Austin Healey 100-6 & 3000 (Rally Giants) - Softcover

Robson, Graham

Softcover

ISBN 10: 184584128X ISBN 13: 9781845841287

Publisher: Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2007

Synopsis

In nine eventful years - 1957 to 1965 - the six-cylinder-engined Austin-Healey evolved into a formidable and increasingly specialized rally car. By any standards, it was the first of the "homologation specials" -- a type made progressively stronger, faster, more versatile, and more suitable for the world's toughest International rallies. This book lists each and every success, each and every notable car, and traces exactly how the machinery developed, and improved, from one season to the next. Over time, the "works" cars not only adopted aluminium cylinder heads and body panels, much-modified chassis, transmission and exhaust systems, but they also became supremely strong and could withstand a true battering on the world's toughest events. This book relates how the cars were improved by the engineers, how the drivers came to love their heavy and sometimes sell-willed steeds, and how the management team got the most out of everything -- machinery, personnel, drivers -- and regulations. In every respect, the "works" Big Healey was the very first of the "homologation specials", and this book tells exactly how it was achieved.

About this title

About the Author

Graham Robson possesses a world-wide reputation as a motoring historian, and has been close to the sport of rallying for many years. Not only as a competitor, team manager, organizer, reporter, commentator and observer, but above all as an enthusiastic historian, in more than forty years he has never lost touch with the sport. His experience of rallying is worldwide. Not only has he competed in many British and European events, but reported on marathons in South America, and acted as a traveling controller in the legendary London-Mexico World Cup rally. As a recognized authority on many aspects of classic cars and motoring of that period, he is the most prolific of all authors, with more than 120 published books to his credit. Over the years he has owned, driven, described and competed in many of the cars featured in this Landmark Rally Cars series, and his insight into their merits is unmatched.

Review

Australian Classic Car, March 2008
Australian magazine
 
It's hard to imagine an Austin-Healey 3000 as a top notch rally car. But the 3000 formed an integral part of the British Motor Corporation's Competition Department during the 1960s, and were thrashed from mountain top to river valley over the most inhospitable of road surfaces. This new book by the prolific Graham Robson is one of a series in his 'Rally Giants' collection. The rallies of the '60s are very different than today. Back then, they were events of endurance when the cars and drivers would be hard at it for days on end. While it was the Big Healey that really put the BMC Competition Department on the map, under their direction, the Austin-Healey evolved from a quick road car into the first homologation special. Read how its suspension was beefed up, carburetors changed and the car became lighter and stronger. Writer Robson includes a chapter on the personalities involved – including those behind the scenes and the drivers – before looking closely at the events and Big Healeys used from year to year. There are a number of books covering the Works Austin-Healeys, but there is always room for another good one.

Classic & Sports Car, February 2008
UK magazine
 
'Austin Healey 100-6 & 3000' is the latest in Veloce's handy Rally Greats [Giants] series. The prolific Graham Robson briefly covers model development and competition history to match the wealth of photos, including plenty in color. Even so, $29.95 is a little steep for a 120-page paperback. For more information or to order see www.veloce.co.uk.

 

Healey Marque, January 2008
Review by Baird Foster 
Official publication of the Austin-Healey Club of America

UK publisher Veloce has just introduced a new series of publications titled 'Rally Giants', and 'Austin Healey 100-6 & 3000' appears at the top of the list. Graham Robson, author of the series, holds a worldwide reputation as a motoring historian; indeed, he has long been close to the sport of rallying as a team manager, competitor, reporter, and observer. For the series he has chosen those cars which offered something unique in their time in comparison with their competitors – cars that raised rallying's standards far enough to consider them Rally Giants. Of the A-H 100-6, Marcus Chambers, BMC's first competitions manager, is quoted as saying, "We needed a car with long, hairy legs to stride over the mountains and great lungs with which to rush up the hills ...".

'Austin Healey 100-6 & 3000' reveals how the BMC Competition Department brought the six-cylinder 'big Healey' to be a formidable and specialized rally car in the era from 1957 to 1965. The Austin-Healey 3000 became the world's first 'homologation special', and as such, it started a trend of development and refinement of the total car to take advantage of whatever regulations or categories that were offered by motor sport at the time. The reader learns how the original 100-6 engine of 102 BHP became a fire-breathing 210 BHP rally winner in only five years.

The rally events and the personalities behind the big Healey rally cars, including noted drivers Pat Moss, Donald Morley, Rauno Aaltonen and Timo Makinen, come alive with Robson's memories and descriptions. Many of the 100 well-captioned photos are published for the first time.

'Rally Giants: Austin Healey 100-6 & 3000' provides a richly detailed description of an important part of this marque's history – the big Healeys were outstanding rally cars of their era. Whether you are a casual observer of Healey history or an ardent student of the marque and its rallying successes, this tidy little title will yield a fascinating read and must be on your bookshelf.

Edition details

• Publisher: Veloce Publishing Ltd
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 184584128X
• ISBN 13: 9781845841287
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 128