The Austin-Healey car maker may have dissolved decades ago, but it’s not forgotten. Look at the impressive models that excite enthusiasts to this day!
When talking about great automobile designers and developers, one will probably think of Lee Iacocca, Walter de Silva, Giorgetto Giugiaro, and Harley Earl. Another name worth talking about is Donald Healey. He’s responsible for some of the most memorable sports cars of the 1950s and 1960s. Working with English and American companies, Healey created classic cars despite facing restricted budgets and limited parts availability. He also made these fun, classic sports cars affordable!
Starting at a young age, Donald Healey became interested in the mechanics of any kind of engine. He was fascinated by aircraft, and he actually ended up flying for the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) as a World War I pilot. He survived a series of crashes, but was eventually invalided out of the RFC. After that, Healey took automobile engineering courses, opened his own garage, and turned to rally driving. He entered the Monte Carlo Rally in 1929, driving a Triumph 7. Two years later, Healey won the 1931 Monte Carlo Rally with an Invicta. Healey finished 2nd in 1932.
After success in racing, Healey sold his garage and ended up working for the Triumph Motor Company, designing their cars like the Triumph Southern Cross and the Triumph Dolomite 8. It was in 1945 that Healey joined Ben Bowden and Achille Sampietro in forming the Donald Healey Motor Company.
The Donald Healey Motor Company had four models by 1951 that included a Healey Tickford saloon, Healey Abbott convertible, and Healey Sports convertible. Another vehicle coming to life off of Healey’s design pages was the Nash-Healey, a two-seat luxury sports car. It was the product of a partnership between Donald Healey and automaker Nash-Kelvinator. The 1951 Nash-Healey is often referenced as being the first sports car introduced in the U.S. after World War II.
With a Donald Healey frame and a Nash Motors engine, 507 Nash-Healey models were produced between 1951 and 1954. The production involved Nash parts being shipped to England to be completed. The frame and drivetrain were then shipped to Italy for final assembly. Finally, the vehicles were shipped back to the U.S. A prototype of the Nash-Healey was first unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in 1950. The Nash-Healey sports cars sold in the U.S. for $3,700.
In 1952, as the Nash-Healey was making waves, Austin-Healey was formed. It was a joint effort between the Austin division of the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and the Donald Healey Motor Company. Leonard Lord, the head of Austin at the time, was looking for a car that could replace the unsuccessful Austin A90 Atlantic.
Leonard and Healey hit the ground running, introducing the Austin-Healey 100 in October 1952. The name came from the car’s ability to reach 100 miles per hour. The first Austin-Healey 100s were equipped with a 91-horsepower, 2600 cubic centimeter inline-four engine. It made 138 lb-ft of torque. Modified Austin A90 components were used for the Austin-Healey 100 BN1 suspension to curb production costs. The 100 had an independent, double-wishbone front suspension with coil springs and a rear rigid axle.
The Austin-Healey 100 BN2 evolved with a four-speed manual transmission, slightly larger front wheel arches, and a different rear axle. This version of the 100 was also available in black and white, red and black, blue and white, black and red, or green and white two-tone paint options. The final BN2 model was built in July 1956. By that point, 150 cars were being sold in California alone. Austin-Healey was producing 200 Austin-Healey 100 BN2 models a month.
A special high-performance model, the 100M, was introduced in 1955. This version had larger carburetors and 8.1:1 high-compression pistons. The pistons were also available in the Le Mans Engine Modification Kit, allowing car owners to make their own modifications. The 100M made 111 horsepower and kicked out 143 lb-ft of torque. A total of 640 100Ms were built, making it a valuable car to collect these days.
Another Austin-Healey 100 variation was the 100S. It was built mostly for racing, making 133 horsepower and 168 lb-ft of torque. The cast-iron cylinder head was replaced with an aluminum one to achieve better performance and minimize weight. The bumpers and convertible top were eliminated to lighten the load of the vehicle. The grille was reduced in size, too. Once the design was finished, a total of 200 lbs. was shaved off of the Austin-Healey 100S. The vehicle gained its name after the vehicle finished first in its class in the 1954 12 Hours of Sebring race with driver Lance Macklin behind the wheel. Macklin also drove a version of the 1953 Austin-Healey 100S in the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 11, 1955.
Capitalizing on the success of the original Austin-Healey, the company announced the Austin-Healey 100-6, a two-seat roadster, in September 1956. Production of the vehicle began the same year. The wheelbase of the 100-6 was two inches longer than the Austin-Healey 100. A more powerful straight-six engine replaced the inline-four. The engine was a retuned BMC C-Series version that had previously been used in the Austin Westminster. The 1956 model made 103 horsepower, and the 1957 model increased output to 117 horsepower. Originally, there were two additional seats, too, but those later became optional. Other stylistic changes included a smaller, wider radiator grille. 1959 was the last production year of this model.
Along came the Austin-Healey 3000 sports convertible in 1959, joining the other Austin-Healey models. The Austin-Healey 100, Austin-Healey 100-6, and Austin-Healey 3000 became collectively known as the Big Healeys. A 3.0-liter BMC C-Series engine replaced the 2.6-liter engine from the Austin-Healey 100-6. Austin-Healey claimed in press material that it would reach 60 mph in 11 seconds. Just a folding, plastic roof protected the driver from the elements, but a detachable hardtop was available for models that seated four.
Throughout the production life of the 3000, there were several changes made. The front grille became vertical and barred, camshafts were improved, and engine output increased from 137 horsepower to 150 horsepower. Several Austin-Healey 3000s were used in Sebring, Le Mans, and Mount Panorama Circuit races.
As popular as the “big Healeys” were, Donald Healey knew he faced a couple of problems: the demand for the vehicle in the United Kingdom was limited, and the vehicle was too expensive for the American market. Healey got in touch with Leonard Lord, from the Austin side of things, to brainstorm the idea for a small sports car that Europeans and Americans could afford. That’s how the Austin-Healey Sprite came to be.
This vehicle was launched in Monte Carlo in 1958, two days after the Monaco Grand Prix. It featured a front-mounted 948cc inline-four engine. This was a tuned version of the Austin A-Series 948 cc engine that made 42 horsepower. The 1958 Austin-Healey Sprite topped out at 82.9 mph and achieved 36 mpg. Several other components from existing cars were also used in order to keep manufacturing costs low. The MSRP was just £669, or $824.07.
The Sprite was known as the “frogeye” in the UK, or “bug-eye” in the U.S., because of its distinct headlights, mounted inside the front wings. Originally, they were meant to be flip-up headlights, but the decision was made to leave them in a fixed, upright position due to cost-cutting measures. While it wasn’t intended, this change made the vehicle stand out with a little bit of fun, quirky personality.
Barry Bilbie, Healey’s chassis designer, helped solve the vehicle’s rigidity issue. He adapted the design of the Jaguar D-type, which routed the force of the rear suspension to the bodyshell’s floor pan. Much of the structural stress is placed on the sheet metal body panels, a first for unitary sports car construction with large-scale production.
Austin-Healey announced the Mark II in May 1961. It used the same engine but had larger carburetors, which increased the Sprite to 47 horsepower. The headlights moved and altered, resembling less of a frog face than before. The rear wheel arches were squared off, too. When all the design changes were made, the 1961 Sprite had 100 extra pounds of weight to it. The Mark III, revealed in March 1964, had enough minor engine changes to make 59 horsepower.
The last Austin-Healey Sprite update came with the Mark IV, but a larger 1275 cc engine couldn’t compete with the Mini Cooper S. Consumers were also disappointed with the convertible top. Instead of being a removable top that could be stored in the boot, the top on the 1966 Sprite was a permanent folding top. The 1968 Sprite was available in the U.S. market with a larger engine. The performance was the sacrifice for a larger engine, though. The 1969 Sprite was the last one exported to the U.S. In the U.K., the 1970 model was given a facelift, but none of the changes were enough to maintain the interest of car shoppers.
A combination of mergers, business dealings, and U.S. safety regulations lead to the end of the Austin-Healeys. The United States implemented new regulations in 1967. The cost to get the Austin-Healey 3000 up to those standards was too much to make it worthwhile, so the vehicle was discontinued.
The Sprite met a similar fate, but for different reasons. The British Motor Company merged with Jaguar Cars in 1966, forming British Motor Holdings (BMH). Just two years later, BMH merged with British Leyland. Donald Healey left BMH in 1968, going to work for Jensen Motors, a company that was making bodies for the Healeys since 1952. British Leyland had to quit producing all Austin-Healey vehicles in 1972 because it was the end of the 20-year agreement Healey and Austin originally signed in 1952.
As for the Austin-Healey names? Austin is owned by Nanjing, a Chinese automobile manufacturer that bought the assets of MG Rover Group, which is the company that bought British Leyland. Follow all that? The Healey brand eventually ended up being sold to HFI Automotive in 2005.
The Austin-Healey vehicles are no longer in production, but the name lives on, and so do the cars. Despite its limited capability, the Austin-Healey Sprite became a cult classic. It’s still an extremely popular car in motorsports.
The big Healeys are also popular with today’s car collectors. A factory Special Test Car that was in the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans was purchased at auction in December 2011 for a whopping £843,000, or $1.38 million! This 1953 Austin-Healey 100S, which was registered for the race as NOJ 393, became the most expensive Austin-Healey ever sold. After it was restored, it was put on display at several U.K. events, helping to keep the Austin-Healey name in the spotlight some six decades after the first 100S was made.
Need some more reading material? Click on the Best in Classic Car Designs for a look at some of the best design elements, from the front bumper to the back.