770 KNX

The "Works" 1964 Le Mans Entry

Their car having failed to finish in both the 1961 and 1963 Le Mans 24 Hour races, the Donald Healey Motor Co built a new aluminium Sprite Coupé for 1964, similar in appearence to the '63 car which crashed, with the goal being to complete the distance in that years 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. The car was driven at Le Mans by Clive Baker and Bill Bradley, and as Geoff Healey says in his book "More Healeys" both drivers 'drove well within their capabilities, finishing twenty-fourth'. 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 on right]

Fast forward to 23rd July 2011 ~ Ian Grainger has recently had some communication with the current owner of 770 KNX, which after the Le Mans race was rebuilt at the Cape before being sold to the 'States'.

The present owner, (who wants to remain anonymous) is only the car's second owner since Le Mans, who bought the car in 1985, and is only now trying to find out its history. He believes the car was raced at Sebring earlier in 1964, which from the Racing Sports Cars website would seem to be correct. 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.

I have been given permission to reproduce the colour photos you see here, which show the car as it is today ~ understood to be totally original and as it left 'The Cape' in 1964.

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