47 replies to this topic

[Chris Berens]

I am researching the history of the Healey Silverstone and I am trying to fill in a few gaps. Can anyone help on these 3 questions?
1. Has anyone a photo of the Silverstone driven by Duncan Hamilton in the August 1950 Interntional Production Sports car race, Start Number 7, showing its Registration number?
2.A Silverstone driven in the 1953 RAC Rally of Great Britain- Registration Number HKW 542, with Start Number 160. Does anyone have a record of who was driving the car?
3. Another Silverstone;Registration Number LVM 182 took part in the 1954 MCC Redex Rally, Start Number 344 and also the 1952 Weston Rally,Start Number 57.Does anyone know anything about this car and who was driving it?

Copyright photos exist of the last 2 cars owned by Ted Walker.

[RS2000]

RAC Rally of GB entry lists for the 1950s are proving difficult to find - or create from other sources. As a spin off from a project involving a couple of others who are on here, I had started a search. Your information regarding 1953 has actually added to my data rather than my initial records being of any help to you, I'm afraid.
Apart from 1960, I have the 60s covered. If anyone has any such data for the 50s, I would be grateful (and obviously would make the partial lists available here).
I also have nothing of help from limited Riley RM sources (did Harold Grace have a Silverstone prior to racing RMB/RMH once proper saloon races existed?)

[David Birchall]

I have the list of entries for the 1953 RAC Rally from Autosport of March 13 1953--This lists 8 Healeys and their drivers but does not give individual model types--although Fords, MGs, etc are broken down into model types. If someone has the results from Autosport March of 1953 that may help you. Alternatively, you could contact the RAC, they are very helpful in this kind of thing.

[Chris Berens]

It would be helpful to see that list of entries for the Healeys as I can cut it down to a short list as I know some of the drivers and their cars. I am sure RS2000 will have looked at the RAC records and had no luck.
I have no record of Harold Grace owning or racing a Silverstone.
Anyone know about the MCC Redex rally? MCC have no records for 1954 yet it was billed as the biggest car rally in Britain.

[Allan Lupton]

Originally posted by Chris Berens
I have no record of Harold Grace owning or racing a Silverstone.
Anyone know about the MCC Redex rally? MCC have no records for 1954 yet it was billed as the biggest car rally in Britain. [/B]

I have no recollection of Grace pre-RM Riley (post-RM he had a pathfinder, which I was foolish enough to own later!)
Bill Boddy wrote a three-page piece on the MCC Rally of 1954 (pp683-5 of Motor Sport December 1954): it's written in narrative style, but I can't see any reference to Healeys in the text or the photos. The summary says there were three Healeys (and 10 Austin-Healeys) but nothing about who drove, and as none got an award there's nothing there either.

[RS2000]

Originally posted by Chris Berens
It would be helpful to see that list of entries for the Healeys as I can cut it down to a short list as I know some of the drivers and their cars. I am sure RS2000 will have looked at the RAC records and had no luck.
I have no record of Harold Grace owning or racing a Silverstone.
Anyone know about the MCC Redex rally? MCC have no records for 1954 yet it was billed as the biggest car rally in Britain.

If racing is difficult to find full records of in that period, rallying is far worse! I believe the MCC Rally would have been (with the Cats Eyes?) second only to the RAC Rally of GB (which had only been an International since 1951). Chances are anyone serious about rallying at that time would be out on all three.
I think the MCC National rally (November - over 1000 miles long) was the "MCC Daily Express Rally" up to 1953 and the "MCC Redex Rally" in 1954.
I've just been struggling with "Motorsport" RAC Rally reports of the early 60s, where it seems giving up half way was a reason for someone entirely different to finish the report! From John Davenport to Bill Boddy is a bit of a leap. So not much hope for the 50s?
I've found most on line details for the period, like registration numbers, from marque club sites (eg. the MGYBs on the 53 RAC, the Morgans etc.) but that won't help with Silverstones as you will already have anything from there.

[sandy]

The Australian Sports Car World Quarterly for August / October 1979 has a long story on a Healey Silverstone that had been restored in Australia. It had been raced by Charles Mortimer in the UK 1950 and has
the chassis number D2 plus had the UK rego no., OPA2. Six pages of text and quite a few coloured and BxW pics. Is this of any interest? The article always stuck in my mind because of the description by the journalist of the driving position. "It's very cramped in there... the cutouts in the dash he's made to fit his knees were a tight fit... no room for your right elbow except over the door. It's hard to see where your feet are, but you can tell there's no room for them anywhere except on or over the pedals." In the same edition there is also a marvellous story of how the writer had reason to believe that a XK-SS Jaguar had been dropped into the Brisbane River under some newly installeds concrete dock piers and he attempted to find it, resulting in discovering a fibreglass bodied MG by Buchanan. However the skills he acquired in doing this resulted in him casually and then successfully, tendering for the salvage of a sunken barge - the end result being that he ended up as the largest salvage operator in the Southern Pacific.

[David Birchall]

Entries in the 1953 RAC rally as "Healey":
From Blackpool:

F.G. Davis
G. Greaves
N. Grenfell
J. Kingston-Whitaker
Ted Lund
F.M. Marsh
E.G. Pipe

From Hastings:
A.C. Westwood

Hope this helps.

[Chris Berens]

Thanks Sandy for that information. I did know about that article and have a copy. The owner of D 2 lives in Germany and he has researched all the story from Australia. There are quite a few Silverstones still in Australia.
Thanks David for that list of names for 1953 RAC rally. I will check them out and tell you what I know.

[Leigh Trevail]

A.C. Westwood was known as 'Bert' and was an E.C.M.C. member from Clacton-on-Sea.

[Pete Stowe]

Originally posted by Chris Berens

3. Another Silverstone;Registration Number LVM 182 took part in the 1954 MCC Redex Rally

The Autocar report for the 1954 MCC Redex mentioned A. Anderson-Wright in a red Healey Silverstone.

[Pete Stowe]

Originally posted by RS2000
RAC Rally of GB entry lists for the 1950s are proving difficult to find

The full RAC Rally entry lists of the period were published in one or other of Autosport, Autocar or Motor (apart from 1956), & some years in all three; the NMM Library at Beaulieu will be able to provide you with photocopies.

[Chris Berens]

From that 1953 start list I have worked out that AC Westward and Co driven H Kemp-Place were in a Silverstone E 70 Reg no LPG 745.
J Kingston- Whitaker was in Silverstone E 91 Reg no BJX 442.
FG Davis and co driver V Davis were in a Healey Westland and finished 61st
N Grenfell and ? G Grenfell was also in a Healey saloon and finished 39th
I think FM Marsh and E G Pipe were also in Healey Saloons and may not have started.
This leaves T Lund and his co driver J Cuff and Mr Greaves and his Silverstone as contenters for driving Silverstone HKW 542
There is a record of Mr Lunds Silverstone being 21st overall.On the Prescott hill climb test he did it in 40secs and was tied 7th. Anyone throw any light on him?
A record in my archives shows Mr Greaves owning Silverstone E 98 and I don't know his registration no.
Leigh, please follow up Mr Westwood.
Pete , I have no record of a Mr A Anderson- Wright. That,s worth following up. I don't know whether LVM 182 was red.

[David Birchall]

Originally posted by Chris Berens
From that 1953 start list I have worked out that AC Westward and Co driven H Kemp-Place were in a Silverstone E 70 Reg no LPG 745.
J Kingston- Whitaker was in Silverstone E 91 Reg no BJX 442.
FG Davis and co driver V Davis were in a Healey Westland and finished 61st
N Grenfell and ? G Grenfell was also in a Healey saloon and finished 39th
I think FM Marsh and E G Pipe were also in Healey Saloons and may not have started.
This leaves T Lund and his co driver J Cuff and Mr Greaves and his Silverstone as contenters for driving Silverstone HKW 542
There is a record of Mr Lunds Silverstone being 21st overall.On the Prescott hill climb test he did it in 40secs and was tied 7th. Anyone throw any light on him?
A record in my archives shows Mr Greaves owning Silverstone E 98 and I don't know his registration no.
Leigh, please follow up Mr Westwood.
Pete , I have no record of a Mr A Anderson- Wright. That,s worth following up. I don't know whether LVM 182 was red.

Ted Lund raced a works supported MGA TwinCam at LeMans on at least two occasions.

[Leigh Trevail]

Leigh, please follow up Mr Westwood.

Bert Westwood died some years ago!

[Allan Lupton]

Originally posted by David Birchall


Ted Lund raced a works supported MGA TwinCam at LeMans on at least two occasions.

and was one of the drivers in the 1955 team of (pre-MGA) EX182 cars:

[Chris Berens]

Originally posted by Pete Stowe

The Autocar report for the 1954 MCC Redex mentioned A. Anderson-Wright in a red Healey Silverstone.

If there were 3 Healeys in that rally I know one was driven by C Boulton Start no 165 Reg no DVG 807 so A Anderson-Wright must have been in one of the other 2. A very likely contender for LVM182. If someone knows about the Weston rally of 1952 and ties that name with a Healey we will know the car. I have just found another record of a Mr A Wright owning another Silverstone in the 50's which again I don't know the Reg no for. This could be the same person.
All these small snippets of information help to piece together a wider picture.
Can anyone help out with the Mr G Greaves.?

[David McKinney]

Originally posted by Allan Lupton
and was one of the drivers in the 1955 team of (pre-MGA) EX182 cars:

...and raced earlier model MGs for several years before that - though what all this has to do with Healey Silverstones I don't know

[Chris Berens]

Originally posted by Allan Lupton


and was one of the drivers in the 1955 team of (pre-MGA) EX182 cars:

Do you or anyone else know if he still alive and can be contacted?

[David McKinney]

He'd be 91 if he is still alive

[Allan Lupton]

Originally posted by David McKinney

...and raced earlier model MGs for several years before that - though what all this has to do with Healey Silverstones I don't know

Chris asked if anyone could throw any light on him - so we have!
It wasn't just thread drift (for once)!

[Chris Berens]

Originally posted by David McKinney
He'd be 91 if he is still alive

Can I contact him anywhere?

[Chris Berens]

Originally posted by Chris Berens


If there were 3 Healeys in that rally I know one was driven by C Boulton Start no 165 Reg no DVG 807 so A Anderson-Wright must have been in one of the other 2. A very likely contender for LVM182. If someone knows about the Weston rally of 1952 and ties that name with a Healey we will know the car. I have just found another record of a Mr A Wright owning another Silverstone in the 50's which again I don't know the Reg no for. This could be the same person.
All these small snippets of information help to piece together a wider picture.
Can anyone help out with the Mr G Greaves.?

The mystery has been solved. I saw Ted Walker this morning and he had the starting programme for the 1954 Redex rally!!
A Anderson-Wright was indeed the driver of LVM 182. Co driver was Mr A McDowall. This is probable the last built Silverstone. Anyone know where it is? Not many have been broken up.
The Other Healey was driven by TE walker and E Bowler. This was a Saloon either a Westland or Elliott
Thanks Ted.

[David McKinney]

Originally posted by Chris Berens

Can I contact him anywhere?

He was E W K Lund, and in 1957 lived at Gathurst, near Wigan
Maybe there are still Lunds in that area

[Geoff E]

Originally posted by David McKinney

He was E W K Lund,

... in which case he was born in 1913 in Chorlton (Lancs) Registration District.

[David McKinney]

In the 1957 Motor Racing Directory the d/o/b of Edward Walter Kingstone Lund is given as 24 Sept 1917

[Geoff E]

His birth registration appears in the 4th quarter of 1913 of the General Register Office index (you are allowed 6 weeks to register a birth). (mother's maiden name Bland)

[Adam F]

Originally posted by David McKinney
He'd be 91 if he is still alive

In fact he died in 1978

Originally posted by David McKinney
In the 1957 Motor Racing Directory the d/o/b of Edward Walter Kingstone Lund is given as 24 Sept 1917

By no means the first time that a driver "adjusted" his birth year in biographical information.

[Geoff E]

Originally posted by Adam F
In fact he died in 1978

By no means the first time that a driver "adjusted" his birth year in biographical information.

Death Registration Q3 1978 Fleetwood - informant said he was born 24 Sept 1913.

[Chris Berens]

Originally posted by Geoff E


Death Registration Q3 1978 Fleetwood - informant said he was born 24 Sept 1913.

Thats why I can't find him.Thanks everyone for trying.Need to find the 1953 RAC rally program now.

[David Birchall]

Chris, I assume you are aware of the book "Racing a Sports Car" by Charles Mortimer? It describes in great detail his experience with racing a Silverstone in the 1950-51 seasons. It was published by Foulis and went through a number of printings-I recommend it as a period piece if nothing else.

[Chris Berens]

Originally posted by David Birchall
Chris, I assume you are aware of the book "Racing a Sports Car" by Charles Mortimer? It describes in great detail his experience with racing a Silverstone in the 1950-51 seasons. It was published by Foulis and went through a number of printings-I recommend it as a period piece if nothing else.

Yes David I know the book very well and also know the complete history of the car. As mentioned before it is in Germany and I had hoped to race it at last years Goodwood Revival but the owner decided he did not want anyone else driving it and as he did not have a race licence his entry was withdrawn.

[Pete Stowe]

Chris, you’re obviously very knowledgeable about Healeys. Do you have any information, such as the model, on the sports Healey of a GC Orwick and the Healey saloon of Ken Downing that were entered at Castle Combe in July 1950?

[Chris Berens]

I have only one bit of information about GC Orwick. He put a car in the Healey factory for servicing in March 1949. This car is chassis no B 1705 reg no JYW 774. The car still exists and is with a club member near Bedford
Ken Downing raced a Healey Elliott alot in 1950. His car was Chassis no A 1531 Reg no JGO 7. He raced it at the Aug 1949 meeting at Goodwood and I think he was also on the grid in the very first race at Goodwood in 1948. Also raced or started in the Elliott in the 1950 Production car race at Silverstone with all the other Healey Silverstones. This car again still exists and is with the same chap at Bedford.

[Pete Stowe]

Thanks Chris. So, from the chassis number, Orwick’s car wasn’t a Silverstone? The club you refer to would be The Association of Healey Owners no doubt.

[Chris Berens]

Originally posted by Pete Stowe
Thanks Chris. So, from the chassis number, Orwick’s car wasn’t a Silverstone? The club you refer to would be The Association of Healey Owners no doubt.

No his car was a Westland and our club is the Association of Healey Owners of which I am the spares person and the Silverstone guru and archivist.

[Chris Berens]

On the thread of Healey Silverstones I am looking for photos taken at the May meeting at Croft in 1950. Has anyone got any ? There were 6 Healeys featured in a race.

[David Birchall]

Chris, are you aware of Ferret Photographic? This is Ted Walker and he is a regular contributor to TNF. Ted has a fantastic collection of historic racing photos for sale.

[Chris Berens]

Originally posted by David Birchall
Chris, are you aware of Ferret Photographic? This is Ted Walker and he is a regular contributor to TNF. Ted has a fantastic collection of historic racing photos for sale.

Yes David I know Ted well He lives quite close to me and I always look in to see his photos when I am passing. He has been a good source for me but has not got Croft photos or Duncan Hamilton ones that I need

[Ted Walker]

But I am working on it Chris .Happy New Year,

[Leigh Trevail]

I have been meaning to ask Chris this for some time now! …. How did the Healey Silverstone get its name?… Did a Healey win an important race at the circuit just before the Silverstone went into production or did Donald Healey just like the name??

[Chris71]

Gents,

I can't offer anything directly relevant, but I thought I'd say hello. I'm trying to help my father trace the history of his Silverstone, D39. Apparenlty he's just rejoined the Association of Healey Owners after a gap of ... oh, 40 years or so! Can anyone lend any suggestions as to how we go about doing this?

Good to see we're not the only ones looking into the marque. In fact I'm quite surprised at the following such a small number of cars has 60 years after their production!

By the way - Leigh, I'm fairly sure the name is due to a significant race (or possibly class win) at Silverstone first time out?

[cuf3]

From that 1953 start list I have worked out that AC Westward and Co driven H Kemp-Place were in a Silverstone E 70 Reg no LPG 745.
J Kingston- Whitaker was in Silverstone E 91 Reg no BJX 442.
FG Davis and co driver V Davis were in a Healey Westland and finished 61st
N Grenfell and ? G Grenfell was also in a Healey saloon and finished 39th
I think FM Marsh and E G Pipe were also in Healey Saloons and may not have started.
This leaves T Lund and his co driver J Cuff and Mr Greaves and his Silverstone as contenters for driving Silverstone HKW 542
There is a record of Mr Lunds Silverstone being 21st overall.On the Prescott hill climb test he did it in 40secs and was tied 7th. Anyone throw any light on him?
A record in my archives shows Mr Greaves owning Silverstone E 98 and I don't know his registration no.
Leigh, please follow up Mr Westwood.
Pete , I have no record of a Mr A Anderson- Wright. That,s worth following up. I don't know whether LVM 182 was red.

John Cuff was my Father and somewhere in the motoring photo archives I have a picture of a red Healey Silverstone which he bought in the seventies. Apparently it was one he had owned many years earlier so it could be HKW. I will have a look and see if I can find it to check. I can certainly remember taking the photo!!

[Sharman]

F.M.Marsh, I wonder if this could be Frank Marsh, garage proprieter from Wilmslow, who was very active in ralling in the 50's and 60's with Renaults, 4cvs and Dauphines.

[Rupertlt1]

Greetings Healeyphiles - here are some pictures from Snetterton in the Revs Digital Library that add to the history of these fine cars:

 

https://revslib.stan...log/zx964cn0605

 

https://revslib.stan...log/gn285cb1460

 

https://revslib.stan...log/vk930fk0656

 

https://revslib.stan...log/yw793dp2826

 

https://revslib.stan...log/kq959rz4970

 

https://revslib.stan...log/vw967rs4506

 

RGDS RLT

[RogerFrench]

I'm very impressed by a Healey Silverstone climbing Prescott, even though that would be the short course, in 40 seconds.
A misprint, I suspect, or maybe they didn't use the entire course?

Edited by RogerFrench, 12 January 2015 - 13:47.

[Allan Lupton]

I'm very impressed by a Healey Silverstone climbing Prescott, even though that would be the short course, in 40 seconds.
A misprint, I suspect, or maybe they didn't use the entire course?

Agreed, as in September that year Michael Christie (1100cc Cooper) made FTD at 44.39, which was near enough two seconds quicker than runner-up Stirling Moss in his 1100 Cooper.

(Speed Hill Climb by C.A.N. May)

The Motor Sport piece on the RAC Rally is short on detail just referring to "tests" at the various venues. It's hard to see how any shorter version of the original course would have done anything for anyone.

(Oh and OT for a moment, while looking through 1953 MS I not only saw that Jack French won the 750 Formula race at Eight Clubs Silverstone but there was a piece on the 750 cars by Holly Birkett in which some detail of the cars was given, including that "Simplicity Itself" was built in three weekends for approx. £100)

[RS2000]

The "test" may well have been a shorter version of the short course and may even have included a "stop astride" line part way or a "stop, reverse to another line and then continue", as the first "Historic" RAC did (early 90s?) on the run up to Pardon. Those RACs were "rallying but not as we know it"...