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

[Milan Fistonic]

[Roger Dowding]

- Thanks Milan, nice !!

[Roger Dowding]

All quiet on the AH front, and I am on very limited access [ mobile data astick] so no photos to add for a few days, make that two weeks all up.

Cheers
Roger

[Roger Dowding]

Back in the Bay [ of Plenty ], no new photos of Healeys, but did borrow this from a Facebook page
The Morley Brothers in 1965 in the Works Rally 3000



A rather large " Austin BMC " sign .. should be on the side of a building.

[Ray Bell]

Perhaps it was put there when Leyland were affecting their merge?

[Roger Dowding]

Perhaps it was put there when Leyland were affecting their merge?

Ray looks better like this - Still needs a wall though to attach to !!

[Ray Bell]

But you've now got the wheelie bin hanging in space...

And the house next door on its side.

[Roger Dowding]

Pete Dicks, whom I met at Snowmass [ at Aspen ] Colorado at the " 30th Anniversary of the Austin Healey "meeting in late July 1982 was digging through his archives / collection / stuff .. and found this.
I just thought I was just putting information together about AH Sprites.
This from " Thoroughbred and Classic Car " Magazine - probably the first of the " Classic Car " magazines to start.

The June 1980 Issue.

The cover



part of the article ;



The Car was owned by Tony Van De Water at the time, he still had it in 1989 and it was raced by him at the Ardmore Reunion meeting in January 1989 and he attended the AHCCNZ Rally at Easter the same year.

Tony moved to Renwick and I believe still runs BASIS the spare parts company there.
He has spent time at the Airforce base in the area when working as a RNZAF photographer.
I also understand he still has the car.

** Update Dec 18th 2023. AN5-758 is still owned by Tony Van de Water who recently sold BASIS, the Spare Parts business and has just completed a restoration / tidy up of the Sprite.
The car did appear during the " 50th Anniversary Grand Tour " by the AH Club of New Zealand in March April 2023.

Many earlier cars have now been uncovered including AN5 501 the first production Sprite, but this car could still be the earliest in New Zealand.

[Roger Dowding]

Using a Number Plate on another car - a short story from the early 1950's - thanks to Paul O'Neill for this gem.
DMH - always the Gentleman ..
About MWD 360 ..

A framed " picture " well a letter and a cutting from a newspaper - there were very observant people back then too!!.



The letter - dated 6th November 1952 - not long after the London Motor Show where a " Healey 100 " became the " Austin Healey 100 "


The article - a cutting from a newspaper, details not stated.



The car they are referring to.
Photo from the Motor Show ; " HEALEY - HUNDRED " on the front of the car.
Photo prior to Leonard Lord from " Austin " making the agreement with the " Donald Healey Motor Company ".



A prototype on Steel Wheels from 1952. Plate could be MWD 341 - hard to determine. Has a " Healey 100 " badge on the shroud.



Must check on how many " Prototypes " there were, probably a couple.

Must try to find the Mille Miglia car - a Healey, not an Austin Healey.

[Milan Fistonic]

From the Auckland Car Club Bulletin of September 1979.

[Roger Dowding]

From the Auckland Car Club Bulletin of September 1979.

Milan, thanks for that, gives me a bit more of the Dunster - Cammick car, didn't realise Bob and Gary Reed had owned / driven the car.
Remember Gary from my time in the Austin Healey Club 1975 - 1996.
As we know Ross still has the car and in recent years has had a bit of fettling and now sports triple SU's compared to Twins it had in 1979.
Helped Ross with getting some of his parts through Customs back in the early 1980's when he was still overseas and shipped back a gearbox and I think the Triple carbs.
Car is less original with the centrshift gearbox, triple carbs and the angled radiator and rack and pinion steering but that is as Donald Healey would say " improving the car ".

[Roger Dowding]

An extract from New Zealand Memories magazine - the November 2020 issue.

Had my Triumph TR4A for the Tuesday Carless Day, so it could compete in Motorsport on the weekend, and an Austin A35 with a Sunday sticke , to drive on Tuesdays with Sprite twin carbs as the Mark One Sprite was in pieces.
The [ ex ] wife had the other Sprite a Mark 3 for her daily driver except for on another week day - can't remember what day, Oh for an Exempt sticker.



The stickers ;

[Roger Dowding]

A bit of a mix here with photos from early AHCCNZ Rallys in 1973 and 1975 - [ 1975 at Rotorua ]

1973 Mark Donaldson and the late Bernie Huynen examine Ross Cammick [ BMC BOY ] BN7 a 1959 model which has featured on here recently with Milan Fistonic post from the Auckland Car Club Bulletion in 1979.
This was a the First " National " Rally by the Club.
[ Photo from the AH Clubs own website - probably by Ross Cammick ]



1975 and Peter Nelligan in his BJ8 on the Gymkhana course at the Rotorua " National " Rally. Photographer I think was Ross Cammick.
[ from the AH Clubs own website ]



Moving to the USA - Geoff Healey standing beside Jerry Liudahl [ from Oregon ] 100 at Snowmass in 1982 at the 30th Anniversary of the Austin Healey gathering where around 1000 AH enthusiasts attended including 11 from New Zealand. [Jerry Liudahl photo ]



Another Oregon car Rex Urbans Sprite Racer, which was also at Snowmass and Medford in 1982 and has featured on this thread before
[ this is a recent photo from Rex Urban's own archives. ]



T - Shirt worn by the AH Club of Oregon attendees at the 1984 " National " Rally at Napier -around a dozen American Austin Healey people came to NZ for the Rally,mainly from Oregon - the " On the Road Again 1984 " line is as some had come to New Zealand in 1980, and they came back again in 1988 too !
The T shirt is still in the hands, and on the clothes-line, of Bryan and Brenda Harris. - Thanks to Bryan for the photo.



A Healey cartoon by Brian Caldersmith in Australia who draws other cartoons in the style of " Brockbank " the well known English Motoring cartoonist from the 1950's and 1960's.

[Roger Dowding]

Have posted quite a bit on AHS3908 the Austin New Zealand imported car - sold to dealers Seabrook Fowlds, for John Seabrook, then Ross Jensen, and later Graham Pierce. A 100S car that is still in New Zealand.
Story a few years ago by Allan Dick form NZ Classic Driver that has appeared in this thread [ parts of the article ]

AHS3601 was also imported by Austin New Zealand and sold through P H Vickery " Vickery Motors " of Invercargill.
Engine Number 222707C Body number 79 despatched 14.10.55.

Already had some information on the car but recently came across more details.
Jim Reece an Austin Healey guy, his cars have featured on the thread, put together a Register Record of the car back in the early 1970's when involved with the Austin Healey Car Club of New Zealand.
The car was badly crashed and burnt and written off and has been the subject of a recreation by Steve Pike in Australia.
It is now in the hands of Alister Rayner with the Chassis Number " AHS3601 R ". R for recreation / replica.

Here is the AHCCNZ letterhead record of the car which had the number plate 408.032 in 1957 [ 1956 -61 plates and permanent plate DN6440 - There will have been another plate for 1961 -64 period.



Photo of the car outside P H Vickery Ltd in Invercargill in 1956 - first registered in January 1956 after shipping from England DMH's factory in October 1955



A Warrant of Fitness sticker from PH Vickery dated February 1957.



car with 408.032 plates [ 1956 - 61 ] with 4th owner Max Richards



Another photo on the 408.032 plates, with Jack Grieve in 1957



Again a photo from the 1957 -61 period with another owner / driver Peter Lawson at the 1961 Ardmore NZ International Grand Prix meeting,leading a group [ in a trio ] of cars.



More to come on the car - the accident - and the recreation.
Note ; source of images are on the images

[Roger Dowding]

In early July 1982 a group of Austin Healey Club of New Zealand, Guys and Girls - headed for the USA to attend the event, which was held at Snowmass ( at Aspen ) a Ski Resort - just outside the Town of Aspen in Colorado.
There were 5 days of competition, [ Concours,D'Elegance, Road Rally - a Time Speed and Distance Trial, Funkhana various Social Activities and on the last day a Prizegiving..

The Prizegiving, I vaguely remember, but have recently been sent some images by Ron Edwards who collected three trophies with his Austin Healey 3000 BJ8.

The Car ; which Ron still owns has had it since 1973



The Michigan Plate that was on the car at the time



The three trophies



Plaque for the TSD Rally that is on the Trophy



Plaque for the Concours' - note on photo " Concourse " as that is on the trophy.



Whilst not being able to compete for a trophy as not having a car there, did get to collect patches and badges from the event and other events that 5 of the Kiwi's attended after Snowmass.
The Historic Motor Races at Monterey [ Laguna Seca ] the Austin Healey Club of Oregon Rally ay Medford Oregon and the " All British Field Meet " at Portland Oregon



I understand that a big event is being organised for next year 2022 in the USA.
- the 70th Anniversary of the Austin Healey
- the car first seen as the " Healey Hundred " at the Earls Court Motor Show in London in November 1952.

[Milan Fistonic]

Again a photo from the 1957 -61 period with another owner / driver Peter Lawson at the 1961 Ardmore NZ International Grand Prix meeting,leading a group [ in a trio ] of cars.

This photo is from the 1961 Ultimate-Ekco Race Car Feature at Ardmore and shows Peter Lawson leading Ron Butler's Porsche and Graeme Eder's Elva-Ford (later known as the Paton-Ford)

[Roger Dowding]

" This photo is from the 1961 Ultimate-Ekco Race Car Feature at Ardmore and shows Peter Lawson leading Ron Butler's Porsche and Graeme Eder's Elva-Ford (later known as the Paton-Ford) "

Milan, thank you again for your information .. now have to find the story/ies of that 100S .. of Peter Lawson - more than I have now..
I know at that time there were 3 100S in New Zealand but need to get more details

Thanks again.
Roger

[ERC]

One of several AH pics taken last month. This was in the Stirling Moss tribute parade at Goodwood. One of four Austin Healeys in the parade.

[Roger Dowding]

One of several AH pics taken last month. This was in the Stirling Moss tribute parade at Goodwood. One of four Austin Healeys in the parade.

Thanks ERC, quite a mean looking BJ8 3000, with that sill exhaust with the big ventilated cover, and those flared guards.
.

[Roger Dowding]

Cracked it, Over 500,000 views [ long way to go to be like ERC though ].

I love Healeys as is known, both Big [ full size owned one ] Small [ full size Sprites owned 4 ] and models.

This from Healey Museum, Dinky model 100's with a boat and trailer..
as they commented " cheaper to own than the real thing ;



Don't have the Dinky 100, but do have a " Budgie " model - it is broken though - scale around 1;70.

The " Budgie " model - my damaged one ;





Have 1;18 100 Six and a tri-carb 3000 and various 1;43 models - 100 / 100S / 3000 and a couple of Sprites and 1;87 3000.

Here are some of them. the 1;18 scale plus a couple of 1;43 scale Sprites.



Cheers
Roger