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100M at MM

HealeyRick

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Not Spinning His Wheels


BC biochemist is a vintage car enthusiast when he's not in the labratory




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Vice Provost for Research Larry McLaughlin with his restored 1954 Austin Healey M-100, which he and two friends entered in an Italian road rally, the Mille Miglia.

By Ed Hayward | Chronicle Staff

Published: May 23, 2013
In the lab, biochemist Larry McLaughlin is all about unraveling the mysteries of DNA, creating new anti-virals and probing he potential of nano-scale drug therapies.
In the garage, vintage car enthusiast McLaughlin is all about a 1954 Austin Healey M-100.
This past week, McLaughlin, a professor of Chemistry who is also vice provost for research, stepped away from the lab and into the driver’s seat of the lovingly restored coup to rumble over the ancient streets of Italy as a participant in the Mille Miglia, an historic road rally deemed “the most beautiful race in the world.”
McLaughlin and two friends, tech executive Michael Perlmutter and restoration specialist Maurizio Cerasoli, took turns behind the wheel as they traveled the course from the northern city of Brescia, south to Ferrara and then Rome, then north again back to Brescia.
The race, which used to be run for time but is now an untimed tour, is a celebrated event in Italy, drawing thousands of spectators from throughout the world along the 1,000-mile – or mille miglia – route.
“I look upon it as part spectacle, part race, part parade, part party,” said McLaughlin, who described the once-in-a-lifetime experience as a “bucket list” item he and his teammates are extremely fortunate to have stumbled upon.
Cerasoli found the classic car disabled and disheveled. Immediately, he proposed to his friends that they restore the car and try to land a place in the famous race.
Earning a coveted spot in the race required a detailed and historic restoration of the car in order to meet the stringent requirements of race organizers, who only accept vintage autos manufactured between 1927 and 1957.
“The hardest thing about this race is getting into it,” said McLaughlin. “There were over 1,500 applications for 375 slots. The first thing you have to do is get in. The selection process is something of a mystery, but known to be extremely difficult.”
Restoring the British sports car, designed by the legendary David Healey, to its former glory required rebuilding its 2660cc straight-four engine, locating replacement parts in England, rebuilding the front end suspension, new wiring – accurate to the original colors of the individual wires – stripping the finish to bare metal and applying six coats of carmine red and black paint.
The team received word this spring that they had met the exacting requirements of the race organizers. The focus shifted from restoration to participation, as they plotted out logistical issues ranging from where to stay to which spare parts they would need to pack in their luggage. The car was shipped to Milan just a week before the team departed with their spouses for their Mille Miglia adventure.
McLaughlin said his goal was simple: to successfully cover the 1,000-mile course, regardless of the time required.
And to soak up the experience of a lifetime.
[UPDATE: McLaughlin reports that the team's car was disabled by a broken axle, ending its race in Rome.]

Source: https://www.bc.edu/content/bc/publi...opstories/2013/features/mclaughlin052313.html
 
Great story!
 
The 100M purists ought to be all over this one. Since when was there a 1954 M-100? And where are the auxiliary reflectors in the rear? It is a nice looking car and story though. Sorry they lost an axle. This is probably a BN1 with the weaker spiral bevel rear end.
 
So much for the organisers exacting standards and close scrutiny then... maybe I could enter my BJ8?:cool: hahaa
 
I corresponded with Larry prior to his acceptance to the MM on another forum. He apparently had acceptable documentation of the dealer installed LeMans Kit. Sorry to hear he couldn't complete the event, Rome's a nice place to break-down however.....
 
Still cool to see a 100-4 BN1 in it even if it was incorrectly called a "M-100" and too bad he didn't get to complete it. Sounds like the owner had it submitted properly but who ever wrote the article simply got it wrong unless you're a Healey nut like most of us. Would love to have a bucket list that included the MM but know my better half would have me committed if I suggested something like that !!! Even suggesting doing the US version run would bring out the men in white coats !
Regards,
Mike
 
Still cool to see a 100-4 BN1 in it even if it was incorrectly called a "M-100" and too bad he didn't get to complete it. Sounds like the owner had it submitted properly but who ever wrote the article simply got it wrong unless you're a Healey nut like most of us. Would love to have a bucket list that included the MM but know my better half would have me committed if I suggested something like that !!! Even suggesting doing the US version run would bring out the men in white coats !
Regards,
Mike

It is an expensive event, no doubt about it. A local friend did it several years ago with his father in their 1927 Bentley, and when you factor in car shipping, storage, and transport, and of course your airfare, and then there's the registration fee, it is easily into a five-digit price tag. My friend was still very happy that he did it. He said that they were treated like rock stars and had a great time, even including the roadside repairs.

On the subject of 100M/Le Mans kit, etc., let's come back down to earth and realize that the organizers have no way of knowing such details of Austin-Healey production. I highly suspect that if you submit your Healey 100 with a louvered bonnet and call it a 100M, they would just take it at face value. I would bet that they would not even know that a 1954 Hundred would be a BN1 and could not be one of the 640, and they would not know to ask for documentation of a dealer-installed kit (something that is much, much more rare than a 100S, by the way; ask the registrars how many BN1s or BN2s they have registered that have such documentation - the answer is, "almost none"). As far as entry in the event goes, no real harm in it.
 
by the way; ask the registrars how many BN1s or BN2s they have registered that have such documentation - the answer is, "almost none").

I have no "Dealer M's" (i.e.: dealer installed Le Mans Engine Modification Kits) in the AHCA 100 Registry that are supported by dealer documentation. I do have 2 cars with letters from the original owners stating that they had "Le Mans Kits" or 'Le Mans Upgrades" installed by their dealers in the period.

Additionally, in the AHCA 100 Registry there are several cars, as early as Feb. 1954, that are indicated to have received Le Mans upgrades at Warwick.

Finally, there is one BN1 in the Registry with the original dealer invoice stating under Model: " Le Mans" and then "New Car - Factory Installed". The BN1 was built in April 1955 before the introduction of the 640 factory built 100M's.

Bill Meade or John Harper may have more.
 
Hey Derek,
Love your "puts on flameproof suit" comment with the devil icon ! Just trying to stir the pot, 'eh ?
Regards
Mike
 
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