Rare Barn Find Valve Cover Racer

[HealeyRick]

Lucky me, I just dragged this barn find VCR out of a New England chicken coop in time for the New England Region AHCA races at Summit 2017. I think it was probably a factory racer as it has the 4-wheel disc brake option. Talk about patina!

 

[Randy Forbes]

Is there a Preservation Category already established, or is it up to you the blaze the trail?

 

[tahoe healey]

Diamond in the rough award.

 

[Healey Nut]

The vent breather T kills the aerodynamics

 

[Editor_Reid]

I think it was probably a factory racer as it has the 4-wheel disc brake option.

Indeed! I'm sure I've seen photos and documentation showing Donald Healey and Carroll Shelby racing this rare example in the 1959 Sebring 12-second race.

My contacts at Bonhams would like to talk to you about consignment.

Please do not wash or otherwise remove any dirt, dust, cobwebs, etc. and it greatly diminishes the value to the purist collector.

And if the original quick-lift jack remains with the car, I'd say you're looking at "comfortable retirement money" there.

By the way, I have an appropriate Owner's Handbook for it, signed by Healey himself. POA.

 

[HealeyRick]

Thanks for the tip, Reid. Turns out it has beaucoup provenance. I searched the archives and not only found a photo of it at Sebring:



But at Bonneville, too:



Please inform your contacts at Bonham's immediately, or in the alternative, I'm open to interesting 100S trades or perhaps a pied-a-terre overlooking the harbor at Monaco.

 

[Michael Oritt]

Shown here is the extremely rare AWD valve cover racer powered by tandem 1275's. The adjustable airfoil was used in the LSR runs at Bonneville.

 

[HealeyRick]

Shown here is the extremely rare AWD valve cover racer powered by tandem 1275's. The adjustable airfoil was used in the LSR runs at Bonneville.

Art imitates life. The "Twin Jynx" UK dragster of John Harrison featuring two supercharged six-cylinder Healey motors:

 

[Editor_Reid]

Shown here is the extremely rare AWD valve cover racer powered by tandem 1275's. The adjustable airfoil was used in the LSR runs at Bonneville.

That "adjustable airfoil" looks like a solar panel. The scrutineers would like a word...

 

[John Turney]

That "adjustable airfoil" looks like a solar panel. The scrutineers would like a word...

Not only that, the build regulations say "No aerodynamic aids can be added to the rocker covers."