DMH was a Nasty Boy

[HealeyRick]

From the recently released documents of DMH from the Warwickshire Healey archive regarding some of the ideas for a replacement for the BJ8:

"The cockpit and seating to be changed to incorporate rear seats as the 3000. This proved a big selling feature as it is an excuse for the young to buy a sports car; An easy lift hood as the 3000; New road wheel trim; The most important and biggest selling feature, a V8 engine. US buyers look on the six cylinder as an obsolete type, and it is only used in their cheaper models. Our West coast distributor has repeatedly asked us to make use of the Daimler 2½ litre, as he has had such good experience with it. This engine develops approx. 140 BHP and would give a similar performance to the 3000 without the roughness and noise."

https://archivesunlocked.warwickshi...x?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=05786/2/3/4&pos=129

 

[Keoke]

OH MAN!
What a sweet little engine the Daimler V8, and it has been blown to well over 500 HP in England.
Safely Fast, Built to Last & and; Smooth as Glass. :congratulatory:

 

[HealeyRick]

The link at the bottom of my post is quite interesting as it reveals some of DMH's thoughts on where the big Healey was likely to go had not the overlords at British Leyland stomped it into the ground. Donald seems to be talking about an interim car based on the MGB to keep the marque going during the early years of the US safety and emission standards, but with a revised front end and a V8 motor to be followed later by a semi-open topped car with a completely new chassis and body. He's still trying to slot the Healey between the MGC and the E-Type and it seems like he's going for a tourer rather than a Cobra competitor. The baby hemi Daimler motor would do quite well for that application, although he also has eyes on the Climax V8 which would add quite a bit of performance and might well have nipped at the Jag's heels. It would be nice to know just when this letter was written, but I suspect it was during the time when BMC was trying to do a joint MG/Healey car, ADO 51/52. Donald and Geoff were less than thrilled with the badge-engineered car (shown below) and refused to put the Healey name on it. I'm thinking this letter perhaps was written to suggest how ADO 51 could be modified to be more of a Healey than just a rationalised MGC, but I'm not positive: