Classic & Sports Car UK – September 2019

September 2019 Classic & Sports Car 149

Competitionhadbeenonthecardsfromthe
momenttheHealey 100 madeitsdebutat Earls
Court– partiallyhiddenbya pillardueto
DonaldHealey’snervousnessabouthowits
front-endtreatmentwouldbereceived.Healey
recognisedthevalueinsportingsuccess,and
thecontributionit couldmaketoa newmodel’s
image– particularlyin theUnitedStates,where
clubracingin southernCaliforniawasbecoming
hugelypopular.Asa result,fouroftheearliest
carsproducedattheWarwickfactorywere
earmarkedforracingunderthevagueguiseof
‘specialtestcars’,leavingwiththeregistrations
NOJ391,NOJ 392 andNOJ393,thequartet
roundedoutbyanenduranceracerwithspatted
rearwheelsanda headrestfairing.
Austin-Healey’scompetitiondebutcamein
March1953,whenAutosport’s GregorGrantand
PeterReeceenteredtheRallyeLyon-Charbon-
nièresinthefactoryprototype,MWD360,
whichhadbeenregisteredfortheroadjustfive
monthsearlier.Bythefollowingmonth,twoof
thespecialtestcarswouldfaceanevengreater
challengeonthearduousMilleMiglia.Both
failed to finish, due to a combination of clutch
trouble and damaged throttle linkages. Remark-
ably, the cars were campaigned in near standard
form, even wearing front and rear bumpers –
though of alloy rather than steel construction.
David Shale, DNH 828’s first owner, was the
archetypical club racer and the perfect candidate
for a new Austin-Healey, which could transform
from sporting tourer to weekend racer simply
by lowering the windscreen as quickly as a chap

couldtakeoffhisnecktieandpullonhisdriving

gloves.Shalewasin anenviablepositiontotake

earlydeliveryof thenewmodel,beingthesonof

a garageownerinNorthamptonshire,andan

earlycaris justwhathegot.Stampedwitha body

numberof 140 (visibleontheinsideedgeofthe

bonnetandotherpanels),DNH 828 wasjustthe

140thAustin-Healeybuilt,andthe120thsince

fullproductionbegan– thelion’sshareof which

wouldhavebeendestinedfortheUSA.The

carleftLongbridgeon 18 August1953,andby

6 Septemberit hadalreadystormedto a classwin

at Brunton Hill Climb, still in factory trim, with

the ’screen lowered and Shale at the wheel.

A week later Shale was in action again, this

time for the car’s first circuit outing at the 14th

Goodwood Members’ Meeting on 12 Septem-

ber – nine days after the model’s debut at the

Sussex track with NOJ 391 in the Nine Hours.

The Healey took to the track at 3:15pm in a

mixed field for non-supercharged sports cars

from 1500-3000cc and over 3000cc, dicing with

XK120s, Allards, an SS100 and a Frazer Nash

trio. Car 36 finished third behind Berwyn

Baxter’s LMC-Bristol Special and the winner,

a 21-year-old Tony Brooks in Arthur Hely’s

Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica – a remarkable

achievement for what was essentially a road car.

Shale campaigned the Healey throughout

1953 and ’54, returning to Goodwood on 21

August ’54 with the car in a more racy specifica-

tion – bumpers removed and an aeroscreen in

place of the factory item. It’s this specification to

which the car has been restored and, sitting

alongside the famous Super Shell building at the

revitalised Goodwood Motor Circuit, the road-

ster cuts a wonderful dash. The striking blue

paintwork – echoing that of the Earls Court star

• is flawless, as you’d expect of a car so fresh out
  of restoration that the finishing touches were
  only applied a week prior to our shoot. Decals
  mimicking the roundels and numbers that the
  Healey wore during its 1954 Goodwood outing
  are less than 24 hours old. “Even the number-
  plate position is the same,” says Jack Rawles,
  whose mission is to make the car as authentic as
  possible. “They’re screwed straight into the
  valance, just as David Shale did in period.”
  When Shale offered the car for sale in Auto-
  sport in October 1954, to fund the purchase of
  a 100S, it was advertised as being fitted with
  ‘full Le Mans kit’ including high-compression
  pistons, nearly a year before official 100Ms were
  available to order on 5 September 1955. This has
  led to speculation that the Healey was an early
  recipient of performance parts from the works.

‘The car left Longbridge

on 18 August 1953, and by

6 September had already

stormed to a class win

at Brunton Hill Climb’

Clockwise from main:

beautifully trimmed, with

recreated S&W Motors

badge on dash; engine is

uprated with new manifold,

bigger carbs and hotter

cam; Shale chases DB2 at

’53 Members’ Meeting