Classic sports
Some 70 years after the car was first shown, the Austin Healey still manages to mainatin a solid fan base of people willing to restore and drive them.
In a feature on the car we noted: “Healey identified the potential of the American sports car market with a British-influenced low-cost sports car, and sought to produce another low-cost roadster capable of 100mp/h.
“His new creation, the Healey Hundred, debuted at the 1952 London Motor Show, with an engine lifted from the Austin A90 Atlantic. By the show’s close, 3000 orders had been placed, bringing Healey very much to the attention of BMC’s Chairman and director, Leonard Lord.
“The gorgeous lines penned by Gerry Coker remained largely unchanged until production ceased in 1967, with many enthusiasts believing the original 2660cc four-banger to be the purest iteration of Donald Healey’s vision.”
This 1954 example is running a three-speed manual transmission with electric overdrive on second and third. It has been the subject of a major restoration.
Collecting Cars has it for auction.