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

[Ray Bell]

Possibly the start order was dictated by practice times?

The Healeys also appear to have elongated tails.

[Roger Dowding]

Possibly the start order was dictated by practice times?

The Healeys also appear to have elongated tails.

" elongated tails. " Thanks for that Ray Bell - I thought so too about the tails - which is like those on the record breaker / endurance cars in the mid/later 1950's 1954-56 on.

Start order - could be - must do some more delving into the Sebring archives ..

[Roger Dowding]

Think this is 1967 .. a Sprite in front - of the group.

1968 a view of the track .. or part of it !!

[Oldfart]

The drawings (in pencil) of the Sprite in post 1249 were given to me by the Healey family (long story) and stolen from me by a Healey specialist in Henderson.

[Roger Dowding]

The Book by Jack Barlow about Lance Macklin - the American who raced for Donald Healey Motor Company works team in the 1955 Le Mans and elswhere.

Should be a good read but unknown when it will be available in New Zealand.

A series of photos have emerged of the " 1955 Austin Healey Le Mans entry car #26 " [ Chassis # SPL226B ] from when it was auctioned in 2011 prior to be restored to its 1955 state.

It sold at Auction for GBP843,000 USD988,273 at the time and was untouched from 1969 when purchased by Jack Scott for .... This.

Profit would have easily paid for any storage costs for all those years.

[GregT]

Can anyone decipher the word between "in" and "condition" ?

[khyndart in CA]

In unroadworthy condition ?

[Ray Bell]

That seems likely...

It would have had a good chance of being put out of square when hit by the 300SLR.

Does its value, though, come from being involved in the worst crash in motor racing history?

[Oldfart]

I'm surprised that the Healey Jaguar that featured in Sports Car World hasn't appeared here. Sprite based.

[Roger Dowding]

I'm surprised that the Healey Jaguar that featured in Sports Car World hasn't appeared here. Sprite based.

Oldfart, have heard / read of it but have no information although have a few SCW magazines from the 1960's.

If you have some details would like to see them on here.

Cheers

Roger

[Roger Dowding]

In unroadworthy condition ?

Ken H ... like Greg T I could not work out that word - thanks for the translation - mind you you did work in the UK for a while..

Cheers
Roger..

a photo of the cars Chassis Plate -

- More to come .. on NOJ393 .. and Ray Bell could be right its fame is because of the terrible crash

[Roger Dowding]

NOJ393, one of the AHX 1953 Special Test Cars -
Chassis No SPL226B, Engine No 1B136878,
Later when converted to a 100S, Engine No SPL261BN.

The Car was raced at Le Mans in 1953 as a 100 and in 1955 as a " 100S ". As a 100S it carried body number 25.
- [ details from Geoff Healey books - - " Austin Healey - The Story of the Big Healey " and " Healey -The Specials " ].

Photos of the car as seen in 2011 when for sale by Jack Scott who had paid GBP 155 in 1969 to buy it.
- it had been rebuilt for the first time after the 1955 Le Mans crash and by 1969 was looking tired, as in, had lots of " PATINA ".
It stayed in its 1969 condition from then until the sale in 2011 when a further restore / rebuild took place.
[ photographer is not known - the photos were posted by Rainer Jordan on an Austin Healey facebook page along with the chassis plate posted earlier in the thread ].

Fully restored to its 1955 Le Mans " works " livery and race number " 26 " which happened between 2011 and 2013, to my knowledge. Steve Pike has photos of the restored as have many others - some of which have appeared on this thread.

[Roger Dowding]

Various photos of NO393 in 100S form.

At Le Mans in 1955 - in the pits and the crash.

As seen in 1969 at Auction.

As it is now fully restored to 1955 Le Mans state.
Photo from Road and Track is undated

Steve and Helen Pike beside the car - Mille Miglia

The chassis plate [ again ] as seen in 1969 -presume it too !! , has been tidied up.

[Ray Bell]

I reckon Lance was a lucky boy that day...

The whole of the crash could have been concentrated on him rather than the Mercedes going scything through the crowd in the stands.

[Roger Dowding]

Another " Giant " - Dinky Toy.. [ see post #1243 for another one ]

The Ross Bond Healey 3000 from Australia - the car became more radical over the years.
Here at Oran Park, leading a Turner and a Morgan - before it got the huge " ugly " flares..

UJB143 at Le Mans in 1960 #23 Jack Sears car ahead of the Special Bodied John Colgate Sprite #46.

UJB143 went with UJB141 and UJB142 to Sebring later in the year where UJB141 had a huge rollover and was wrecked.
The car UJB141, was restored and I saw it in 1982 at Snowmass for the Healey 30th Anniversary and later at Bill Bolton's home in Corvallis Oregon.. Bill also had ABL6 the Modsport Racer, another well known car.
Have a Spark model of UJB143 in scale 1;43 in my collection.

[Ray Bell]

Paul Hamilton in the Turner...

A story about the Bond Healey's 'development':

Keith Neville, white haired, short and very knowledgeable, was the leading scrutineer at Amaroo and he watched as the Bond Healey was checked over at one meeting. The boys checked it thoroughly, then gave the okay and Bond jumped in to reverse it out of the scrutineering bay.

As he selected reverse gear, Keith asked him to stop and jump out of the car again.

He then got the team to jack the car up and have a look at the gearbox. This might not mean much in New Zealand, but our rules for 'Marque Sports Cars' required that the gearbox used be a factory-supplied unit.

And under there they found a ribbed aluminium case, which explained why Bond had selected reverse gear with the lever in a very different position to where it would have been with the Austin box. It was an Alfa-Romeo gearbox.

[Roger Dowding]

Good story Ray Bell,
Thanks for the details on the " Turner " too !! - Nice little cars - a rival for the Austin Healey Sprite /MG Midget " Spridget "..

[Roger Dowding]

The latest issue of New Zealand Classic Driver has a story about Alan Horner and his " Adventures on the Targa VCC Time Trial :.
Alan had Driver Frank Karl, of Healey 3000 and F5000 fame as the Main Driver, with owner of the Toyota 4GE powered Sprite, Alan Horner, the Navigator / Co- Driver.

The Magazine - Issue #103 September - October 2022 Cover and some of the photos.

Frank giving the Sprite a bit of sideways ..

Photos by Alan Horner and " Proshotz "

Alan is a regular competitor in the Regularity Time Trials at Historic Events at Pukekohe,Hampton Downs and Taupo Circuits.
Frank Karl has been competing in his Healey 3000 since the 1970's and more recently in a Formula 5000 that was built in more recent times in New Zealand.

[Ray Bell]

The Oran Park photo seems to be from somewhere between 1967 and 1969...

I'm not sure about the Morgan, probably Ken Ward but possibly Ron Richardson.

[Roger Dowding]

The " Works " Cars at Sebring.

My books by Geoff Healey and the BMC/BL Works Competition Book make no mention of the Le Mans event or Sebring in 1960..
Were they Private Entries or done by the Dealers in the USA not BMC or Donald Healey Motor Company ??