6 photos
1953' Austin-Healey 100/4
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£32,995Published 1 June 2024ID: 81q9WG
Expired
5 months ago
5 months ago
Information from the owner
Body: Sports Car
Age: 71 years
Mileage: 79000 km
Fuel: Petrol
Transmission: Manual
Exterior color: Red
Seller's comments about 1953' Austin-Healey 100/4
We have sold this car to its previous 2 owners and absolutely love it! This is a 1953 Austin-Healey 100/ 4 BN1, Original UK Supplied Right Hand Drive, finished in Red with Red interior and showing 79k Miles on the clock. It is an older restoration and drives great whilst showing lovely patina!
Donald Healey's stylish Austin-Healey 100 caused a sensation when it debuted at the 1952 London Motor Show. Intended as a low-cost, high-performance, limited production sports car and aimed at the US market, which took almost 100% of production initially, the Austin-Healey 100 sourced its major components from the Austin Atlantic saloon. In fact, the car first appeared at Earls Court badged as a 'Healey Hundred' and was re-badged 'Austin-Healey' while still on its stand after Austin boss Leonard Lord bought the rights to the design. It was just as well that he did, for Healey would take over 3, 000 orders during the Show yet his company had never made more than 200 cars in a single year!
Lord had been happy to agree to supply Austin Atlantic components as the model had not been selling well in its intended market - the USA - and was scheduled for deletion. Low-revving and torquey, the Atlantic's 2, 660cc four-cylinder engine produced an unremarkable 90bhp, but when installed in the lighter and more streamlined Healey the result was a genuine 100mph-plus car capable of reaching 60mph in under 11 seconds. A three-speed gearbox equipped with overdrive on the top two ratios was an unusual feature of the original BN1, which was superseded by the short-lived, conventional four-speed BN2 for 1956. In 1953 a team of drivers including Donald Healey and George Eyston set a host of international and AMA speed records at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats driving two Healey 100s. Highlights including a maximum speed of 143. 626mph and 1, 000 kilometres at an average of 127. 00mph achieved by the tuned car and 24 hours at an average of 104. 3mph set by the AMA-selected 'off-the-showroom-floor' example. A muscular sports car to delight the purist, the 100 was not bettered by its six-cylinder successors in terms of outright performance until the introduction of the Austin-Healey 3000 in 1959.
Our car was built on the 11th November 1953 as a Home Market RHD car, originally finished in Healey Ice Blue with Blue Trim and a Blue Hood, a desirable spec for sure! She was sold new by Donald Healey & Co from their Warwick base and has had just 3 owners from new, during this time it has been partially restored with some sensible up grades including front disc brakes (AH-3000), and a 4 speed BN2 gearbox. The previous owner kept the car well maintained with over £5, 000 worth of work in the last few years which have included an overhaul for the front / rear brakes, new radiator/ thermostat, water pump, fuel pump and pipes. In very good running order, this is a sound and well loved car with a nice patina but could do with some minor cosmetic attention, it has a good history file with bills for all the recent work and a BMIHT certificate. Certainly the best value UK RHD 100 we could find, this is a rare car due to the huge percentage of cars exported. Ready to use this summer as a scruffy older resto or alternatively repaint and retrim in its original colours and show the car!
There are 50 photos, a walk-around video and more info
Donald Healey's stylish Austin-Healey 100 caused a sensation when it debuted at the 1952 London Motor Show. Intended as a low-cost, high-performance, limited production sports car and aimed at the US market, which took almost 100% of production initially, the Austin-Healey 100 sourced its major components from the Austin Atlantic saloon. In fact, the car first appeared at Earls Court badged as a 'Healey Hundred' and was re-badged 'Austin-Healey' while still on its stand after Austin boss Leonard Lord bought the rights to the design. It was just as well that he did, for Healey would take over 3, 000 orders during the Show yet his company had never made more than 200 cars in a single year!
Lord had been happy to agree to supply Austin Atlantic components as the model had not been selling well in its intended market - the USA - and was scheduled for deletion. Low-revving and torquey, the Atlantic's 2, 660cc four-cylinder engine produced an unremarkable 90bhp, but when installed in the lighter and more streamlined Healey the result was a genuine 100mph-plus car capable of reaching 60mph in under 11 seconds. A three-speed gearbox equipped with overdrive on the top two ratios was an unusual feature of the original BN1, which was superseded by the short-lived, conventional four-speed BN2 for 1956. In 1953 a team of drivers including Donald Healey and George Eyston set a host of international and AMA speed records at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats driving two Healey 100s. Highlights including a maximum speed of 143. 626mph and 1, 000 kilometres at an average of 127. 00mph achieved by the tuned car and 24 hours at an average of 104. 3mph set by the AMA-selected 'off-the-showroom-floor' example. A muscular sports car to delight the purist, the 100 was not bettered by its six-cylinder successors in terms of outright performance until the introduction of the Austin-Healey 3000 in 1959.
Our car was built on the 11th November 1953 as a Home Market RHD car, originally finished in Healey Ice Blue with Blue Trim and a Blue Hood, a desirable spec for sure! She was sold new by Donald Healey & Co from their Warwick base and has had just 3 owners from new, during this time it has been partially restored with some sensible up grades including front disc brakes (AH-3000), and a 4 speed BN2 gearbox. The previous owner kept the car well maintained with over £5, 000 worth of work in the last few years which have included an overhaul for the front / rear brakes, new radiator/ thermostat, water pump, fuel pump and pipes. In very good running order, this is a sound and well loved car with a nice patina but could do with some minor cosmetic attention, it has a good history file with bills for all the recent work and a BMIHT certificate. Certainly the best value UK RHD 100 we could find, this is a rare car due to the huge percentage of cars exported. Ready to use this summer as a scruffy older resto or alternatively repaint and retrim in its original colours and show the car!
There are 50 photos, a walk-around video and more info
