1952 Nash-Healey Le Mans Prototype chassis X-6. Image courtesy of Redline Automotive Restorations.
In automotive context, we usually associate the word ‘elegance’ with the often rare, and always iconic, domestic and foreign-crafted coachwork from the late Twenties and much of the Thirties. From sweeping speedsters to posh phaetons, these majestic machines of yore have been the solid foundation upon which the most celebrated automotive events were – and still are – based upon. Yet elegance can be defined in a number of ways, and presented in multiple forms, such as a purpose-built race car.
It seems like an oxymoron, right? How could a noisy machine, designed for nothing more than testing the brute strength of engineering for the benefit of passenger car durability – to say nothing of sales-stirring headlines – be elegant?
Consider: Bentley’s 3-Litre Super Sport or Speed Six, the Alfa Romeo 8C, Delahaye’s 135, or Bugatti’s Type 57, which – combined – won 12 of the first 16 running’s of the 24-Hours of Le Mans, and all of which are now recognized as Full Classics by the Classic Car Club of America. Then there’s the race-winning postwar legends: Jaguar’s D-Type, Ferrari’s 250, Aston Martin’s DBR1, and Ford’s GT-40, to name a few. It’s logically fitting, then, that for the forthcoming 2019 Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance, we’re welcoming a wide array of vintage race cars in a dedicated class, such as the elegantly racy 1952 Nash-Healey Le Mans Prototype pictured above.
The general story famously begins with the chance meeting of Nash-Kelvinator president, George Mason, and noted race car driver/designer Donald Healey, while travelling across the Atlantic aboard an ocean liner in 1949. Nash had been keen on building a two-seat sports car by 1951, while Healey set out to obtain a bigger American engine (he singled out Cadillac) to power his respectably-competitive Silverstone sports cars. The end result was the creation of the Nash-Healey. Unveiled in 1951, the roadsters, and eventually the hardtop editions, featured Pinin Farina styling from 1952-’54. But what few remember was the racing effort that actually launched the passenger car program.
Supplied with what was essentially a stock engine intended for 1950 Nash Ambassadors, Healey modified his existing Silverstone chassis to accept the 234.8-cu.in. straight-six; the only modifications to the engine being a swap to an aluminum cylinder head, a unique manifold, and dual SU carburetors. The newly-minted open cockpit Nash-Healey – one of 66 cars that made the 1950 24-Hours of Le Mans grid – was masterfully driven by Tony Rolt and Duncan Hamilton to a fourth place finished, having very nearly stolen third from a Cadillac-powered Allard J2 (Editor’s note: Ironically, the 1950 race was better remembered for the 10th place finish of Briggs Cunningham’s Cadillac Coupe deVille). The astounding result was the true catalyst for the ‘regular production’ models that debuted at the Paris Auto Show in the Fall, which also prompted the pair to enter Le Mans in ’51. This was done with the same driver lineup; however, a new sport coupe body was used in leu of an open cockpit. Again, the team found itself contending for a podium finish as the 24th hour neared, but ultimately crossed the line sixth overall and fourth in class. Which brings us to the 1952 effort and the subject of this feature.
Up to this point, a closed coupe had not claimed the overall win at Le Mans, so Healey ordered the construction of not one, but two lightweight open cockpit chassis. While chassis X-5, which was to be driven by Pierre Veyron and Yves Giraud-Cabantous, was based on the previous Silverstone’s body design, chassis X-6 – scheduled to be piloted by Leslie Johnson and Tommy Wisdom – resembled a streamlined version of the 1951 Nash-Healey’s exterior façade. Both were fitted with the Nash straight-six engine and featured the latest Healey tweaks in the name of greater power. In truth, part of the reasoning behind racing a pair of open cockpit designs was because the Nash-Healey coupe, originally selected to race at Le Mans, crashed during the Mille Miglia in early May. Its replacement, chassis X-6, was built in just three weeks.
At Le Mans, chassis X-5 and X-6 qualified 22nd and 19th respectively amid intense competition from Allard, Aston Martin, Cunningham, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Talbot-Lago, and a host of others. It took all of six laps for it to become clear that 8.4-mile long Circuit de la Sarthe was going to be demanding when one of the prerace favorites – a factory Ferrari driven by grand prix regulars Alberto Ascari and Luigi Villoresi – retired with clutch failure. One by one, Le Mans claimed its prize, including Nash-Healey chassis X-5. Soldering on was chassis X-6 which, according to Healey after the race,
Had a trouble-free run throughout the race with the exception of a fractured exhaust pipe which cost us a little time to wire up in place. The car ran to a steady average as scheduled, its petrol consumption was approximately 16 mpg, and what amazed everyone was that it did not use one drop of oil or water.
It was a glowing report for the underrated team, which pulled off an amazing upset by finishing third overall – behind the Mercedes-Benz 1-2 effort – and first in class. One could argue that Nash-Healey’s feat could be attributed to the fact that 40 of the 57 entries failed to finish, but this was an era in which mechanical durability was as great a variable as driver stamina. Not only had they outlasted many of Europe’s giants in the sports car industry in one of the world’s most demanding races, they outpaced Cunningham’s fourth place finishing car by 10 laps.
Soon after the dawn of 1953, Donald Healey made his future intentions known to the automotive industry when he reached an agreement with Austin. Though the Austin-Healey name would become an iconic name of the Sixties, he still had to finish his obligations with Nash, prompting a return to Le Mans with a two-car Nash-Healey effort. Missing from the team upon its arrival in France was chassis X-6, which had been sold to a U.S. racer earlier. (Editor’s note: 1953 was Nash-Healey’s final assault on the Le Mans circuit. One car retired on lap nine with mechanical failure, while the second car finished in 11th overall; seventh in class.)
In the States, chassis X-6 was raced throughout the northeast over the next few years, including documented starts at Watkins Glen and Bridgehampton (New York), Thompson (Connecticut), Westover and Beverley (airports in Massachusetts), and even the Mount Equinox Hillclimb (mere miles from our world headquarters in Vermont) where it claimed an overall win on June 21, 1953. Later in the decade the historic Nash-Healey was unceremoniously retired in hidden from view until it was rediscovered in a chicken coop, still in its as-raced condition. Now owned by Jose Fernandez, and having been comprehensively restored to its 1952 Le Mans livery by Redline Automotive Restorations, chassis X-6 is scheduled to be on display in the aforementioned Vintage Race Car Class on Sunday, September 15.
The Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance is presented by Gullwing Motor Cars, and further supported by American Collectors Insurance, MPT Industries, and Coker Tire. With their collective support, the 13th-annual celebration of vintage vehicles will take place on September 13-15 at The Festival Commons at Charles R. Wood Park, in Lake George, New York. As announced earlier, this year we will honor Prewar Rolls-Royce, Class of 1949, Datsun Z and ZX cars (240, 260, 280 models), Early SUVs thru 1978, Chevy W-Engine passenger cars, Vintage Race Cars, and Fresh Restorations (automobiles that have a recently completed restoration). These featured marques will be accompanied by our remaining traditional pre-1974 classes, headlined by Full Classics, American Pre- and Postwar cars, American Muscle cars, European cars, Vintage Trucks, and Preservation cars.
The weekend will commence with the traditional Hemmings Rally and luncheon on Friday afternoon. That will be followed by a scenic dinner cruise on Lake George aboard the Lac du Saint Sacrement. Saturday plays host to our annual support event, the Cruise-In Spectacular: an open-to-all-makes collector-car event. Later that evening, Honorary Chairman and Keynote Speaker Bill Warner — an accomplished automotive journalist, race car driver, vehicle restorer, and founder and chairman of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance — will deliver his keynote address during the Concours banquet at the Fort William Henry Hotel and Conference Center. Bill will be in attendance throughout much of the event weekend, along with our master of ceremonies, Bill Rothermel.
Due to class-size restrictions, several categories have already filled to capacity; however, we are still accepting submissions for review for all classes. If you would like to have your vehicle considered for this year’s Concours, we urge you to not delay. Please send full contact information, photos of the vehicle, and a brief write-up about it to Hemmings Motor News Concours, Attn: Matthew Litwin, 222 Main Street, Bennington, Vermont, 05201, or by following the link on our Concours event page at Hemmings.com/events/concours.
A portion of the Concours proceeds will go directly towards charities to be named shortly. For more information about the 13th Annual Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance presented by Gullwing Motor Cars, including all-access tickets, accommodations, and any forthcoming event schedule updates, visit Hemmings.com/events/concours.
For more information about Lake George, including activities and attractions, visit LakeGeorge.com.
For sponsorship opportunities, please email Tim Redden at tredden@hemmings.com, or call 802-447-9636.
Potential vendors can contact Mary Pat Glover at mpglover@hemmings.com or Kathy Ryder at kryder@hemmings.com.
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