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

[Roger Dowding]

Heard yesterday that Craig Swift passed away after a short illness on the 6th of March.

Met Craig first in 1977 at the Austin Healey Rally at New Plymouth and at many rallies after that that.
Craig, along with Ross Cammick, Bryan and Brenda Harris and myself all left Auckland in July 1982 to attend the " 30th Anniversary of the Austin Healey " at Snowmass and travelled together over the next few weeks, to Colorado and back and around Los Angeles, before Craig went to New York and the other 4 bought the VW Kombi and toured the West Coast of the USA for the next two months.

Had heard from Bryan that Craig was not good and a few days later Jim Reece advised he had passed.

RIP Craig Swift ..

A few photos - in memory.

The Kiwi contingent at Snowmass in July 1982. Craig in the middle of the back row ..- as named below -
- article by Mark Donaldson NZ Healey Club and photo by Hans Nohr - who organised 5 of us Kiwi's to get from los Angeles to Snowmass and back in 10 Austin Healey's a Lincoln a Jaguar and a couple of other cars ..



Craig sitting in Bill Barnett's 100 at Bill's house in Santa Ana Los Angeles in the top image.



Craigs BJ8 at Rotorua in 1980 - Craig looking in the boot - complete with the " Yellow AHCCNZ T - Shirt "



Craig had bought his AH 3000 in the early 1970's and had worked on it and kept it for well over 20 years.

[ He acquired the Registration Plate HS3000 in 1975 when a lot of " H " plates went to Healey owners to replace the damaged ones - as many did ]

[Roger Dowding]

Saw the group in Tauranga and have photos to download..
In the interim there are these from Fred Fowler from Omokoroa who is on the tour.

The cars at Greytown today 22nd March.
Tomorrow they head for Wellington and the Cook Strait Ferry,



The car closest to camera is the " Valiant Healey " powered by a 225 ci slant six Valiant Motor,it was towing a Healey shaped trailer - the rear was a Fibreglass moulding of an AH 3000 rear shroud and boot -owner Grant Mackenzie rebuilt the car and built the trailer.



More to come both my own photos and others posted by Tour people..

February 2024 - finally out some of my Grand Tour photos from the overnight stay at Taraunga.
As they say in those Cheese Ad's " Good things take Time ".

[Roger Dowding]

The Grand Tour in the central North Island on 19/20th March.
They left Tauranga 19th and overnighted at Turangi

The Valiant Healey with Trailer, behind is the support AUdi which is driven by the Alan's Allan Horner and Alan Johnstone.
It has the Club Logos on the door and is towing a trailer to help the participants.
The names starts with the right letters ..



Grant McKenzie [correct spelling ] and others including Frank Karl



The group at dinner. Alister Rayner from Queensland on the right Alister owns the Recreation of AHS3601
[ AHS 3601 R ] The car built /recreated by Steve Pike in Australia.
Alister is driving a BN1 AH 100 with registration BNI which is usually at Highland Motorsport Park in the collection there.



These photos appeared on the AHCCNZ Facebook page and have been " borrowed ".

[Roger Dowding]

Sebring 1955, the Austin Healey entry list was large ..
6 100S customer cars, including the Briggs Cunningham AHS3501 - the first chassis number, as private entries.

DHMC Donald Healey Motor Company entered a works car SPL258BN, and there were 3 100's also private entries.

The images are of a pit stop of the S Moss Lance Macklin driven car - part of Clas Arleskar vast archives.









The car with Moss behind the wheel.



Moss in the 100S passing a Porsche - and the placings in the race.

[Roger Dowding]

A few photos from people on the Tour posted on the AH Club Facebook page.

This 100 is not on the Tour as not fully finished but it did turn up at one of the stops -[ Christchurch ].



100s, a Jensen Healey and 3000s ..



some Sprites -including the Malcolm Currie one, must find out which one !!.

** details on the Sprite photo. from Malcolm Currie.

Left the Tony Van de Water AN5 758, next is Ray [last name not known also from Blenheim in the Red car which is in Concours condition a 1960 model, and on the right is Malcolm Currie's car a 1959 model.

- Must pull up the Registration details and get more info from Malcolm Currie




Just realised that the first sprite - on the left is one of the first Sprites built AN5758 with plate BS4308 and is the 257th one built and probably the oldest in New Zealand.
Owned by Tony Van de Water .. have added a photo of the cars at Masterton in 1989 .. same Roll Bar same widened wheels



Just re-reading a 2017 issue of NZ Classic Driver, which has the article on John Crook and his AH 100, came across these two "Dusty Images " from Allan Dick archives..

Stated to be George Lawton in 1956 .. with the plate 60*608..
Have another image of that car with the same plate at Puhipuhi Road Hill Climb in 1956 ..
The other photo is the ex Arthur Kennard Healey Corvette .. some discussion as to who is driving it !!

The page from NZ CD.

[Ray Bell]

I wonder when the Valiant Healey got its engine transplant...

Mainly because the Hemi 6 would be so much lighter and more powerful, but if it was done before Hemi 6s were available I'd understand it, also if engine length was critical.

Today's Australian Grand Prix saw a parade of the drivers sitting in Austin-Healeys:

[Roger Dowding]

Ray,
" I wonder when the Valiant Healey got its engine transplant...

Mainly because the Hemi 6 would be so much lighter and more powerful, but if it was done before Hemi 6s were available I'd understand it, also if engine length was critical. "

The original transplant was back in the late 70's early 1980's and is the 225 CI slant six - to fit under the bonnet of the Healey.
Had a bit of a chat with the current owner Grant McKenzie and will find out more about the car after the Tour.
It is now on a Kilmartin Chassis and the 225 is a replacement motor, as at some stage after Bernie Huynen sold the car it was repowered with a V8 but had all sorts of issues and I understand couldn't get " Compliance " so best bet when Grant got the car, back to the Hemi Six, which has been in the car longer than the original BMC " C " series Motor..

** Note the Valiant Healey is still on the " Simmons " Chrome wheels it had in the 1980's.

The Driver parade - AGP Melbourne, thanks for the photos - have seen a few on various Facebook groups,

Cheers
Roger.

PS : have some photos of the other well known Healey with a transplant - the Healey - Corvette, that was at the George Begg Festival in the South Island, the AH Club Tour contingent went, well some did.

Roger

More to come on both the VH and the HC..

[Ray Bell]

Ray,
.....The original transplant was back in the late 70's early 1980's and is the 225 CI slant six - to fit under the bonnet of the Healey.....

The Hemi 6 would probably be no higher than the slant 6 and certainly less in the way. The slant leans over across the steering and could well interfere with the master cylinders, whereas the Hemi is more like the original engine.

The thought that the slant was leaning over to make a lower bonnet line possible is a phurphy. I realised this when I did some thinking about the Peugeot 404/504 engines, which lean over at 45°, so are much further over than the slant 6's 30°. In the Peugeot it could readily be established that the carby sticking up at an angle from an inlet port that was minimally lower than it would have been had the engine been vertical meant that the engine was no lower overall.

With the slant, the inlet ports were actually higher than they would have been if the engine had been vertical. I set up a diagram to show this once on a forum and got howled down, but the facts are the facts. The centre of gravity would have been very much unchanged, the height at the air cleaner was no different (and that's the kind of thing which truly sets the bonnet clearance or height) while in right hand drive cars they become a maintenance menace.

In left hand drive it made sense, both for Peugeot and for Chrysler. Better access for the steering, column change mechanism, master cylinders etc. The starter motor is more accessible and generally there's more room for things. With the Valiants I believe one of the major considerations was intake runner lengths, though Peugeot didn't worry about that.

A side benefit of the slant is that the water pump can still be centralised in the car and moved back alongside the block, so the engine could be a little shorter overall.

The thought of a Hemi in a Healey is definitely attractive. There's a 260Z running around Brisbane with one in it, the engine's lighter than the Datsun engine, more powerful and fits in well.

[Roger Dowding]

Re ;the Healey - Corvette, that was at the George Begg Festival in the South Island, the AH Club Grand Tour contingent went, well some did, among them Allan Horner.

Allan Horner photos of the car.









The engine in 2023



The engine in 2015, when Allan Dick did an article on the car in NZ Classic Driver. Issue 63 Nov-Dec 2015

[Roger Dowding]

A better size of the last photo - previous post

[Roger Dowding]

The Grand Tour got to Invercargill, and went to Teretonga for the George Begg [ Memorial ] Festival.

A set of photos by Adrian Robertson - who runs [ with others ] the Group " South Island Motorsport " on Facebook.

Published with permission and with a couple of BJ9's - as in others cars, in Healey parlance, like your daily driver or just the other car.

ZKMOG .. saw that car at Caffeine and Classics, Smales Farm, Auckland in May 2017, when just back in NZ and living
" just up the road "

Some of the Healey's and the MOG..



Let this car in as my Uncle Eddie Dowding had a brand new one in 1957,







The ZKMOG.



More to come on the topic..

[Roger Dowding]

More from the Festival [ carpark ] -some Racing / Competitor photos to follow.







At the Motel in Invercargill .. John Craig photo ..
Reliant with a Healey Sticker on the back and " AC3000 " with an MGB V8 ? and another Healey in the back of the photo.



Two AH's and the BCM, Lycoming and others at Teretonga Quintin Taylor photo..
AHS3908 - the Seabrook Fowlds, Ross Jensen, and many others car and the Geoff Mardon, Arthur Kennard Healey Corvette.. driven by Eric Swinbourn, the 100S driven by Martin Dippie.

[Ray Bell]

I'm sure Stephen won't mind me posting this here:

[Roger Dowding]

I'm sure Stephen won't mind me posting this here:

Thanks Ray Bell,

Have seen a few photos of the " Healey " Drivers Parade... quite an honour for the make in its 70th Anniversary of Production and I am advised that they raced the new Austin Healey at the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, Melbourne in 1953 too !!.

Find anymore, please put them on here !!!.

More to come on the AHCC New Zealand Grand Tour - the 50th Anniversary 1973 - 2023..

[Roger Dowding]

A few more photos from Teretonga of the two Austin Healey cars being raced.

AH 100S " AHS3908 " driven by Martin Dippie,
and the
Arthur Kennard " Healey - Corvette " driven by Eric Swinbourn.
Eric was heavily involved in the restoration of the Healey Corvette, helping Lindsay O'Donnell and Dave Bunn make the car a good driveable Racer.

[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. ].

[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. ].

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.

[Roger Dowding]

The Tom Colby Slot Car Set Up.. with the Racing Sprites.. a different image.



and maybe the Spectators arrived in this.. archive of Hans Van der Kerkhov - Schuco Piccolo in 1;90 scale apparently.







Tom Colby was also the creator of this - a BMC " Rocker Cover Racer ".

[Roger Dowding]

At this event.



100S ...AHS3908



100 .. V8 ..



Photos by Quinton Taylor -understand that he took 1000's of photos covering all the classes..

Here the AH Healey Corvette with another of my favourite cars the Lycoming Special with similar size motors.

[Ray Bell]

Another one from Albert Park: