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

[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 ??

[Ray Bell]

the racingsportscars.com site lists them as entered by 'British Motor Corp' along with three MGA Twin Cams...

The best result was for Geitner and Spencer in No 20, 15th outright on 167 laps (the winning Porsche covered 196) and second in class, the class winner being a Ferrari 250GT California from Scuderia Serenissima which covered 179 laps.

No 18, driven by Riley and Sears, finished well down. They did 141 laps and were 33rd outright and 6th in class while No 19, driven by Colgate and Spross, was put out by an accident after 54 laps.

Donald Healey Motor Co entered one Sebring Sprite for Sprintzel (sp?) and Lumkin, this completed only 62 laps and was 41st and last of the runners.

BMC had a 'T' car for the Healeys, driven by Riley, Sears, Colgate and Spross, while it appears their spare MGA Twin Cam didn't see the circuit. For the record, the factory-entered MGAs finished 24th and third in the GT 1.6 class with 160 laps, 29th and 2nd in class with 148 laps as they competed for honours against Porsche Carreras. The third car retired after just three laps with a broken valve. A lap time comparison shows the best of the Healeys on 3:54.4 and the MGAs on 3:58.5. The Sebring Sprite did 4:03.03.

[Alan Hyndman]

Donald Healey Motor Co entered one Sebring Sprite for Sprintzel (sp?) and Lumkin, this completed only 62 laps and was 41st and last of the runners.

BMC had a 'T' car for the Healeys, driven by Riley, Sears, Colgate and Spross, while it appears their spare MGA Twin Cam didn't see the circuit. For the record, the factory-entered MGAs finished 24th and third in the GT 1.6 class with 160 laps, 29th and 2nd in class with 148 laps as they competed for honours against Porsche Carreras. The third car retired after just three laps with a broken valve. A lap time comparison shows the best of the Healeys on 3:54.4 and the MGAs on 3:58.5. The Sebring Sprite did 4:03.03.

That'll be John Sprinzel, who talked about this race in his book "Spritely Years" - including pushing the car 2 miles back to the pits when the head gasket burnt through between number 3 and 4 cylinders.

[Ray Bell]

Yes, I thought the name was misspelled on that site...

That sounds like one almightly long push. But then, recall that Jack Brabham pushed his Cooper about a mile to get it home and win his first World Championship on the same circuit.

[Roger Dowding]

Came across these which may be of use to some;
Source of the Book they were in is not stated.

AH 100 SIX - models BN4 and BN6,
AH 3000 Models BN7 BT7 BJ8

[Roger Dowding]

Looking back over the thread and post #1130 from 1st May 2021 - or 05-01-2021 in American V bulletin format .

The post was entitled
" AHS3707 - The ex-Fred Cohen car- 1982 being restored - some more recent photos "
The photos disappeared and now realise I put on post #1134 a bit later, so will not repost.

A Clas Arleskar photo of the car in recent times.
I saw the car at Snowmass Colorado in July 1982.



Will post about the Carrera Car [ below ] in a few weeks as will be away from Internet [ apart from my phone ].

Will post some recent finds about the 1954 Carrera Panamericana Austin Healey 100S that Carroll Shelby drove and crashed.. there are stories of the car being rebuilt, but believe it will be a replica as the Chassis was junked by Donald Healey Motor Company. The mists of time have elaborated on the story of the car - a 1954 Special Test Car - SPL 256 BN.



There is almost no mention of the Carrera exploits in any of Geoff Healeys 3 books and Donald Healey's own book " My World of Cars " briefly mention the car in a comment about Carroll Shelby.

More to come ..

[Roger Dowding]

Was sent this by John Windelburn, who raced from the mid 1950's into the 1990's.
John was in the Sports Car Races at Wigram in 1960 in his Lotus 11 Climax - he placed 2nd behind Angus Hyslop and First in Class.

There were 4 Austin Healey cars in the event.
E D [ Ed ] Candy in the ex Arthur Kennard AH 100 Healey Corvette.
Fred Losee in the Austin Healey 100S AHS3802 that was later owned and raced by Joss Tims [ E Tims ].
E Tims [ Joss Tims ] in an Austin Healey 100 that he owned prior to the 100S.
and a T Johnston also in a Healey, unsure of a 100 or a 100 Six.. as no cc ratings in the listing.



Ken H, will borrow the Levin - Cabbage Tree Corner [ John Climo ] photos of the Austin Healey's in the thread.
Cheers

Roger

[Roger Dowding]

" Borrowed " these from John Vevers a BMC / BL Guy I know.

BMC Range as advertised in I am guessing 1962 or 1963 - as the AH Sprite is a Mark two, but with side screens not wind up windows that came in 1964/65.
Note the MGB that was released in 1962 too !! ...



The bigger - in price and generally in size [ The Mini Cooper " S " is the exception ].



How big do want your Princess .. 3 litre Saloon or " 4 litre Saloon or Limousine ".

" THE BRITISH MOTOR CORPORATION LIMITED "
Birmingham and Oxford

[Roger Dowding]

Not a Race but the Timed runs at Daytona Beach, Florida on 22nd February 1956.

Philip Stiles and his 100S [ Chassis Number not known ] in the " staging area " with other cars including a Studebaker Coupe, a Ford Thundebird, but what is just behind the Austin Healey ? .



Certificate of achievement for the best run of the day for the car.Note it is a two way average, so may have gone -------faster one way >>>>.... or the other <<<< ...



The Century Club Certificate - 128 miles per hour ..



See who signed the Certificate William H France .. well known in NASCAR Circles [ pun intended ]

[GregT]

My guess for the car behind the Healey is Allard Palm Beach.

[Roger Dowding]

My guess for the car behind the Healey is Allard Palm Beach.

GregT .. I would say Spot On - the Mark One model made 1952 - 55, later models had more rounded noses.

This from Webbs Auctions - they must have auctioned one in New Zealand recently.



A 100S on a brochure for comparison ..

[GregT]

For about a year around 59 - '60 I rode my bike past one on the side of the road in ChCh. I knew what it was and told the old man it was there. He even rode his BMW round to look at it. Came back and said "it's only a bloody Palm Beach" Not interested in following it up.
I've never been able to work out from Vercoe which one it was. It was pale blue from memory.
Just wasn't there one day.