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

[Roger Dowding]

And the A99 discs on the A95...

Probably needed them with the Ruddspeed modifications - would have made a great tow car for a Sprite/Midget Racer .. Good spotting Ray - hadn't really looked at the picture properly ..
Bit of a Mess -early Ford Laser beside it what date would the photo be ?

Have now !

I know BMC used the Westminster A105 and A110 wagons as support vehicle for the BMC Rally Team Mini's MGA's B's and Big Healey's in the 1960's

[Ray Bell]

I have never seen an A110 (or A99) wagon, only sedans...

Did you also have the Morris Marshals in NZ? It came as a wagon as well as the A95 and A105.

[Roger Dowding]

I have never seen an A110 (or A99) wagon, only sedans...

Did you also have the Morris Marshals in NZ? It came as a wagon as well as the A95 and A105.

Ray . No - Morris Marshalls in NZ - I liked that A95/99 ***
[ should be A105 not 99 see Ray Bells note post #852 ]
style the pre-Farina big Austins, we in NZ in the Healey Club nearly bought an A95 wagon as a group to help tow a race car would make a great set up as a Classic car with a Sprite on the trailer.

A check on the 110 wagons in my BMC Rally Book " The BMC / BL Competitions Department " by Bill Price covers the period of 25 years [ 1955 - 1981 ] by one of the guys in the Works Comp department.

There is a photo of a Wagon one servicing the Morley brothers Mini in the 1965 Monte Carlo Rally, in other photos shows they used 110 Saloons with trailers too !! Not all were Austin some were Wolseley 6/110 as used at the Acropolis in 1967

As an aside Marcus Chambers who was in charge at one stage ran a Wolseley 6/99 Farina in the 1960 Viking Rally with Den Green

[Ray Bell]

The A99s were the later (A60, Freeway etc) shape, Roger...

The A95 and A105 were the same shape, the A99 and A110 were the later style. Wolseleys too, 6/99, 6/110.

The A99 with the 3-speed and B-W overdrive was a masterly tow car. I used to tow my Clubman everywhere at close enough to 100mph with it, but front suspensions took a hammering, new to useless in under 10,000 miles.

[stubuchanan]

Probably needed them with the Ruddspeed modifications - would have made a great tow car for a Sprite/Midget Racer .. Good spotting Ray - hadn't really looked at the picture properly ..
Bit of a Mess -early Ford Laser beside it what date would the photo be ?

Have now !
[ATTACH=CONFIG]63666[/ATTACH]

I know BMC used the Westminster A105 and A110 wagons as support vehicle for the BMC Rally Team Mini's MGA's B's and Big Healey's in the 1960's

Being picky, I know, but the "Laser" is actually a Mazda 323 2-door hatchback - same mechanicals but slightly different body treatment. I had a Ford Laser from late '80's till its demise in early 2000's, but can't find a photo of it, surprisingly - a good knockaround shopping car and motor still ran like clockwork till the end. Laser was a 4-door hatch with quarter-window in rear pillar.

Stu

[Roger Dowding]

Being picky, I know, but the "Laser" is actually a Mazda 323 2-door hatchback - same mechanicals but slightly different body treatment. I had a Ford Laser from late '80's till its demise in early 2000's, but can't find a photo of it, surprisingly - a good knockaround shopping car and motor still ran like clockwork till the end. Laser was a 4-door hatch with quarter-window in rear pillar.

Stu

Not " picky " Stu B, - gave it a " boys look " probably remember Lasers being it that colour - they would be the first of the front wheel drive 323's / Lasers -
My Uncle had the last of the rear wheel drive 323 Station Wagons for a while - his " take to Waiheke " Car that the family often used to go there - save wear and tear on the Daily Drivers.

At one time [ 1979 ] a guy had a RWD 323 of that earlier era that had a 13B Rotary in it ..looked very standard until the
" Wop,wop,wop "
as it sat on the start line at Pekanui Road, near Pirongia - then it was gone .... Was there in my TR4A .. must look up some details as John Climo has sent me a spreadsheet with many of the Competitors in the series of Bardahl Hill Climbs for the 1979 /80 season.

[Roger Dowding]

Been busy going through Myle Hicks stuff - his writings and photos which is helping to get it in sequence.
A guy called Russel Leathers had the car originally a 1959 BN7 - so an early 3000 and ran it at Ardmore for a couple of years then at Pukekohe, Chamberlain Road and elsewhere .. The montage of photos are when Gavin and Myles bought both the AH and the Austin - Myles notes last warrant on the Healey in 1970 - see an NSCC Scrutineers sticker in the Montage too !!

More to come and must check through my Ardmore stuff - may have the entry details of the car 1960 - 1962 there.

Mcloughlins must have bought it 1964 - have a photo of it at Pukekohe with a permanent plate BN2253.

Photo of when it went to the Hicks - on the trailer - from the Montage of Four photos..

The stickers NSCC and Shell meetings

[Roger Dowding]

Entry Lists from Graham Woods of the Sports Car Races - Trophy and Handicap Races.
The extra link is the connection with the Russell Leathers Austin Healeys [ he had more than one ] and the McLoughlin Brothers [ Pat ( Peter ) and Roger ] who also had several, Sprite 100 Six and the Ruddspeed 3000 that became the Austin 4000.

1960 Ardmore

1961 Ardmore

1962 Ardmore

1963 Pukekohe the first running of the New Zealand ' International ' Grand Prix ..

ignore the Ardmore reference on the photo my Typo ..



Car Race #122 Ardmore 1961 the Ruddspeed 3000. with Russell Leathers - ready to race ..

The Ruddspeed on Ardmore racing -
racing number #71 1962 with Pat McLoughlin - Thanks to Myles Hicks for these car images

The Full Ruddspeed story will follow

[Roger Dowding]

The Full Ruddspeed story will follow ;

not quite ready but I have this ..

Something to get a hold of ..

The Car had three Registration - Number Plates;

Cream on Deep Red ; [color="#B22222"]603.043[/color] with Russell Leathers when the car arrived in NZ 1961 [ 56-61 plates ]

Black on Yellow ; [color="#B22222"][color="#FFD700"]420.664[/color][/color] with Russell Leathers and as onsold to the McLoughlins in mid -late 1961.
[ 61-64 plates ]

Aluminium - Silver on Black ; [color="#000000"]BN2253[/color] with the McLoughlins the first issue of permanent plates in 1964

[Roger Dowding]

The first part of the Leathers, McLoughlin, Hicks story of an interesting Austin Healey 3000.
- The Ruddspeed 3000 - Austin Healey 4000 / 4200 - Ruddspeed 3000.

Most comments from Myles Hicks and some from BMC BOY;

The early life of the car ;

" . It’s a 1959 3000 BT7 from memory. " comment by BMC BOY

" A bit of the story of the car. 'from Myles Hicks..
Russell Leathers order a Healey 100/6. in 1959 for tourist delivery and sent his wife to the UK to collect it. When collected, it was one of the first 3000 MK1’s produced. She delivered it to Ruddspeed for a full conversion, which at that time was very similar to works spec.
When it arrived in NZ Russell raced it for approx 2 years. He said it was the only race car he had owned which cost him nothing to race, as the prize money paid for his races. "

Myles also noted ;

" I think the Ruddspeed May have been kept in the UK for a year before they brought it in, possibly for duty/tax reasons. "

Russell Leathers had a Healey prior to the Ruddspeed as noted by the entry in the 1960 Ardmore GP meeting - the Sports Car Race ; in a 100 - four cylinder.

The 1960 Entry List ; [ posted before ]

Indeed a very early 3000 BT7 -

A photo of the car - bonnet up showing the top of the engine - as modified by Ruddspeed.

The car ready for the 1961 Ardmore GP meeting - first time it raced in New Zealand. Race #122

Entry List for the 1961 Race.
Note the entrant is G Leathers - presume that is Russell's wife who had collected the car taken it to Ruddspeed and would have been the " Purchaser " in England - This was probably under the Tourist Delivery scheme - where the car could be retained in the UK for up to 6 months - I believe.

1961
The car at Auckland Car Club Chamberlain Road Hill Climb - a well known road in the Speed Event calender in the 1960's 70's - this photo posted in a later post belongs here, and from the Number Plate Car would be with Russell Leathers-

The McLoughlins with an Austin Healey at 2702 cc - presume the 100/6 that they later traded /part exchanged for the 3000.
Quite a few Austin Healey's in the the race

He then sold it the Pat McLoughlin.

Picture of the Ruddspeed with the McLoughlins - and a 100 6. This car went to Russell Leathers as a part exchange.
Note the Black on Yellow number plates so mid late 1961.

that is next part of the story;

[nigel watts]

Same car? - This was at the 2012 NZFMR.

[ERC]

No! That is Mike Sexton's 100S recreation... He also has an immaculate Healey 100 - plus other cars and motor bikes.

I have known Mike for about 30 years (through my work) and it wasn't until he turned up for a classic trial at Pukekohe, some years ago, that I had any clue at all that he was interested in cars! Over many years and through three companies, my best client by a country mile.

[Roger Dowding]

The McLoughlin ownership of the car and some competition details - events, entry lists and photo's.

Myles Hicks writes ;

" He then sold it the Pat McLoughlin. They raced it through until 1970. During that period it was raced all around the north island, originally with the 3000 Ruddspeed engine, but then later with the Austin 4000 engine which was then enlarged to 4200. It was probably changed to make the Healey more competitive against newer cars. Remarkably the larger engine fitted into the engine bay with very little modifications.
In 1970 Pats brother Roger was killed in a road accident in his A90 [ **A95 ! ] which had the Ruddspeed engine fitted to it. At that time the Healey along with Rogers lowlife [*** lowline ! ] Cooper Climax where parked in the barn.
"
" When we got the car it had a tow bar fitted which slid out, apparently they would tow the Cooper to the meetings behind the Healey, remove the tow bar, one raced the Healey, the other the Cooper, then hook it all up again at the end of the meeting. " .

Ross Cammick [ BMC Boy ] wrote this ; about the car when in the Mcloughlins care.

" It was fitted with a 4000 big Austin motor and the original Ruddspeed was fitted into a A95 Sedan which I think hit a bridge and killed one of the McLaughlin brothers.
When Gavin bought the Healey the 4000 was still in the car and they could drive it. The A95 was parked in damaged condition under a tree with the Ruddspeed engine
out beside it.
"

Ross adds ;

" Old English white over black as original with a black works hardtop.
It has a lot of mods fitted from Ruddspeed including an original 100S oil cooler. It’s a 1959 3000 BT7 "

Pictures of the car at Ardmore, and Pukekohe 1962 - 1964

Ardmore 1962 ;

The Entry List Ardmore 1962 - Graham Woods

Pukekohe 1964
- Race No #37 The Auckland Car Clubs December 1964 meeting Engine now the Austin Four Litre.
In the Paddock

On the track being pursued !

December 1964 the Entry List.

More to come at Pukekohe and a photo at Chamberlain Road the ACC Hill Climb.

[Roger Dowding]

Pukekohe 1966 Race No #35 -being driven quickly - the car is at Rothmans Hill - this photo has been cropped. I am hoping to get the Original.
Car now 4200 cc

Entry list from the Race ; The Ken Wharton Memorial Trophy Race at the New Zealand International Grand Prix meeting.
I was there so have seen the car - but didn't realise it

Got my time line a bit out of kilter !!
1961
The car at Auckland Car Club Chamberlain Road Hill Climb - a well known road in the Speed Event calender in the 1960's 70's -unsure when they stopped using it ?no details of the date - crudely painted numbers as they did at these events - just white chalk / poster paint that easily rubbed / washed off. This would be 1961
This is earlier in the cars history - still has the old style number plates 603.043
Would have been in Russell Leathers days as plates replaced with Black on Yellow in mid 1961 .. 420.664 and then with BN2253 when permanent plates arrived in mid 1964

1963
This is an Entry List for Pukekohe 1963 with Pat McLoughlin in the car still the Ruddspeed 3000,Brother Roger in a Sprite which was painted in the same colour scheme Old English White over Black. No photos.

That is all I have on the cars competition history - to date
Next is what the car looked like when the Hicks acquired it and the A90/6 [ A95! ] in 1985.

Photos from Myles Hicks archives - except the Gear Knob from Mark Donaldson from AHCCNZ

Programmes mainly from Graham Woods with one from Milan Fistonic - as detailed on the images.

Note ; some photo descriptions partly incorrect - I have to rename them now that the events are correctly dated.

[Roger Dowding]

Ownership Number three - we are now in 1985 - the car having sat since 1970.

Myles Hicks writes ;

" Gavin purchased the car in 1985, as it sat for the last period, with the Cooper still sitting with it.
When we got the car it had a tow bar fitted which slid out, apparently they would tow the Cooper to the meetings behind the Healey, remove the tow bar, one raced the Healey, the other the Cooper, then hook it all up again at the end of the meeting.
After sitting in our shed for another 30+ years, Gavin started the restoration last year. Sadly he passed away before it was completed. I have continued with the restoration which is getting close to completion. It was in very original condition, only done 39,000 miles.
"

Ross Cammicks notes ;

" I think the McLaughlin car is the Ruddspeed Healey that belongs to Myles Hicks (do you remember Gavin Hicks father of Myles and Justin. He passed away recently)
It was fitted with a 4000 big Austin motor and the original Ruddspeed was fitted into a A95 Sedan which I think hit a bridge and killed one of the McLaughlin brothers.
When Gavin bought the Healey the 4000 was still in the car and they could drive it. The A95 was parked in damaged condition under a tree with the Ruddspeed engine
out beside it.
Myles noted about the 4000 engine ;

" Interesting it’s listed as 4000 as most of the programs had it entered as 4200.
The original motor would had been 4000, so they must have done the enlargement after this date - referring to the Dec 1964 entry list shows 4000cc whereas the 1966 entry list 420occ "

Myles is currently finishing the car which had only about 40000 miles on it and in very nice condition bodywise for its age. Old English white over black as original with a black works hardtop.
It has a lot of mods fitted from Ruddspeed including an original 100S oil cooler. It’s a 1959 3000 BT7 .. Edited ..

They found a buyer with a Jensen 541 who wanted a modified 4000cc Austin 6. Probably the only person who would want one of those boat anchors!
"

Photos from the Montage - separated out.

The burnt out A90/6

Scrutineering stickers from the Car -last warrant was in 1970.

The whole Montage [ posted before ]

Restoration photos to follow ;

[Roger Dowding]

Recent photos of the restoration from Myles Hicks -restoration started in 2018 ;
Some other interesting cars in the edges of the photos - other Hicks projects.

The Engine Bay should look like this when finished a 1960 photo of the car when new-ish - a 1959 model as stated.

That is the story so far !
Thanks to Myles Hicks and Ross Cammick for the information - Myles for the photos, and to Graham Woods and Milan Fistonic for the entry lists. Contributions from two TRS members..

[Roger Dowding]

Correction of information has been made on both posts.
Incorrectly attributed Chassis Number AHS3905 to Joe Jarick from QLD Australia with that Chassis Number Joe and Lyn Jarick's Car is AHS3807 ..which they have owned for 40 years - My Bad - oops !!.

A bit of the History of AHS3905 from Chris Dimmock - sent to me by Mark Donaldson.
From the Austin Healey Owners Club yearbook.

Post #828 about BU1629 and IF4514 - Carjam shows them as the same car - this is incorrect and the chassis number for BU1629 is 159745 not 159475 .. their error - must see if it can be corrected. I know you can correct odometer reading, so will try - It may rquire the actual owner to do so.

Both lots of information from Mark Donaldson - thanks Mark.

Mark is also locating some information on another Ruddspeed 3000 - this one a racer in the USA [ and Canada ! ] in the 1970's.

[Ray Bell]

Sam Miller was quite a man...

He lived on the same farm all his life, about 30kms North of Gunnedah. During the war he built a little car for his nephews, a Douglas flat twin engine in the front drove a very long chain to the back axle, it looked like a miniature Riley and the wheels were turned up out of some gum tree.

In the garage when I visited there about 20 years ago was a Lancia Lambda which had been in that same garage every night since it was delivered new in 1926.

The real prize, as far as I was concerned, however, was a 1911 Regal Underslung...

[Roger Dowding]

My getting the story wrong on Joe Jarick's car resulted in getting some clarification from Mark Donaldson, and today some details from Joe Jarick ;
Joe writes ;

" On arranging the purchase ; in November 1974

“ First mention of 3807 was in the May issue of Safety Fast magazine. Following been unsuccessful buying 3901 (too expensive even though I had supplied the engine parts to get it going), 3910 (Bo changed his mind), in mid 1974 I rang Directory assistance in Portugal and asked for his name. There was 83 people by the same name. I asked the operator to ring one. It was not him, but when I mentioned ‘Austin Healey’ he said you need ‘Ingeniro’, the man of the same name who was an engineer. He passed the message on and I received a letter a week or so later. “

Joe had previously owned AHS3701.

“I instigated the 100S Register in 1971 following purchasing AHS 3701. I am the third owner of AHS 3807, at the time I purchased it I met the original owner who was the Austin agent for Portugal. “
"

" 45 years ago today I purchased AHS 3807 in Portugal, having flown to Lisbon to meet the owner in Cascais, a resort village just to the north. The Carnation Revolution had taken place and on my return on 10 December, clutching the registration papers I drove the Healey through the border into Spain to Madrid, then north to meet the London bound ferry from Bilbao. I had sold a completely disassembled AHS 3701 in Australia to make the purchase along with almost everything I had. AHS 3807 had just 20,400 miles on it from new "

Photo of Joe racing the car - captioned ;
" a younger version of me. 1998 Australian Grand Prix Historic Support Event, Albert Park, Melbourne. I also ran the 100S at the 1996 Grand Prix, first ‘modern’ Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne "

The Melbourne Photo ; Joe Jarick archives

Photo of Joe and Lyn in the Car in 2018 [ posted in #822 some time ago ]..Joe Jarick archives

The car - Photo from many years ago

Photo from Steve Pike noted as 1972 but would have been late 1974 or early 1975 when it arrived in Sydney..

Car was sold new in Portugal as noted by Joe Jarick - details in the Geoffrey Healey Book
-Austin Healey -" the story of the Big Healeys "

Invoiced to " J. J. Concalves Sucrs., Lisbon, Portugal despatch date 25th May 1955 "

As Joe Jarick mentions he started a 100S Register in 1971, and Mark Donaldson has a very compete record of the 100S cars too !!.
37 of the 55 still survive [ 50 Customer cars and 5 Works cars ].
The Chassis numbering was done to confuse other manufacturers and works teams, as cars number from AHS3501 to AHS3910 - [ 409 ] they are in blocks of 10 AHS3501 to AHS3510, then 3601 - 10 , 3701 - 10 .. etc, etc .. for the Customer cars ..

[Roger Dowding]

BMC BOY sent me this photo from the archives on his car ..

Four Monochrome Photos showing the Car in the 1960's and in 2019.
Photo from mid 1964 on as has the permanent Number Plate

Race #23 - the Race Number at the Auckland Car Club December 1964 meeting.
But are they the same meeting as one photo the Race #23 is in a Roundel, the first photo does not appear to be. The car is at Pukekohe
Photo's above.
The Entry List thanks to Graham Woods -entry includes the Ruddspeed now Austin 3000 / 4000 of the McLoughlins.

Race #21 the Race number for the 1965 Gold Leaf Three Hour Challenge Race.. Photo below.
Ken Hyndman had the programme- posted on my Pukekohe thread a while ago.

2019 - The Brit Euro - in Monochrome ..
with the HL3000 plate that would have been ordered through the Post Office and issued late 1970's when Ross completed the Rebuild /Restoration ..

Carjam shows this

" Year: 1959
Make: AUSTIN
Model: HEALEY
Colour: Red
Body Style: Sports Car
Plate: HL3000
Engine No: 29DR96784
Chassis: HBN75439 "

" Plate Effective Date
HL3000 28-Sep-1964 "

BN7 The two seater version of the AH 3000 Mark One were fairly rare compared the the 4 seater [ well 2 + 2 ] BT7.
Produced 1959 - 1961 were 10,825 BT7 and 2825 BN7.
The two seater was even more rare in the 3000 Mark Two
Produced 1961 - 1962 were 5,095 BT7 and only 355 BN7 - these were the model known in the AH world as the Tri-Carb .. with the three SU Carburettors
The BJ series started in 1962




Thanks to Ross Cammick Milan Fistonic [ from a Magazine ] Rhys Nolan and Nigel Watts for the images.