Austin-Healey
(1953 - 1971)
Brand:
Country:
United Kingdom
Austin-Healey was founded in 1952 as a joint venture between the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and the Donald Healey Motor Company, with the intention of producing the Austin-Healey 100 in large series. In 1958, the small Sprite was added to the large series, which in the meantime had developed from a four-cylinder to a six-cylinder sports car. The parent company BMC merged with Jaguar in 1966 and merged with Leyland and Rover in 1968 to form the British Leyland Motor Corporation. Co-founder Donald Healey left the company in 1968. Production of the classic 3000 and Sprite models ended in 1967 and 1970/71 respectively. Since then, there have been repeated attempts to revive the brand, which is now Chinese-owned.
Selected Austin-Healey model series
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All 22 Austin-Healey models
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The Austin-Healey 100 was that British roadster with a four-cylinder engine, plug-in windows and minimal comfort, wasn't it? Yes, but there were exceptions, one of which was built in Belgium and was a coupé. Presented at the 1955 Brussels Motor Show, it was the prototype for a series of six cars, two of which have survived. This report is about the show car, tells its story and shows it in many pictures.
When the Austin-Healey 100 was shown for the first time at the Earls Court Motor Show in London in October 1952, it aroused enormous interest. With speed records and racing successes, it proved its sportiness, while at the same time being inexpensive. And anyone who wanted to be a little faster could get help from the factory. This is how the 100 M was created to Le Mans specification. This report summarizes the history of the four-cylinder Austin-Healey and shows a factory 100M in many pictures.
In 1955, Donald Healey produced 50 sports cars that could be taken straight to the next race and thus had a good chance of winning their class. Although the racing cars cost almost twice as much as a normal Austin-Healey 100, they also had 40 hp more and a lighter and more streamlined body, which made the sports car 210 km/h fast. This report portrays the second series 100-S built in detail and tells the story of this exceptional sports car.
In 1956, Donald Healey presented the Austin-Healey 100 Six, the six-cylinder version of the successful 100 model. More space and more comfort was the thrust, although this was not entirely voluntary, as the British Motor Company no longer wanted to produce the large four-cylinder. Despite the additional weight and somewhat reduced sportiness, the 100 Six was a success and paved the way for the 3000 model. This vehicle report portrays a late Austin-Healey 100 Six and shows it on historical material and in the sales brochure.
With the Austin-Healey Sprite, BMC filled a gap in the car range of the late fifties. The small and lightweight roadster was well received. Only its frog-eyed face, which makes it so desirable today, was not so well received at the time. On the other hand, the price was right back then and it was possible to make it faster. This report is about an early Austin-Healey Sprite Mark I from 1959 and shows it in historical and current photos, supplemented by sales literature and sound samples.
The Austin-Healey is one of the most sought-after classic cars in the classic car community and the six-cylinder models of the 1960s are particularly popular with fans, and not just because of their sporting successes and good performance. This report describes the history and characteristics of the three-liter Healeys and shows a BJ7 vehicle in detail, supplemented by archive photos and brochures, as well as a sound sample.
Compact external dimensions, a high-torque engine and selective weather protection - this proven formula has been used for decades to produce driving pleasure in series production. This was also the case with BMC, whose second-generation Austin-Healey Sprite was produced from 1961. Additional sales incentives were the 12-month warranty and the already low maintenance costs. The original test report from 1962, which is reproduced in this article and accompanied by historical images, clarified whether it deserved the title "sports car" and which ingredients make up a Sprite.
Small, loud and leaky - objectively, there wasn't much to be said in favor of the Austin-Healey Sprite. However, there was this very difficult-to-measure criterion of driving pleasure, which rendered all bourgeois criticisms meaningless. What other sensible car could drift around bends so effortlessly and in such a controlled manner at a slightly higher walking speed? This historical test report explains what makes the little imp so likeable and why a lot of good compromises are sometimes better than a mediocre new development.
Squeezing into the 3.5 meter short and just 1.35 meter narrow MG Midget with a wheelbase of just over two meters is reminiscent of the small sports cars of the pre-war era. And when you set off, there is little to protect you from the roaring windstorm that hits you. A good 50 years ago, however, the MG Midget and its twin brother, the Austin-Healey Sprite, were the gateway to the world of sports cars and therefore extremely attractive. And they still are today, as this driving report with many historical and current photos shows.
Rally driver Pat Moss nicknamed her Austin-Healey 3000 "the pig". This is because the factory rally car was even faster, louder and more nervous than the production model on sale. This historical driving report makes it clear what distinguishes a sports car from a racing car.
The Austin-Healey Sprite - a car that made no compromises and whose design its driver simply had to be content with - won acclaim all over the world and secured big business for BMC. The 1966 test report, which does not view this sports car purely from the point of view of reason, explains its positive virtues.
The Donald Healey Motor Company built a series of prototypes based on the road-going Healeys, which were used at Le Mans and elsewhere. The vehicle shown here is now driven in Australia and took part in Le Mans in 1967.
Current market prices for Austin-Healey
Roadster, 89 PS, 2660 cm3
Roadster, 89 PS, 2660 cm3
Roadster, 102 PS, 2639 cm3
Roadster, 116 PS, 2639 cm3
Roadster, 116 PS, 2639 cm3
Roadster, 123 PS, 2912 cm3
Roadster, 123 PS, 2912 cm3
Convertible, 130 PS, 2912 cm3
Roadster, 130 PS, 2912 cm3
Roadster, 130 PS, 2912 cm3
Convertible, 148 PS, 2912 cm3
Roadster, 43 PS, 948 cm3
Roadster, 47 PS, 948 cm3
Roadster, 54 PS, 1098 cm3
Convertible, 58 PS, 1098 cm3
Convertible, 65 PS, 1275 cm3
Convertible, 65 PS, 1275 cm3
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Auctioned vehicles of Austin-Healey
| Brand | Model | Year | Status | Auction name | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin-Healey 3000 Mark III to Works Rally Specification 1964 Not Sold Bonhams Goodwood Revival Sale (September 9, 2023) |
3000 Mark III to Works Rally Specification | 1964 | Not Sold | Bonhams Goodwood Revival Sale (September 9, 2023) | |
| Austin-Healey 3000 Mk III BJ8 1967 Not Sold Gooding & Co. Geared Online Scottsdale Edition (January 24, 2022) |
3000 Mk III BJ8 | 1967 | Not Sold | Gooding & Co. Geared Online Scottsdale Edition (January 24, 2022) | |
| Austin-Healey Lenham Sprite GT 1959 Not Sold ACA Kings Lynn Auction (June 18, 2016) |
Lenham Sprite GT | 1959 | Not Sold | ACA Kings Lynn Auction (June 18, 2016) | |
| Austin-Healey 100-4 BN2 1956 Sold RM/Sotheby's Online Only Open Roads December (December 1, 2021) |
100-4 BN2 | 1956 | Sold | RM/Sotheby's Online Only Open Roads December (December 1, 2021) | |
| Austin-Healey 3000 MK III BJ8 1967 Sold Silverstone Auctions The May Sale (May 23, 2015) |
3000 MK III BJ8 | 1967 | Sold | Silverstone Auctions The May Sale (May 23, 2015) | |
| Austin-Healey Sprite Mk I 1960 Sold Bonhams Goodwood Revival (September 9, 2017) |
Sprite Mk I | 1960 | Sold | Bonhams Goodwood Revival (September 9, 2017) | |
| Austin-Healey 3000 MkI (BT7) 1960 Not Sold Silverstone Auctions The Classic Sale at Silverstone (August 27, 2022) |
3000 MkI (BT7) | 1960 | Not Sold | Silverstone Auctions The Classic Sale at Silverstone (August 27, 2022) | |
| Austin-Healey 3000 MK III BJ8 lhd 1964 Not Sold Silverstone Auctions Birmingham Sale (November 15, 2014) |
3000 MK III BJ8 lhd | 1964 | Not Sold | Silverstone Auctions Birmingham Sale (November 15, 2014) | |
| Austin-Healey Sprite 1959 Sold Silverstone Auctions Race Retro Classic & Competition Cars (February 24, 2023) |
Sprite | 1959 | Sold | Silverstone Auctions Race Retro Classic & Competition Cars (February 24, 2023) | |
| Austin-Healey Sprite 1961 Sold Dorotheum Fahrzeug Auktionen Klassische Fahrzeuge (July 3, 2021) |
Sprite | 1961 | Sold | Dorotheum Fahrzeug Auktionen Klassische Fahrzeuge (July 3, 2021) |
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