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

[Roger Dowding]

This photo at Wigram I believe, with the Brent Hawes Tojeiro - Jaguar " Allcomer Saloon " - as it had a roof and the
" Motor Racing Club " thought that was OK - in races in 1966 - The Ferrari 250LM was also classified as a Saloon !
One particular race the podium was
Ferrari 250LM first
Anglia Breadvan Fastback -Dave Simpson second
Tojeior Jaguar - Brent Hawes third..

The Healey Corvette in Graham Smith's hands he had it after Ed Candy who ran it at Southern Circuits, Waimate, Dunedin.
At the Waimate final meeting 1966, interestingly Graham came third behind Hawes in the Tojeiro and winner Jim Boyd in the Lycoming in the Sports Car race.
In the Sports and Racing event the order was Graham Smith Healey Corvette, Brent Hawes Tojeiro Jaguar and David Bruton in the Begg Humber 1600 - this was the second Begg original one was a BSA powered. The Begg name became well known in the late 1960's early 70's and on.

The Healey Corvette - Dave Bunn saving the car, and Lindsay O'Donnell financing the restoration.

Posted a photo of the engine in the Healey Corvette and Skope 2019,and as noted the engine has changed in appearance .. sporting a large pancake Aircleaner over Carburetion that cannot bee seen. In 2015 when Allan Dick wrote about in in NZ Classic Driver it had two Holley's with small Edelbrock pancake aircleaners.

[Roger Dowding]

Lets not forget the effect on the wallet too .

And this was a project -

It did get recreated .. will be part of the AHS3601 story - when I get the information.

[Roger Dowding]

Posted before " On the Road - to Snowmass " 25th July 1988.

My Diary for the day says
Date ; 25th Sunday
Place ; Flagstaff to Durango
Weather : not detailed - [ fine - looking at the photo's ]

Remarks ; Drove Walt's car
Wrote letter to JE whilst in the Lincoln - Desert
Spent all day in the desert visited Four Corners [ the only place in the USA where 4 states meet + ].
Dinner at Sweeney's Durango.
Sergio and Jim did B. A. Couldn't get a picture.
[ two of the USA guys did a downtrou on the side of the road as we drove past ]

word in Italics are added ..

Car is two tone Red - a feature of several of the South Central Coasts cars at the time two tone in the same colour - different shades - quite effective.

We stopped several times and also ran ahead of the convoy to get photos of the cars in the Mountains

Monochrome ;
BMC BOY photo - edited .

The Original photo.

The convoy in the Mountains - one of several shots - a curve of Healey's..

[Ray Bell]

I hope he got photos going further on...

Durango to Glenwood Canyon, the nicest drive in America.

[BMCBOY]

A couple more of Walt's 2-seater 100/6 from 1982

[Roger Dowding]

A couple more of Walt's 2-seater 100/6 from 1982
At Silverton " Tyrol in the Mountains " I believe, I took a photo of Jim Mann's car sitting outside that store too!!

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The day before the start, I am taking a photo of you taking the photo, Bryan [ who I have now connected with again, and the Late Walt, I think Hans is obscured by Bryan..

Thanks Ross.
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Hopefully you have some more Ross

[Ray Bell]

That's a delightful pieces of subtle two-toning on that car!

But I'm not so sure that the shop is at Silverton. The commercial area at Silverton is relatively flat, whereas Durango is hilly.

[Roger Dowding]

That's a delightful pieces of subtle two-toning on that car!

But I'm not so sure that the shop is at Silverton. The commercial area at Silverton is relatively flat, whereas Durango is hilly.

Silverton is flat Ray but Mountains up behind the main centre both sides .. another Healey in front of the shop - the car behind Walt's is Jim Mann's

a couple more photos -in the town. Jim Mann's BJ8 3000 was parked behind Walt's BN6

[Ray Bell]

Okay... I just felt that the first photo looked to be on more of a slope...

Those mountains all around the town make it very scenic. And good driving territory. My van has been along there, Glenwood Canyon, alongside the Crystal River (so aptly named!) and over the hills to Delta, then to Montrose, Ridgway, Ouray, Silverton and Durango. And then it all collapses into desert.

[Roger Dowding]

Okay... I just felt that the first photo looked to be on more of a slope...

Those mountains all around the town make it very scenic. And good driving territory. My van has been along there, Glenwood Canyon, alongside the Crystal River (so aptly named!) and over the hills to Delta, then to Montrose, Ridgway, Ouray, Silverton and Durango. And then it all collapses into desert.

Ray - we went through Durango Silverton Ouray, need to see in what order .. I even got a photo of the Durango - Silverton Narrow Gauge Train - which runs as a Historic Railway even today.
Silverton is surrounded by Mountains - when I first posted a couple of photo's I had forgotten which town it was, took some note from Mark Donaldson [ former 1973 - 1980 and 2017 to date President of AHCCNZ ] helped, as did a couple of my USA mate - who whilst not on TRS, do follow Austin - Healey posts on various Facebook pages .

[Ray Bell]

Silverton, Colorado...

Looks like I got two trains!





This was nearer the Durango end of the line, however. But Silverton in the early morning...



The morning sun on the shops, which were generally not open yet:



A close-up of a classy prospector on a bin:



And one last look climbing the hill out of town...



If you like I can see if I can get a photo of a Healey at the Silverton Hillclimb in Western NSW.

[Roger Dowding]

Silverton, Colorado...

Looks like I got two trains!





This was nearer the Durango end of the line, however. But Silverton in the early morning...



The morning sun on the shops, which were generally not open yet:



A close-up of a classy prospector on a bin:



And one last look climbing the hill out of town...



If you like I can see if I can get a photo of a Healey at the Silverton Hillclimb in Western NSW.

Ray Bell, Thanks for those photo's brings back good memories.

The Narrow Gauge Railway - narrow for the USA, probably the Three Foot Six gauge we have in New Zealand, is well known and there is a Musuem too - the Railway Sheds where they keep that train .. a few friends of mine have been there.
My only photo of the Train is the one I will post next as six photo's in you post.

[Roger Dowding]

The train ; photo from in the Lincoln

Silverton Main Street - Greene St ?

Those Hills [ Mountains ].

The Healeys heading up into the Mountains - unsure if before or after Silverton, I think we were heading for Durango, for our night stop, then the following day on to Snowmass - at Aspen, Colorado.

There were Tunnels on the Route - well at least one. was in the Lincoln - we " The Kiwi Five ", Brenda, Bryan, Craig, [ BMC BOY ] Ross, and Roger [ me ] took turns to ride or drive various Healeys on the trip.

Must look at the Route Map. below.
As created by the the South Central Coast Club, part of Austin Healey Pacific Centre

[Ray Bell]

I think the tunnel's between Ouray and Silverton...

And the line of Healeys is closer to Ouray as well, I'd think.

Magnificent scenery through the whole of that trip, and the Crystal river...



...must surely be the most aptly named river in the world.

I guess you had a look at the massive line-up of old (Yanks, of course, say 'vintage') cars at Delta?



I met this couple between Ouray and Silverton. They were out camping alongside the road in their caravan...



They live at Ridgway and rent their house out every summer to holidaymakers and go caravanning. Not far from home at this time, often they go further of course.

Talk about enjoying life!

[Roger Dowding]

Great thanks Ray, don't remember the " Old cars " but we did do a few "Junkyards " and Spare Parts / Wrecking Yards on our trip

[Roger Dowding]

VOK490 was built in 1958 as a BN4 100 Six, used in the record breaking attempts at Montlhery in France in 1958, later became a works Rally Car and later again a Modified Racer.
The Circuit " Autodrome de Linas Montlhery " is still there but I believe - now unused.

The car is now in New Zealand, in the hands of Tim Riley [ son of Anne Wisdom/Riley - BMC works Rally Driver and Peter Riley, Racer and BMC works driver].
Peter came to New Zealand in 2015 and saw the car, the story appeared in the issue #60 of NZ Classic Driver
[ May June 2015 issue ] story written by Tony Haycock.

Allan Dick of Autonews, Classic Autonews and Classic Driver fame posted a photo of one of the works cars with Anne Wisdom and Pat Moss - Carlsson and all their trophys.

a montage of photos that relate to the Riley family and VOK490.
Anne Wisdom [ Riley ] and Pat Moss and their trophys around 1960 - with URX727 which was a works Rally car and features later in the thread in August 2023..

VOK490 as the record breaker - still a 100 Six

Jack Sears BMC works racer and Le Mans AH entrant in 1960 signed this

The car even appears on a book cover - driven by a Clergyman .. Rupert Jones.

Another photo of the record breaker - in Monochrome - for the Cambridge University Automobile Club CUAC who were in the record attempt - from their archives - same photo.
The gentleman are the drivers and include Marcus Chambers - names recently revealed in a recent post on Fb.

Found one more on the track and left hand drive !!

More of the VOK490 and Peter Riley story to follow when I get some more scanning done, I am well behind as the damn machine sits in the garage and I don't when on the laptop.

see the views of the AH thread have topped 220,000 long way to go to catch ERC or Nigel though !!

[khyndart in CA]

1961 Gisborne Hill climb photo.
(Roger, I watch too much F1 stuff. Good night.)

(Gisborne Photo News )


Ken H

[Ray Bell]

The monochrome photo of VOK 490 is from a slightly different angle to the colour photo...

And I think this is your tunnel. It's only the second photo I took (out of 21) between Ouray and Silverton, it must be only just after leaving town:

[Roger Dowding]

I understood that they were made only in Right Hand Drive as for racing and it suited most race tracks
Artistic Licence or was one of the works racers / record breakers built LHD ?? There were 5 of them.
according to Bruno Verstraete this about the LHD 100S
" Only one LHD ever produced : SPL227B, the Endurance Car. "
and this comment too :
from Cliff Hudgins " I believe the car here was OON441, which was in fact RHD, as were all all of the cars used at the MM that year. "

I need to do some more reading.

Not photos but a BMC - Austin - Healey advert. Mille Miglia 1955

A painting of a record breaker -presume at Bonneville, a left hand drive 100S - judging by Fuel Filler, cant see the grille !!.
Artistic licence with the LHD as all 100S were RHD
The painting is by Roy Nockolds and this is owned by Bruno Verstraete, a Healey enthusiast and owner.

Ray Bells Tunnel - yes looks like the one near Ouray, thanks

[Ray Bell]

I wonder if that has the head with two carbies each side?