This past week I have been assisting Californian Dr. Kevin Adair as he prepares to take his 1959 Austin-Healey 3000 “S” to the Monterey Car Week from August 13 – 19, 2013. Kevin’s Austin-Healey is very special as it is the same car that Grant Clark drove to the Canadian Drivers Championship in 1960. Clark did this in dominating fashion by winning all five races that made up that championship series that year.
Kevin has been preparing informational boards to be displayed along side his Austin-Healey 3000 at Monterey. I was able to help him with the background information about this car. I have included draft images of the boards that Kevin has prepared for display purposes.
Grant Clark Was Factory Sponsored To Promote The New Austin-Healey 3000
In addition to its winning race history, this Austin-Healey 3000 was driven by Stirling Moss at several driving schools that Moss put on in the Toronto area in the early 1960s. These driving schools were well attended by Canadian automotive reporters. Those of us who grew up in southern Ontario will recognize reporter Milt Dunnell of the Toronto Daily Star in the upper right photo below leaning over the Austin-Healey 3000 talking to Stirling Moss at one of these driving schools.
Dr. Kevin Adair Has Done A Great Job Of Documenting The History Of This Car
The car’s owner, Kevin Adair, got started in vintage racing by being a Pit Tour Guide along with his father at the Monterey Historics and at the Coronado Festival of Speed. Kevin and his father Dennis, aided by his mother Sue, have worked as a family team in vintage racing. In 2007 they bought a 1955 Elva Mk. I. Then in 2009 they purchased a 1959 Lotus Elite. The 1959 Austin-Healey 3000 came along last year. Evidently the car had been in England at some point, so it is good the see that the car is back on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. Kevin and the rest of the team have spent the last year getting the mechanicals sorted out and the Monterey Reunion will be the car’s first full shake down.
If anyone reading this post is at this year’s Monterey Reunion, then please look up Kevin Adair and his Austin-Healey and say “Hi”. I’m sure that he can tell you a lot more about this car.
I am pleased that this piece of Canadian motoring racing history is being preserved and that this winning car will be back in action on the race track very soon.
stevemckelvie.wordpress.com 
I was searching the web looking for information on Grant Clark’s Healey, so this was great to see.