HBJ8L 40850 [ as Healeyites know the " L "in the chassis number indicates built Left Hand Drive ]
Came to NZ in February 2003 but not registered until August 2007.

Carjam says - not to be fully relied on, of course ;
" Carjam says " Year: 1967
Make: AUSTIN
Model: HEALEY
Colour: Gold
Submodel: 3000 MK111
Body Style: Convertible
VIN: 7A80T070706040850
Plate: ECB493
Engine No: 29-RU-H/85798
Chassis: HBJ8L/40850 "

The Ex California BJ8 of the late Rene Cades of Fountain Valley LA Ca -brought to NZ by Frank Karl and was for sale earlier in 2018.
Car was Blue over White when built and then Red for 30 years until 2014/15 - now Blue over White again.

Seen here in Red and modified with Mark Donaldson's Tri-Carb behind
The Tri-carb came to NZ in the 1980's

As seen in 2018 - the licence plate belongs to a S-SangYong - very Del Trotter

[Roger Dowding]

This Sprite has been in NZ since the 1970's - was Left Hand Drive - but the Chassis details do not show that :

Carjam report ;

Year: 1960
Make: AUSTIN
Model: SPRITE
Colour: Yellow
Body Style: Sports Car
Plate: GC287
Engine No: AN529924
Chassis: AN529924
Vehicle Type: Passenger Car/Van
Seats: 5
CC rating: 948cc
Fuel Type: Petrol
Assembly Type: Unknown
Country of Origin: Not known
Industry Class: PRIVATE

Origin: Import from "not stated "
Used as: Private Passenger vehicle
Cause of Latest Registration: New
NZ First Registration: 26-Jul-1972
NZ Last Registration: Get Full CarJam Report
Was Registered Overseas? Yes "

word in Italics are mine.

A photo of the car at a Club Gymkhana in 1981 - Photo Mark Donaldson - Adrian Rhodens owning and driving.

The same car a couple of my own photo's ; a Club event in early 1983 - in company of my 100 and Frank Karl's purple 3000

on the course - a bit distant ;

[Roger Dowding]

another Austin Healey with some History - photo from Ken Devine archives - info from Joe Armour and Chris Dimmock

The car in 1957

Some information on the car - which is still racing .. in Australia ..where it was created from a burnt out 100

http://www.acmefluid.com.au/larry/mac.html?fbclid=IwAR32kz5duMZ88CTMxlNegOEVrzKreZ8QQYu69bKiofNCXLw1d6r0NW_T6Nc

[Ray Bell]

It's worth noting that there were two different Austin Champ gearboxes, one built for the Rolls-Royce-engined military Champs and one for the civilian version which used the engine derived from pre-war Austin trucks.

Roger Wells could not find one of the civilian boxes, so the bellhousing (which was cast with the gearbox case) didn't fit directly onto the Austin engine. The original Champ box, after having been removed when the Holden engine was installed, lay around the service station where that job was done for years, but was discarded just before Roger went looking for it.

Wasn't it ever so?

This car always looked fantastic in the sweeper at Winton when driven by Roger. He drove it hard and was very stylish.

[Roger Dowding]

Ross Jensen Austin Healey 100S picking up a passenger on his way back down the hill Ivy Stephenson Riley sports Jim Boyd Buckler Gavin Quirk Cooper Bristol All at Puhipuhi Sept 1956 : notes from Brian on the photos posted on Old new Zealand Motor Racing

another photo [Advert ] of the Ross Jensen AH 100S.

[Roger Dowding]

It was racing pretty much continually up until last year. Graeme is carrying out repairs on it at the moment. Im sure it will return to the track some time soon.

Photos from Peter Sodaitis of the MacHealey- the car and the badge !!

[Roger Dowding]

Posted on ERC's thread Puhupuhi Hill Climb 1956 , Northland NZ

Healey, and others, Jim Boyd in the Buckler 3rd pic.

[Roger Dowding]

Brian Skudder who provided some photos from Puhipuhi Road Hillclimb 1956 has written a bit of a story about George Lawton and his involvement with Northland Car Club before he won the " Driver to Europe " Scheme Award along with Denny Hulme in 1960

Go to this link ;

" http://www.ncc.org.nz/index_htm_files/BRIAN%20SKUDDER_lawton%20story_updated.pdf "

These photos are from an article in the Northland paper the " Northern Advocate "
and a quote " A member since the club's early days, Brian Skudder fondly recalls the delight in seeing legendary drivers such as Bruce McLaren gracing Northland's Puhipuhi Rd and Waipu Gorge. "

George Lawton in his 100 Six at Puhipuhi 1957

Bruce McLaren in a Cooper Bobtail, also at Puhipuhi in 1957

George had a Bobtail and the 100 Six later - was it the same car as Bruce is Driving ??

Posted before - photo from Graham Wood archives

As is known George was killed racing at " Roskildering " in Denmark in September 1960

[Roger Dowding]

Ross Bond's AH 3000 in mild and wild form - plus another car.
Some pics by Larry Varley and others from the Fb page " Old Australian Motor Racing - Photographs ".

The page is well worth a visit, and many names will be well known in NZ too !!

This is the link to the photo's

" https://www.facebook.com/groups/190760908334658/photos/ "

Off the trailer - Calder Park 1968 - I stand corrected " Sandown 1968 " Larry Varley had it wrong !! must edit the photo notes

Racing - not that modified - race not known;

in much modified form !!

Another Racer - details not known apart from the photographer - or poster of the photo to the group !! ** Update from Ray Bell - it is the Bond Healey

[Ray Bell]

The monochrome shot is from the Farm, entering the esses with Ken Ward's Morgan in Creek Corner behind Bondy...

Personally I don't ever remember the Healey with a hardtop on it, maybe it was during the 'Country Club' shirt days when they sponsored races for GT cars. When I get a chance I'll see if I can find it.

[Ray Bell]

Not a 'Country Club' GT race, but a GT race all the same...

Oran Park, August 10, 1969.

And the last pic is also the Bond Healey 3000. That rollover bar was sometimes used on the car, it seemed to be changed at will. Pics of the car in early '68 show it to have that roll bar and no signwriting, also the bungee cord over the boot handle.

But where is the photo taken?

[Roger Dowding]

Quote Ray Bell " The monochrome shot is from the Farm, entering the esses with Ken Ward's Morgan in Creek Corner behind Bondy...

the Farm photo again ;

Personally I don't ever remember the Healey with a hardtop on it, maybe it was during the 'Country Club' shirt days when they sponsored races for GT cars. When I get a chance I'll see if I can find it. "

Ray answered his own question !!

Not a 'Country Club' GT race, but a GT race all the same...

Oran Park, August 10, 1969.

And the last pic is also the Bond Healey 3000. That rollover bar was sometimes used on the car, it seemed to be changed at will. Pics of the car in early '68 show it to have that roll bar and no signwriting, also the bungee cord over the boot handle.

But where is the photo taken?

Ray Bell again thanks for [ as Ken H would say ]" your inputs " and that information - which will improve details on the photo's.

When Larry Varley posted the photos it generated some details about the race circuit and brought back memories to quite a few Aussie Guys

[Roger Dowding]

The Gates at the Cornwall Park / Domain Auckland - near the sunken garden, was the venue for the Intermarque Concours - before it became Corporatised in more recent times - remember being on the judging panel one year - I think around 1978.

Am unsure whose cars the one left and middle are [ without doing some research the left hand car the number plate is familiar ]
- the 100 Six MM [ right ] was Mark and Cathy Donaldson's at the time .. Mark sent me the photo today.
The MM stood for Mille Miglia and was a hardtop version of the 100 Six - think some other minor mods to emulate the car entered in the event in 1957 - 58.
* Later - mid 1970's the car got the Registration HY1006 - which is still on Carjam..

Another photo of a 100 Six with the MM style hardtop - A Ray Green photo that he posted recently.

Finally a Rallye Poster /Montage from " Oldfart " Rhys Nolan - apparently available from a shop " Circuit Reims " in France as posted by the shop on an Fb page
Hows your French ...

[Ray Bell]

If I may, a little story about Ross Bond and his Healey...

Ken Webb did the preparation and they bought an alloy head for the car. The engine was built up with this head and all the other goodies they'd been using, nice and fresh, and put on the dyno.

To Ross' horror it was down on horsepower compared to the iron head. But Ken was adamant he should race with that head and they went to the Warwick Farm meeting with it fitted. Ross soon found that the 50lbs of weight saved over the front axle was very beneficial to the handling and he was two seconds a lap quicker than before.

[Terry S]

If I may, a little story about Ross Bond and his Healey...

Ken Webb did the preparation and they bought an alloy head for the car. The engine was built up with this head and all the other goodies they'd been using, nice and fresh, and put on the dyno.

To Ross' horror it was down on horsepower compared to the iron head. But Ken was adamant he should race with that head and they went to the Warwick Farm meeting with it fitted. Ross soon found that the 50lbs of weight saved over the front axle was very beneficial to the handling and he was two seconds a lap quicker than before.

What happened to the Bond Healey?

I recall the regulations may have changed requiring it to brought back to more standard.

Bond went on to race a Bolwell Nagari.

[Ray Bell]

I never knew the actual path the car took...

Sure, the rules were changed and it would have to lose performance to go on, very likely no longer being competitive at all.

It did move to Brisbane, it got into the hands of a couple of brothers IIRC and they took it drag racing. One night they were doing a burnout on flaming petrol and the car caught fire.

It moved on, ultimately, to the hands of Brisbane Healey man Carl Stecher. From there I have no idea, Carl died several years ago.

[Ray Bell]

The Bolwell was a couple of years coming, it was tremendously fast, the fastest of all the Bolwell Nagaris running in Australia and a real chance of downing the Porsches. But the next racing Healey of significance, at least in NSW, was Erg's Friend.

[Ray Bell]

'Erg' was a road car, a nice Healey which lived in a Northern Suburb of Sydney. Its name came from the numberplates' letters, 'ERG', and its owners were just about the nicest couple you could ever meet. They were yachties, they built a few yachts from scratch and sailed at least one of them around the world. By building the yachts and selling them off they were able to live a fairly good life and afford things they wanted. Erg was one of the things they wanted.

But they raced their yachts too, as they had a competitive streak. So it was fairly natural that another Healey would fill their stable with a view to competing. Lap dashes, hillclimbs, finally racing. This car was known as 'Erg's Friend' and saw both of them take the wheel in various events.

Erg's Friend was not to race long, purely because of the competitiveness of the driver. Only months after turning out for open meetings it was replaced with a car with much greater potential. But Erg's Friend was not to be the last Healey ever to be raced by this gentleman racer.


.

[Roger Dowding]

Thanks Guys and gals for keeping this thread moving along -have run out of my own photos - but finding a few and getting good comments from Ray Bell [ about the Bond Healey ] and photos from the other Ray - Ray Green.
- Ray Bell and I were trying to get together when I was in QLD but .. it didn't quite happen..

I posted some pics on a thread about Lakeside and it turned out that some photos used on the photo board in the Cafe area were from Ray Bell,

[Ray Bell]

I've been promised some photos of Erg and Erg's Friend to post. I don't know when they're coming.

In the meantime, Terry asked where the Bond Healey is. It's been in the hands of Colin Rule for many years, it seems, Colin being the one who's made all the half-scale Healeys. He entered it for the 1998 50th Anniversary race at Bathurst and it was driven by Neil Dunn, who drove in company with Peter Hopwood for much of the Saturday race. See his website - https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2012/05/3 ... ig-healey/ ...there's a photo there including the Bond car.

Another person who raced a Healey, mostly in Club Racing, was Wally Gates. 'The Gator' had a cream car with dark brown (or black?) side panels. He gave that up when he bought the Sabrina Austin, a home-built car from the late-fifties featuring a 3-litre Austin engine with a very large air pump driven off the front of the crank.