[Healeys] Austin-Healey 3000S in Monterey Historics

Fri Oct 6 17:06:15 MDT 2017

Hello Gary

I wonder how many ex competition cars are like grandpa’s axe. A new handle one year and a new head a few years later. That’s multiplied a few times over 40 or 50 years, but it’s still grandpa’s axe. I can think of a few ex-Works Sebring and Rally cars that have received new chassis, panels, engines etc. Despite that they are still the car that ran at Sebring or in the Liege-Rome-Liege.

I may be mistaken, but I thought Bill Bolton had one of the ’59 Sebring 3000s. There were four of them, each with UK registration starting with UJB, painted British Racing Green and right hand drive. These cars were registered UJB 140, UJB 141, UJB 142 and UJB 143. Of great interest is that UJB 143 was also run at Le Mans and in late 1960 was sold to David Dixon who changed the registration to DD 300. Now there is a grandpa’s axe of an Austin-Healey if there ever was one.

As far as I gather (I wasn’t there) the car that ran at Laguna Seca this year was CAN 171 which was/is a 1959/60 3000 Mk1 BN7 in left hand drive and finished in white. It’s chassis number HBN7L/5629. It was prepared by the DHMC in period and shipped to Austin Canada where it was raced in the 1960 Canadian Racing Drivers Association Championship.

Not long back CAN 171 came up for sale at a RM/Sotheby’s auction where in the description it erroneously stated that it was previously registered as 57 FAC. This was not correct as 57 FAC was one of three BJ7s prepared for Sebring in 1963. The other cars were 54 FAC and 56 FAC. While 54 FAC and 56 FAC were used in the race, 57 FAC was used as a practice car.

After Sebring 1963 57 FAC was sold by Geoff Healey to Austin Canada and raced extensively in that country. For years there has been confusion between CAN 171 and 57 FAC, but one is a two-seater 3000 Mk1 and the latter is a normal configuration BJ7. To confuse the matter back in period Austin Canada ran newspaper/magazine ads applauding the success of 57 FAC in various races, but used a photo of CAN 171.

I may be in error, but as far as I know CAN 171 never saw any action at Sebring while 57 FAC did.

57 FAC is in Australia and I had the pleasure of running it at Phillip Island a few years back as part of an extensive article I prepared for Vintage Racecar magazine during which I made contact with previous owners and restorers.

Hoo Roo

Patrick Quinn

Blue Mountains, Australia

From: Healeys [mailto:healeys-bounces at autox.team.net] On Behalf Of editorgary at aol.com
Sent: Saturday, 7 October 2017 7:11 AM
To: healeydoc at sbcglobal.net; healeys at autox.team.net
Subject: Re: [Healeys] Austin-Healey 3000S in Monterey Historics

That's not really too specific. Bill Bolton had a lot of cars... I'm going to hope that it wasn't that POS that had been modified for racing so many times that it barely resembled a Healey any more. My question always is: how many pieces that are currently on the car were actually put there when the car with that vin number was originally built at Warwick?

G.

Gary Anderson
Los Altos, California

-----Original Message-----
From: David Nock BCS <healeydoc at sbcglobal.net>
To: Richard Collins <gonnagitcha90 at hotmail.com>; editorgary <editorgary at aol.com>; healeys <healeys at autox.team.net>
Sent: Fri, Oct 6, 2017 8:20 am
Subject: Re: [Healeys] Austin-Healey 3000S in Monterey Historics

That is the car that use to belong to Bill Bolton.

David Nock
British Car Specialists
209-948-8767
www.britishcarspecialists.com

From: Richard Collins <mailto:gonnagitcha90 at hotmail.com>  

Sent: Thursday, October 05, 2017 9:08 PM

To: editorgary at aol.com ; healeys at autox.team.net 

Subject: Re: [Healeys] Austin-Healey 3000S in Monterey Historics

I wonder what the VIN number is on this car?

Regards,
Richard Collins of KY

BN7 #440

  _____  

From: Healeys <healeys-bounces at autox.team.net> on behalf of editorgary at aol.com <editorgary at aol.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2017 12:54 PM
To: healeys at autox.team.net
Subject: [Healeys] Austin-Healey 3000S in Monterey Historics 

I didn't make it out to the track this year so didn't get a chance to see the races and only today watched the one-hour overview on CBS SN of the historics. I enjoyed watching the race with the mid-1950s production cars, which was won by a white Healey 3000 that they said had an "S" designation for "Sebring."

Does anyone know anything about this car or its owner and prep?

G.

Gary Anderson

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