|
|
| BN1/BN2 100-4 |
 |
| Production |
1953–1956 |
| Successor |
Austin-Healey BN-4 100-6 |
| Engine(s) |
2660 cc I4 |
|
| BN4 100-6 |
| Production |
1956 |
| Successor |
Austin-Healey 3000 |
| Engine(s) |
2912 cc C-Series I6 |
|
The Austin-Healey 100 was a sports car built
between 1953 and 1956 by the British Motor Corporation. It was developed by
Donald Healey to be produced in-house by Healey's company on Austin A90 mechanicals. Healey built a single "Healey 100" for the 1952 London Motor Show, and the design impressed BMC, owner of Austin, so much that the firm decided to bring production in-house.
Production Austin-Healey 100s were finished at BMC's Longbridge plant alongside the A90
based on bodies produced by Jensen in West
Bromwich. The first 100s ("BN1"), were equipped with the same 90 hp (67 kW) engines and 3-speed (plus overdrive)
manual transmission as the stock A90. The 2660 cc engine featured an undersquare
87.3 mm bore and 111.1 mm stroke.
These were built from summer, 1955, and replaced by the BN2 model the next year. The BN2 came with a real 4-speed manual
transmission but was otherwise similar. A "100 m" package was developed as well, with 110 hp (82 kW) on tap. Another
variety was the 50 aluminium-bodied "100S" models with 132 hp (98 kW).
The final 100 models, 1956's "BN4" (2+2 seats) and 1958's "BN6" (2 seats) were six-cylinder 100-6 cars. These shared
the BMC C-Series engine of the later Austin-Healey 3000 which replaced them.
The "100" name comes from Donald Healey, who named it after the fact that this was one
of the few cars of the era which could maintain mph ( km/h), as opposed to the Austin-Healey 3000, which is named for its 3000 cc engine.
References
- Ray Bonds (2003). The Illustrated Directory of Sports Cars. Motorbooks.
ISBN 0-7603-1420-9.
External links
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