Lance Macklin's 1955 Austin Healey

This significant Austin Healey race car is up for auction at Bonhams in December having not been seen for over 42 years. The car is being displayed at the Goodwood revival meeting. Apparently this car was repaired after the 55 Le mans accident. Does anyone have any idea as to the extent of the repairs that were carried out. From period photos after the crash it seems to me that nothing short of a reshell would have put that car back on the road. The car was also raced again after its repairs. Does anyone have any records of where and when ? Topic Heading Should read Austin Healey

Edited by 24hourman, 07 September 2011 - 08:52.

Macklin drove an Austin-Healey at Le Mans 1955.

This significant race car is up for auction at Bonhams in December having not been seen for over 46 years. The car is being displayed at the Goodwood revival meeting. Apparently this car was repaired after the 55 Le mans accident. Does anyone have any idea as to the extent of the repairs that were carried out. From period photos after the crash it seems to me that nothing short of a reshell would have put that car back on the road. The car was also raced again after its repairs. Does anyone have any records of where and when ?

Macklin's car at Le Mans 1955 was a Healey 100S. Didn't Dick Jacobs crash his MGA at around the same time as the pit straight accident, but elsewhere on the circuit? So which car is it?

Macklin drove an Austin-Healey at Le Mans 1955.

... as correctly stated in the Bonhams blurb:

http://www.bonhams.com/eur/press/6016/

Edited by Tim Murray, 07 September 2011 - 08:18.

... as correctly stated in the Bonhams blurb:

http://www.bonhams.com/eur/press/6016/

Thanks for that. I hadn't seen the Bonhams' blurb

Sorry guys posting too early in the morning the heading should have read Austin Healey not MG

Sorry guys posting too early in the morning the heading should have read Austin Healey not MG

It might be worthwhile asking Twinny to alter the title of the thread
Roger Lund

This significant Austin Healey race car is up for auction at Bonhams in December having not been seen for over 42 years. The car is being displayed at the Goodwood revival meeting. Apparently this car was repaired after the 55 Le mans accident. Does anyone have any idea as to the extent of the repairs that were carried out. From period photos after the crash it seems to me that nothing short of a reshell would have put that car back on the road. The car was also raced again after its repairs. Does anyone have any records of where and when ? Topic Heading Should read Austin Healey

I tried to track this car down many years ago-I knew it had been rebuilt and despite the appearance after the LeMans accident it was not as badly damaged as it would appear-the sloping rear of the Healey acted as a "launching ramp" for the Mercedes. I have expected this car to come up for auction at some point- it will be interesting to see what such a macabre history does for the price.

Damage to the car centred upon its left rear. The Mercedes 300SLR had rammed the left-rear quarter, then rode up over the left-rear wheel in effect before planing off to its fate. Had the impact been on the right-quarter I doubt Macklin would have survived as the impacting car would probably have removed his head. The car spun after that impact and rammed the pit wall backwards, suffering further tail damage. The front two thirds survived almost untouched and the chassis seems to have been essentially unaffected. It was not until late 1956 that the French police released the car from impoundment, returning it to the Donald Healey Motor Company.

The same car had previously competed in the 1953 Le Mans 24-Hours race, driven by Gordon Wilkins and Marcel Becquart after having arrived there as team spare. Their originally assigned car had been badly damaged in a road collision immediately after scrutineering, and the Healey boys then transferred all the stamped tweaky bits onto the spare, which was this car, for the race. The 100S Special Test Cars used Birmabright aluminium-alloy body panels. After the 1955 crash NOJ 393 as now offered by (us) at Bonhams had the damaged rear wings, boot lid and I think also the left-side door etc replaced by steel panels, and a new alloy shroud panel was also fitted. The replacement left-side door has standard BN-series Healey hinges while the original driver's side (right-side) door retains the car's original lightweight Special Test Car hinges. These remain on the car to this day. After being club raced ex-Healey Motor Company by David Buxton, Mike Durdy, Ian Harris and Ron Kirkman the car fell into disuse. The present vendor acquired it as 'a project' in 1969 and it has been stored untouched since then...42 years...

DCN

OT a bit, but can anyone point me in the direction of sources of information about the Healey support team members, especially mechanics names, in the 1953 event?
Roger Lund

Damage to the car centred upon its left rear. The Mercedes 300SLR had rammed the left-rear quarter, then rode up over the left-rear wheel in effect before planing off to its fate. Had the impact been on the right-quarter I doubt Macklin would have survived as the impacting car would probably have removed his head. The car spun after that impact and rammed the pit wall backwards, suffering further tail damage. The front two thirds survived almost untouched and the chassis seems to have been essentially unaffected. It was not until late 1956 that the French police released the car from impoundment, returning it to the Donald Healey Motor Company.

The same car had previously competed in the 1953 Le Mans 24-Hours race, driven by Gordon Wilkins and Marcel Becquart after having arrived there as team spare. Their originally assigned car had been badly damaged in a road collision immediately after scrutineering, and the Healey boys then transferred all the stamped tweaky bits onto the spare, which was this car, for the race. The 100S Special Test Cars used Birmabright aluminium-alloy body panels. After the 1955 crash NOJ 393 as now offered by (us) at Bonhams had the damaged rear wings, boot lid and I think also the left-side door etc replaced by steel panels, and a new alloy shroud panel was also fitted. The replacement left-side door has standard BN-series Healey hinges while the original driver's side (right-side) door retains the car's original lightweight Special Test Car hinges. These remain on the car to this day. After being club raced ex-Healey Motor Company by David Buxton, Mike Durdy, Ian Harris and Ron Kirkman the car fell into disuse. The present vendor acquired it as 'a project' in 1969 and it has been stored untouched since then...42 years...

DCN

Many thanks Doug It never seems to amaze me the knowledge of the people on this forum it will be interesting to see what this piece of racing history makes at auction.

Many thanks Doug It never seems to amaze me the knowledge of the people on this forum it will be interesting to see what this piece of racing history makes at auction.

Does anyone here think that suggested figure of £500,000 is realistic? Half a million for a quite ordinary car with a tragic history? I'll be surprised if it makes the reserve, whatever that is, but then, what do I know...

Judging from what I saw of the car at Chelsea Auto Legends on Sunday, it's going to need a lot of work

Only to be expected after 42 years in storage, I suppose

A comparatively unexceptional 100S sold recently for, I am told, £350,000-plus - so for a Special Test Car with works racing history beyond and above its unfortunate 1955 Le Mans incident, plus the barn-find provenance of its past 42 years' storage, this car's estimated value is by no means unprecedented. No reconstructing from ash-tray emptyings and Les Leston's cheese sandwich here...Though as Dave observes, it will require several tins of polish...

DCN

Edited by Doug Nye, 07 September 2011 - 19:47.

Can anybody supply a reason for the enormous speed of the Waterhouse 100S as demonstrated by Stuart Graham at the Goodwood Revival a few years back?

...... The present vendor acquired it as 'a project' in 1969 and it has been stored untouched since then...42 years...
DCN

Back in 2004, the owner, Jack Scott, confirmed the restoration status of this car in an email stating …” NOJ 393, the Austin Healey 100 'S' raced by Lance Macklin in the 1955 Le Mans Race has been in my ownership since 1969 and remains in the same very original but unrestored condition as when acquired. It last appeared in public in the 2002 AH 50 event with numerous other ex-works cars.”

--Scott Morris; Simcoe, Ontario, Canada --Keep Smiling, Murphy Lives

Read Wilkins' 1953 LeMans report here:
Healeys at LeMans

Well, seven stones of Stuart Graham for one. And in another Revival outing, Emanuele Pirro for another..?

DCN

I seem to remember Johnny Herbert doing pretty well with it one time, and Gerry Marshall (more than 7 stone) on yet another occasion

In order to curry favour with Ted, I can say that I bought an extremely nice photo of Lance in Healey prior to the shunt at Le Mans. Sadly I gave it to Eric as he is a great fan of Lance Macklin, but perhaps I can obtain another copy sometime.

Without doubt the Healey is well set-up and very driveable, and I cannot comment about the state of development of the engine, but having seen all of its races at the Revival it is clear that via what I can best describe as the car's "body language" the drivers in question are certainly on the limit all of the time, maintaining and optimising peak momentum, not sliding a bit here and there, but best compared to Archie in a Lister on his definitive lap . With drivers running so close to the very limit of controlled adhesion all of the time, probably as near a constant and consistent 10/10ths as you will see, the car was never going in a straight line, aided , of course, by Goodwood not having a recognised straight. Masters of their craft, each one, performing on a higher plane. I loved it. It was just the same with the TT-celebration winning ISO, IIRC. Think also, for comparison, of the famous incident of Sears in the Cobra at Brands in '65, or John Miles in the bonnet-flapping Elan at the same circuit.
Roger Lund

I have come up with this, I think, previously unpublished
COPYRIGHT photo of the Healey following the accident:



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[quote name='bradbury west' date='Sep 9 2011, 22:47' post='5270244']
Without doubt the Healey is well set-up and very driveable, and I cannot comment about the state of development of the engine, but having seen all of its races at the Revival it is clear that via what I can best describe as the car's "body language" the drivers in question are certainly on the limit all of the time, maintaining and optimising peak momentum, not sliding a bit here and there, but best compared to Archie in a Lister on his definitive lap . With drivers running so close to the very limit of controlled adhesion all of the time, probably as near a constant and consistent 10/10ths as you will see, the car was never going in a straight line, aided , of course, by Goodwood not having a recognised straight. Masters of their craft, each one, performing on a higher plane. I loved it. It was just the same with the TT-celebration winning ISO, IIRC. Think also, for comparison, of the famous incident of Sears in the Cobra at Brands in '65, or John Miles in the bonnet-flapping Elan at the same circuit.
Roger Lund
[/quote

Back when the world was young Mike and John(sadly killed at Oulton in an Elan) Waterhouse were always looking for an "edge" I recall their secret weapon at one time was "Isky" (ISKANDERIAN) cams imported from the USA. Mike seems to have a knack of getting cars to perform better than expected, 1MTW, the ex Jacob's Twin Cam was faster after passing through Mike's hands than when operated under a semi-works banner. This despite most of its' alloy panels being replaced by steel after Mike rolled it at Knickerbrook.

... as correctly stated in the Bonhams blurb:

http://www.bonhams.com/eur/press/6016/

Perhaps I've got a too active imagination, but I do find it slightly spooky that this particular car is being auctioned at Mercedes Benz world....

I have come up with this, I think, previously unpublished
COPYRIGHT photo of the Healey following the accident:



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

The picture is intruiging, the Healey has come to rest by the Mercedes pit, presumably it would have been moved away fairly quickly so this can't be long after the accident. So what is everyone looking at? Some are looking towards the crash scene but others are not and there does not appear to be an air of concern which you would expect. Or maybe the car remained there and the Merc drivers and crew had to work around it?

Edited to add, must have been after the race otherwise where was the photographer standing?

Edited again to ask is that Mr. Moss in civvies standing towards the left of the picture? And is the man behind the fuel filler Neubauer?

Edited by RCH, 11 September 2011 - 11:18.

In order to curry favour with Ted, I can say that I bought an extremely nice photo of Lance in Healey prior to the shunt at Le Mans. Sadly I gave it to Eric as he is a great fan of Lance Macklin, but perhaps I can obtain another copy sometime.

Seems there's lots of pictures of the Healey after the accident, but relatively few before. Would enjoy seeing the above picture if it resurfaces.

The picture is intruiging, the Healey has come to rest by the Mercedes pit, presumably it would have been moved away fairly quickly so this can't be long after the accident. So what is everyone looking at? Some are looking towards the crash scene but others are not and there does not appear to be an air of concern which you would expect. Or maybe the car remained there and the Merc drivers and crew had to work around it?

Edited to add, must have been after the race otherwise where was the photographer standing?

Edited again to ask is that Mr. Moss in civvies standing towards the left of the picture? And is the man behind the fuel filler Neubauer?

there does seem to be an air of surprising calm. Mercedes withdrew from the race so this must be after that?

Photographs taken immediately after the accident show that the Healey ended up on the left-hand side of the track, ie not the pits side. It must therefore have been deliberately moved to its location in the photo posted by David B.

Seems there's lots of pictures of the Healey after the accident, but relatively few before. Would enjoy seeing the above picture if it resurfaces.

Here's one taken before the accident:

http://www.prewarcar...lin-016101.html

Photographs taken immediately after the accident show that the Healey ended up on the left-hand side of the track, ie not the pits side. It must therefore have been deliberately moved to its location in the photo posted by David B.

Photos taken in the immediate aftermath show the Healey on the left of the track at a slight angle on the racing side of the line of circles where the drivers stood for the start. Clearly in the way, although perhaps not so much whilst the the accident was being dealt with and, I assume, cars were passing relatively slowly and keeping to the right. I have found another photo (British Cars at Le Mans) showing it in front of the Mercedes pit which also shows damage to the fencing below the pit counter. Presumably it must have been dragged across the road at some point and deposited almost directly opposite where it was earlier, still in the way I would have thought.

This begs the question, to me anyway, how were retired cars removed from the front of the pits? Or were they just left there? The pits appear to be a continuous line with no gaps to reach the area behind.

The picture is intruiging, the Healey has come to rest by the Mercedes pit, presumably it would have been moved away fairly quickly so this can't be long after the accident. So what is everyone looking at? Some are looking towards the crash scene but others are not and there does not appear to be an air of concern which you would expect. Or maybe the car remained there and the Merc drivers and crew had to work around it?

Edited to add, must have been after the race otherwise where was the photographer standing?

Edited again to ask is that Mr. Moss in civvies standing towards the left of the picture? And is the man behind the fuel filler Neubauer?

What about the chap in the top left hand corner of the picture climbing up or down the balustrade? Is he getting away or getting involved?

I can remember that the Healey came to a rest on the left of the track just past where I was sitting in the tribunes opposite the Jaguar pit.

Seems there's lots of pictures of the Healey after the accident, but relatively few before. Would enjoy seeing the above picture if it resurfaces.

Over to you Ted!

The picture is intruiging, the Healey has come to rest by the Mercedes pit, presumably it would have been moved away fairly quickly so this can't be long after the accident. So what is everyone looking at? Some are looking towards the crash scene but others are not and there does not appear to be an air of concern which you would expect. Or maybe the car remained there and the Merc drivers and crew had to work around it?

Edited to add, must have been after the race otherwise where was the photographer standing?

Edited again to ask is that Mr. Moss in civvies standing towards the left of the picture? And is the man behind the fuel filler Neubauer?

In my opinion yes for Moss but no for Neubauer.

Wouldn't it be nice if Le Mans could again be what the original intention was a test of endurance and speed of the sort of sports cars the average person might buy in a local showroom, i.e the Healeys, MGA/B, TR2/3/4, Elite,E-type,Sprites,Spitfires. Of course the equivalents today. Manufacturers trying to prove their consumer products.

Gigantic 700BHP diesel prototypes of today have just become far too removed from the real world. Even the GT 2 and 3 cars are way beyond the reach or even dream (probably costing half a million pounds) now of 99% of the people

Wouldn't it be nice if Le Mans could again be what the original intention was a test of endurance and speed of the sort of sports cars the average person might buy in a local showroom, i.e the Healeys, MGA/B, TR2/3/4, Elite,E-type,Sprites,Spitfires. Of course the equivalents today. Manufacturers trying to prove their consumer products.

Gigantic 700BHP diesel prototypes of today have just become far too removed from the real world. Even the GT 2 and 3 cars are way beyond the reach or even dream (probably costing half a million pounds) now of 99% of the people

Yes it would be very nice but inevitably the accrued knowledge, ever evolving technology and experience over the decades has made such an undertaking impossible. Look at the costs involved in the various FIA GT categories or the BTCC which is supposed to be for production based saloon cars.

To be competitive virtually every facet of a given production based road car has to be removed or modified beyond recognition if it is to be competitive on track. One could of course have draconian rules and regs but even this would not work as the big money would spend even more to get a quart out of a pint pot, something well beyond the reach of most.

Alternatively sticking to strict original production car parameters would simply result in one or two maufacturers reigning supreme with the rest nowhere and I cannot imagine any manufacturer willingly exposing their product to regular humiliation because it is dynamically inferior/too heavy to the opposition in terms of design, power output etc.

Here's one taken before the accident:

http://www.prewarcar...lin-016101.html

I've seen that picture on a lot of websites since the Bonham auction was announced, but there seems very few others. I've tried Googling "Healey LeMans", "Healey Macklin" and 'LeMans 1955" but haven't found much. As I said earlier, lots of pictures after the accident, other then the Bonhams picture there are very few beforehand.

'Les Healeys au Mans 1949-1970' by Hervé Chevalier has 8 photos of car #26.

During night (practice), two in the pits , the start, the Esses, another one during the race and one from behind after the crash (wheel in car).

Regards Michael

Sorry - but for me it has always been the exotic, the unusual and the tailor-made which stirs my juices, so I could imagine nothing less exciting than to see a bunch of tarted-up ordinary production road cars masquerading as Le Mans racers, like the demolition-derby heaps of umbala that comprise BTCC or Australian V8 racing. There is the argument that the general public can 'relate' to such production-based cars in competition. But why accept such a limited horizon? Why aspire merely to the ordinary when human ingenuity can take us so far beyond...?

I think the 2011 crop of racing Coupes like the Peugeots and Audis are entrancing. It's just a pity - - that they sound so ------------ awful.

DCN

Edited by Doug Nye, 12 September 2011 - 18:21.

Sorry - but for me it has always been the exotic, the unusual and the tailor-made which stirs my juices, so I could imagine nothing less exciting than to see a bunch of tarted-up ordinary production road cars masquerading as Le Mans racers, like the demolition-derby heaps of umbala that comprise BTCC or Australian V8 racing. There is the argument that the general public can 'relate' to such production-based cars in competition. But why accept such a limited horizon? Why aspire merely to the ordinary when human ingenuity can take us so far beyond...?

I think the 2011 crop of racing Coupes like the Peugeots and Audis are entrancing. It's just a pity - - that they sound so ------------ awful.

DCN

....on the other hand it was de rigeur that at the outbreak of Le Mans the cars were all tarted up road cars.

....on the other hand it was de rigeur that at the outbreak of Le Mans the cars were all tarted up road cars.

We have to remember that the automobile was still a bit of a novelty when the Le Mans races started. In order to maintain that novelty faster and more outrageous cars have been required--otherwise we would have had a period of Cortinas with chequered tape and tigers tails on the radio antenna vying for the laurel wreath!

Sorry - but for me it has always been the exotic, the unusual and the tailor-made which stirs my juices, so I could imagine nothing less exciting than to see a bunch of tarted-up ordinary production road cars masquerading as Le Mans racers, like the demolition-derby heaps of umbala that comprise BTCC or Australian V8 racing. There is the argument that the general public can 'relate' to such production-based cars in competition. But why accept such a limited horizon? Why aspire merely to the ordinary when human ingenuity can take us so far beyond...?

I think the 2011 crop of racing Coupes like the Peugeots and Audis are entrancing. It's just a pity - - that they sound so ------------ awful.

DCN

My thoughts exactly.

Neil

A comparatively unexceptional 100S sold recently for, I am told, £350,000-plus - so for a Special Test Car with works racing history beyond and above its unfortunate 1955 Le Mans incident, plus the barn-find provenance of its past 42 years' storage, this car's estimated value is by no means unprecedented. No reconstructing from ash-tray emptyings and Les Leston's cheese sandwich here...Though as Dave observes, it will require several tins of polish...

DCN

a buddy found a big healey junked with a missing eng&trans in miami
it was said to be an old racer of mid 50's
in about 67 or early 68
he put a 283 chevy built to race and a 4 speed fron a wrecked car in the healey
and found no traction so radius the rear wheel wells lips to allow big slicks
he said ''they cut like butter '' alloy fenders

the car was stupid quick and won a lot of street races for cash out on the farm roads
as that was his other trick 60's musselcars were not good on bumpy roads
he beat a hemi dodge and a 427 vett mostly due to his traction control [by foot] and their non-hooking up

years later later in 80's I saw him and we joked about the cars then high and rising values [20-30k ?]
but his car had been sold long before

but healey's for over 1/2 million usd wow

Seems there's lots of pictures of the Healey after the accident, but relatively few before. Would enjoy seeing the above picture if it resurfaces.

Here's a link to a photo:

http://www.lemans-hi...955/macklin.jpg

Vince H.

This significant Austin Healey race car is up for auction at Bonhams in December having not been seen for over 42 years. The car is being displayed at the Goodwood revival meeting. Apparently this car was repaired after the 55 Le mans accident. Does anyone have any idea as to the extent of the repairs that were carried out. From period photos after the crash it seems to me that nothing short of a reshell would have put that car back on the road. The car was also raced again after its repairs. Does anyone have any records of where and when ? Topic Heading Should read Austin Healey

I see It fetched £843.000 Inclusive of the buyers premium ! Question Is "Was It worth It ?" I think so ! Bill.

a buddy found a big healey junked with a missing eng&trans in miami
it was said to be an old racer of mid 50's
in about 67 or early 68
he put a 283 chevy built to race and a 4 speed fron a wrecked car in the healey
and found no traction so radius the rear wheel wells lips to allow big slicks
he said ''they cut like butter '' alloy fenders

the car was stupid quick and won a lot of street races for cash out on the farm roads
as that was his other trick 60's musselcars were not good on bumpy roads
he beat a hemi dodge and a 427 vett mostly due to his traction control [by foot] and their non-hooking up

years later later in 80's I saw him and we joked about the cars then high and rising values [20-30k ?]
but his car had been sold long before

but healey's for over 1/2 million usd wow

Bob Howlings racing car dealer, in Manchester had a Healey 100/4 all alloy with American V8 fitted back in 196something maybe 70's.

I see that Bonhams are to auction NOJ392 at the Goodwood festival of Speed. They have reunited 392 with NOJ393 following the ex-Lance Macklin car's superb restoration. From the Bonhams website:

Bonhams - NOJ393 restored

...and Classic & Sportscar had this item on their website:

Classic & Sportscar Austin Healey reunion

Edited by Pullman99, 12 May 2013 - 04:40.