1951 Nash-Healey Sport Coupé
Pilots: D. Hamilton, T. Rolt
Team: Donald Healey Motor Co
Race: 6th GC (4th S 5.0 class) at Le Mans in 1951
Bizarre - BZ092 (resin)
Published 07/11/17
Nash-Healey came to existence by a chance encounter on the ocean liner Queen Elizabeth in late 1949. American president of Nash Motors George Mason and British sports car maker Donald Healey started talking about photography (!) and from there came the idea of building a modern sportscar. In 1951 the Nash-Healey Sport Coupé was released, and it was the true first North-American sportscar. The engine came from the Nash Ambassador, an inline six-cylinder with 3850 cm³, equipped with dual carburetors, a performance camshaft and a special cylinder head, capable of 125 hp. The chassis was basically a widened and reinforced Healey Silverstone chassis, and had an aluminum body designed by Healey himself. The road-going version of the car was originally a roadster, but for Le Mans Healey adopted a top.
Aston Martins dominated Le Mans in 1951, with a few Ferraris, Jaguars and Talbot Lagos in between. But even with stiff competition as that, the Sport Coupe #19 managed a noble 6th place. This is my first model from defunct Bizarre. I think they did a VERY good job replicating the odd-looking car in 1:43. Interestingly, the original roadster is MUCH more pleasing to the eye. The paint job is top notch, with a very good detail level overall. In my eyes it looks very much like an older Spark. Since Bizarre is typically known for their oddball model subjects, I don’t think it’s a very popular brand among most collectors.