BMC/Donald Healey Motor Co, 'Works' Cars

The title Sebring Sprite was born out of the success of the 'works' team of Sprites which were entered for the 12 Hour Grand Prix d'Endurance at the Sebring Raceway in Florida, USA in March 1959. Less than a year after the Austin-Healey Sprite went into production, BMC entered four cars for this prestigious event. The cars were taken from the production line at Abingdon and transferred to Donald Healey Motor Co at The Cape Works, Warwick where Geoff Healey, son of Donald, organised their preparation. They were equipped with Dunlop disc brakes on all four wheels as well as Dunlop wire wheels and tyres. Modifications to the engines included fitting 1¼" SUs Sebring1959 in place of the smaller, 1⅛",originals. Jensen's pretty hardtops were fitted together with the taller-than-standard side-screens. Paintwork was Speedwell Blue (as against the standard Sprite colour: Iris Blue) with white hardtops. The all-American (almost, as Sutherland is Canadian) driver line-up was:

SEBRING 1959 - 12 HOURS

Race No	Driver 1	Driver 2	Driver 3	Pos in race	Today
53	Ed Leavens	Dr. Harold Kunz		2nd	believed destroyed when fell off trailer 'en route' to a 60's race at Wisconsin
54	Hugh Sutherland	Phil Stiles		1st	Click here to go to a page about this car now owned by Butch Gilbert
55	Fred Hayes	John Christy	John Colgate	3rd	car bore reg no 173 AC
78	Sydney Oakes	Greta Oakes	P. Bethel	dns

The fourth car, No. 78, was a reserve and did not race but the remaining Butch three ran (mostly) reliably throughout the long race finishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd in their class (for 750 to 1000cc GT cars). After the event the cars were apparently sold off to local dealers and did not return to the UK. One of them, the No.54 Sutherland/Stiles car which won its class has recently under-gone full restoration by its owner Butch Gilbert in California (right) and has been for sale. More:

SEBRING 1960 - 4 HOURS

For the 1960 race a new car was built up by the Canadian distributors using parts supplied from Warwick, England. It bore the registration plate 7080AC and had a red body with white or grey hardtop and was entered with Stirling Moss as its driver. He finished 1st in class and 2nd overall. (Historic photos kindly supplied by Jonathan Whitehouse-Bird. The car is now thought to be the one owned by Ron Gordon. A second car entered may have been one of the 1959 cars which this time ran un-registered and its drivers were Moore and Lilley. It failed to complete the distance.

& 12 HOURS

John Sprinzel and John Lumkin drove the Falcon-bodied Sprite bearing the registration 5983AC in this, the long distance race, to 1st place in its class, 41st overall. The Works Falcon Sprite

SEBRING 1961 - 4 HOURS

Reg No:	Race No:	Driver	Co-driver	Body	Overall result
8423UE	4	Ed Leavens		GRP body	6th
8424UE	6	Briggs Cunningham	Dick Thompson	GRP body	8th
8425UE	5	BruceMcLaren		GRP body with hood	4th
8427UE	3	Walt Hansgen		Alloy hardtop by Les Ireland	3rd

(N.B. It is not verified as to whether Nos.4 & 6 were 8423UE or 8424UE, or vice versa.)

It was in this event that Stirling Moss, driving Sprinzel's Coupé PMO200, came 5th overall and his sister, Pat, was seventh in S221 (See under Williams & Pritchard). Butch Gilbert kindly supplied me with information relating to the car believed to have been driven by Briggs Cunningham. I am unclear which car this is but believe it to be that driven by Briggs Cunningham. Click on pink box above to view. The Walt Hansgen car later became the Ecurie Ecosse Le Mans car re-registered 1413WD.

& 12 HOURS

Reg No:	Race No:	Driver	Co-driver	Body	Class	Overall
8426UE	65	Ed Leavens	John Colgate		3rd	25th
8427UE	66	Joe Buzetta	Glenn Carlson	Alloy hardtop by Les Ireland	2nd	15th

1962/3 ~ The Mark 2s

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LeMans Sprite: 1411WD & XOH 276 : 1959 Monte & Alpine rally car

[The content of the above notes is largely extracted from Tom Coulthard's chapter in "Spritely Years", with his kind permission]

1965 ~ Sebring 12 Hours

DAC 952C

I will be adding to this section details of other Works Cars

as this information becomes available.