The company was based in the centre of Warwick
An appeal to keep the archives of a company that made sports cars for racing driver Stirling Moss available to the public has been launched.
Warwickshire County Council said it has been offered the chance to buy Donald Healey's company archives.
The record office said it had raised £17,000 and had planned bids of £73,000 for the collection but needs to raise £120,000.
The company was founded in 1945 and was based in the centre of Warwick.
'Action shots and celebrities'
The archive contains photographs, early designs and correspondence
The council said the archive, known as the Warwick Healey Motor Company Archive, had been offered to the record office "for permanent preservation".
"The collection is extensive with more than 20 large boxes of material including unique, early designs, business records, printed material and correspondence about the company's involvement in motor racing and test results for land speed records."
Life in the fast lane
Former World War One pilot and rally driver Donald Healey set up the company in 1945 to produce high-quality, high-performance cars
The company, which was based in an old Royal Air Force hangar in Warwick, produced sports cars including the Healey Elliott and the Healey Silverstone
In the 1950s, the company went into partnership with Austin, producing more mass market models, such as the Austin Healey and the Sprite
The company closed in the late 1970s
The council said there were "numerous" photographs of various Healey models, including action shots and celebrities such as Stirling Moss.
"The name Donald Healey is synonymous with the design of high performance sports cars," it said.
Warwickshire County Record Office said it hoped to raise £30,000, from public donations.
Sam Collenette, head of the Archive Service said: "If the fundraising is successful the record office will also investigate the possibility of digitising material from the collection to add to its online collections."
- Published26 March 2015
