Book Description About the Author John Nikas is the author of several books, including the award-winning Rule Britannia: When British Sports Cars Saved a Nation. A regular contributor to Healey Marque and Austin-Healey Magazine, John is a successful vintage racer and was the overall champion of the Mille Miglia North America Tribute in an Austin-Healey 100. He is a member of the Guild of Automotive Writers, Society of Automotive Historians, the British Automobile Racing Club, and the Austin-Healey Association of Southern California. Read more Customers Review: Great for all Healey historians
It has been some time since we last had a book published about our favorite car companies, a topic that many felt was done and dusted. But over the last couple of years, Geoff Healey’s daughters decided to clear out the archives that remained from the old Donald Healey Motor Co. and Healey Automotive Consultants, selling much of it at the Bonhams auction held at the Goodwood Revival in 2017 and 2018. Much of that material was accumulated by an enthusiast here in the USA, and he made it available to John Nikas to reassess the Healey story, and then produce a comprehensive and accurate retelling of the tale.His approach has been that of an historian, and he has striven to strike a fine balance between a book that both carries the weight of serious scholarship with a narrative that will appeal to the general reader. Copious footnotes appear at the end of each chapter, and there are no fewer than eight appendices at the end that cover DMH’s competition record, race and speed record results from the cars, production figures and more. A full bibliography is also provided.He even has included over 350 photos and illustrations to keep the non-reader among us entertained, many being published for the very first time.His timeline covers from Donald’s birth and early life all the way to his final years when he made regular visits to the USA to attend many different Austin-Healey events and Conclaves. Many readers will be surprised at the many competition and business successes DMH experienced before World War II and how widely known he was in England and Europe at that time. |
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