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

[Roger Dowding]

I thought Joe had a Sebring 100/6...

Then again, Alan Jones was still alive when I was keeping close contact with Healeys. Through Alan, of course.

Ray Bell - you could be right .. so DAC953 NSW plate car is not 57FAC ..and it has flared wheelarches ..more likeABL6

Cheers

Roger

[Ray Bell]

Another pic...



Fortunately Stephen is happy for me to post these here.

[Ray Bell]

And another:



George Russell on board.

[Roger Dowding]

Some photos of the first Austin Healey 100S to come to New Zealand .. imported through Austin New Zealand and delivered to the Invercargill Austin dealer P H Vickery Ltd.

Car was originally Black - single colour unlike most 100S that were White over " Lobelia " Blue.
Car was ordered by an American who failed to complete the purchase and it came to New Zealand,ahead of the Seabrook Fowlds / Ross Jensen car AHS3908 - one of the last of the 50 " customer " cars built.

Ardmore January 1961 with Peter Lawson

Later in 1961 the car was sold to Grady Thompson and painted a pale blue - here with the 1961 - 65 plates.
Stated to be Ardmore in 1963 - but the GP meeting was at Pukekohe.
If Ardmore would be 1962, but not even sure if it is Ardmore.

After the rebuild / recreation by Steve Pike for Murray Wells in 1992 - back in Black as AHS 3601 R - at the Queensland Healey Club Rally.
In company with Joe Jarick car AHS3807 and a works car of Frank Moore OON441 SPL

A brochure produced in 2015 by the current " English " owner of the car, and a Magazine article - a copy - that were given to me by current owner Alister Rayner recently, [ Alister was in NZ for the Grand Tour - he and the car are currently based in Queensland ] - the first two photos ( above ) appear in the brochure.

[Milan Fistonic]

Later in 1961 the car was sold to Grady Thompson and painted a pale blue - here with the 1961 - 65 plates.
Stated to be Ardmore in 1963 - but the GP meeting was at Pukekohe.
If Ardmore would be 1962, but not even sure if it is Ardmore.

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Grady Thomson was entered in an Austin Healey numbered 42 at the January 1964 meeting at Levin.

[Roger Dowding]

Grady Thomson was entered in an Austin Healey numbered 42 at the January 1964 meeting at Levin.

That looks more like it Milan, brilliant - I questioned the photo on the AUSTIN-HEALEY 100S forum, and no one responded.
- Last year 1963 - 64 for the Yellow and Black plate " 75.602 "
Thank you,

Roger

[Roger Dowding]

Having got to Invercargill and been to Teretonga for the George Begg Festival, and visited the " Bill Richardson Transport Museum ".. many of the contingent went to Wanaka for " Wheels at Wanaka ".

Here a photo by John Craig, one of the participants - unsure which car, he took the photo at the Motel at Invercargill.
[ will try to get a better resolution copy. ].

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The Grand Tour is over, and Mark and Jan [ McLaren ] Donaldson returned last Friday.
31 days on the road and the 1961 Tri-Carb never missed a beat..
The Interislander crew let them park here as they have only small ground clearance.

Hopefully more photos and stories to come.
Haven't downloaded mine from Tauranga - but they are only the cars and people in the Motel carpark.

[Ray Bell]

Two pages of the Albert Park programme were devoted to a (shallow, I believe) story about the Austin Healeys:



Once again, thanks to Stephen Dalton.

[Roger Dowding]

In May 2004 5 Austin Healey 100S all in the White over Blue colours were together.

The cars were AHS3906 with the South Australia number plate SA 3906 on the left with AHS3506, one of the 1955 Sebring Cars with the Race #45 on the right.
I have not yet identified the other 3 cars - One has the lower vented grille in the shroud which may help and the one in the middle has a number plate

*** see note from Allan Hyndman #1336 - the car with the vents is AHS3507

Photos from Clas Arleskar archives and the Date 25 5 2004.

*** Full details of the Cars / Chassis Numbers - from Clas Arleskar and Ivo Visser.

As seen in the first photo.
Top Left - a 100S Replica, - Top right AHS3507
The cars on the ground
Left AHS3906 in the middle AHS3905 [ not confirmed but likely as is in Australia] Right AHS3506.

AHS3506 is in the United States as seen in this photo taken at a Car Show in Des Moines, in 2020 by Shawn Frank, who is actually a Triumph guy - I understand that !!

Could not afford a 100S these days ..worth over a Million Dollars ..

[Alan Hyndman]

"I have not yet identified the other 3 cars - One has the lower vented grille in the shroud which may help and the one in the middle has a number plate "


The A100S with the lower grille would be the Vincent Sardi car. It was resident in New Zealand back around 2004. Google helped me find my post about it on Ray Green's TRS thread on the 20th of March 2016. It was also in NZ Classic Car magazine: https://magstore.nz/products/nz-classic ... -august-04
It looks like it is chassis AHS 3507.

[ERC]

Previously posted. Goodwood 2009

[Roger Dowding]

Thanks Allan and ERC,

ERC, your photo the Sardi Car plate ZH-179022. AHS3507 - was among six cars shipped to Austin New York in February 1955.. Shown as being despatched from the 7th to the 10th of February 1955

Vince Sardi was the owner of a well known Restaurant, " Sardis ", in New York I believe.
That venting is distinctive and has been copied by the 100S Replica that is in New Zealand - the Mike Sexton car.

Have found another photo of 4 of the " Sebring " 100S cars being readied at " The Cape " works at Warwick in early February 1955 - the photo and the details of the despatch from the Geoff Healey book " Austin Healey - the story of the Big Healeys " published in 1977.

The Car with the central stripe is AHS3501 - the Briggs Cunningham car.
Photos of the cars on the transporter has been posted before.

The photo - page 144 of the Geoff Healey book " Healey The Specials " published in 1980.

The other plate " GKE.006 " can't quite get the last two numbers. Looks like an Australian Plate too !! - so maybe in the photo.

" Allan H "- your comment " The A100S with the lower grille would be the Vincent Sardi car. It was resident in New Zealand back around 2004. Google helped me find my post about it on Ray Green's TRS thread on the 20th of March 2016. It was also in NZ Classic Car magazine: "
Thanks for the Note ;

I have that copy of the NZ Classic Car August 2004 and also was able to get some details from the NZ Regitration plate of the time BDP671 .. The NZTA used the Engine number " 1B 222708 " as the chassis number in their data ..

Will put the chassis detail on the Post- Cheers
Roger..

Details from Carjam ;

" 1955
Make: AUSTIN
Model: HEALEY 1005
Colour: White
Second Colour: Blue
Body Style: Sports Car
Plate: BDP671
Engine No: 222708
Chassis: 1B222708
CC rating: 2,670cc
Fuel Type: Petrol "

" BDP671
Plate Type: Standard
Origin: Import from USA
Used as: Overseas Visitor Licence vehicle
Cause of Latest Registration: Used
NZ First Registration: 25-Feb-2003
Cancellation Date Of Registration: 25-Aug-2004
NZ Last Registration: Get CARJAM Report
Was Registered Overseas? Yes
Registered previously in: USA "

bringing the information together ..

Thanks again Allan and Ray " ERC ".

[ERC]

Mike Sexton's car - 2004

[Milan Fistonic]

Details of car AHS3906 from the 1988/89 Australian Austin-Healey Year Book

[Roger Dowding]

Jack Davey, a well known Australian personality - one of the early owners of AHS3905.
.Car sold new in Australia through Larke Hoskins. see details in post #1342 from Milan Fistonic.

Photo from a Magazine of the car when with Jack Davey

Eagle magazine was from memory a Magazine aimed at Teenage Boys, I remember having an Eagle Annual in the early 1960's and it had a few Car Articles in it.

This from an Eagle Magazine published in January 1954.

[Milan Fistonic]

Details of car AHS3905 from the 1988/89 Australian Austin-Healey Year Book

[ERC]

Eagle magazine was from memory a Magazine aimed at Teenage Boys, I remember having an Eagle Annual in the early 1960's and it had a few Car Articles in it.

I had the Eagle every week as Dad wouldn't buy the Beano or the Dandy. It not only had cutaways like the Healey now and again, but at one stage, had Michael Turner pics every week. I saved them all, but alas, my vindictive ex-wife managed to lose most of my memorabilia when packing up the house to shift to NZ (I was here 9 months earlier). She also 'lost' my much prized car catalogues including those spiral bound E Type Jaguar ones. Ferrari California, and so on.

It was a great 'comic' and very informative. The annuals were also excellent. I switched from the Eagle to 'The Wizard' in 1957 and my next brother carried on with the Eagle. Front page was Dane Dare.

"Eagle was a British children's comics periodical, first published from 1950 to 1969, and then in a relaunched format from 1982 to 1994."

[Roger Dowding]

Milan, thanks, I realise, now, that the " Larke Hoskins " mentioned would be the dealership that sold the car - imported by Austin Australia, not the buyer.
Knew Jack Davey was an Australia personality but had forgotten what he was.
Have seen a few photos when Sam Miller had the car too !!.

" Details of car AHS3905 from the 1988/89 Australian Austin-Healey Year Book ".
They are good articles which I did not know about.

Will amend my comment on the " History of Sales "on the post.

[Roger Dowding]

" Donald Healey
This is the original Healey 100 and one of one.
It shows us Donald Healey at the wheel of KWD 947 on a Belgian race track.** see notes below
The KWD 947 license plate was used on a number of Healey cars.
Note the low headlights, leaving little clearance from the parking/indicator lights, and the pointed radiator grille surround.

notes by Rainer Jordan - an American Healey archivist.

** Extract from the Book by Donald Healey and Tommy Wisdom " The Austin - Healey " published in 1960 states.

" With the prototype model complete ( another prototype was built as a chassis for test purposes and was never bodied ), the time had come for some serious trial runs somewhere where high speeds could be reached and maintained. So the Healey team crossed the English Channel, and headed for the long, dead straight Jabbeke motor road in Belgium, scene of so many full-bore try-outs and record runs through the years. ".

The car recorded speeds of up to 111 mph driven by Donald Healey.

As noted in Geoffrey Healey book " Austin Healey - the story of the Big Healeys " KWD 947 " -
" The headlamps were raised on the production cars, increasing the gap above the sidelamps ".

This is before the London Motor Show in 1952, where the Healey Hundred became the Austin - Healey 100 after the agreement with Len Lord of Austin
There is a photo in one of the Healey Books Len Lord of Austin and Lord Nuffield of Morris [ Nuffield which included M.G, Riley Wolseley Morris and SU Carburettors ] with George Harriman and the Austin Healey 100 -Austin and Morris/Nuffield became BMC in the 1950's.

Further photo of the Healey Hundred at the Motor Show with Len Lord and Donald Healey - still with the Healey Badge, but there is an Austin Healey sign behind the Car..

[Roger Dowding]

A couple of photos from Jim Reece archives
A group of Southern North Island Healeyites in the Central Plateau, on the way home from the Austin Healey Club Annual Rally .. exact year not known but identity of a couple of the Sprites owners is - Jim Reece and the Huynen cars.
At the time Jim lived in Palmerston North and some of the others were from Wellington, Bernie [ RIP ] and Julie Huynen.
The 100 Six with the Snowman has a 1977 issue Number Plate. It also has the side Flash around the wrong way - they should have the narrow point at the front

The Sprite with Big Healeys at the rear .. and the rear of the other Sprite ..

Looking very Cold ..