Produced for eight years, between nineteen fifty one and nineteen fifty nine, the Austin Healey 100 was manufactured by Donald Healeys company, under the British Motor Corporation umbrella. Originally the Austin Healey 100 was built on the same mechanical basis as the Austin A90, and David Healey only produced one model to put into the London Motor Show held in nineteen fifty two. The car was built solidly and the aesthetics pleased the British Motor Corp who decided to produce more models.  The two door roadster was named 100 due to the limited number of road cars which could reach the speed of one hundred miles per hour, which was an achievement back in the fifties. Having numbers as model names are not uncommon with Austin Healeys, with the Austin Healey 3000 names so due to the cubic centre meter capacity of its engine.  

The 100 BN1 was the original variations produced, and were mechanically similar to the A90. The main difference between the two cars was the transmission, which was changed for the 100. The BN1 was tested by The Motor magazine and reached a speed of one hundred and six miles per hour. The BN2 was a four speed manual, opposed to the three speed of the BN1. Another distinctive mark of the BN2 which can tell it apart from its BN2 brother is the slightly larger wheel arches to the front of the car. The 100S was another variation to arrive on the scene, with a lighter body and equipped with sport discs brakes to the front and rear, a first on a road car.

 

The later 100 variations were the BN4 and BN6, which included a larger wheelbase to fit the increase in seats, as well as an air scoop fitted into the bonnet. The BN6 was also tested by The Motor magazine, and had a top speed slightly less than that of the BN1 model. However, the acceleration to sixty miles per hour outperformed the BN1, with the BN6 taking ten point seven seconds, compared to eleven point two of the BN1.

Related : Sports Cars