Austin-Healey

Austin-Healey was a British sports car maker established in 1952 through a joint venture between the Austin division of the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and the Donald Healey Motor Company (Healey), a renowned automotive engineering and design firm. Leonard Lord represented BMC and Donald Healey his firm.

For the rugby player, see Austin Healey.

BMC merged with Jaguar Cars in 1966 to form British Motor Holdings (BMH). Donald Healey left BMH in 1968 when it merged into British Leyland. Healey then joined Jensen Motors, which had been making bodies for the "big Healeys" since their inception in 1952, and became their chairman in 1972. Austin-Healey cars were produced until 1972 when the 20-year agreement between Healey and Austin came to an end.

The "Austin-Healey" inscribed badge placed on early models

Models built
1956 Austin-Healey 100M BN2

Austin-Healey 100
Main article: Austin-Healey 100
Open 2-seater (minimal weather protection)
  • 1953–55 BN1 Austin-Healey 100
  • 1955 Austin-Healey 100S (Limited production—50 race-prepared cars)
  • 1955–56 BN2 Austin-Healey 100 and 100M
1958 Austin-Healey 100-6 BN4

Austin-Healey 100-6
Main article: Austin-Healey 100-6
Open 2+2-seater
  • 1956–57 BN4 Austin-Healey 100-6 (2+2 roadster)
  • 1957–59 BN4 Austin-Healey 100-6 Change to 1+3⁄4-inch SU Carbs (2+2 roadster)
  • 1958–59 BN6 Austin-Healey 100-6 6-Cylinder (2-seater roadster)
1959 Austin-Healey 3000 MkI BN7

Austin-Healey 3000
Main article: Austin-Healey 3000
Open 2+2-seater
  • 1959–61 BN7 Mark I (2-seater roadster), BT7 Mark I (2+2 roadster)
  • 1961–62 BN7 Mark II (2-seater roadster), BT7 Mark II (2+2)
1965 Austin-Healey 3000 Mk III BJ8
Convertible 2+2-seater (wind-up windows)
  • 1962–63 BJ7 Mark II (2+2 convertible)
  • 1963–67 BJ8 Mark III (2+2 convertible)

Austin-Healey Sprite
1960 Austin-Healey Sprite Mark I AN5
Main article: Austin-Healey Sprite
Open 2-seater
  • 1958–61 AN5 Mark I (UK: "Frogeye"; US: "Bugeye")
  • 1961–64 HAN6–HAN7 Mark II
2-seater Roadster[1]
  • 1964–66 HAN8 Mark III (roll-up windows)
  • 1966–69 HAN9 Mark IV
  • 1969–70 HAN10 Mark IV (UK only)
  • 1971 AAN10 Mark IV (UK only; badged as Austin rather than Austin-Healey)

Concept Cars
  • Austin-Healey Project Tempest (2005)

Racing

The Austin Healey was extensively raced by the Donald Healey Motor Company in Europe at Le Mans and at Sebring in the U.S., in classic rallies by the BMC competitions department, and was recognised from the very beginning by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). Healey models raced in club racing in D, E, F, G, an H production classes, winning National Championships in all five classes.[2] The last Big Healey to win an SCCA National Championship was the class E Production Austin-Healey 100-6 driven by Alan Barker at the Daytona ARRC in 1965.

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

Successors

The name Austin was subsequently owned by China's Nanjing Automobile Group, which bought the assets of MG Rover Group (British Leyland's successor company) out of bankruptcy in 2005. After Donald Healey sold his original business, Donald Healey Motor Company, the Healey brand was registered to a new firm, Healey Automobile Consultants, which the Healey family sold to HFI Automotive in 2005.

In June 2007, Nanjing and Healey Automobile Consultants / HFI Automotive signed a collaborative agreement aiming to recreate the Austin Healey and Healey marques alongside NAC's MG. No timeline was given as to when the Healey and Austin-Healey brands would return, although production of the MG TF restarted in August that year, with the first all-new MG-branded model for 16 years, the MG6, being launched 4 years later in 2011.

The Nanjing Automobile Group later merged with the much larger SAIC Motor, with many former British assets including the Austin marque being transferred to SAIC.

See also

References
  1. Horler, Terry (12 July 2021). Original Sprite & Midget. Bay View. p. 91. ISBN 1870979451.
  2. "SCCA Race Results". SCCA.
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