SOLVED: Djetset #53 - Ausca Holden sports

[Djetset]

For one point, do you know what this is?  Good luck.

[zaktoo]

Kieft?

[Djetset]

Nope!

[Djetset]

Time to move on up.

[faksta]

It's an Australian Ausca, methinks. At least it looks very similar.

[Djetset]

Well done Faksta, it is the Holden-based Ausca from Australia.  Have the point.

[Paul Jaray]

Actually this very exemplar is the Sir Ward Special in his first version with an Ausca body, it's Austin-Healey-based and the reason why it's slightly different is here:
"With the Ausca body (see photo) it was registered GTV 116 in January 1959. The original bonnet wouldn't clear the Healey rocker cover, so Baker and Tait of Richmond build an aluminium bonnet. Coincidentally, the tradesman who hand-crafted the bonnet was Sid Ward, who later built the aluminium coupe body the car wears today."

[fnqvmuch]

so what part is holden? did the auscar normally use a holden six with stromberg, ie just as tall, surely...

[Djetset]

Yes, typically Ausca used a Holden 6-cylinder engine.

[Paul Jaray]

For one point, do you know what this is? Good luck.

yes...

Ausca Holden sports

no...

[faksta]

I would sacrifice my point in favour of the truth, if it is necessary.

[Paul Jaray]

Why? You wrote "It's an Australian Ausca, methinks. At least it looks very similar." and it's 100% correct!
I mean that this very exemplar is something more than just an Ausca.

[faksta]

Well, that's fair 
I have never heard of Austin-Healey based Ausca before, by the way. I though they were based just upon Holden, Triumph or Alfa Romeo mechanicals.

[Paul Jaray]

This is the story of the Ward Special at the beginning:
"On 27 January 1955, Austin Healey 100 chassis no. BN1/22490 rolled off the Longbridge production line. The car was a black RHD export model destined for Sydney, Australia. (...). Its engine no. was the same as the chassis  no. - H1B22490-M – and the body no. 7491. Some time in the next few months the car was shipped to Australia.(...)

The following history has been pieced together from information provided by the Healey Factory, and from conversations with most of the previous owners – Clive Millis, Lindsay Hughes, Peter Marshell, John Best and Peter Rowland – and with Sid Ward's son Andrew. Iain McPherson knows the car well as in the early '70's the then owner worked close by to Iain's work. Iain has been able to fill in many details. (...). Clive Millis, the next owner, reports that the car was extensively damaged within months of delivery in a street racing accident at a place known as "Death Dip" on the Hume Highway at Craigieburn North of Melbourne. Clive says the damage was such that the car could have gone "end over end". He bought the wreck as an insurance write-off (although the Vicroads records don't show this event), straightened the chassis and fitted an Ausca fibreglass body, which was a direct copy of a Maserati A6GCS/53. The Ausca bodies were built by Paul England who worked for Repco. Only seven bodies were made, which were mostly fitted to Healeys, MGAs and Triumph TRs (...)
With the Ausca body (see photo) Clive registered the car GTV 116 in January 1959. He had found that the original bonnet wouldn't clear the Healey rocker cover, so he had Baker and Tait of Richmond build an aluminium bonnet. Coincidentally, the tradesman who hand-crafted the bonnet was Sid Ward, who later built the aluminium coupe body the car wears today. Presumably it was at this time that the steering column was lowered an inch or two at the firewall. The car was painted metallic silver grey, and had an aluminium grille surround built by Tishlers grilles (...)
In 1967, Lindsay commissioned renowned coachbuilder Sid Ward (who lived a couple of streets away from Iain McPherson) to remove the Ausca body and build a coupe body he had loosely sketched.(...)

[Djetset]

I seem to have stirred-up a hornets nest here.  I took may information from an old 1970s edition of the Pedr Davies Australian Cars book, which has the same picture that I used, with a Ausca Holden caption, plus supporting text.  I have this book at home, but unfortunatley won't be home for another 10 days, so once there I will dig the book out and scan the page in.  Faksta, don't worry though, as you correctly answered my question, which was to identify the car, which you did.

[faksta]

No, no worries, it's a game 

[Carnut]

I have this book at home, but unfortunatley won't be home for another 10 days, so once there I will dig the book out and scan the page in.

It's been the world's longest ever 10 days!

[dzima1985]

Some images: