The Roaring Season

Thanks, Roger...

I did find it in the other thread, along with some other pics. As a De Soto, it was an emaciated model in this form, a Diplomat from Canadian production. Plymouth body, a front which blended some De Soto features with some Dodge features. I am still curious to know what engine it ran.

But it certainly was one wild car.

Ray Bell wrote:Thanks, Roger...

I did find it in the other thread, along with some other pics. As a De Soto, it was an emaciated model in this form, a Diplomat from Canadian production. Plymouth body, a front which blended some De Soto features with some Dodge features. I am still curious to know what engine it ran.

But it certainly was one wild car.

Ray Bell, belive it was the De [ de ] Soto V8 - called a Firedome from memory - somewhere I may have a race entry list with its capacity [ Milan Fistanic will have it on one,]
It seems to have run mainly at Pukekohe, early 1960's as I had never seen it - started going in 1965 the long distance races in October November was my first meeting, while still as school -last year, then from January 1966 I went nearly every meeting after that for over 10 years [acting as Marshal in 1967 - 69/70 for Northern Sports Car Club at their national Meetings ]
Will check it out and " report back " - could be a few days.. archives, archives etc...

Steve Pike, well known Australian - restorer, owner and driver of Austin - Healey's - worked on the famous Fred Cohen car that was at Snowmass in 1982 - First " S " I had seen.
Photos from his archives - one shows a young Joe Jarick - another Australian Healeyite who owned a 100S - not sure if he still does.

The Bonneville Record breaker Streamliner


Joe Jarick beside car


Racer


Oops a bit of damage.


If I find out more will edit the post.

Roger Dowding wrote:Ray Bell, belive it was the De [ de ] Soto V8 - called a Firedome from memory - somewhere I may have a race entry list with its capacity [ Milan Fistanic will have it on one,]
It seems to have run mainly at Pukekohe, early 1960's as I had never seen it - started going in 1965 the long distance races in October November was my first meeting, while still as school -last year, then from January 1966 I went nearly every meeting after that for over 10 years [acting as Marshal in 1967 - 69/70 for Northern Sports Car Club at their national Meetings ]
Will check it out and " report back " - could be a few days.. archives, archives etc...

Have checked and I have photos of the car in 1964 one with the dual rear wheels,and one racing by Bob Homewood, another NSCC Guy that I knew back then .. can't see a programme at the moment.

Didn't Joe Jarick later own a Sebring 100/6?

Ray Bell wrote:Thanks, Roger...

I did find it in the other thread, along with some other pics. As a De Soto, it was an emaciated model in this form, a Diplomat from Canadian production. Plymouth body, a front which blended some De Soto features with some Dodge features. I am still curious to know what engine it ran.

But it certainly was one wild car.

Ray Bell, have found a bit more on the de [ De ] Soto and have posted it on my Dunedin Thread [ well it will be shortly - just been editing ] as a bit of a " Special ". had several photos and two different Race entries for the car in 1964

My mistake about Joe Jarick... it was Joe Armour who owned the Sebring 100/6

Hmm !!!



Happy 2019 Guys ..

Roger Dowding wrote:Bumpers and valance removed, no driving lights and now sporting 72 spoke Wire Wheels, on the rear, off a Triumph TR6, that I had used on my TR4A at times. 48 spokes were original, bloody narrow though !!
It has a new soft top, had only the frame and a hardtop when purchased, soft top was purchased in the UK during my 1982 trip to the USA and UK .. I liked it without the bumpers, the front one was a non-original one, as were the brakes and the 14 inch Hotwire Mags. I believe that Lance Elliott has taken it back to original when he did the restoration that was required. Unsure who has the car now.
I bought it from a guy in Laingholm who also had an MGC, but it had spent some time and had the " modifications " done, funny brakes and those Hotwires when owned, by a guy from Cook Beach, Coromandel. had correspondence about it but gave that and the workshop parts book [ original ], manual [ a reproduction ] to Lance Elliott.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]34837[/ATTACH]

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My poor information keeping - or is " Carjam " wrong ??

Saw an AH 100 [ four ] today at Omokoroa Reg No BA4120 in a metallic blue with a racing number in a white circle " 54 " . Went to Carjam about the car and it is a 1954 model first Reg in NZ in 1960 and with chassis number # 159308.

Year: 1954
Make: AUSTIN
Model: HEALEY
Colour: Blue
Body Style: Saloon
Plate: BA4120
Engine No: 1B213607M
Chassis: 159308

Has an M on the engine Number - so must be an M version .. didn't see if it had a louvered bonnet and a leather strap.

Checked on my car - it has chassis number 159498 so 190 chassis later and it says a 1955 model - I always remembered it as a 1953 model .. so without seeing the car and the Manufacturers plate

Year: 1955
Make: AUSTIN
Model: HEALEY
Colour: Red
Body Style: Saloon
Plate: LX100
Engine No: 1B214676
Chassis: BN1159498.

My cars engine is / was 2500 cc - actually 2660cc, but the other car is stated as 1500cc ??, again 2660 cc

As LX100 features elsewhere on this thread - if I have put 1953 - It could / should be 1955 - again according to Carjam.. Wish I had taken a copy of the Registration papers, and the Chassis Plate ..

As mentioned on ERC's thread " Just a mix of pics " The MG Car Club have invited the Waitemata Branch of the Vintage Car Club - the Chelsea Hill Climb competitors to their HillClimb at Maioro Road, Otaua - the event founded by the Austin Healey Car Club of New Zealand in 1983.

Details from the MGCC calender are brief, as follows

" Sunday, March 10

Otaua Classic Hillclimb "

Hope to see cars like this running





at the moment the MGCC page shows this ;

" When
Sunday, Mar 10, 2019
Description

Otaua Classic Hillclimb

Mark the date in your diary

Check back for details to come. "

If / when I hear / read more will post here.

Cheers

Roger D

A Big one - prototype Coupe 3000 - seen at Silverstone in 1968 .. Ivo Visser archives.



and a Special Sprite - Mark Boldry noted " As far as I know the car is in Japan..... I understand a little time ago that it was crashed and rebuilt and now is rebuilt more like a standard Mk1 Sprite. "



Photo from Tom Colby archives, I met Tom at the " 30th Anniversary of the Austin Healey " at Snowmass in July 1982.
Tom is still involved in preparing, racing and rebuilding of Austin Healey Sprites

Isn't the coupe a 4000, Roger?

Ray Bell wrote:Isn't the coupe a 4000, Roger?

Ray, unsure about that - they made a couple of 4000's - now I have do some research, Some rather non BMC looking tail lights too !!
We have a Rego Number so some experts will know more [ NAC 3430F is probably not the original - unsure when the Letter after the numbers came in ] Cheers.
Roger D.

Re the UK plates - suffix.

Originally, from 1963, it was Jan 1st to December 31st, but the trade weren't happy as sales tailed off towards the end of the year as even though the car might have been built in 1964 in June or July, it could be sitting in the showrooms for months or in some cases, years, unsold, but the date it was first registered was the date on the paperwork and plates.

So, in 1967 they changed the date from August 1st to July 31st. In that format (it changed again a few years later) and earlier, the last two letters denoted the place where it was first registered, so with 'NAC', the 'AC' was Warwickshire - which of course included Coventry.

It is now part of the West Midlands - which includes Birmingham.

A = 1963
B = 1964
C = 1965
D = 1966
E = 1967 January to end July
F = 1967 Aug 1st to July 31st 1968
G = 1968 - 1969
H = 1969 - 1970
J = 1970 - 1971

My Marcos was first registered in the UK as EMT 128 J, built September 1970 by Hexagon of Highgate.

I also have a Greeves single motorbike (part restored) with a pre 1963 plate of '55 CEW' - the plate (in the UK - and it is still on their system) is apparently worth far more than the bike... Sensible offers accepted.



"The West Midlands is a metropolitan county and city region in western-central England with a 2014 estimated population of 2,808,356, making it the second most populous county in England after Greater London. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire."

BLMC was formed on January 17, 1968, and that's what led to the demise of the 4000 project. Six chassis were built.

Ray Bell wrote:BLMC was formed on January 17, 1968, and that's what led to the demise of the 4000 project. Six chassis were built.

Interesting Ray, Geoff Healey's book " Healey the Specials "mention 3 of the Rolls Royce powered " 4000 ' cars being built [widened 3000 body and chassis ] one of which was saved and restored.

The Coupe in the above photo was the second version with a shortened tail, the original long tail [ similar length to the 3000 Roadster / Convertible ] was made earlier from a Sebring Race car and Registered " DAC 130C " which makes it a 1965 year registration -presumably from the Original Roadster cars build time.
The F Designation of the short tailed car [ pictured ] looking and " ERC's " notes would be 1967.

With no specific dates of the builds in the book, only the chassis numbers would determine original production of the Roadsters that became the two Coupes.
It seems that the work was being done in 1967/68, ahead of the RR powered cars which as Ray Bell says were killed off in 1968 - the last year of 3000 production, and in 1969/70 the Donald Healey contract was terminated - the 1970 Mark 4 Sprites - were " Austin Sprite " models not " A-H Sprite " models.
The two Coupes became transport for Donald - the first car - replacing his 100 Coupe, and Geoff the second short tail car.

Thanks to Ray B and Ray G = ERC for the information [ ERC was about to Google British Registrations when you replied,]
Cheers

PS - must gather more photos and expand on the " Specials " Coupe's and the RR cars.

An archive photo of " AHS 3908 " at a Seabrook Fowlds display, looks like at an A and P Show type event, can see a Marquee / Tent in the background and a line up of Austin Trucks and Cars.



AHS 3908 still lives in New Zealand, in Dunedin, as covered on this thread and was the subject of a story by Allan Dick in NZ Classic Driver in January 2017 - issue #70.

While not totally relevant, the current (from year 2001) plates have letters as a "regional identifier, then 2 numbers, first part of the year from March will be this year 19, then part way through , September, add 50, so will become 69. Sharon was offered a choice of several suffix letters, chose GNU.

To wrap up on the 4000 story, what I was told was that they laid down six chassis, three cars were completed (as Geoff Healey said) and they were all sold off - including the chassis - when the decision to abandon came. Later the buyers of the incomplete cars finished them off.

And on a totally different subject:

Meeting an old bloke at the weekend who had a pic of a Healey at the start of a hillclimb led me on a detail chase which unearthed this:

http://www.healeyvic.com.au/1302.pdf

There's a history article in there well worth reading.

A Couple of random photos of Austin Healey's and Ladies ..

posted before - now believed to be from Life Magazine and shot in Los Angeles in the mid 1950's



Now moving to 1959 - 1960 a smaller Healey but maybe longer Legs ..posted by Tom Colby from the USA on a Fb page..

When I reposted it on " Austin Healey Historic Pictures " received a bit of negative comment from a gentleman and he commented about an " elderly man " posting things that were not Historic and wanting to know what the Admin Guy for the page was doing !!! .



My apologies in advance if anyone is offended ..