The Donald Healey Motor company completed its first car in 1945, going into full-time production the following year.

The firm's first offering was a 2.4-litre Riley-powered sports saloon with welded-up chassis and Healey's own trailing arm independent front suspension.

For the clubman racer there was the dual-purpose Silverstone, a model equally at home on road or track.

The saloon's engine and basic underpinnings were retained, though with shorter frame, stiffer springing and - unusually for the time - a front anti-roll bar.

Designed by Len Hodges, the lightweight two-seater body was crafted in aluminium, while the car's purposeful look was enhanced by cycle wings and closely spaced headlamps mounted behind the radiator grille.

Another unusual feature was the spare wheel protruding from its compartment in the tail, thus doubling as a bumper! The Motor, when it announced and featured the model in July 1949, described the Silverstone as a 'light competition-type two-seater to sell ...