Page 2 - Austin Healey 100S

RECORD BREAKING HEALEYS the original works story In 1953 Donald Healey had an ambition to take the On Aug 23rd 1954, supervised by the American The car needed to be able to sustain the long 24-hour endurance record. He used ‘standard Automobile club the car set 83 National and distance record attempt and as such had to be production cars’ to take the production car records International Class D records driven by Donald fully functional. Parts had to be up to the task covering 3100 miles in 30 hours at an average Healey, George Eyston, Carroll Shelby, Mort which ruled out the use of any original components speed of 104.3 mph Goodall and Roy Jackson-Moore. A 24-hour that were not up to the job. average speed of 132.29 mph was set giving the In 1954 a new car was commissioned and dubbed During the development of this car many parts had equivalence of driving from New York to San ‘the Endurance car’. It was based on a standard to be sourced and in some cases remade to chassis that was prepared with a modified Weslake Francisco in a day! match the original. These are now available to designed cylinder head, 16 inch Dunlop peg drive Unfortunately the original car was scrapped shortly owners of the original 100S cars. wheels and Dunlop disc brakes (a first in after the records in the fifties as salt had taken its The ambition for this recreated car was to “exceed production sports cars). There were a number of toll and made it unsafe. all Healey non-supercharged records” which aerodynamic modifications with a small aero Healey expert Jeremy Welch recreated the 1954 means lapping around 150mph for at least 500 screen and head fairing, plus an air-cooled battery car based on a works lightweight chassis, this car miles. compartment in the right hand passenger seat and was built from scratch with a view to attempting an underbody streamlining. The car when tested was timed at 147.2 mph, a endurance record in 2009. promising start to the adventure of recreating a legend. This brochure shows how it was done. For detailed information go to: www.healeyendurance.com For parts go to:www.bighealey.co.uk