Historic Austin-Healey to debut at Race Retro
A 1953 Austin-Healey 100/4 that took part in the first New Zealand Grand Prix is to make its public show debut at Race Retro this month.
The Healey BN1, chassis No 145426 will be on display at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, on 26-28 February, the first time it has been on public display anywhere in the world. The car is one of three works racers entered for the inaugural New Zealand GP in January 1954, at a time when sports cars would compete against single-seaters. Just 14 of the 24 starters completed the race, with
all the Austin-Healeys managing the 100 laps. This car came 13th driven by Keith Roper. It also achieved a record speed of 100mph in its third New Zealand event, a flying-quarter mile at Havelock.
Sold in October 1954, the Healey had several owners before being placed into storage in 1971, where it remained for 24 years. It returned to the UK in 2014.
Owned by Paul Roberts, the Healey has been prepared by Sam Thomas Racing for historic racing events in 2016, including the Monaco Historic Grand Prix.