Record-breaking West Midlands-built car shown off in full glory
A famous West Midlands-built sports car that sold for a record £843,000 at auction has been shown off in its fully restored glory.
The 1953-made Austin-Healey Special Test Car was displayed by auctioneers Bonhams in London having undergone months of restoration work in Australia.
Having appeared in various motor races between 1953 and 1955, including two Le Mans 24-hour races, the Austin-Healey remained untouched from 1969 to 2011 before owner Jack Scott offered it for auction.
The auction in December 2011 led to a European collector paying a record price for an Austin-Healey, with the car being restored by Steve Pike of Marsh Classic Restorations in Australia.
The car, made at Longbridge in the West Midlands, will feature at various events in the UK over the next few months.
Number plated NOJ 393, the car is one of only two surviving special test cars from 1953. It raced in the 1953 Le Mans event as well as the tragic 1955 Le Mans race when the Mercedes 300SLR driven by Pierre Levegh went into the back of NOJ 393, with the Mercedes becoming airborne and breaking up, with bits of the car hurtling into a packed section of crowd.
More than 80 people were killed, including Levegh, and more than 120 injured. The Austin-Healey was damaged but its driver Lance Macklin escaped serious injury.
