Austin-Healey

GB, 1953 – 1971

(1) Austin Motor Co Ltd, Longbridge, Birmingham, 1953 – 1970

(2) Austin-Morris Division, British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd, Abingdon, Berks.,1970 – 1971

The Austin-Healey make was the outcome of a simple and efficient sports two-seater evolved by Healey using the 2.7-litre ohv 4-cylinder Austin A90 engine, coil-and-wishbone independent front suspension and optional overdrive; the British Motor Corporation took over its series production, and made the Austin-Healey in large numbers until 1956, thus providing themselves with a big tough sporting machine to compete with Triumph’s TR series. The first of a series of ‘streamliners’ built for long-distance record work (later Austin Healey for sale were based on the smaller Sprite) was timed at over 180mph in 1954. A 132bhp version of the original ‘Austin-Healey 100’ with disc brakes was marketed in 1955, and for 1957 there was a new ‘Austin-Healey 100-6’ with Austin’s 2.6-litre 6-cylinder engine, the output of which had been boosted to 117bhp by the end of the season. New for 1958 was the Austin-Healey Sprite, a small sports car with a 948cc B.M.C. ohv engine, which weighed 11¾cwt (1.316lb) and did over 80mph on 43bhp; the quarter-elliptic rear suspension was an unusual feature, and subsequently an MG variant was offered under the name of ‘Austin-Healey Midget’. In 1960 the 6-cylinder Austin-Healey cars had more power, front disc brakes and 2.9-litre engines, and in this form they did extremely well in rallies, among their victories being the 1961 and 1962 Alpines, the GT class of the 1964 Tulip, and the Austrian Alpine and the Spa-Sofia-Liège in the same year.

Latterly Austin-Healeys were assembled in the MG factory at Abingdon. The Austin-Healey 3000 was discontinued in 1968, a victim of tougher American regulations, but the Austin-Healey Sprite outlived it by another three years; the final version, Austin Healey Mk IV, had a 1.275cc 65bhp engine. After Donald Healey’s departure to Jensen, the make’s discontinuation was only a matter of time, though the parallel MG Midget remained in the B.L.M.C. range.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; MCS

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