Pagoda SL Group
W113 Pagoda SL Group => General Discussion => Topic started by: wwheeler on December 06, 2011, 03:08:38
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To quote:
"The Austin-Healey 100S at the center of the crash that sent Pierre Levegh and his Mercedes-Benz 300SLR flying into the crowd in the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans sold for $1,327,051, including buyer’s premium, at the Bonhams December Sale, held Thursday at Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands, U.K. According to Bonhams, that constitutes a new world record for Austin-Healeys."
See the link below.
http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2011/12/01/worlds-most-notorious-race-car-sells-for-1-3-million/?refer=news
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I never really understood what happened there. On a race track, a pilot is usually responsible for what's happening in front of him, not behind. Or, in many accounts, the Austin Healey is presented as the "culprit", having done a manover that may have been misinterpreted by Levegh and making the accident unavoidable. Anybody has more on this?
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I have seen the newsreel footage, and it is hard to judge what did happen to cause this accident. Have you seen the footage?
Bob
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If anyone is interested there is a five page article of the car and its history (NOJ 393) in the December 2011 Classic Cars .
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A recent documentary about the crash showed Hawthorn (in a Jag) passing the Healey and then immediately pulling into the pits. The Healey had nowhere to go and pulled out in front of the MB.
This clip shows the Healey pulling out in front of the MB within the first few seconds of the start of the footage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEk85gKJN6k&feature=related
Naj
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I read a lot of the discussion on the referenced website and there is a common view that although the Healy probably had little choice but to move to the left, that he moved far wider, and unnecessarily, into the path of Levegh and that, had he been more restrained in the move to allow for the possibility that a faster car was coming up behind him (as due to the nature of the Le Mans race is always a real possibility with the different classes all competing on the same circuit at the same time), the accident could have been avoided. I have no opinion, just relaying what I read.
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Here is an account of the accident on Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1955_Le_Mans_disaster
Apparently the Jag which was much faster had just past the Austin when he saw a sign in the pits for refueling. He hit the brakes to enter the pit lane. This is quite clear at the beginning of the video where the jag is more towards the center of the track then dives towards the pit lane. I think Macklin was cought by surprise as one would not expect to have a car brake hard in front right after passing him. The Austin had much weaker brakes than the Jag's by then new disc brakes and ended up into an emergency manover to avoid the Jag. This can be seen in the video where the Austin is tail sweeping the track. This may also be why the car went so far to the left of the track, as Macklin may not have been fully in control. Nevertheless, the video also shows Levegh would have had enough space to overtake further on the left of the track, may he had anticipated the move of Macklin or had he had a quicker reflex reaction. Levegh was 49. Are reactions as fast at that age than what they are at 25 or 30?