Chassis no. HBN7L14164

Engine no. 29E-RU-H/635

2,912-cc, 132-hp overhead-valve inline six-cylinder engine, four-speed manual transmission with overdrive, coil spring independent front suspension, live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and hydraulic front disc, rear drum brakes. Wheelbase: 92-inches.

Donald Healey’s four-cylinder Healey Hundred was a sensation at the 1952 London Motor Show, impressing Austin’s Leonard Lord, who promptly put it into production as the Austin-Healey. Successively upgraded, it received six-cylinder power in 1956, but it was the three-liter 3000 of 1959-1967 that became the archetypal “Big Healey.” With a new 2,912-cc six making 124-hp it was powerful and capable of 115-mph.

A Mark II version introduced in 1961 sported three SU HS4 carburetors, giving 132-hp at 4,750-rpm. The shift linkage was also revised to center the lever, making it easier to shift. Almost as much fun as its spirited acceleration was the baritone note of its mellow exhaust. In addition to the BN7 Deluxe Roadster, BT7 2+2 versions were available in Sport and Deluxe models. So popular were the four-seat cars that BN7 Deluxe Roadsters were quite rare, with just 355 built, 141 with the center shifter. The triple-carb engine, too, was rare, produced only for a year.

This car, built to North American specifications, was dispatched from the factory on June 16, 1961 for personal export to the United States. The customer name is not recorded, but as delivered it was Colorado Red with red trim. Equipped with radio, heater, electric overdrive, and adjustable steering column, it had chrome wire wheels mounted with Dunlop Roadspeed tires.

Prior to joining the Ewing Collection the Healey was treated to a nut-and-bolt restoration by Tom and Randy-Lynn Rocke at Healey Lane in Riverside California. All sheet metal was shot-blasted to bare metal. Finished in DuPont two-stage urethane, it has been repainted in Gun Metal Gray, with the side coves in the original Colorado Red. The new interior has red seats with matching piping and matching wool carpets and panels. The engine, transmission and all mechanical systems were rebuilt with the same attention to detail, and a new fuel tank and fuel and brake lines fitted. Driven just a few test miles since completion, it is ready to be enjoyed by a new owner. One of a small constituency of this specification, this rare Mark II is accompanied by a British Motor Industry Heritage Certificate and an album documenting the restoration.