The Austin-Healey 100 is a sports car built by Austin-Healey from 1953 to 1956. Based on Austin A90 Atlantic mechanics, it was developed by Donald Healey from his 2-door Nash-Healey sports car, which had Nash mechanics, to be produced in-house by his small Healey car company in Warwick. Healey managed Tickford to build a single Healey Hundred for the 1952 London Motor Show, and the design impressed Austin managing director Leonard Lord, who was looking for a replacement for the unsuccessful A90. The body styling was by Gerry Coker, the chassis was designed by Barry Bilbie, with longitudinal members and cross bracing, producing a comparatively rigid structure, upon which the body was mounted, welding the front bulkhead to the frame in an innovative way, for greater strength.
To keep the vehicle's overall height low, the rear axle was suspended, passing the chassis structure underneath the rear axle assembly.
Lord struck a deal with Healey to build it in quantity; bodies manufactured by Jensen Motors received mechanical components from Austin at the Longbridge plant, in Austin. The car was renamed the Austin-Healey 100. The "100" was named by Healey for the car's ability to reach 100 mph; its successor, the better-known Austin-Healey 3000, was named after its engine's nearly 3,000 cc.
In addition to the first twenty cars, production of the Austin-Healey 100 was completed at the Austin factory in Longbridge, alongside the A90, and based on fully finished and painted body/chassis units produced by Jensen in West Bromwich - in an agreement that the two companies had previously explored with the Austin A40 Sports,. 14,634 Austin-Healey 100s were produced.
The 100 was the first of three models, later called Big Healeys, to distinguish them from the much smaller Austin-Healey Sprite. Big Healeys are often referred to by their three-character model designators rather than their models, as model names do not reflect mechanical differences and similarities well.
Datasheet Year: 1953 Brand: Austin-Healey Model: 100/4 Country: England Number plate: MD-27-73 Engine: 2660 cc Gearbox: 4