1964-69: The Nuthatch Arrives and Harris Begins Its First Motorsport Program
By 1964, the time had come to replace the Provost, and for the first time ever, Harris was about to offer multiple engines and body styles. This new car, the Nuthatch, was named after a small bird, and unlike its predecessor, was made out of fibreglass to save even more weight. Below is the Spider 1.6, the entry-level model in the range.
In addition, a coupe version was also offered. Shown here is the 2.0, powered by a 2-litre straight-six:
Either engine was available with either body style, and due to the car’s low price, the Nuthatch proved to be even more successful globally than the Provost. But there was more to come…
Just a year later, Harris Racing Team (the brand’s motorsport arm) secured a contract with Australian manufacturer Albury Motors to use their engines for their mid-engined, fiberglass-bodied endurance racer, the SVM Classic. That car was powered by a transversely mounted 4.7-litre overhead-valve V8 (actually of American design, but fettled by Albury) developing 276 bhp - a lot in such a light car, and enough to propel the SVM Classic to over 150 mph.
While it was reliable and agile, the SVM was quickly outpaced by more powerful cars with bigger engines a few years after launch. However, it would not be the only car in the Harris range to use an Albury V8…
The first Chieftain was introduced in 1965, also initially using the same Albury V8 as the SVM (although in 1968, a 5.7-litre version replaced the original 4.7-litre). However, the Chieftain was a four-seat, front-engined, luxury grand tourer; an ideal vehicle for well-heeled customers who wanted the pace of an SVM but in a more practical and comfortable package. Sales worldwide were brisk, prompting the company to unleash its most extreme car yet shortly afterwards…
By 1969, Harris decided to enter the World Sportscar Championship, with a view to winning Le Mans outright. Their entry, the SA12, was powered by an in-house V12 developing 400 bhp in road trim, and in fact 50 road cars were produced to satisfy homologation. While it never won Le Mans, it notched up a few victories in other races worldwide. The problem was that rivals were ever so slightly faster and/or more reliable, and this forced the axing of the prototype program after 1971.
Meanwhile, the Nuthatch received fuel-injected versions of both engines in 1968 as an option; throttle response was improved considerably, although outputs were only slightly increased. However, just a half-decade later, the oil crisis would force a massive shift in priorities… and an unexpected spurt of diversification.