Great stuff, Ken...
Keep it coming.
Great stuff, Ken...
Keep it coming.
Because Ruth wrecked the Aston Martin of Stirling Moss, he was offered a drive by Temple Buell, a wealthy Denver oil man who "rented" a car for Stirling to drive in the Nassau Trophy race . The Ferrari 290 MM V-12 3500 cc ran well and Stirling went on to win the race !
I enjoy reading the entry lists for this week of racing at Nassau in 1957.
A week of 15 events with the best drivers in the world competing sounds grand doesn't it ?
http://www.wsrp.cz/nassau1957.html
I do have a question for Roger;
What is this car that Peter Collins drove at this event ?
# 18 Peter Collins (GB) Austin-Healey 100-6 Special #X224 - Ferrari 500-0540 L4 2600 cc
(Ken H)
Ruth Levy co-drove with Denise McCluggage at Sebring in March, 1958 in a 747-cc Abarth-Fiat in the 12 Hour race.
But after the two crashes and the loss of friends (Including Peter Collins) during the 1958 season, Ruth decided racing was getting too
dangerous and retired from racing after just 3 remarkable race seasons where she won most of the races she entered in California !.
Ruth had an interesting life even away from the track.
Some quotes from a Will Edgar interview;
" I went to Riverside once after that with my daughter Pam and we sat there in the esses. And I said to her, 'I've gotta get out of here.' I was a freak sitting there watching a sport I loved but was no longer involved in. We left."
After that, Ruth painted, sang in a bar, lived a hippie's life in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, cowgirled, cooked on a wood stove, herded goats, got married to a cowboy, divorced him, married a biker from Texas, lived in Fredericksburg for a while, painted some more, wrote cowboy -cowgirl?- poetry, got published, and moved out west to California again, to Solvang
" We're talking about fast times half a century ago, when the Speedsters and Spyders were something - really and truly something -and Ruth Levy, who learned to slide her ass around on Minnesota ice, was one of the best who ever drove them."
Darn. I wish could have had the opportunity to sit on her back porch and had a good chat with her, just 5 miles from home for about 8 years before she passed away in Dec. 2014.
Jackie has appreciated me putting these words together about her mother, "MamaRuth" and I have had fun doing it.
(Ken H)
Last edited by khyndart in CA; 03-23-2021 at 07:35 AM.
P.S.
Is there much interest on TRS in the old California tracks and people that I prattle on about ?
I enjoy finding out about places or roads that I drive on plus the history etc and I like to share but I don't want to be a bore.
Your honest inputs are appreciated.
Ken H.
Just keep prattling Ken, we love it!
Will you get to Corona with it, Ken?
Even if you don't, we'll appreciate whatever you do...
Yes please Ken, great stuff to hear about.Originally Posted by khyndart in CA
Ken H
re ;
Question " # 18 Peter Collins (GB) Austin-Healey 100-6 Special #X224 "
The number X224 rings a bell .. must dig out my books. May even have a photo of it somewhere.
More to come on this
Roger
X224, Well a rather unusual car as that entry would suggest.
In Geoffrey Healey's book " Healey - The Specials " there is quite a bit of information.
Brief description above a photo of the car in the book is ;
" X224 a modified 100S chassis fitted with a Ferrari Grand Prix engine ".
The story is that Peter Collins was a good friend of DMH [ Donald Healey ] and he suggested the use of a Ferrari 2.5 engine.
The car had the following ;
- MGA Rack and Pinion steering.
- Ferrari engine and rear axle assembly - presume Ferrari gearbox
- Body on the 100S was the long nose version developed from the 1956 record breaker.
Only photos I can find, so far, are in the book and they are of the chassis with engine and one of the front suspension an steering. [ To be copied later]
Will keep looking ;
Meanwhile, The Healey Books, three of Geoff's and one of Donald's
The Cover of the Book. the third of Geoffrey Healey's books on Healey and Austin Healey.
Front and Back covers;
This streamliner / record breaker is an earlier car from 1954 before the 100S arrived.
Roger,
I did find some info. about the X224 Healey/ Ferrari.
" This car was a six-cylinder chassis with extended front and rear bodywork and fitted with a four-cylinder 2.5 litre Ferrari
DOHC engine.
However it was not without its faults, such as when it had a full load of fuel the ground clearance was zero, so much so that the exhaust pipe acted as the suspension !
Despite this, Collins won Class D (up to 3-litres) in the car, but it was decided that the combination of the Ferrari engine and Austin-Healey chassis wasn’t a success and it was confined to history.
However the car was run again with a six cylinder Austin engine with Roy Salvadori driving and found to be quicker and more reliable."
Sept. 2013 (Hundreds and Thousands)
The official newsletter of the Austin-Healey Owners Club of Victoria incorporated.
(Ken H)
Last edited by khyndart in CA; 03-24-2021 at 07:03 AM.
Ken H,
" Thank you for your input " to your own thread. [As you would say " quote " ]
I guess you realise that I will need that information and image and will " borrow " them for the AH thread.
Cheers
Roger
PS
The background vehicles in the photo - a Ford Woody - late 1940's, a Morris Minor and an Austin A50 [ pre Farina ] Utility.
UTE in Australasia, Pick up truck in the USA;
What is the proper English word for such vehicles ? , as not big enough to be a Truck ?? .. " utility " or ???
Wikipaedia says that the A50 came out in the following versions ;
" 4-door estate
4-door saloon
2-door van
2-door coupé utility (pickup) "
So guess they are the " Coupe Utility ".
Last edited by Roger Dowding; 03-24-2021 at 07:34 AM. Reason: Coupe Utility - ###47
Photo by Bob Boxberger - Paul O'Neill archives ;
Question One : name the driver [ or just look at the photo - very professional sign writing of the numbers ! **]
** name is on the photo title -just hover over the picture
Question Two ; for Ken H,
Is the Torrey Pines referred to, the place in San Diego, California ??.
In which case only a few hours drive away from Los Olivos.
Have driven from Fountain Valley LA, to San Diego and back in a day, back in 1988 in a Ford Thunderbird a Hertz Rental - the 1980's V6 model - I wanted a Toyota Corolla - size car, being from NZ, but got upgraded.
It was a good drive too for those big US Freeways, we took it up to San Francisco where we left it to catch the Amtrak to Salem Oregon.
Roger,
You are correct. Torrey Pines is located on the coast north of San Diego city between La Jolla and Del Mar.
You are beating me to my upcoming "prattles" about the Torrey Pines and Del Mar circuits.
Stirling was a guest at the final Torrey Pines event in January 1956.
(It looks like that masking tape was a bit difficult to make O type numbers !)
Seems like Stirling was a naughty lad away from the track also !
""
(From a 2001 article.)
Ken H..
Last edited by khyndart in CA; 03-25-2021 at 06:56 AM.
Great story Ken H, and thanks for the confirmation / information " inputs "..
A map of the track and where it was back then - is that among your vast archives !! ??
Cheers
Roger
Roger, I'm interested in your note, "pre-Farina", as it gives the impression that there were Farina A50s...
The first Farina version was the A55, then came the A60. Later that grew two cylinders as it morphed into the Freeway.
The term "coupé utility" has been used in Australia since the beginning of the breed (1934?) but the 'coupé' part is usually omitted. The A50 utility was a fairly rare bird here, it didn't have the payload space of the Morris Oxford and it barely had as much as the Morris Minor if you weren't worried about performance. Of course, once Holden utes hit their stride there weren't many competitors sold all that well anyway.
Ray Bell
re; " Austin A50 [ pre Farina ] Utility. " perhaps I should have said Austin Cambridge which came in A40 A50 A55 and A60 variants.
Cheers
Back to Torrey Pines. January 1956.
I found a short silent movie of racing at the last race at the circuit before it was changed into a famous golf course.
https://vimeo.com/19175198
Phil Hill ; Ferrari 500 Mondial #0438MD - Ferrari L4 1998 cc N/A before painting his # 82 on after driving the car up from Los Angeles and then driving home after the racing
I added this site to so one could use it to identify some of the cars by the numbers
https://www.racingsportscars.com/pho...956-01-15.html
Ken H
Last edited by khyndart in CA; 03-26-2021 at 08:09 AM.
The amazing Mr. Moss
You may notice in the Torrey Pines movie seeing briefly Stirling Moss relaxing and wearing a set of Mickey Mouse ears.
This was on January 14th 1956.
On January 7th 1956 Stirling was driving his Maserati 250F / Maserati 2497cc 6cyl # 7 to victory in the Third NZ NZGP at Ardmore.
He probably celebrated for a day or so and then droned his way across the Pacific in possibly a Super Constellation to Los Angeles and then visited Disneyland which had recently opened in July 1955.
That would be where he got the "Mickey Mouse ears.
Then he comes down to Torrey Pines and drives a few laps in a Healey 100S before getting put in the "Slammer" for speeding around
San Diego.
Never a dull moment with our Stirling !
Ken H
A great clip Ken H, and a couple of Healey's in the event Mr Moss in the 100S and a red 100 [ four ] with taped over front of the wings.
" You may notice in the Torrey Pines movie seeing briefly Stirling Moss relaxing and wearing a set of Mickey Mouse ears.
This was on January 14th 1956. "
He was a busy boy, and a bit of a ladies man too !!
Thanks for all the information, Ken.
More for my Healey archives. The chassis number is great to have [ see note below ]
More ;
From the entry list the car was owned by a W Pringle as raced by Roy Jackson-Moore. In the list of cars with photos I see it is Chassis AHS3508- a very early car and S Moss is listed as DNS.
Great stuff Ken
Thanks again.
Roger
Last edited by Roger Dowding; 03-28-2021 at 03:59 AM. Reason: AHS3508###47
Ray,
We are aging !
Remember this thread last year ?
http://www.theroaringseason.com/show...st+race+tracks
(From post # 392 )
Ken H..
Last edited by khyndart in CA; 03-29-2021 at 07:13 AM.
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