In 1952, just as Donald Healey began looking for ways to expand his business, Leonard Lord of the British Motor Corporation’s Austin division was searching for a way to spruce up his line. So when Lord saw that Healey’s prototype car at the London Motor Show was based off the Austin A90 design, history -- and the Austin-Healey name -- was born. In the pages of This product article, you’ll learn about the timeless Austin-Healey cars, from the Austin-Healey 100/4 that started it all to the decade-spanning Austin-Healey 3000. American enthusiasts were quick to support this lively, attractive machine, firmly establishing Austin-Healey’s reputation. The natural evolution of the 100/4 -- the Austin-Healey 100 Six -- traded its four-cylinder engine for -- you guessed it -- a powerful straight six. The body was updated without losing any of its character, although it was significantly heavier than the 100/4, and performance suffered for it. A few years later, Austin-Healey made up for lasershowwiki.757.org the 100 Six’s sometimes-sluggish handling with the zippy, www.PrimeBoosts.com frog-eyed Austin-Healey Sprite.

A last-minute change in headlight design forced Austin-Healey to apply protruding, bug-like headlamps which, combined with the car’s tiny dimensions, gave it a completely unique look. People loved it. That it was also an agile, responsive, and unbelievably inexpensive car didn’t hurt matters, either, and the Sprite retains a fond place in collectors’ hearts to this day. Finally, the Austin-Healey 3000 rounded out the line, going through several incarnations in its nine-year run, ending with the Mk III. While all good things must come to an end, you can find out all about these beloved Austin-Healey cars in the following pages. Let's get started on the next page with the Austin-Healey 100/4. The original car, built until the autumn of 1955, was coded (and is now colloquially known as) BN1. The following year, it gained a new 4-speed gearbox (still with overdrive) to become the BN2. Meantime, the Healey company (not BMC) developed and further refined a racing BN1 in 1954-55. Called 100S (S for Sebring), it featured a stripped all-aluminum body sans bumpers and had a much-modified 132-bhp engine.

Only 50 were built, all intended (and mostly used) in competition. There were also 1159 examples of the 100M, a BN2 conversion with 110 bhp, duo-tone paint, and assorted body and chassis modifications.S., where enthusiasts found it offered everything a contemporary MG didn’t. In fact, most of the more than 14,000 BN1s and BN2s built were sold in America, making the name Austin-Healey a permanent part of sports-car love and lore. It was thus no surprise that the 100/4 became the Austin-Healey 100 Six in 1956. The old A90 four was considered obsolete. In its place was a new straight six of about the same size. But there was much more to the new model than just two extra cylinders and more low-rpm torque, for the Healey family, at BMC’s behest, took the opportunity to freshen up the car end to end. 2" rear bucket seats. These may have been virtually useless for anything except parcels, but they met the demands of the sales force.

Styling for the Austin-Healey 100 Six was much the same aside from a new oval grille, fixed windscreen, choice of wire-spoke or steel-disc wheels, and a bulged hood with a small functional air intake at the front. This was BMC’s corporate C-Series large-car unit, which had some design similarities -- but few common components -- with the B-Series four used in the MGA sports car. A big, heavy 2.64-liter cast-iron job with overhead valvegear, it was, according to the claimed figures, more powerful than the old big four (102 vs. A 4-speed gearbox was standard, as on the ousted BN2, but on the Austin-Healey 100 Six, designated BN4, overdrive was an optional extra. Alas, the Austin-Healey 100 Six was a disappointment in its first year or so of production. Considerably heavier than the 100/4 (2435 pounds vs. 2150), it not only felt but was less lively. It didn’t seem to handle as well either, and somehow came off as less of a sports car than its predecessors.
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