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

[Roger Dowding]

UOC741 The first 6 cylinder Rally/Race Car.

This 100 SIX was described as " The first of the standard-bodied sixes, UOC741, was to become the link between the Warwick-built competition cars and the Abingdon-built rally cars.
Originally prepared and developed for competition use at Warwick [ DHMC - Donald Healey Motor Company - The Cape, Warwick. ] at the instigation of DMH's old friend, Tommy Wisdom, it subsequently went to Abingdon to become the first of their rally Healey's. UOC741 incorporated the 100S strengthening gussets and larger rear dampers, " quote from the Geoff Healey book - " Austin Healey - The Specials "

Austin's publicity department had used the car as a promotional vehicle - as seen with this photo.



The cars first event was the 1957 Mille Miglia, where it appeared with a cut down windscreen - seen here at Scrutineering with Co Driver Cecil Winby - photo by George Phillips for Autosport Magazine taken at Brescia 1957.
Driver was Tommy Wisdom, a long time friend of Donald Healey and had co-written the first book on the marque " The Austin Healey " published in 1959.



The Car leaving the startline - Entry #414.



The car at the finish, crossing the line. The car had already competed in the Sestriere Rally in March 1957 with his daughter Ann - Ann Wisdom went on the be Pat Moss' Navigator / Co-driver for the BMC Works Team in Austin Healey's, Morris Minors and various Austin Saloons, A40 Farina's A90 and A95's et al.
" Tommy competed with the same car in the Mille Miglia race with Cecil Winby. They won their class and finished 37th out of the field of 365 cars. "
quote - - " The story of the Big Healeys " Geoffrey Healey. "



The car Rally prepared, here in England prior to the Monte Carlo Rally of January 1958

as noted " And so to 1958 and the Monte Carlo Rally, for which Wisdom's Mille Miglia car was prepared to be driven by Tommy himself " .. " atrocious weather conditions. Ice and snow were feet deep on the roads, especially on the route from Paris, from which the ' 100 Six ' started. Almost the entire Paris entry of nearly 90 cars foundered during the first hours of the run, and Wisdom .. was no exception. "
quote - " The Austin Healey " Donald Healey - Tommy Wisdom. "



The car appears to be a medium colour " Blue " over White or Ivory but was in fact Two shades of Green.

The only colour photos I can find are very blurry and the colours not clear.
However, my 1;43 scale Corgi Model shows the two greens, Spruce Green over Florida Green - I have been told recently.



The other model has a connection as is URX727 which was one of the Big Healeys, a 3000 rallied by Pat Moss and Ann Wisdom as well as others from the BMC Team

More to come on UOC741 and its BMC Team and Private Entrant Rally History.