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Not many post-war sports cars can boast of a better provenance than the Austin-Healey 100. Brainchild of Sir Donald Healey, the sexy, envelope-bodied Roadster featured matinee-idol looks--and a rugged 4-cylinder engine, lifted straight from Austin's delivery van, producing a whopping 90 hp! This did not make the stock Healey a contender on the American market, where big V-8 engines producing raw horsepower and gobs of torque reigned supreme.
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Just like Carroll Shelby, who transformed the staid AC Bristol into a track warrior by implanting a 289 cu. in. V-8 FORD heart, scores of privateers went the same route with their Healeys. As you can imagine, changing the weight-to-horsepower ratio from 28:1 to something like 7:1 made all the difference in the world.
Fremont Drag Strip actually featured two Healey-only classes in the early Sixties: one for small-blocks and one for big-block-powered cars, such was the popularity of these engine swaps.
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The 100/4 presented here was purpose-built in the late 1960s for street-and-strip action and is said to have competed at long-defunct Irwindale Dragstrip in Southern California. Aptly named "Lil' Brute", it was expertly restored from the ground up by a Mojave Valley aerospace engineer, its caretaker for the past 31 years. Having travelled only 4,923 miles since, the car presents itself in show condition throughout.
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So what's lurking underneath the bonnet with its four rows of 15 hand-punched louvers, each and every one carefully pinstriped? Let's undo the quick-release locks and find out!
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Residing in a toothbrush-clean engine compartment with custom aluminum firewall is Chevrolet's fabulous 5.7 liter (350 cu. in.) 4-bolt main short block, this one fully balanced, fitted with early, high-compression camel hump "Fuelie" heads, a COMPETITION CAMS bumpstick, topped by an EDELBROCK Performer manifold and brand new, matching 750cfm carburetor w/ electric choke. Finned aluminum valve covers and air cleaner housing provide period-correct looks. Spent gases exit via a set of headers into a dual exhaust with new hi-po mufflers and dual chrome tips. Power output on the chassis dynamometer: 375 horses !
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Able to out-accelerate about any street-legal production car on the planet, the Healey nevertheless feels comfortable putting along at 75mph on the freeway, thanks to its intelligent set up, employing a Muncie M21 manual close-ratio transmission with new bearings, synchros and a "freeway flyer" 4th gear. At the tail end of the short driveshaft sits a bullet-proof '66 Chevelle pumpkin with tall 3:08 final ratio, located by leaf springs and aided tremendously by a set of brand new HEIJÄGGÄ air shocks.
A new radiator and external oil cooler keep temperatures under control; even on hot California summer days, the Healey runs right around 190°F all day long.
Currently registered, the V-8 Healey comes with its original, six-digit, blue-and-gold California license plates.
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The recipient of a thorough body-off restoration, this arrow-straight Healey is free of rust and bondo. Glacier White paint features a glistening wet look. There are no dings, dents, scrapes, or scratches anywhere; apart from a few, carefully touched-up paint chips near the bonnet, the paintwork is flawless and breathtaking.
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With its finely chiselled body, triple-plated brightwork, pristine wheels and tires, and expertly re-created, red pinstriping accents, the V-8 Healey sparkles like a fine piece of estate jewelry in the bright Santa Barbara sunlight.
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Truly unique is the 100/4's fold-back windshield, which can quickly be lowered to an almost horizontal position, providing more exciting wind-in-the-face fun than found on any other sports car in existence!
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Healey's masterfully created, engine-turned dash bedazzles the eye of the beholder. Six period Stewart-Warner gauges are set deep into an engine-turned alloy panel; tach and speedo are slightly angled toward the pilot. The three-spoke wood-and-aluminum MOTO-LITA volant looks stunning.
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Even the smallest detail has received loving attention. From left to right:
- Vintage Stewart-Warner gauges, hand-formed switch panel with starter button
- Hand-formed aluminum transmission cover displaying "Healey flash"
- Rare "Don Garlits Performance" dash plaque
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Neatly rimmed by polished aluminum, the barchetta-like cockpit has just been expertly re-trimmed by none other than Hector de Canoga, the doyen of SFV upholsterers. Original Healey bucket seats and door panels are finished in bright red Morrokide, with matching red loop carpeting throughout.
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Protecting the interior from heat as well as prying eyes (and fingers), there's a matching tonneau cover with a zipper down the middle.
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Red, white, and chrome - it's a breathtakingly beautiful automobile!
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The zenith of coolness: genuine (and very expensive) RADIR mag wheels with tri-eared spinners. Wheels are vitually new, and so are the 185-15 DUNLOP Sport radial tires on all 4 corners.
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With its straight, rust and accident free frame and beautiful floors, the Healey is 100% free of corrosion. The whole undercarriage is super clean and has been nicely detailed for show-and-shine. There are no fluid leaks to report, either.
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Carpeted trunk is bone dry and equally clean; it contains the battery and a custom-fabricated fuel tank, which is located below the removable panels.
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Ready for a test drive?
We thoroughly enjoyed piloting the 375-horse "Lil' Brute" on a 100-mile round trip on September 4th, the day these pictures were taken. From the moment the small black button on the dash stirs the 12-Volt starter motor, the car feels alive. The engine announces itself with a bark and reacts instantly--almost telepathically--to every blip of the throttle, while the exhaust bellows a throaty tune. Shift into first, and away we go.
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Since the car has been completely re-wired by an expert, everything works flawlessly on this Healey, every gauge, light, and switch. (Exclusively used as a fair-weather toy and Sunday Car Show participant during the past three decades, the wipers are not hooked up.) Front disc brakes were lifted from a 1967 Austin-Healey 3000 and work very well, indeed. The car is almost scarily fast, but feels very safe to drive. Cruising in 4th gear in the fast lane and pushing the pedal to the metal causes the Healey to surge forward like a fighter jet lifting off an aircraft carrier. A sensation like no other!
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Equipped with a tight suspension and responsive steering, this genuine BN1 provides vintage motoring at its best. This stunning example of Anglo-American ingenuity is truly the finest Healey we've ever owned.
Being a landspeed enthusiast with several visits to the Bonneville Salt Flats under his belt, Sir Donald himself was supportive of V-8 power for his creation, alas, such a motor simply was not available off the shelf during his almost 30 years with the Austin/BMC conglomerate.
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Stopping briefly at the Santa Barbara harbor, we could have charged a fee to people eager to take pictures with our Healey. From the young couple getting married, to tourists from Germany and Nebraska, everyone fell in love with the car.
It's no surprise, really, since the Big Healey is one of the most desirable Roadsters in the World. This V-8-powered example looks and performs every bit as extraordinarily as its twin, Carroll Shelby's 289 Cobra.
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With Cobra prices in the $3-500.000.00 range, this Austin-Healey represents a fantastic value among the highly collectible sports cars of the Fifties. Comparably restored (but less powerful) British classics like the Jaguar XK, Aston Martin DB2, or Allard routinely fetch more than $100.000.00 at auction. This one-of-a-kind, superb hybrid could indeed be the bargain of the decade.
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A fully sorted, provenanced California Healey, blisteringly fast, eminently driveable, beautiful to behold, and easy to maintain, it's the heir apparent of Allard, Bristol, and Cobra, obviously next in line to hit the 6-digit mark at a Barrett-Jackson or Pebble Beach auction.