Race and Car Details - Texan Style Cornish Hard Cyder

The invitation to Texas came from Steve Coleman – Healey car enthusiast, and owner of, amongst others, two exceptional Healey prototypes. “Would the Healey family and very good family friend, Healey works driver Clive Baker, like to come to “Eagles Canyon” Texas to compete in a Classic Car race?“

The opportunity to see, drive, and race in two very special cars. One was the 1968 Austin Healey Prototype Sprite Coupe HAN9-R-238. The other was the 1969 Austin Healey Prototype Sprite Roadster HAN9-R-250.

The Coupe Sprite was one of the last coupes built, and in the 1968 Le Mans was placed 15th overall in the historic 24 hr international endurance event, completing 255 Laps and over 2200 miles, running the entire 24 hours.

What makes this car unique from all prior Le Mans Sprites is the engine and transmission package. This car was fitted with Lucas mechanical fuel injection and a special head. The gearbox was an MGB based transmission with a special housing for a 5th gear in a compartment behind the main box (a true 5 speed).

The Sprite was also entered and raced in the 12 Hours of Sebring in January of 1969, with ‘Clive Baker’ as one of its drivers. Clive had been a BMC Works sponsored driver for many of the Healeys Works cars. The Sprite gridded 48th at the start of the race and finished 20th overall in a field of 98 world class drivers and cars. This was an opportunity for Clive to be back behind the wheel of this car once again.

Then there was the 1969 Austin Healey Prototype Sprite Roadster, which was the last sprite prototype built; it was the pinnacle of the Healey sprite development. It included all of the best technology developed through the Healey's sprite racing efforts at Le Mans, Sebring, and Targa Florio. The engine was (and currently is) a BMC 1275 A series dry sumped block fitted with a special cross flow head and lucas Mechanical fuel injection. It develops over 118 BHP, compared to 52 BHP in the stock BMC 1275 engine. This was huge for 1969, the year the car was built. The Lucas injection system also produced considerably more torque. This set up was never put into production in the street cars. To our knowledge, there are only 3 cars in the world with this set up, with the Coupe and Roadster being two of them. The Roadster was the last, most developed and tuned.

The roadster has a 5 speed MGB gearbox, which gives it an extra lower gear for the long straights encountered in the endurance races of the day. Large dry sump oil tanks were built into the bodies to allow for long runs without oil degradation. The Roadster is also equipped with Girling disc brakes on all wheels that gives it better stopping capabilities.

The prototype designs include an evolved aerodynamic hand formed Brimabright (aluminum alloy) body and a modified steel rear sub frame. The under frame of the cars are mostly stock sprite frame and suspension, with additions of larger anti-roll bars.

The Roadster car was specifically built to race in the 1969 Targa Florio. But, unfortunately, BMC pulled their funding prior to the race, so the car was sold to a privateer in the States, and first raced in the 1970 12 Hrs of Sebring.

These were top spec race cars in their time and Clive Baker, already an experienced race driver with a full race licence, just needed to catch the plane to Texas to race them. David and Sam Healey went to Silverstone to complete theory and practical driving exams to get their race licences. Driving instructors, who are all competition drivers themselves, took them through their paces on the skid pan and circuit so they could learn how to save those all-important seconds on the track. It was an experience they would thoroughly recommend to any petrolhead. With the flights booked and licences in their hands, they were off to Texas!

Once in Texas they were met with a superstar worthy welcome from the Corinthian Vintage Race Club, with exceptional friendliness and hospitality from everyone. Hot sun on the asphalt, revving engines and the smell of petrol created a fantastic adrenaline pumping atmosphere.

The final race of the weekend saw the two Healey boys in the two special Cars. Sam in the coupe, David in the Roadster, literally at times, inches apart. It was an exhilarating and close race, the coupe passing the roadster for the final time on the last lap; the cars finishing 0.02 seconds apart. The two Healey boys when ‘hotter than hell’ made a trackside decision to capture the moment and put it in a bottle – Texan style.

Rumours are that the Texans are threatening to stage an Americas cup style challenge here in the UK in 2013. For all you Sprite and Midget enthusiasts, how exciting is that?! When more details are confirmed we will post them on this site.

Keep Healey’s racing

Click here for more photos and information!

Thank you to Herb Hilton for his time and patience. Special thanks from David to Grover for the loan of ‘the turtle’, and of course to Steve Coleman for the time, effort, enthusiasm and dedication to the Healey racing marque, much appreciated by the family.

Written by a ‘Pit Lizard’. (A name that Donald Healey and Clive Baker gave to the female racing fans.)