Austin Healey

Austin-Healey was a brand of sports car. The marque was established through a joint venture arrangement set up in 1952 between Leonard Lord of the Austin division of the British Motor Corporation and Donald Healey, a renowned automotive engineer and designer.

Donald Healey ran a small works company, producing only a small number of cars. Healey showed a car at the Earls Court motor show in 1952 called the 100. On seeing this car the general public’s enthusiasm for the car, Austin thought fit to produce the car at Longbridge. This car later went on to be known as the Austin-Healey 100.  This was the original ‘big Healey’ with a 2.6 litre four-cylinder engine.

In 1958 the Sprite was released, the much-loved “Frog-Eyed-Sprite”, have enthusiasts spread around the globe. The headlights were originally intended to be retractable, but due to the costs involved the idea was shelved, and they were just bolted to the bonnet! A good job too, I think. The public sure liked the car, because the company sold almost 40,000.

A more powerful version of the big Healey launched in 1959, the Austin-Healey 3000.  In 1972 Austin-Healey ceased building cars, However Healey’s name lived on with the Jensen-Healey, and Sprite parts were still to be used in the MG Midget.

Austin-Healey 3000

1959 – 1961 BN7 Mark I (2 seat), BT7 Mark I (2+2 seats)

1961 – 1962 BN7 Mark II (2 seat), BT7 Mark II (2+2 seats), BJ7 Mark II (2 seat)

1962 – 1964 BJ7 Mark II (roll-up windows)

1964 – 1967 BJ8 Mark III

In 1953 a special streamlined Austin-Healey set several land speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, USA.

The first car for Mattel’s ‘Barbie’ Doll was an Austin Healey (pink with teal interior)

Source: Speedace.info