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Austin Healey 100

Donald Healey built cars at Warwick using one basic chassis design in 1946 Donald Healey showed at the 1952 Earls Court Show a new sports car using Austin A90 Atlantic running gear and called it the Healey 100. So impressed was the BMC's managing director Leonard Lord that a deal was struck, so next morning the model on the stand had a new badge which announced to the world that this was the new Austin Healey 100.

Healey 100

Healey would designs the cars and Longbridge would build and market them under the name of Austin-Healey. The actual body/chassis were made for BMC by.


It would take some time to get the sports car into production, at the earliest by the middle of 1953. As a production line would have to be set up at Jensen Motors of West Bromwich to produce the body, with a line set up at Longbridge for the final assemble.

So a decision was made that Donald Healey Motor Company would produce a small batch by hand that would be used mainly for publicity, such as Motor Shows around Europe and America, and also be loaned out for the press to try and the public to view. I'm sure that some would have been used by the team to test components etc.

Frankfurt Motor Show 1953

Donald Healeys factory was referred to by the workforce as 'The Works' and was actually a former aircraft hangar that was re-erected on three acres of reclaimed land made available by Warwick Council after WWII. Not the ideal place to build a stylish sports car. Offices were added later and also a brick workshop for Roger Menadue to house the experimental department. It was here that the first five cars were assembled. It was planned to produce the next batch of pre-production vehicles in the hanger, a total of fifty, under the watchful eye of Harry Bradish. Actually in the end only nineteen were made at Warwick all been left-hand drive versions.

Sixth road car built by Donald Healey

The first of the line built at Longbridge, with bodies supplied by Jensen was the 2.6 litre Austin-Healey 100 BN1 in 1953. Two years later came the BN2 version. Next on the scene was the BN4 and called the Austin-Healey 100 six which used the "C' series engine 6 cyl. 2,639 cc. this stayed in production at Longbridge till 1957.

Longbridge Production

Production was transferred to Abingdon in November 1957, at around the same time the engine was updated by means of a new cylinder head and manifold, this increased power from 102 to 117 bhp.

Later that year (1958) the BN6 arrived using the revised engine, one of the major changes was that the seating reverted back to the original design, making it a two-seater, not 2 + 2 as in the BN4. In 1959 it was change time again with the Austin-Healey 3000 Mk I Engine size went up to 2,912 cc and power output was now 124 bhp at 4,600 rpm with torque at 162 lbs/ft at 2,700 rpm. When the Mk II came out in 1962 it was called a Convertible as it had various changes with a more rounded larger windscreen and windup door windows. The soft top was now a proper foldaway type and seating layout was 2 + 2, although the room in the back was cramped for adults. Power output was again increased and although the overdrive unit was an optional extra, most were fitted with it as standard. It was in 1964 that the Mk III and final version was announced. The model was again given a more powerful engine along with a nice wooden veneer facia. Seating was improved and round the gear change was a central console with a storage box.

Model 100 BN1

Date when launched 1953 BN1 Discontinued in 1955
Total produced BN1 10,688
Engine
2,660 cc 90bhp at 4,000 rpm Max torque 150 lbs/ft at 2,000 rpm
Date when launched 1953 (100 BN1) 1955 (100 BN2)
Price ex Works BN2 (1956 Jan) £1,126 incl. £376 Purchase Tax
Length 12ft 7ins Width 5ft 0ins Height (hood) 4ft 1ins
Wheel Base 7ft 6ins Track front 4ft 1ins rear 4ft2.8ins

In 1953 the year that the Austin Healey 100 was announced at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah USA, a standard car broke all the American Stock Car Records from 1 to 5,000 km

Austin-Healey at speed On 22 August 1954 on Bonnerville Salt Flats, USA this modified production Austin-Healey "100" was by American Automobile Association officiated over a measure mile at mean speed of 192.6 mph. at the same time a number of Class D international records were broken. It is on such occasion that research and development are put to the severest which motoring has so far devised - recording-breaking.

Model 100 BN2
Date when launched 1955 Discontinued in 1956
Total produced BN2 3,924
Engine
2,660 cc 90bhp at 4,000 rpm Max torque 150 lbs/ft at 2,000 rpm
Date when launched 1953 (100 BN1) 1955 (100 BN2)
Price ex Works BN2 (1956 Jan) £1,126 incl. £376 Purchase Tax
Length 12ft 7ins Width 5ft 0ins Height (hood) 4ft 1ins
Wheel Base 7ft 6ins Track front 4ft 1ins rear 4ft2.8ins
Price ex Works BN2 (1956 Jan) £1,126 incl. £376 Purchase Tax

Austin-Healey 100M (M standing for Modified)

Donald Healey converted 1,159 BN2 versions with a tuned engine.
Engine 2660cc comp.ratio 8.1 to 1. 110bhp at 4,500rpm Max torque 143 lbs/ft at 2,600rpm



Austin-Healey 100-six BN4
Date when launched 1956 discontinued in 1959
Total produced Longbridge 1956/7 6,045. Abingdon 1957/9 4,241
Engine
2,639 cc 102bhp at 4,600 rpm Max torque 142 lbs/ft at 2,400 rpm
Length 13ft 1.5ins Width 5ft 0.5ins Height (hood) 4ft 1ins
Wheel Base 7ft 8ins Track front 4ft 0.8ins rear 4ft 2ins
Price ex Works Feb 1957 £1,144 incl. £382 Purchase Tax

Austin-Healey 100-six BN6
Date when launched 1958 discontinued in 1959
Total produced Abingdon only 4,150
Engine
2,639 cc 117bhp at 4,600 rpm Max torque 142 lbs/ft at 2,400 rpm
Length 13ft 1.5ins Width 5ft 0.5ins Height (hood) 4ft 1ins
Wheel Base 7ft 8ins Track front 4ft 0.8ins rear 4ft 2ins


Austin-Healey 3000 MkI
Date when launched 1959 discontinued in 1961
Total produced Abingdon 2,825 BN7(2-seaters) 10,825 BT7(2+2 seater)
Engine
2,912 cc 124bhp at 4,600 rpm Max torque 162 lbs/ft at 2,400 rpm
Length 13ft 1.5ins Width 5ft 0.5ins Height (hood) 4ft 1ins
Wheel Base 7ft 8ins Track front 4ft 0.8ins rear 4ft 2ins


Austin-Healey 3000 MkII
Date when launched 1961 discontinued in 1962
Total produced Abingdon 355 BN7(2-seaters) 5,095 BT7(2+2 seater)
Engine
2,912 cc 132bhp at 4,750 rpm Max torque 167 lbs/ft at 3,000 rpm
Length 13ft 1.5ins Width 5ft 0.5ins Height (hood) 4ft 1ins
Wheel Base 7ft 8ins Track front 4ft 0.8ins rear 4ft 2ins

Austin-Healey 3000 MkIII
Date when launched 1964 discontinued in early1968
Total produced Abingdon 17,712
Engine
2,912 cc 148bhp at 5,250 rpm Max torque 165 lbs/ft at 3,500 rpm
Length 13ft 1.5ins Width 5ft 0.5ins Height (hood) 4ft 1ins
Wheel Base 7ft 8ins Track front 4ft 0.8ins rear 4ft 2ins

If you own a Big Healey please send me pictures and a short history on the vehicle so that I may do an article for the Blog page.