Description
We are delighted to offer this superb, completely restored, matching numbers 1954 Austin Healey 100. This is an original right hand drive car which spent fifty years of its life in Australia before being restored there to the most meticulous standard. We are told that for twenty-five years it was with the owner of Larke Hoskins in Sydney, the importer. It was then sold it to an owner who then restored the Healey to the most exacting standards with many parts supplied by the famous Healey Factory in Victoria. There is an interesting history file containing photos and invoices, mainly from 2005. There is also a BMIHT Heritage certificate. Since the restoration, only 7600 miles of dry, summer use has been covered and the car is still superb throughout. The car was re-imported to England in 2015, costing the owner a total of £63, 000.
In the 1950s, Britain was the world's most prolific producer of sports cars. ‘First fruits' of the deal struck between Donald Healey and Len Lord of BMC in 1953, the 100 BN1 was the original ‘Big Healey' which became the epitome of the lusty, powerful, and fast sports cars of the era. The ‘100' name came from the car's approximate top speed. Power was from Austin's first large four-cylinder overhead valve engine, originally a 2199cc unit for the Austin 16, later bored out to 2660cc for the rather unsuccessful Austin A90 Atlantic. In the Healey its 90bhp offered plenty of power in a sports car weighing less than a ton. The three-speed gearbox was actually Austin's 4-speed unit with first gear (which was very much a crawler gear) blanked off. Overdrive was fitted. Beautifully finished in Healey Ice Blue with blue trim and blue weather equipment, the car comes with side screens, tool roll, wheel hammer and cover. It is quite the best we have offered for several years and drives just perfectly.