Nash-Healey, Batista Farina and Donald Healey at the summit
Review by Pete Vack
Author John Nikas’ (with Hervé Chevalier) new book Nash-Healey, A Grand Alliance, is the definitive history of the make. Short of a full history of each of the 508 Nash-Healeys built, this book leaves nothing to the imagination. Over 1,192 photos laid out over 800 pages by Jodi Ellis, it is a rich, entertaining, well documented (with endnotes, appendices, index) work, with material obtained from a huge number of sources including the personal papers of Donald Healey now held by the Audrain Museum in Newport, Rhode Island.
This huge two-volume history of the Nash Healey is much more than just that. This is Donald Healey, his life, his cars, his times, at least to circa 1954. Along the way, we learn volumes about Triumph, the Super Seven, the Gloria, and Donald’s masterpiece via Vittorio Jano, the Dolomite. We find ourselves happily learning all about Nash Motors, when under the guidance of George Mason, the firm went from Ambassadors to Pinin Farina in a well-done chapter that sheds new light on the design and construction of the Nash Healey. Volume 2 covers, in detail, the main competition successes gained by the Roger Menadue’s highly modified but still Nash-powered sports racers.
In a way, the book is too good for its own good; while we learn everything about the underrated Nash Healey, it is but a car. Nikas gets us hooked on the man himself (and those around him). While we knew quite a bit about this enterprising Britisher, here we are inundated with the details of a life filled with automotive adventures, a life that perhaps we would have enjoyed living. For most of his 89 years, Donald Healey was a man devoted to selling, building, rallying, racing and creating sports cars. He was everywhere, always with the cars, the teams, the drivers and early on learned the nuance of the European motoring culture at the Monte Carlo Rallye, Le Mans, and the Mille Miglia. He was behind the wheel, under the hood, in the corporate headquarters, doing deals, winning rallies, inspiring engineers and designers, and it often seemed that making money was a secondary priority. He weathered two world wars, married and raised three sons. Then suddenly, with the premature death of the title’s subject, before the going got really good (with the Austin Healey 100), the narrative stops. We are left hanging and wanting to buy another book to complete the life story, and that too, was written by John Nikas (Healey: The Men and the Machines).
Below, we chose but a tiny fraction of the book’s photos to show our readers what and why we liked the book and why you might like it as well. We’ll do the same with Volume 2 next week.
Born in 1898 in Perranporth, a small town in Cornwall, Donald Healey served as a pilot in WWI and returned home to establish the Red House Garage, which sold new and used cars. He sold Triumphs and became active in local and regional rallies and trials. This photo is from the 1930s.
At the 1929 Monte Carlo rally in full gear, with a tiny Triumph Super Seven. It was his first Monte Carlo and although unsuccessful, Healey gained a lot of experience. Healey is at left, with Tommy Wisdom lighting the cigarette. A thousand word photo.
Invicta 4-seat high-chassis tourer of Donald Healey, Brighton Motor Rally, 1930. Healey did everything; dressed as his own PR guy in his flashy sportscoat, he does some work on the Invicta while running in the Brighton Rally. He would enter the Monte Carlo Rallye with Invictas in 1930, 1931 and 1932, winning it outright in 1931. His competition successes would lead to an offer from Triumph to lead the experimental department and manage the Triumph rally teams. He left Perranporth and moved to Warwickshire near Birmingham with his family.
The infamous, or famous, Alfa 8C 2300 copy named the Dolomite. Nikas gives us more detailed information about Donald Healey’s greatest Triumph. Healey went to Italy to get Vittorio Jano’s approval and when finished, it was the most advanced, and probably the fastest British road car in the UK at the time. It was conceived by Triumph Managing Director Colonel Holbrook, Tommy Wisdom and Healey in late 1933. Healey stands with the impressive Dolomite.
With the Dolomite completed. Healey entered the 1935 Monte Carlo Rally in his seventh time completing in the event but came to grief in an accident with a train shortly after the start of the rally. No serious injuries but it was a bad omen for the new Dolomite. Healey is smoking while locals converge on the wreckage. In 1936 he tried again and took the Dolomite to an eighth overall at Monte Carlo.
With Triumph in financial straits and Holbrook gone, the Dolomite is dropped and becomes a Triumph model name. Another war came, Healey serves as a flight instructor, and with a band of brothers Healey made plans to produce a sports car even before the war had ended. Here is Healey behind the Riley powered prototype roadster in late 1945. His energy and enthusiasm never ends.
Most remarkable at a time when many industries were struggling to pick up the pieces after the war, Donald Healey created his own company and began producing a line of well-made cars. On the banking at Brooklands is a Tickford saloon, and an Elliott. 225 Tickfords were sold, 101 Elliots and 72 Westlands.
In 1949, with son Geoffrey now in the firm, Healey sought to increase the power of his cars by replacing the old Riley unit with a Cadillac V8. Good idea but when Cadillac had no interest, Healey called upon George Mason at Nash. And thus the Nash Healey was born.
The prototype Nash-Healey featured a Len Hodges designed body with a grille inspired, or demanded, by Nash to reflect its own line of cars. Gerry Coker, a new hire, worked under Hodges and smoothed out the lines and dispensed with the toothy grille but retained a grille shape that pleased Nash for the production run.
Chrysler purchased this production Nash Healey from Charlie’s Nash, a dealership in Detroit, and did an engineering evaluation of the car listing strengths and weaknesses. Although not a big seller, perhaps they were moving a few too many Nash-Healeys in the States.
With a new body designed…and built…by Pinin Farina, the last series Nash-Healey was introduced at the Chicago Automobile Show, February 16th, 1952. Here, Nash’s George Mason, who was behind the project from the start, looks over the roadster with Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina at Pebble Beach, where it was named the winner of the class “Two-seater sports cars over $4500”. But by 1954 the game was over. Mason died of a heart attack, Nash merged with Hudson, and Donald Healey was totally involved in the production of the Austin Healey 100. And that is another story.
Nash-Healey A Grand Alliance
2-volume set in slipcase
800 pages
1,192 illustrations
Foreword by Donald Osborne
978-1-956309-14-0
First published 2024
Having purchased a very unique 3000 back in the late 60’s I thought I was up to speed on Mr Healey. Obviously I was wrong. Thanks Pete for highlighting this incredible attempt to bring the recognition Donald Healy deserves.