Austin Healey 3000 1966 (BJ8) CD-3000

The 'Black & white' Healey's Body production card - which travelled down the production line on all BJ8 Healeys. Only three BJ8's are known to still have them.

This black & white Austin Healey 3000 MK III Phase II BJ8 (H-BJ8/37244) was originally sold by John Sprinzel Racing Ltd, Lancaster Mews, London, in July 1966, on Invoice 2235. It has an amazing history - having been driven from London to Sydney by its first owner, Richard Steil; and then becoming a 'road race' car in the hands of its second owner Ian Morgan. In 1977, Donald Healey presented the 3rd owner, Wally Gates, with a trophy for the "Best Austin Healey" in Australia

For those with an eye to detail - although this car is always referred to as the 'black and white car' - yes, I know it is technically more correctly described as being 'Ivory over black'. This is its current (and original) colour scheme. It was built for the 'Home market' - i.e. Right hand drive - painted ivory over black, with black leather (hide) interior, and was fitted with a heater, wire wheels, Roadspeed tyres, adjustable steering column, laminated windscreen, tonneau cover, and overdrive. The 'black & white car is also pretty unique in having managed to escape from the factory complete with its 'Body Production Windscreen Card'. This was the 'card' which accompanied the car down the production line. It is basically the record of the details which you are provided with when you apply for a BHMIT "Heritage Certificate". I have never seen another Austin Healey still having it's 'Body Production Windscreen Card' still with the car. Steve Byers, of the Healey 3000 BJ8 International registry, only knows of three other Austin Healey 3000 BJ8 cars in the world still with their original Body Production Windscreen Card - and as at January 2002, the BJ8 Registry has a record of nearly 4,000 BJ8 Healey 3000's worldwide. So Austin Healey 3000 BJ8's still retaining these cards are now quite rare!. As you can clearly see - it's a little 'grubby' (contrary to the 'stamp' on the bottom of the card!) - but it is over 35 years old!

This particular Austin Healey is also the very first 'big' Austin Healey I had ever seen - about 25 years ago, when I was a teenager. It got me interested in Healeys - and over the past 20 odd years I have owned Austin Healey Sprites, and an Austin Healey 100. But finally - on New Year's eve, 1994, I got the opportunity to purchase the car that started it all - the 'black & white car'.

Follow the links for the competition and ownership history of the black & white car.

Austin Healey 3000 BJ8 at Oran Park in 1999

Same Healey 3000 - the 'black & white' car - at Oran Park in 1969. Look at the size of the crowd!

1999, 1974, and 1969 - same car, same corner - three different eras.
Left: Chris Dimmock (photo by Marshall Cass) Centre: Wally Gates (photo courtesy Wally Gates) Right: Ian Morgan (photo copyright© LJ Ruting Collection - reproduced with permission)

The black & white car has had 5 different owners (or 'custodians').

These custodians are:

1. Richard Steil owned the black and white car from new - mid 1966 to 1968. Richard and Trish Steil drove the Healey from England to Australia in a 3 month adventure, leaving Portsmouth England on 22 April, 1967. They put the Healey on a boat to Sydney on 23 July 1967 from Calcutta India, and it arrived in Sydney on the ship Vishva Kalyn on 6th September 1967.

2. Ian & Judy Morgan owned the black & white car from 1968 until April, 1973. Ian made most of the changes to the car (rollbar, triple webers, tacho on dash etc.) that make the black & white car what it is today. This era is fully documented. Rego was (NSW) ADY 151

3. Wally Gates bought the black & white car in April 1973, and owned it until Sept 1978. Like Ian, Wally used the black & white car regularly in competition - and this era is fully documented. Rego was (NSW) WG 218

4. Mike Holloway (VIC) bought the black & white car from Wally in September 1978. Mike was a partner in MG Broadwalk with Paul Trevathen. Rego was (Vic) AGW 783

5. Wally Gates (again) bought the black & white car back off Mike, in October 1987. Rego was (NSW) WG 3000.

6. Chris Dimmock bought the black & white car off Wally in late December 1994. This current era is well documented. Current registration is (NSW) CD 3000.

During the past 10 years or so of my custodianship, I have researched & accumulated much of the documentation supporting the competition history of the black & white car. As you follow the links, you will notice that 1969 competition events are very well documented. This was because I was originally organising the necessary documentation to apply for a CAMS pre 31.12.1969 'Certificate of Description' - required under the rules for Historic car racing, administered by CAMS in Australia. By having photos (especially those taken by an 'independent' like LJ Ruting), old programmes etc; the specification, appearance, and bona fide racing history of the car can be proven by objective means. Unfortunately, CAMS has chosen to ignore its own logbook rules from the pre 1970 era - and ignore the FIA definitions of a "Production" sportscar from the 1965 - 1969 era. Many genuine 'Historic Production sportscars' like the 'Black & white' Healey are therefore left with no historically accurate class in which to compete in Australia. So much for '...as it was, so it shall be..."

Thanks to Ian & Judy Morgan, Ian Blake from the Lance J Ruting Photographic collection, Wally Gates, Richard Steil, and many other friends, I have managed to accumulate much of the supporting literature, programmes, tickets and photographs of the black & white car's racing history from April 1969 onwards....

Click the highlighted links below for the programmes, pictures etc. from each race nominated meeting... If you have any old 'Racing Car News' magazines from this era - or copies of the race results - I'd love to hear from you...