When it came to styling, interi- ors and detailing, the Corvette (above) came off as overwhelm- ingly American and the Austin- Healey as distinctly British.
There were two series of 100-4s — BN1 and BN2. Built in 1953 and 1954, the BN1 had a three-speed transmission, while the 1955–56 BN2 had a more versatile four-speed with overdrive and a stronger differential. The body assem- bly was steel, except for aluminum front and rear aprons, bonnet and boot lids. The first handmade 20 or so Healey 100s wore damage-prone aluminum mudguards and door panels as well.
“The styling was outstanding and they never changed the shape,” says Healey Lane Restoration owner John Wilson. “You could take a 1953 fender off and put it on a 1967 with only minor differ- ences. The fold-down windshield looked good but it was impractical — it was re- ally a sales gimmick to give the car a racy look, and a simple aero screen actually works better. The original engine was nearly 2.7 liters, with lots of torque, and produced 90 horsepower in stock form.
“One negative, though, was that the four-speed Austin transmission was geared very low. That first year they blocked the low first gear and made the transmission into a three-speed. Ground clearance was also a problem for the car. It was only a little over three inches under the mufflers, and so on
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HAGERTY.COM
1953 AUSTIN-HEALEY 100-4 ENGINE 2.7-liter OHV inline four TRANSMISSION 3-speed manual CARBURETION 2 x 1 bbl. HORSEPOWER @ RPM 90 @ 4,000 TORQUE, FT-LB. @ RPM 144 @ 2,000 ACCELERATION, 0-60 MPH, SEC. 10.5 CURB WEIGHT, LB. 2,150 TOP SPEED, MPH 110 NUMBER PRODUCED 1,274 ORIGINAL BASE PRICE
$2,985 VALUE RANGE $16,500–$86,500
Healeys that were raced, the exhausts came out ahead of the tires.”
The big four-cylinder engine responded well to modifications, and more than a few 100-4s ended up as competition cars. Austin-Healey notably entered the Mille Miglia and endurance races like Le Mans, and even took to the Bonnev- ille Salt Flats to set speed records.
After driving an early-build 100 model in California, in the November 1953 Motor Trend, Editor Woron remarked, “It’s fast, has lots of punch at any speed and in any gear, including high. For a 90-inch-wheelbase car, the ride is good, and it takes dips reasonably well. The ‘100’ corners like a sports car should: When you’re powering through a very sharp or wet turn you can break the rear end loose, but you correct the wheels slightly and the car’s back under control. Neither the gearbox nor the engine is temperamental. You can treat both of them like those of an American
car; you’re not constantly shifting gears to rev the engine to its peak.”
So in its day, the $2,985 Healey was a vi- able and affordable sports car — though not without weakness. It was known to be electrically unreliable, have poor ride quality and offer little crash safety or rust resistance. And while the Corvette continuously evolved, by the time BMC gave the Healey roll-up windows and other comfort concessions, the basic design — now powered by a three-liter straight-six — had been on the market for nine years and had seen its best years. “There was a period where no one wanted any of the big Healeys,” admits Austin-Healey Club founder Hank Leach. “Healey fans had differ- ences of opinion over the four-bangers and six-cylinder cars, but the fact is after production stopped going into 1968, no one else liked Healeys much at all.”
Over a span of 15 years, the 100-4 evolved into the six-cylinder 100-6 and fi-
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