1964 Austin-Healey 3000 MKII Works Car

Lot details
Registration No: 767 KNX
Chassis No: HBJ764H572
Mot Expiry: None

With the exception of the Abingdon entries in occasional long distance races like the 1965 Targa Florio, it was the Healey concern, at Warwick, which concentrated on the Works blessed efforts in circuit racing. It was in this type of motor sport that the Healey Company had always specialised and excelled, so it was quite logical that they should continue to develop big Healeys for that purpose.
Austin Healey had always relied heavily on the American market for their sales and early in the life of the six cylinder cars Donald and Geoffrey decided that the most valuable event for their Marque, as far as suitability for competition and favourable publicity was concerned, was Sebring and, although Healey's were never the fastest runners, their legendary toughness matched up well with the battering demands of Florida's twelve hour endurance classic.
The first Sebring entries for the six cylinder cars were in 1957 for which three cars were prepared. They were quick, developing about 150 bhp but unfortunately unreliable, and two retired with broken connecting rods and the third finished well down having been involved in a chassis bending accident. There was another three car entry for the 1958 Sebring twelve hours race in which the manufacturers team prize was won and the fastest car took fourteenth place, but no Works cars appeared in 1959 and the next team entry was in the 1960 event. From 1961 there was a two year gap, in which Austin Healey took no part in racing but in 1963 three cars were prepared 54 FAC, 55 FAC and 56 FAC, although only two of them were actually sent to Sebring, where the Olthoff/Bucknum car was rewarded with twelfth place.
In 1964 Austin Healey only entered one car, 767 KNX, and the race was made memorable by the fine drive of Paddy Hopkirk's and by the way his co-driver, Grant Clark, crashed the car spectacularly within minutes of taking it over trying to play catch-up having recieved a puncture early on.
This is the car we have on offer for you today.
It is described by Burt S. Levy in his article in the April 1992 edition of the american magazine British Cars, a copy of which is in the history file, as 'the most historically significant, and certainly most original, Big Healey of the lot'.
In those days Austin Healey would sell their competition cars when they had finished with them but would not charge more than than the cost of a new road car and 767 KNX, further to having been returned to Warwick for some much needed straightening and freshening, was sold to the Yorkshire woolens magnate and privateer racer, Henry Crowther who ran the car in a few hillclimbs and sprints before moving it on to Ted Worswick in October 1965.
Ted competed in numerous events with the car including the 1966 Targa Florio which he did with 'Demon' racer Alan Minshaw but, because they could not afford the transportation costs, difficult to believe now, they drove it all the way there beating some Porsches in some informal dicing through the mountains on the way. A couple of the other most notable events Ted entered included the 1968 Targa Florio, where he finished a creditable twenty fifth with Bond and the prestigious Oulton Park GT support race gaining a fine third in class. He put the car away for a rebuild in 1970 but as so often happens it languished as other racing machinery gained his interest. It lay dormant until he could not resist entering the 50th anniversary of the RAC Rally in 1982 where he finished fifth overall behind four Minis, won the GT class and the team prize. It sojourned in Italy for the 1987 Coppa D'italia and then languished again until revived for the 1990 Anglo American Challenge from which it returned to recieve a complete engine rebuild by John Chatham.
It passed into the hands of the present owner and collector, a well known racer in his own right, in 1992, and in his hands it was raced at the Silverstone Festival in 1995 and 1996 with him having the rear axle and limited slip differential rebuilt by John Chatham in 1996. It is in very good original condition, with a very light aluminum body, racing seat and a foam filled fuel tank but the original tank is available with the car.
This wonderful car, with an impeccable history, comes with full FIA papers and is ready to demolish the opposition in practically any event you would care to enter in the future.