Austin-Healey 100/4

Launched at the 1952 London Motor Show, the Healey 100 sports car was developed by Donald Healey and was based on the mechanicals of the Austin A90 Atlantic. The design so impressed Leonard Lord, managing director of Austin, that a deal was struck with Healey to build it in quantity at Austin's Longbridge factory. The car was immediately renamed the Austin-Healey 100 and was finished alongside the A90 at Longbridge based on fully trimmed and painted body/chassis units produced by Jensen in West Bromwich.

The first 100s (series BN1) were equipped with the same 2,660cc four-cylinder engines as the stock A90, but the gearbox was modified to be a three-speed unit with overdrive on second and top. Braking was by Girling 11-inch drums all round with independent front suspension using coil springs and a rigid rear axle with semi elliptic leaf springs. The steering was by a cam and lever system. These were built from May 1953 but were replaced by the BN2 model in mid-1955, now with a four-speed overdrive gearbox, slightly larger front wheel arches, a different rear axle and optional two-tone paint.

The BN2 was in turn replaced by the longer and heavier six-cylinder 100/6 in 1956, but many enthusiasts believe that the earlier four-cylinder car is a better balanced machine. A stock BN1 tested by The Motor magazine in 1953 had a top speed of 106mph and could accelerate from 0-60 in 11.2 seconds with fuel consumption of 22.5mpg.

As its accompanying Heritage Certificate confirms, this particular left-hand drive BN1 was built in January 1954 for the North American market. Recently brought back to the UK it has been sympathetically restored by the current vendor to the condition you see today. Once stripped to bare metal the car was found to be in remarkably rust-free condition, with only the floor pans needing to be replaced before it was repainted in two-tone white over dark blue, with the wire wheels powder-coated to match.

The head and sump were removed from the engine and the internals checked for wear and found to be good. The gearbox was also found to be good while the overdrive was rebuilt by a specialist. New brakes were fitted all round and a new wiring loom also installed. The interior was retrimmed in dark blue leather piped in white and new carpets fitted.

Now said to run and drive well, the car is MOTd until October 2012. Although all customs duties have been paid, the car has not yet been UK registered.