1949 Healey Silverstone D-Type – Auction Car of the Week

Way before Malcolm Sayer designed the Le Mans winning D-Type for Jaguar back in 1954 there was another open top two-seater to go by that name, albeit colloquially, designed and developed by a certain gentleman by the name of Donald Healey, who you may have heard of. Like Sayer, Healey began his career as an aircraft engineer and both men would bring their knowledge and expertise in the field of aerodynamics to the table when it came to their cars, not least of which being the Healey Silverstone; a car that would pave the way for future iconic machines bearing the Healey name and an important chapter in the the automotive story book.

In the immediate aftermath of World War Two Healey assembled a crack trio of highly skilled and experienced industry experts consisting of himself, industrial designer Ben Bowden and engineer A.C. Sampietro, who had previously worked with both Alfa Romeo and Maserati. Together they formed the Donald Healey Motor Company in 1945, moved into an old RAF base in Warwickshire and immediately set about building high performance motor cars.

The first cars to come out of this new collaboration were a four-seater, open top sports model called the Healey Westland and a fixed head saloon known as the Healey Elliott – both named for their respective coachbuilder’s bodywork. The cars utilised lightweight, box section chassis with an independent front suspension setup designed by Healey himself. Power came from a 2.4-litre, 104bhp four-cylinder Riley engine, a company for which Healey had previously worked and with whom he would continue to maintain a good relationship.

The Healey Elliott was the fastest production four-seater at the time, picking up numerous rallying trophies along the way and off the back of this success Healey would have the confidence, experience and means to realise a lifelong dream of developing and building a proper race car. That car, unveiled in 1948, was the Healey Silverstone.

Named after the British race track the Healey Silverstone represented the country’s post-war optimism and was priced in such a way as to make it incredibly successful. But it wasn’t just the £975 purchase price that captured people’s attention. The car was also incredibly well designed and engineered. The lightweight alloy roadster body by Len Hodges sat atop a revised version of Sampietro’s original box chassis (known as the D-Type) and included Healey’s innovative suspension setup. Again, power came from a 2.4-litre Riley twin-cam and when it was all bolted together produced something far greater than the sum of its parts.

Renowned for its handling and thinly disguised race car characteristics the Healey Silverstone proved incredibly popular with early post-war racers, with many big names beginning their careers in a Silverstone, including F1 legend Tony “The Racing Dentist” Brooks.

With just over 100 Healey Silverstones ever produced and less than half of them being the early D-Type models, this 1949 example available via our auctions platform is an incredibly rare and historically significant car. Used very much as Healey intended this narrow body D-Type has been raced extensively throughout its life with myriad entries to its name between 1950 and 2018. Very much proving its worth and indeed abilities it has accumulated numerous trophies and continues to be a successful historic racing car despite turning 75 this year. We couldn’t imagine getting out of the armchair without groaning at that age, let alone winning races!

Presenting in fantastic condition for its age the car wears its rich and characterful patina with pride, the battle scars of a life well lived, a life that is fully documented in a comprehensive history file. It’s a life that still has plenty more to give, too. The car’s mechanicals are still very much on point and along with an International Federation for Historic Vehicles license (FIVA) issued in 2016, which proves eligibility for historic rallies and events (among other things), this Healey Silverstone is ready for more adventures, more races and many, many more miles.

Although still mostly original the car has undergone a handful of minor modifications. We’re not talking lowered suspension and a sub woofer in the boot of course, merely some tweaks to keep it competitive and usable in the modern age. Mechanical enhancements like a modern starter motor and dual circuit brakes for instance. The spirit of the car remains untarnished, however and this historic competition racer with a proven pedigree has been driven just as its creator intended. And that’s wonderful to see.