1.
Austin-Healey 3000
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The Austin-Healey 3000 is a British sports car built from 1959 to 1967. It is the best known of the big Healey models, the cars bodywork was made by Jensen Motors and the vehicles were assembled at BMCs Abingdon works, alongside the corporations MG models. During its production life its nature was changed from an enthusiasts lusty open sports car, albeit with a child-transporting 2+2 option, in 1963,91.5 per cent of all Austin-Healey 3000 cars were exported, mostly to North America. The 3-litre 3000 was a successful car, which won its class in many European rallies in its heyday and is still raced in classic car competitions by enthusiasts today. British Leyland ended manufacture in 1967, intending its place to be filled by a car with essentially the same engine in a more recently designed monocoque MGB body named MGC. The Austin-Healey 3000 was announced on 1 July 1959 with a 3-litre BMC C-Series engine to replace the smaller 2. 6-litre engine of the 100-6, the manufacturers claimed it would reach 60 mph in 11 seconds and 100 mph in 31 seconds. Other changes were minor compared to those between the original 100 and the 100-6, the wheelbase and body were unchanged as were the body-styles, a 2+2 or BT7 and a two-seater BN7. Weather protection remained minimal, a plastic roof on a light demountable frame. Wire wheels, overdrive gearbox, laminated windscreen, heater, adjustable steering column, detachable hard top for the 2+2, and two-tone paint were available as options. 13,650 Mark Is were made,2,825 BN7 open two-seaters, other changes included a vertical barred front grille. Optional extras were similar to the Mark I, from August 1961 a brake servo was also available as an optional extra, which greatly improved braking performance. A3000 Mark II BT7 with hardtop and overdrive tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1961 had a top speed of 112.9 mph, a fuel consumption of 23.5 miles per imperial gallon was recorded. The test car cost £1362 including taxes, the BN7 Mark II was discontinued in March 1962, and the BT7 Mark II in June 1962 The 3000 sports convertible Mark II was launched at the end of August 1962. It was a convertible with almost saloon car comfort, a new wrap-around windscreen, wind-up side windows, swivelling quarter lights. Twin SU HS6 carburettors replaced the triple SUs, Austin-Healey claimed it could exceed 115 mph. 91.5 per cent of all 1963 Austin Healey 3000 cars were exported mostly to North America, SU HD8 carburettors replaced HS6 units increasing the choke size from 1.75 to 2 inches. Power-assisted braking became standard instead of optional, the new cars fascia displayed its speedometer and tachometer directly in fromt of the driver. Upholstery was now in Ambla vinyl The Mark III BJ8 remained in production until the end of 1967 when manufacture of Austin-Healeys ceased, only one further car was built in March 1968
2.
Austin Motor Company
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The Austin Motor Company Limited was an English manufacturer of motor vehicles, founded in 1905 by Herbert Austin. In 1952 it was merged with Morris Motors Limited in the new holding company British Motor Corporation Limited, the marque Austin was used until 1987. The trademark is owned by SAIC after being transferred from bankrupt subsidiary Nanjing Automotive which had acquired it with MG Rover Group in July 2005. While running the original Wolseley business, which had a highly cyclical sales pattern, starting in 1895, he built three cars in his free time. They were among Britains first cars, the third car, a four-wheeler, was completed in 1899. In 1905 he fell out with Thomas and Albert Vickers over engine design, leaving his creation, Wolseley, which he had made Britains largest motor vehicle manufacturer, Austin obtained the backing of steel magnate Frank Kayser for his own enterprise. Further assistance came from Dunlop patent holder Harvey du Cros, however, Austins great rival, William Morris, was able to enter the industry proper a little later funding his operation entirely from his own resources. In November 1905 Herbert Austin acquired a printing works which was less than ten years old. It was located seven miles south-west of Birmingham in the village of Longbridge. The following month The Austin Motor Company Limited was incorporated and it was available as a 15/20 hp complete at £500 and a 25/30 hp for £650. The sole concessionaire for sale of the cars was Mr Harvey Du Cros junior, two things were noticeable about Austins new design. He had parted from the Vickers brothers because he had refused to use the more conventional vertical engine in Wolseley cars. His new car had an engine and, in all. A further injection of capital was needed in 1906 and William Harvey Du Cros joined the board of directors, after that Harvey Du Cros junior of the Swift Cycle Co and Austin each held approximately half of the ordinary capital. Herbert Austin remained chairman and managing director, Austins cars, like Wolseleys, were luxury vehicles. The published customer list included Russian Grand Dukes, Princesses, Bishops, high officials of the Spanish government, sources Note, in 1912 Wolseley sold 3,000 cars. In February 1914 Austin-manufactured bodies in tourer, limousine, landaulette, ambulances and commercial vehicles were also provided. Austin became a listed company in 1914 when the capital was increased to £650,000
3.
British Motor Corporation
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The British Motor Corporation Limited was a UK-based vehicle manufacturer, formed in early 1952 to give effect to an agreed merger of the Morris and Austin businesses. BMC acquired the shares in Morris Motors and the Austin Motor Company, Morris Motors, the holding company of the productive businesses of the Nuffield Organisation, owned MG, Riley, and Wolseley. The agreed exchange of shares in Morris or Austin for shares in the new holding company, BMC, in September 1965, BMC took control of its major suppliers, Pressed Steel, acquiring Jaguars body supplier in the process. In September 1966, BMC merged with Jaguar Cars Limited, on 14 December 1966, BMC changed its name to British Motor Holdings Limited or BMH. BMCs headquarters were at the Austin plant at Longbridge, near Birmingham, the use of Morris engine designs was dropped within three years and all new car designs were coded ADO from Amalgamated Drawing Office. Austins management systems, however, especially cost control and marketing, were not as good as Nuffields and as the changed from a shortage of cars to competition. The biggest-selling car, the Mini, was analysed by Ford Motor Company. At the time of the mergers, a well established dealership network was in place for each of the marques, among the car-buying British public was a tendency of loyalty to a particular marque and marques appealed to different market segments. This meant that marques competed against each other in some areas, the Riley and Wolseley models were selling in very small numbers. Styling was also getting distinctly old-fashioned and this caused Leonard Lord, in a move for him. In 1958, BMC hired Battista Farina to redesign its entire car line and this resulted in the creation of three Farina saloons, each of which was badge-engineered to fit the various BMC car lines, The compact Farina model bowed in 1958 with the Austin A40 Farina. A Mark II A40 Farina appeared in 1961 and was produced through 1967 and these small cars used the A-Series engine. The mid-sized Farinas were launched in 1958 with the Wolseley 15/60, other members of the group included the Riley 4/68, Austin A55 Cambridge Mk. III, and Morris Oxford V. Later, the design was licensed in Argentina and produced as the Siam Di Tella 1500, Traveller station wagon, the mid-size cars used the B-Series straight-4 engine. Most of these lasted until 1961, though the Di Tellas remained until 1966. They were replaced with a new Farina body style and most were renamed and these were the Austin A60 Cambridge, MG Magnette Mk. IV, Morris Oxford VI, Riley 4/72, and Wolseley 16/60 and these mostly remained in production until 1968, with no rear-wheel drive replacement produced. Farina also designed a large car, launched in 1959 as the Austin A99 Westminster, Vanden Plas Princess 3-Litre, and Wolseley 6/99, it used the large C-Series straight-6 engine
4.
Donald Healey Motor Company
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Donald Healey Motor Company Limited was a British car manufacturer. The business was founded in 1945 by Donald Healey, a car designer. Healey discussed sports car design with Achille Sampietro, a chassis specialist for high performance cars and Ben Bowden, a body engineer, Healeys new enterprise focused on producing expensive, high-quality, high-performance cars. It was based in an old aircraft components factory off Miller Road in Warwick, there he was joined by Roger Menadue from Armstrong Whitworth to run the experimental workshop. In later years also had a now-demolished showroom on Emscote Road, Warwick. The rear suspension used a Riley live axle with coil springs again, advanced design allowed soft springing to be combined with excellent road holding. When it was introduced in 1948, the Elliott saloon was claimed to be the fastest production closed car in the world, the aerodynamic body design was the work of Benjamin Bowden and unusually for the time it was tested in a wind tunnel to refine its efficiency. This was the start of aerodynamic styling for reduced drag, that culminated in Bowdens last UK offering, in 1949 the most sporting of all the Healeys, the Silverstone, was announced. It had a chassis and stiffer springing and was capable of 107 mph. It is now a sought after car and many of the other Healeys have been converted into Silverstone replicas. These cars had numerous competition successes including class wins in the 1947 and 1948 Alpine rallies, government planning and controls required any substantial expansion of production to be for the export market alone. So in 1950 Healey built the Nash-Healey using a Nash Ambassador engine with SU carburettors, initially the 3848 cc unit was used but when in 1952 body construction was transferred from Healey to Pininfarina the larger 4138 cc engine was fitted. The final Healey car of this era was the G-Type using an Alvis TB21 engine and this was more luxurious and heavier than the Riley engined models and performance suffered. Working in with his eldest son Geoffrey in the attic of the home, Healey designed a two-seat roadster employing numerous low-cost Austin components. Austin chief Sir Leonard Lord was so impressed when he saw it on the Healey stand at the 1952 Earls Court Motor Show he offered to make it in his own factories under the name Austin-Healey. The result was a 1953 a joint venture created the British Motor Corporation to manufacture the Austin-Healey marque. The 100 evolved into the highly regarded and collector coveted 3-litre Austin-Healey 3000, followed by a diminutive 950cc Austin-Healey Sprite, Donald Healey became a director of Jensen Motors in the late 1960s and a result of this was the Lotus-engined Jensen-Healey which appeared in 1972. Donald Healey Motor Company was finally sold to the Hamblin Group, although Healey Automobile Consultants, list of car manufacturers of the United Kingdom The Healey Story, A Dynamic Father and Son Partnership and Their World-beating Cars Author - Geoffrey Healey ISBN 0-85429-949-1 Publisher, G. T
5.
Donald Healey
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Donald Mitchell Healey CBE was a noted English car designer, rally driver and speed record holder. He studied engineering while at Newquay College, sopwith had sheds at the nearby Brooklands aerodrome and racing circuit. Barely 16 when WW1 started, he volunteered in 1916 for the Royal Flying Corps and he went on night bombing raids and served on anti-Zeppelin patrols and also as a flying instructor. After the Armistice he returned to Cornwall, took a course in automobile engineering. Donald Healey married Ivy Maud James on 21 October 1921 and they had three sons, Healey found rally driving and motor racing more interesting than his garage and its car hire business and used the garage to prepare cars for competition. He first entered the Monte Carlo Rally in 1929 driving a Triumph 7, now in demand as a competition driver he sold the garage business, moved to the Midlands to work for Riley but soon moved to the Triumph Motor Company as experimental manager. The next year he was technical director and responsible for the design of all Triumph cars. Triumph went into liquidation in 1939 but Healey remained on the premises as works manager for H M Hobson making aircraft engine carburettors for the Ministry of Supply, later in the war he worked with Humber on armoured cars. Donald Healey was keen to begin making his own cars, planning post-war sports cars with colleague, in 1945 he formed with Sampietro and Ben Bowden the Donald Healey Motor Company Ltd basing its business in an old RAF hangar at Warwick. Their first cars were expensive high quality cars, Healeys first car appeared in 1946, the Healey Elliot, a saloon with a Riley engine, developed by Dr J. N. H Tait. Following his Triumphs it won the 1947 and 1948 alpine rallies, next was a high performance sports car, the Silverstone which appeared in 1949 and was so successful it led to an agreement with an American company Nash Motors. In 1949, Healey established an agreement with George W. Mason, the first series of the 2-seaters were built in 1951 and they were designed by Healey with styling and aerodynamic input from Benjamin Bowden. The same all enveloping theme was used by Bowden on the Zethrin Rennsport one year later, the Nash-Healeys engine was a Nash Ambassador 6-cylinder, the body was aluminium, and the chassis was a Healey Silverstone. However, Pininfarina restyled the bodywork for 1952 and took over the production of its new steel body, a Nash-Healey was driven by Donald Healey at Le Mans in 1950. Team members Duncan Hamilton & Tony Rolts car finished 4th overall after suffering serious damage when hit from behind by a brakeless Delage. Donald Healey also drove a Nash-Healey in the Mille Miglia 1950 to 1952, so far the Healeys had all been expensive. Donald Healey wanted to produce a comparatively inexpensive sports car with 100 mph performance and he developed the Austin-Healey 100 using an Austin instead of the Tait developed Riley 2. 5-litre engine and gearbox displaying it first at the October 1952 Earls Court motor show in London. The Morris-Austin merger had brought on BMCs decision to out the Riley unit
6.
Jaguar Cars
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Jaguars business was founded as the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922, originally making motorcycle sidecars before developing bodies for passenger cars. Under the ownership of S. S, Cars Limited the business extended to complete cars made in association with Standard Motor Co many bearing Jaguar as a model name. The companys name was changed from S. S, Cars to Jaguar Cars in 1945. Jaguar was de-merged from British Leyland and was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1984, Jaguar has, in recent years, manufactured cars for the British Prime Minister, the most recent delivery being an XJ in May 2010. The company also holds royal warrants from Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, the carmaker said around 1,000 academics and engineers would work there and that construction would start in 2014. The Swallow Sidecar Company was founded in 1922 by two motorcycle enthusiasts, William Lyons and William Walmsley, in 1934 Walmsley elected to sell-out and Lyons formed S. S. Cars Limited funding the replacement of Walmsleys investment by issuing shares to the public, the SS Jaguar name first appeared in September 1935 on a 2. 5-litre saloon, sports models of which were the SS90 and SS100. On 23 March 1945 the S. S, Cars shareholders in general meeting agreed to change the companys name to Jaguar Cars Limited. Said Chairman William Lyons Unlike S. S. the name Jaguar is distinctive, Jaguar made its name by producing a series of successful eye-catching sports cars, the Jaguar XK120, Jaguar XK140, Jaguar XK150, and Jaguar E-Type, all embodying Lyons mantra of value for money. The sports cars were successful in motorsport, a path followed in the 1950s to prove the engineering integrity of the companys products. Jaguars sales slogan for years was Grace, Space, Pace, during the time this slogan was used, but the exact text varied. It had a hemispherical cylinder head with valves inclined from the vertical, originally at 30 degrees and 45 degrees. As fuel octane ratings were low from 1948 onwards, three piston configuration were offered, domed, flat, and dished. The main designer, William Bill Heynes, assisted by Walter Wally Hassan, was determined to develop the Twin OHC unit, Bill Lyons agreed over misgivings from Hassan. It was risky to take what had previously considered a racing or low-volume and cantankerous engine needing constant fettling. The subsequent engine was the powerplant of Jaguar, used in the XK120, Mk VII Saloon, Mk I and II Saloons. It was also employed in the E Type, itself a development from the winning and Le Mans conquering C and D Type Sports Racing cars refined as the short-lived XKSS. Properly maintained, the standard production XK Engine would achieve 200,000 miles of useful life, Two of the proudest moments in Jaguars long history in motor sport involved winning the Le Mans 24 hours race, firstly in 1951 and again in 1953
7.
British Leyland
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It was partly nationalised in 1975, when the UK government created a holding company called British Leyland, later BL, in 1978. It incorporated much of the British-owned motor vehicle industry, which constituted 40 percent of the UK car market, despite containing profitable marques such as Jaguar, Rover and Land Rover, as well as the best-selling Mini, British Leyland had a troubled history. In 1986 it was renamed as the Rover Group, later to become MG Rover Group, MG and the Austin, Morris and Wolseley marques became part of Chinas SAIC, with whom MG Rover attempted to merge prior to administration. Certain other related businesses, such as Unipart, continue to operate independently. At the time, LMC was a manufacturer, while BMH was perilously close to collapse. The Government was hopeful LMCs expertise would revive the ailing BMH, the new corporation was arranged into seven divisions under its new chairman, Sir Donald Stokes. After the merger, Lord Stokes was horrified to find that BMH had no plans to replace the elderly designs in its portfolio. Also, BMHs design efforts immediately prior to the merger had focused on niche market models such as the Austin Maxi and the Austin 3 litre. BMH had produced several cars, such as the Mini. While these cars had been advanced at the time of their introduction, the Mini was not highly profitable, immediately, Lord Stokes instigated plans to design and introduce new models quickly. The first result of this programme was the Morris Marina in early 1971. It used parts from various BL models with new bodywork to produce BLs mass-market competitor and it was one of the strongest-selling cars in Britain during the 1970s, although by the end of production in 1980 it was widely regarded as a dismal product that had damaged the companys reputation. The Austin Allegro, launched in 1973, earned a similarly unwanted reputation over its 10-year production life, the company became an infamous monument to the industrial turmoil that plagued Britain in the 1970s. Industrial action instigated by militant shop stewards frequently brought BLs manufacturing capability to its knees, the upshot was that both Ford and Vauxhall ultimately overtook BL to become Britains two best selling marques, a title they hold to the present day. At its peak, BLMC owned almost 40 manufacturing plants across the country, even before the merger BMH had included theoretically competing marques that were in fact selling substantially similar badge engineered cars. The British Motor Corporation had never properly integrated either the dealer networks or the facilities of Austin. The upshot was that plants were producing badge engineered models of otherwise identical cars so that each network would have a product to sell. Rover competed with Jaguar at the end of the market
8.
Jensen Motors
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Jensen Motors Ltd was a British manufacturer of sports cars and commercial vehicles in West Bromwich, England. Brothers Alan and Richard Jensen gave the new name, Jensen Motors Limited, to the commercial body, Jensen Motors built specialist car bodies for major manufacturers alongside cars of their own design using engines and mechanicals of major manufacturers Ford, Austin and Chrysler. The rights to Jensens trademarks were bought with the company and it operated in Speke, Liverpool. Under subsequent owners, a new version of the Jensen Interceptor was announced in 2011 and it was planned to bring manufacture of that new model back to the former Jaguar motor plant in Browns Lane, Coventry. In 1926 young Alan Jensen and his brother Richard Jensen built a new boat-tailed sporting body on one of the first Chummy baby Austins and it was seen by Alfred Herbert Wilde, chief engineer of Standard Motor Company. He persuaded Alan Jensen to join New Avon Body Co, a Standard Motor associate, Edgbaston Garage, a car servicing business, had been bought for his son in 1929 by J A M Patricks father. Young Joe Patrick, involved in all fields of sport, was setting up a coachbuilding operation. For his Edgbaston Garage the Jensen brothers made handsome bodies for the new Wolseley Hornet and Hornet Special chassis, to the concern of the brothers their cars were widely advertised as The Patrick Special and so in 1931 the brothers moved again. Edgbaston Garage became Patrick Motors Limited, the Jensen brothers had gone to work for lorry body maker W J Smith & Sons in Carters Green in West Bromwich again to build bodies for small sports cars including more Wolseley Hornet Specials. This was a separate development which Smith named on their account Jensen Motors. Their own name was on the product, in 1934 Smith died and the brothers managed to buy a controlling shareholding in Smith & Sons. They later changed the name of W J Smith & Sons to Jensen Motors Limited, smiths announced an open 4-seater and a lowered 2-seater in May 1931 both to be known as Jensen Wolseley Hornets. They later expanded to build exclusive customised bodies for cars produced by several manufacturers of the day including Morris, Singer, Standard. In 1934 they were commissioned by American film actor Clark Gable to design, the resultant car won them much acclaim and stimulated huge interest in their work, including a deal with Ford to produce a run of Jensen-Fords with Jensen bodywork with a Ford chassis and engine. In 1934 they also started to design their first true production car under the name White Lady and this evolved into the Jensen S-type which went into production in 1935. In the 1950s Jensen were chosen by the British Motor Corporation to build the bodies for the four-wheel-drive Austin Gipsy, in 1958 they built a small number of Tempo minibuses, a German original design, under licence. Production of cars ceased during the war years, but by 1946 a new vehicle was offered, few were produced since raw materials were carefully limited by the new governments central planning. Also in 1946 body designer Eric Neale joined Jensen Motors from Wolseley and his first project was the more modern coupe which followed in 1950, named the Interceptor, which was built until 1957
9.
Austin-Healey 100
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The Austin-Healey 100 is a sports car that was by Austin-Healey built from 1953 until 1956. It was developed by Donald Healey to be produced in-house by his small Healey car company in Warwick and based on Austin A90 Atlantic mechanicals. Healey built a single Healey Hundred for the 1952 London Motor Show, and the design impressed Leonard Lord, managing director of Austin, who was looking for a replacement to the unsuccessful A90. Body styling was by Gerry Coker, the chassis was designed by Barry Bilbie with longitudinal members, in order to keep the overall vehicle height low the rear axle was underslung, the chassis frame passing under the rear axle assembly. Lord struck a deal with Healey to build it in quantity, the car was renamed the Austin-Healey 100. The 100 was named by Healey for the ability to reach 100 mph, its successor. The 100 was the first of three models later called the Big Healeys to distinguish them from the much smaller Austin-Healey Sprite. The Big Healeys are often referred to by their three-character model designators rather than by their models, girling 11 in drum brakes were fitted all round. The suspension utilised modified Austin A90 components in order to be as cost effective as possible, steering was by Austins worm, front suspension was independent, double wishbone using coil springs and at the rear a rigid axle with semi elliptic leaf springs. A BN1 tested by The Motor magazine in 1953 had a top speed of 106 mph, a fuel consumption of 22.5 miles per imperial gallon was recorded. The test car cost £1063 including taxes, a total of 10030 BN1s were built from May 1953 until replaced by the BN2 model in August 1955. A1954 BN1 is on permanent display in the Bonneville Salt Flats exhibit at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia, PA, the BN2 was fitted with a real four-speed manual transmission, still with overdrive on the top two gears. Other features that distinguish the BN2 from the BN1 are the larger front wheel arches, different rear axle. In 1955, a high-performance 100M model was introduced, with larger carburettors and it produced 110 bhp at 4500 rpm. The front suspension was stiffened and the bonnet gained louvres, along with a bonnet belt, approximately 70% of 100Ms were finished with a two-tone paint scheme, including one White over Red and another in Black over Pink for display at the 1955 London Motor Show. In all,640 100Ms were built by the factory, the kit could be ordered from BMC, allowing private owners to make their own modifications. The BN2 was available initially in Carmine Red which was replaced with Reno Red, Spruce Green, Healey Blue, Florida Green, Old English White, Black, the final BN2 was built in July 1956, with a total of 4604 BN2s produced, including the 100M. Many BN-2 and 100-M Austin Healeys compete in events like the Pittsburgh Vintage Gran Prix
10.
Austin-Healey Sprite
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The Austin-Healey Sprite is a small open sports car which was produced in the United Kingdom from 1958 to 1971. The Sprite was announced to the press in Monte Carlo by the British Motor Corporation on 20 May 1958 and it was intended to be a low-cost model that a chap could keep in his bike shed, yet be the successor to the sporting versions of the pre-war Austin Seven. The Sprite was designed by the Donald Healey Motor Company, with production being undertaken at the MG factory at Abingdon. It first went on sale at a price of £669, using a version of the Austin A-Series engine. In 1961 the Sprite was joined by a badge-engineered MG version, enthusiasts often refer to Sprites and these later Midgets collectively as Spridgets. The Sprite quickly became known as the frogeye in the UK. The cars designers had intended that the headlights could be retracted, with the lenses facing skyward when not in use, a similar arrangement was used many years later on the Porsche 928. But cost cutting by BMC led to the mechanism being deleted, therefore the headlights were simply fixed in a permanently upright position. The body was styled by Gerry Coker, with subsequent alterations by Les Ireland following Cokers emigration to the US in 1957, the cars distinctive frontal styling bore a strong resemblance to the defunct American 1951 Crosley Super Sport. The Sprites chassis design was the worlds first volume-production sports car to use unitary construction, the two front chassis legs projecting forward from the passenger compartment mean the shell is not a full monocoque. The front sheet-metal assembly, including the bonnet and wings, was a unit, hinged from the back. The 43 bhp,948 cc OHV engine was derived from the Austin A35 and Morris Minor 1000 models, also BMC products, the rack and pinion steering was derived from the Morris Minor 1000 and the front suspension from the Austin A35. The front suspension was a spring and wishbone arrangement, with the arm of the Armstrong lever shock absorber serving as the top suspension link. The rear axle was located and sprung by quarter-elliptic leaf springs, again with lever-arm shock absorbers and top links. There were no exterior door handles, the driver and passenger were required to reach inside to open the door. Engine, 1958–1961,948 cc A-Series I4,43 hp at 5200 rpm and 52 lbf·ft at 3300 rpm A car was tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1958. It had a top speed of 82.9 mph and could accelerate from 0-60 mph in 20.5 seconds, fuel consumption of 43 miles per imperial gallon was recorded. The test car cost £678, including taxes of £223, in 1959, the Sprite was introduced to the U. S. market by racing and winning its class in the 12-hour race at Sebring
11.
Sports Car Club of America
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The Sports Car Club of America is an American automobile club and sanctioning body supporting road racing, rallying, and autocross in the United States. Formed in 1944, it runs many programs for amateur and professional racers. The SCCA traces its roots to the Automobile Racing Club of America, ARCA was founded in 1933 by brothers Miles and Sam Collier, and dissolved in 1941 at the outbreak of World War II. The SCCA was formed in 1944 as an enthusiast group, the SCCA began sanctioning road racing in 1948 with the inaugural Watkins Glen Grand Prix. Cameron Argetsinger, an SCCA member and local enthusiast who would later become Director of Pro Racing and Executive Director of the SCCA, helped organize the event for the SCCA. In 1951, the SCCA National Sports Car Championship was formed from existing marquee events around the nation, including Watkins Glen, Pebble Beach, and Elkhart Lake. Many early SCCA events were held on disused air force bases, organized with the help of Air Force General Curtis LeMay, by 1962, the SCCA was tasked with managing the U. S. World Sportscar Championship rounds at Daytona, Sebring, Bridgehampton and Watkins Glen, the club was also involved in the Formula 1 U. S. Bishop was also instrumental in founding the SCCA Trans-Am Series and the SCCA/CASC Can-Am series, in 1969, tension and infighting over Pro Racings autonomy caused Bishop to resign and help form the International Motor Sports Association. The SCCA dropped its policy in 1962 and began sanctioning professional racing. In 1963, the United States Road Racing Championship was formed, in 1966 the Canadian-American Challenge Cup was created for Group 7 open-top sportscars. The Trans-Am Series for pony cars began in 1966. Today, Trans-Am uses GT-1 class regulations, giving drivers a chance to race professionally. A professional series for open-wheel racing cars was introduced in 1967 as the SCCA Grand Prix Championship and this series was then held under various names through to the 1976 SCCA/USAC Formula 5000 Championship. SCCA Pro Racing has also sanctioned professional series for some classes such as Spec Racer Ford Pro. SCCA Pro Racing also sanctioned the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup during its time, the Club Racing program is a road racing division where drivers race on either dedicated race tracks or on temporary street circuits. Competitors require either a regional or a racing license. Both modified production cars and designed-from-scratch formula and sports cars can be used in Club Racing
12.
Bonneville Salt Flats
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The Bonneville Salt Flats is a densely packed salt pan in Tooele County in northwestern Utah. The area is a remnant of the Pleistocene Lake Bonneville and is the largest of many salt flats located west of the Great Salt Lake, the property is public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management and is known for land speed records at the Bonneville Speedway. Access is free and visitors can drive on the flats, geologist Grove Karl Gilbert named the area after Benjamin Bonneville, a U. S. Army officer who explored the Intermountain West in the 1830s. In 1907 Bill Rishel and two local businessmen tested the suitability of the salt for driving on by taking a Pierce-Arrow onto the surface of the flats, a railway line across the Bonneville Salt Flats was completed in 1910, marking the first permanent crossing. The first land speed record was set there in 1914 by Teddy Tetzlaff, furthermore, the Pontiac Bonneville, the Triumph Bonneville motorcycle, and the Bonneville International media company are all named for the salt flats. Specifically, the BLM concluded “despite brine withdrawal for mineral production, during the following summer months, heat from the sun evaporates the water and the precipitated salt becomes part of the race track surface. Since the onset of this project, more than 10.7 million tons of salt have been pumped on to the Bonneville Salt Flats, the Salt Laydown Project is now a required element of the facility’s operating plan. Motorcar racing has taken place at the flats since 1914. Racing takes place at part of the Bonneville Salt Flats known as the Bonneville Speedway, there are five major land speed events that take place at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Bonneville Speed Week takes place mid-August followed by World of Speed in September and these three events welcome cars, trucks, and motorcycles. The Bub Motorcycle Speed Trials are for motorcycles only, World records are contested at the Mike Cook ShootOut in September. Speed Week events in August were canceled for the year in a row in 2015. In 2004, the Stardust spacecraft released its sample-return capsule for a landing in the Bonneville Salt Flats after its flybys of asteroid 5535 Annefrank in 2002 and comet Wild 2 in 2004. List of vehicle speed records Bonneville Salt Flats - Bureau of Land Management High Speed Race Mike Cooks Bonneville Shootout Speed Week on the Bonneville Salt Flats
