Old Irish Racing Dioramas

Thought you'd been a bit quiet with the dioramas lately Jerry. The red and yellow Alfa looks like it was made for this diorama.

That is a lovely piece of work Jerry. Well worth the wait. Having a couple of Alfa's in the diorama I'm sure will not go unnoticed.

The Cape Works - Long time friend David Matthews, is writing another specialist Austin Healey book.  This time, he is writing about the Austin Healey coupe prototypes and 3000 and Sprite race cars.  Besides having worked at one time for Donald Healey Motor Company, David  owned one of the two Austin Healey 100 Coupes.  The other was converted to 100 S specifications and was Donald Healey's personal car for many years.  So, the subject is near and dear to his heart, plus a story that hasn't been told, at least not in any detail.  He asked me if I would make some dioramas for inclusion in the book and that is what I have been working on lately.  My focus has been making a replica of the main entrance side of the main building and also the Experimental Shop which was located at one end of the building.  These will be used as backdrops for the dioramas.  This is a preview of the unfinished diorama bases.

In the early 1950's, Donald Healey bought some acreage that the Warwick Town Council had recently made available for commercial development along  the Grand Canal that flows through Warwick, in an area known locally as The Cape.  Healey bought and moved a WWII surplus airplane hanger and Nissen hut to the property to make workshops and offices for his growing company.  The Austin Healey prototypes, production and race development work and race cars were done and built here.  This includes all the 100 S production and their early boat production.  In 1953, the buildings were given a brick façade and in later years, substantially added onto.  This location is referred to as The Cape Works by Austin Healey enthusiasts and the buildings still exist, with the original offices and shops occupied by Healey specialists JME Healey.



Donald Healeys personal car was this 100 S prototype coupe.  It started life as a 1953 Austin Healey 100 production car, but was taken for development of a coupe for long-distance racing and it later acquired a 100 S engine and disc brakes.   It is said to be a great car to drive and benefits from the stiffer chassis.  Stirling Moss drove Donald Healey on a recce of the Mille Miglia in the car in 1954.  Originally painted red with a black top, it is known (like so many Healeys and other notable British cars) by its registration number ONX 113.  Below is a period picture of the car outside the Experimental Shop.



Below is my rendering of the Experimental Shop.



All race car development and building was done in this end of the Healey Works (rally cars after 1959 were built by BMC Competition Dept.).  This was the domain of Healey's chief mechanic and engineer Roger Menadue.  The photo below shows the 100 S cars before being shipped to Sebring in 1955.  I haven't figured out how to replicate the fog.



Period photos like the one below from 1957 which contain parts of the building in them were used to make the buildings in my dioramas.  They are rare and make the job more challenging. Thankfully, folks like David have recollection of what the buildings were like.  Something nobody seemed to focus on or chronicle at the time. This is Donald Healey with the Sebring streamliner race car outside the main building where the offices and workshops for car and boat production took place.



This is my 1/43 scale version of that side of the building.  If you look in the small window you can see a Healey boat being built.  The right end is Donald Healeys office.



Ready for a test drive.



More photos to come...

You've captured the aura of those photos very well Jerry! And a what a looker the prototype and model are too!

Amazing, as usual!

Thanks Tom, I appreciate it!

Thanks BB!  The 100 Coupe was a very special car indeed and a shame they never went to a production version.  BMC were selling as many 100 roadsters as they could make, so no real financial incentive, let along production resources.  Donald always liked to talk about that car and drove it until operating a clutch was becoming bothersome for him.  I'm not sure why Spark modeled it as it is now restored, instead of the original red with black roof.  I held my breath as I painted the roof of this one.  After some touch up it came I well I think.  I still need to paint the wheels the proper silver.  72-spoke, let alone chrome wheels weren't available till the mid-1960's.



Thanks Martin!  I am hoping the final photos will turn out well.  I will publish ones that don't go in the book at a later date.

Thanks Julio!

Thanks Ian!  I worked with "paper" brick for the first time, which was a learning curve.  I liked that there were many varieties and color of brick to choose from, which made matching easier than painting.  It cuts easily and mounts to artist board well.  I was pleased that it will take light coats of weathering to take the shine off the original surface.  Even though I'm being compensated, it was a project where I really enjoyed the subject and that always makes any project easier!

Absolutely splendid diorama Jerry, top marks. I wish I had the skill and patience to do such work but alas I am a lazy incompetent idiot so I content myself with admiring others hard work. I do like Healeys but nowadays getting in and out of one with any dignity might be a touch difficult especially if it has a hardtop. There are a few in my collection though, I recently acquired the Spark model of the 1960 Le Mans car regd DD300 which is still raced. I was happy to get it.