770 KNX ~ ch.no. HAN8-R65-4*

1964 Sebring & Le Mans Prototype

[*This is the chassis no. for 1965 when the car was registered DAC 951C. It probably had a different chassis number for 1964 as 770 KNX].

Thanks to the fascinating article by Baird Foster which appears in the April 2012 issue of Healey Marque, we now know that there were in fact two very similar aluminium-bodied Sprites produced by the Donald Healey Motor Company for the Sebring 12 Hour Race which took place on 21st March 1964. Their car having failed to finish in both the 1961 and 1963 Le Mans 24 Hour races, they built these new aluminium Coupés for 1964, similar in appearence to the '63 car which had crashed, ~ the goal being just to complete the distance in the '64 event. Using the wooden buck created for their Targa Florio car they fabricated a new body, this time with a one-piece forward-hinging bonnet for easier access to the engine bay. This car, registered in the UK 770 KNX, was entered in Class P.3.0. (Prototypes under 3 litres) for Clive Baker and John Colgate. Painted "silver blue", the car was to finish 24th overall. The sister car, 776 KNX, was entered in the GT class for up to 1.3 litre cars and was to be driven by Al Pease and Donna Mae Mims. However, while Pease was driving, it suffered rear axle failure after only 9 laps.

770 KNX was next entered for the 1964 Le Mans 24 Hours where it was driven by Clive Baker and Bill Bradley. To quote Geoff Healey from his book "More Healeys" 'both drivers 'drove well within their capabilities, finishing twenty-fourth'. Well, 24th position was actually last, but the car achieved 257 laps or 3,458.3 kms at an average speed of 144 kph on its little 1100cc engine. The car was said to have poor aerodynamics due to its tail shape. [Thanks to 'Healey Meets Le Mans' for 3rd photo down on the right].

Geoff Healey states in his book "Baker and Colgate again beat the Abarths to win the class in the twelve hour race despite a broken oil pump, also in the eleventh hour. We filled the sump way up so that the crankshaft was submerged and they managed to run under their own power to qualify at the end". A photo of the car at Sebring can be seen on this link. In that event it came home 25th overall.

In 1965 the car was back at Sebring for the 12 hour race in the hands of Paddy Hopkirk and Timo Makinen finishing 18th, and 3rd in class.

Unfortunately we do not know what became of this car ~ if it in fact survives.

May 2017 - David Scothorn did some research at Warwick Record Office and kindly provided the following:
770 KNX - Allocation Book: AH Sprite, 1098, registered 11/8/64
- Index Card: Austin Healey, Blue,Sports Sprite, Blue, 1098
XSP 2173-2 (?4) Taxed 11/3/64 to30/9/64 DHMC Warwick.

DAC 951C -Allocation Book: Austin Date of Registration 22/5/65
- Index Card: Austin Healey Saloon, Blue, 1293 XSP 2426, HAN8-R65-4
Date of Registration 17/2/65 Surrendered 7/2/66 DHMC Warwick (some 6 weeks before the Sebring races of that year).

[See also the web page for the sister car which survives today, 776 KNX]

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