Made to be raced!

[CurtisJ]

A new article about a very handsome Healey racecar:
Michael Bartell's 1956 Austin-Healey 100M... in 56 color photos!

 

[wangdango]

This is a very nicely prepared 100. I am also a member of the VSCCA (20yrs), and have watched from the late 80's, when there were little or NO 100's being raced, to now, where at LRP there are always at least 2+. A few notes on this car, the 60 spokes wheels fitting this car (BN2), these wheels were built to fit a BN2 with the correct offset to make them fit. Others have done ground down the outer edge of the brake drum to make them fit, yup, you can do it but its BS. Alloy heads are not approved by the VSCCA, there are a bunch out there being run, BUT, if someone decides to get picky...... No dice. The VSCCA also does not allow for Mini lites, nor front disks on a 100/4. At tracks like LPR, its really not a big deal as you do not have to brake as much as tracks like the Glenn. There was a time not that long ago when we had 10 100/4's racing at Lime Rock, and that did not include 2 that broke! Will this ever happen again? I hope so, we have been on blocks for 2 years with an engine rebuild and my wife and I having our first child......

 

[Legal Bill]

Its rules like this that keep me out of racing. Someone wants to use alloy wheels and disc brakes and the rules say no? That's BS. If you can afford to be out there, you can afford the wheels and brake, so don't tell me this is about cost or competition. Alloy wheels and disc brakes are a safety issue.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

Disk brakes and Minilites aren't allowed, but alternators are? Seems strange--at least disks and Minlites are (reasonably) period, no?

 

[Andrew_Grannis]

Absolutely gorgeous! It looks to be extremely well thought out and executed. I am surprised to see the alternator as well though.

 

[dougie]

The rules of every historic race organization can vary slightly from region to region. Some do recognize the addition of safety upgrades, while others put more emphasis on historic originality. I think there's a group for everyone. SOVREN, my club allows you to prepare your to car to either historic SCCA of FIA, but not a combination of both. You also must declare a "period in time" for your can's preparation.

 

[wangdango]

Yes, rules vary from club to club. Our club, the VSCCA, is fine with upgrades to safety and adding/changing various "bits" to make the car more reliable, (ie, that do not make it go faster or handle better). Mini lights are wider, so that makes you handle better/go faster. Disk brakes make you stop better, that makes you drive faster. Yes it could be viewed as a safety issue, but then so can wire wheels and running them hard breaks spokes..... As Dougie says, find a club who has rules you agree with and just have FUN!

 

[Randy Forbes]

... <span style="font-weight: bold">my wife and I having our first child</span>......

Richard, congratulations!

 

[wangdango]

Randy-
Who is Richard?........

 

[CurtisJ]

Disk brakes and Minilites aren't allowed, but alternators are? Seems strange--at least disks and Minlites are (reasonably) period, no?

Disc brakes were used by Healey on the works racecars from the beginning, and most vintage racing organizations allow them. SVRA for example specifically allows p/n H8249 11.25” front disc brakes. They also allow p/n H8462 rear disc brakes, but only if the car is a "100S". Would a club racer run disc brakes in 1956? Probably not!

Minilites didn't appear on production sports cars until sometime in the early sixties. Cooper developed their 8-spoke magnesium wheel for 500cc open-wheel racecars. Larger versions evolved as Cooper entered other racing classes. Two early examples are shown in this article: Cooper F2 car The name Minilite comes from the Mini subcompact which introduced Cooper-style wheels to a much larger population.

I thought painting the alternator engine color was a pretty neat idea! To me, it's less conspicuous than the also non-period aluminum radiator that's right next to it. In the paddock, this particular Healey is one racecar that doesn't stay constantly connected to a battery charger. In a way, I think thats more in keeping with period practices than the legion of vintage racecars that run without charging system.

 

[wangdango]

I agree that "staying," vintage is a trend I would like to see continue in vintage racing. As for this car, I agree it is a very nicely prepared car and very much in keeping with what this type of racing is all about. No doubt the alloy radiator helps keep this car cool under racing conditions. You will note they are running w/out a heater, we on the other hand run with ours as it adds another quart or so to the cooling system. We also run with a generator, but have just "down sized," to a Sprite generator. It runs a narrow belt which goes along with the crank vibration damper we are now running. It also looks like the stock generator but just a bit smaller. As for disk, yup, many Healey racecars had them from day one. Its just the rule in the VSCCA that if it did not come from the factory with these, they are a no no. I really think that the phrase, "The cars are the stars...." is what vintage racing is and should always be.

 

[BN2guy]

A very interesting article. I would have liked it even better if it had included camshaft specifications and information on the pistons, especially the compression ratio. But, otherwise a well-written article with lots of interesting information.

Thanks,
Bill