“ What if ? ” - Austin Healey Owners Club

from Hiroshima, the deep throated Healey just wants
to go somewhere, preferably flat out.
Anyway, these old mates met up for a bit of a reunion
recently. It had been a few years and there were
stories exchanged there in the big cool garage
together. The morning dawned crisp and frosty with
brilliant sunshine warming the garage doors. It was a
special day - and soon the Castrol Edge was
warming up and heat slowly infusing the old motors.
As the warmth spread, the revs rose and Victoria’s
greatest Healey driving road was soon being
vigorously dispatched.
As the road bent this way and that, the dense Vic Ash
forest rolling down to the valley floor and then leaping
up towards the snow topped mountains beyond, the
two old Healeys seemed in harmony with this land as
they braked and accelerated, turned in to a late apex
to gain visibility for the corner beyond, webbers
sucking and spitting, overdrives clicking in and out as
the torquey engines served up their tasty power and
force.
Old mates. At it again.
Most of us have either seen or read articles about the
Healey 4000, I have collected some information about
"The History of the Healey 4000 in Australia". Below are
reports from the three owners in Australia of the car. Of
the three 4000's, this is the only one Donald Healey
personally completed and kept as his personal transport
until 1970, it was fitted with the 4 speed overdrive
gearbox.
Donald Healey and Roger Menadue built this car at
"Trebah", his home on the Helsford Estuary in Cornwall,
now forty five years later "The Healey Factory" in
Melbourne has just completed a meticulous restoration,
including original style number plates Reg No. PWD663F,
Donald Healey's prized badges and a one off hand built
hardtop.
I would like to thank Steve Pike, John Gray and Peter
Rowland for their contributions towards this article.
Steve Pike: 1st Owner in Australia
In 1974,I was advised a Healey 4000 was for sale in the
UK. The owner Frank Allanby had bought it from the
Healey company. Frank mentioned having an accident,
skidding on Ice into a gutter bending the chassis. The car
"THE WORLD'S MOST SOUGHT AFTER HEALEY CAR"
was returned to HEALEY and a new chassis fitted.
Records indicate that 6 chassis were made in the wider
form and 3 cars built. The car was originally white and
registered PWD663F, it had been repainted in red rather
poorly, and had about 20,000 miles on the Speedo.
This car was for sale for £3000, so I sold my MK2 3000
(now owned by Brian Dermott), and sent the funds to the
UK. Joe Jarick was in the UK and had been to see the
car at the precise time I committed to buy the car Joe
assisted by getting the car to the docks. The car was
shipped, stowed underdeck with a lot of other cars and
equipment. I was able inspect the car before unloading
and take a few pictures as it was slung and hoisted out of
the hold and over the side onto the dock.
I registered the car in Victoria then got to experience the
feel of driving this prototype. From memory, the
performance was similar to the 3000 I had sold, the
gearbox sourced for a Jaguar, the overdrive was
switched from the gear knob. The first club outing for the
car was an interstate rally at Swan Hill in 1975. Following
our move to a new house in Bacchus Marsh, and the
Hundreds & Thousands July 2012 11