Healey Silverstone

The Healey Silverstone is an open two-seater road / racing sports car, or in the USA roadster, that was made by Donald Healey Motor Company. The Silverstone had headlights behind the grille to make it more aerodynamic. It was designed to be a dual purpose "race and ride" car. It also had a 104-horsepower 2.4-litre Riley inline-4 cylinder engine and four speed manual transmission.[3]

Healey Silverstone
Silverstone first registered 4 May 1950 visiting Goodwood 2009. Note the headlights behind the grille.
Overview
ManufacturerDonald Healey Motor Company
Production1949-1950[1]
DesignerLen Hodges
Body and chassis
ClassOpen two-seater or (US) Roadster[2]
LayoutFront engine, rear-wheel drive
Powertrain
Engine2.5L I-4,[3] 3.0L Six Cylinder[1]
TransmissionFour-speed manual[1]
Dimensions
Wheelbase102 in (2,591 mm)
Track 54 in (1,372 mm)[2]
Length168 in (4,267 mm)[2]
Width63 in (1,600 mm)[2]
Kerb weight18.5 cwt
2,072 lb (940 kg)[2]
Chronology
PredecessorHealey Elliot[1]
SuccessorHealey 100
Riley 2½-litre Big Four
Overview
ManufacturerRiley Motors Limited
Production1937 to 1957[2]
Layout
Configurationstraight four
Displacement2.443 L (149.1 cu in)[2]
Cylinder bore80.5 mm (3.17 in)[2]
Piston stroke120 mm (4.7 in)[2]
Valvetrainhigh camshafts, short push-rods operating 90 degree angled overhead valves[2]
Compression ratio6.9 : 1[2]
Combustion
Fuel systemTwin H4 SU carburettors[2]
Output
Power output106 bhp @ 4,500 rpm
Tax rating 16hp[2]

Production

The Silverstone was made at a factory in Lower Cape, Warwick, England. They were hand-built and only 105 were produced. When in 1948 the British government doubled the purchase tax on (luxury) cars over £1000 (US$4000)[note 1] from 33.33% to 66.66% , Healey realised there was a market for a lower cost car with high performance[3] and decided to make a car which sold for under £1000. The result was the Healey Silverstone.[3] Production ended in September 1950 when it was replaced by the Nash-Healey which was developed to cater for the more lucrative US market.

Design

The Silverstone body was designed by Len Hodges[4] and was mounted on the original Healey chassis drawn up in 1945 by Achille 'Sammy' Sampietro (who had worked at Alfa Romeo and Maserati before the war and latterly Humber during the conflict). Hodges rounded the back of the car and pulled it out slightly from the sides, a slot was cut out of the rear to house the spare wheel and tyre which protruded out of the rear of the car and acted like a bumper. The car was a two-seater with a very light body but very little luggage space. It weighed only 2,100 pounds, which made it suitable for motor-sports.[5] The original 1949 Silverstone (D-Type) cockpit was comparatively narrow and was cramped, whereas the later 1950 Silverstone (E-Type) was made wider and therefore more comfortable. Both versions were comparatively successful on the track.[5]

Competition history

The Silverstone has won many competitions including the 1949 Alpine Rally or Coupe des Alpes where the car was driven by Donald Healey and Ian Appleyard. Another win was in 1951 when Peter Riley and Bill Lamb won Belgium's Liège–Rome–Liège Rally and in 1951 Edgar Wadsworth and Cyril Corbishley again won the Coupe des Alpes. Other notable placings included Peter Simpson's 6th place overall in the 1951 Isle of Man Manx Cup Races. The Silverstone had a top speed of 110 mph (177 km/h) and a 0-60 mph (97 km/h) time of 11 seconds.[4]

Interior of a 1950 Silverstone
The odd placement of the tire
1950 Healey Silverstone front suspension, photographed at Haynes International Motor Museum.

Notes
  1. The exchange rate GBP to USD was £1 = $4.03 from 1940 to September 1949

References
  1. "1950 Healey Silverstone". HowStuffWorks. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
  2. Rileyrob. "Healey Silverstone (1949-51)". Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  3. Wood, Jonathan (2003). Ultimate History of Fast cars. Parragon Publishing. pp. 34–35. ISBN 1-40541-593-2.
  4. Vaughan, Daniel (September 2008). "1949 Healey Silverstone". conceptcarz. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
  5. Mullen, Jeremy. "1950 Healey Silverstone(E-Type)". conceptcarz. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
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