Surprisingly, the world's only Healey museum is not located in historic Warwick, where former fighter pilot and racing driver Donald Mitchell Healey once designed, engineered and built the famous Healey 100 - later Big Healey - before handing production over to BMC for capacity reasons, giving him access to an international dealer network in one fell swoop.
In the Netherlands
The Healey Museum is located in Holland, more precisely in Vreeland, just under an hour's drive from Amsterdam in an idyllic industrial estate surrounded by meadows, streams and trees. Anyone wishing to enter has to ring the bell at the large gate outside and is then kindly invited into the well-kept grounds to the actual museum building.
Not only cars, but also documentation
Its interior is quite something: in addition to vehicles and many other exhibits on the subject, practically the entire archive of the Donald Healey Motor Company including all production plans, drawings, blueprints, pictures, documentation etc. is neatly arranged in cupboards and drawers and can be accessed at the touch of a button; this alone is of course unique.
Cars on a scale of 1:1 can only be seen as very special or prototypes; from Sprites to Duncan-Healeys or historic racing cars to Big Healeys in all variations; each with its own history.
Prototypes and one-offs
For example, visitors will find one of the 19 first Austin Healey 100 prototypes built by hand for trade fair appearances - it is number 11 - but also one of the three "Healey Rolls Royces" equipped with a 4-liter Rolls Royce engine and automatic transmission that were never built in series, 15 cm wider than the series version.
Or the Healey Silverstone E-Type (1955) with Riley 2.5 L engine. The BN3/4, a four-seater Austin Healey 100 with an extended wheelbase and 6-cylinder engine from Wolseley, which only reappeared on a Canadian farm in 1982, is absolutely unique and, because it was lost, unknown for a long time.
Also for non-Healey fans
It's not just Healey enthusiasts who should make the trip to Vreeland at least once in their lives - no matter which one. The museum is also highly recommended for fans of other makes of car. The passion that Hans van de Kerkhof and his team have put together for their foundation is simply unique.
Further information
- Address: Healey Museum, Groot Kantwijk Country Estate, Bergseweg 28q, 3633 AK Vreeland, Netherlands
- Telephone: 0031 294-236655
- Internet: www.healeymuseum.nl
- Contact: [email protected]
