Austin Healey

Austin-Healey was a brand of sports car.

The marque was established through a joint venture arrangement set up in 1952between Leonard Lord of the Austin division of the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and Donald Healey, a renowned automotive engineer and designer.

Austin-Healey produced cars until 1972 when the 20-year agreement between Healey and Austin came to an end. Donald Healey left the company in 1968 when British Motor Holdings (BMC had merged with Jaguar Cars in 1966 to form BMH) was merged into British Leyland.

Incidentally, the name Austin is now owned by Nanjing who 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 that aims to recreate the Austin-Healey and Healey marques along side NAC's MG. No timeline has been given as to when the Healey and Austin-Healey brands will return, although MG will be back on the market in China and the UK by the year's end.

Models built

There were many production models of 'Big' Healeys

Austin-Healey 100

1953 - 1955 BN1 Austin-Healey 100

1955 Austin-Healey 100S (Extremely limited production of aluminium bodied race-prepared cars)

1955 - 1956 BN2 Austin-Healey 100M (Limited production high performance)

1956 - 1957 BN2 Austin-Healey 100-4

1956 - 1957 BN4 Austin-Healey 100-6 (2+2 seats)

1957 - 1959 BN4 Austin-Healey 100-6 Change to 1 3/4" SU Carbs (2+2 seats)

1958 - 1959 BN6 Austin-Healey 100-6 6 Cylinder motor (2 seat)

Austin-Healey 3000

1959 - 1961 BN7 Mark I (2 seat), BT7 Mark I (2+2 seats)

1961 - 1962 BN7 Mark II (2 seat), BT7 Mark II (2+2 seats), BJ7 Mark II (2 seat)

1962 - 1964 BJ7 Mark II (roll-up windows)

1964 - 1967 BJ8 Mark III

Austin-Healey Sprite

1958 - 1960 AN5 Mark I 'Bugeye - US' 'Frogeye - UK'

After the Bugeye, the AH Sprite was a badge engineered twin to the MG Midget (hence the term 'Spridget'). The MG was aimed slightly upmarket.

1961 - 1964 AN6 - AN7 Mark II

1964 - 1966 AN8 Mark III (roll-up windows)

1966 - 1969 AN9 Mark IV

1969 - 1971 AN10 Mark V (UK Only)

For More Details Click Here