A vintage racing car involved in the catastrophic Le Mans disaster more than 50 years ago is expected to fetch up to £500,000 at auction.
The Austin-Healey 100 Special Test Car competed in the 1955 Le Mans 24-hour race, during which 83 spectators were killed and hundreds more injured in one of motor racing’s most horrific crashes. French authorities impounded the classic car after it was clipped by Mercedes driver Pierre Levegh, causing large parts of racing debris to fly into the crowd.
Now, having been fully restored and kept in storage for 42 years, the 100 will be exhibited to the public at Bonhams Goodwood Revival sale from September 16-18. It will then go to auction at Mercedes-Benz World, Weybridge, on December 1.
James Knight, group head of Bonhams’ Motoring Department, said: “As an unashamed Austin-Healey fan - and owner of a 100 myself - I’m thrilled to be handling such an important and historic Healey.
“The 100S is, to me, the most desirable Healey of all and to offer an ex-works example with Special Test Car lineage and such significant racing history is a dream come true.”
The Austin-Healey 100 competed in both the 1953 and 1955 Le Mans 24-hour races, finishing 14th overall in 1953. It is one of only four Special Test Cars from the company’s illustrious Warwick factory and still bears its iconic works racing team road registration NOJ 393.
Having begun life as a Healey Special Test Car, it was later updated by the factory to 100S specification for 1954/55 when NOJ 393 contested both the exotic Carrera PanAmericana Mexico and the Bahamas Speed Week events at Nassau.
The car was being driven by Lance Macklin at Le Mans ’55 when it was struck from behind by Levegh’s works Mercedes-Benz 300SLR. Levegh was killed in the crash.
The 100 was impounded by the French authorities for some 18 months, before being released blame-free back to the Donald Healey Motor Company.
It was repaired and restored at their Warwick factory and returned to competition in private hands through the late 1950s and into the 1960s, before being acquired by its current owner in 1969.