The Roaring Season

Held to celebrate 50 years of Healey cars...

1948 to 1998. And featuring Peter Hopwood's fantastic drive.

Ray Bell wrote:Held to celebrate 50 years of Healey cars...

1948 to 1998. And featuring Peter Hopwood's fantastic drive.

Ray saw a bit about it when I googled Austin Healey's at Bathurst ;
The [ Sir ] Donald Healey International Tribute Race - and yes Peter gets a mention .. Dennis Welch and John Chatham were there too !!
This should be the clip - about 15 minutes long;

" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxwgGKzYmXk "

Just checked and it works !! Cheers Ray..

Peter would have got more of a 'mention' if his plan had come off...

A very brave race for a man as ill as he was.

The following year they had another Healey race, the commentator on TV said, "Peter Hopwood isn't here this year, but he'll be watching us now."

In fact, he was in hospital having his spinal cord cut so he could endure for just a little longer.

Actually, that clip is the minor race...

It was in the main event when Peter showed Welch his shortcomings.

Austin Healey's Small, 1;18,
Smaller 1;43
Smallest 1;87

The well known car that was involved in the terrible crash at Le Mans in 1955 Race #26
- with Drivers Lance Macklin USA and Les Leston UK.
The car was hit by Pierre Levegh's Mercedes 300 SL
The incident was described as " The Le Mans Disaster " by Gregor Grant at the time.

Here the 100 is crashed against the wall and car #22 A Cunningham is driving past.



The car was fully restored and in recent times [ 2011 ] sold for US$1.3 million
Here the car in a scene with OON439 SPL256BN another Works car Phil O'Neill archives year not known but would be mid 1950's
Donald Healey's 100 Coupe partly in the picture



As an aside have models of both cars;

Here is NOJ393 ; in 1;43 scale, with a standard 100 and the Works 3000 from Le Mans in 1960.

NSCC Silverstone May 25th 1957, just one of several entry list scans that have AH 100S.

ERC wrote:
NSCC Silverstone May 25th 1957, just one of several entry list scans that have AH 100S.

A very " British " field - Aston M, Austin H, Jaguar and Riley.



ERC, Thanks for that - any you find please post on here, Cheers.

Obviously the English NSCC, as in ;

" https://www.nottinghamsportscarclub.co.uk/about.php "

There is now a Nissan Sports Car Club
and of course The Club in New Zealand that was my club of choice 1967 - early 1980's, My Uncle Eddie Dowding was one of the early Presidents in 1945 -46 - the second President had been club Captain 1944 -45 [ Club formally came to being in October 1943 ].

this one ;

" http://www.nscc.org.nz/history.html "

The Club has a link to the NSCC thread on " The Roaring Season " on its " History " page.

I've scanned about 200 pages so far Roger and Austin Healeys and Sprites appear regularly. Far too many to carry over to here!

Note that the entry list for that particular race was a bit thinner than usual as it wouldn't be too often that Healeys were 50% of the grid and 33% would have been 100S's!

What is interesting is that back in the 1950's and 1960's, there were plenty of races with good entries for sports and sports racing cars under 1000cc, 1200cc or 1300cc. Lotus dominated...

ERC wrote:I've scanned about 200 pages so far Roger and Austin Healeys and Sprites appear regularly. Far too many to carry over to here!

Note that the entry list for that particular race was a bit thinner than usual as it wouldn't be too often that Healeys were 50% of the grid and 33% would have been 100S's!

What is interesting is that back in the 1950's and 1960's, there were plenty of races with good entries for sports and sports racing cars under 1000cc, 1200cc or 1300cc. Lotus dominated...

Thanks ERC, Ray - I will look though your links and get anything of interest in the " Healey " world.

Just looking a for a photo to send to a Mate when I came across these in some old Emails [ 2013 - 2016 ].
All Photos by BMC BOY - Not sure if all at the same events.

First one posted before ;

Kathy Povey, and Lyle Chambers sitting on Bill and Kathy's Healey [ a 100 Six from memory ] Richard Leaper looking in to the Healey,Judy Leaper sitting on her and Richards Alpine.
That Alpine was my daily driver after I had the accident in my TR4A in September 1980.
Lyle's BSA at left - bonnet off !



Lyle Chambers, Clive Thompson and his son, Clive's Mark 4 Sprite behind. Clive bought my Yellow /Mustard Bugeye in 1981.- same day same Shoes and Flares for Lyle.



That BSA driven by Richard Leaper, Lyle's Mate



Phil Mules kicking up dust in his 3000.



a 100 at the start of a test- unsure who, but know some of the crowd are -may be a different event but definitely Auckland people.

.

There are also several from one of the Le Mans Relay Races - I think 1982 - have my own photos of some of the cars from it,plus others I was given.
They will follow.

This thread started as the photo-story of the February 1983 Jaguar Drivers Club Le Mans Relay Race when the Austin Healey thread was created in 2015 - Now 4 years later I have come across photos of another Relay event

Those Relay Race photo's think it is 1982 - the Car numbers are different, so could be the late 1983 race run by the Porsche Club.

Bernie Huynen in his 100 [ RIP Bernie ].



Ross Osborne [ North Island Ross - as there is a Ross Osborne in the AH Club in Dunedin ] Car is a 100 SIX but think it had a 3000 motor - I drove it at Thunderpark Dragway, Napier in 1984, when Ross organised the AHCC National Rally.



Chris White in a Sprite - Race #15 - before he got the 100 and later a 3000.



Photos by Ross Cammick.

A couple of my own from the event.
Ross Osborne 100 SIX in the pits - Cameron Mackay's 3000 at the side.



Another view of Ross O's car



Sprite - Not Chris White as Race #16 Chris White's car ' GO ' Reg is parked.
Craig Swift from Wellington adjusting something - Craig often wore Sandals - Craig was one of the 10 Kiwi's that went to the USA in 1982.
Craig is still in Wellington and Jim Reece [ who has provided photo's on here and Bryan Harris - another of the USA group ] have caught up with him in recent times - Craig sold his 3000 a few years ago.
Le Meggett 3000 BJ8 on the grass and another Healey behind that.

" Warren Country Club Chelmsford UK May 3rd 2013
Marco Trevisan, Steve & Helen Pike, Dani Schlatter
NOJ393 first public reappearance after restoration.
photo complements Joe Jarick ESQ. "
Comments by Steve Pike - who was involved with the restoration.



AHS3610 - another restoration - photo from Steve Pike.



Not a 100S just a photo of my 100 after some repainting - sitting the garage with a couple of very different Mates a T-Bucket [ Chev powered ] and our MGB GT - the T was owned by our son back in 1990/91, was a dog to drive, was built for drag racing so not a road friendly car .



Have uncovered some photo's I had forgotten about - so my own archives growing again.

Not just " Nash Healeys at the 1953 Le Mans race. " but 100's too
1953 would be the first year for Austin Healey, but Donald Healey's team had been there well before that.



The Nash Healey's were considered a USA entry while the A-H 100's were from Great Britain.

Leslie Johnson and H L Hadley came 11th in the Nash Healey Race #11
The car also won a Biennial Cup having competed the race two years running
The other Nash Healey only complete 3 hours. Veyron and G Cabantous

Maurice Gatsonides and Johnny Locket came 12th in the Austin Healey #34
A - H #33 was in 14th Place. driven by Marcel Bequart and Gordon Wilkins - better known as Motoring Writer

a link to the results

" https://www.racingsportscars.com/results/Le_Mans-1953-06-14.html "

Roger Dowding wrote:Not just " Nash Healeys at the 1953 Le Mans race. " but 100's too
1953 would be the first year for Austin Healey, but Donald Healey's team had been there well before that.

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The Nash Healey's were considered a USA entry while the A-H 100's were from Great Britain.

Leslie Johnson and H L Hadley came 11th in the Nash Healey Race #11
The car also won a Biennial Cup having competed the race two years running
The other Nash Healey only complete 3 hours. Veyron and G Cabantous

Maurice Gatsonides and Johnny Locket came 12th in the Austin Healey #34
A - H #33 was in 14th Place. driven by Marcel Bequart and Gordon Wilkins - better known as Motoring Writer

a link to the results

" https://www.racingsportscars.com/results/Le_Mans-1953-06-14.html "

A couple more photos of the cars from Le Mans 1953

Thanks to Karsten Stelk Clas Askelar and Chris Dimmock

From The Autocar's report of the 1954 London Motor Show.

A report from The Autocar on the first six 100S cars to come off the production line.

Milan ; Thanks for the 100S information ..
I used to buy " The Autocar " with my pocket money while at High School 1964 / 65. kept buying them once I started work for many years.
A great Magazine back then.

The 100S in the row of finished cars with a driver is AHS3501 - the first in the series - apart from the
" Special Test Cars " is the Briggs Cunningham car - White with the Blue Stripe, Americas Racing colours and a trademark of Briggs cars over the years from 1950 onwards at Le Mans

Healey's raced at Le Mans - starting with the Silverstone, then Nash Healey's followed by the 100 -four and by 1955 the 100S to the 3000 in 1960 then some Specials Sprites and the XR cars.

This is a Pace Car not a Race Car.
Car has a New York State Registration Plate and it is believed the Race Meeting - first photo - could be Bridgehampton NY State.
Photo from " Healey Museum " archives - their Facebook page


This the Second photo was for sale on EBay at USD 9.75 - it did not sell and was relisted ??

I'd reckon a Nash Healey would be a good thing to play with...

Any details of the makeup of the suspension etc?