Donald Mitchell Healey was born in 1898 in Cornwall. He served with the Royal Flying Corps during World War I, but he was invalided out in 1917 after crashing. In the early 1920s, he became involved in motor sport and joined sports car manufacturer Invicta in 1930. In 1931, he won the Monte Carlo Rally whilst driving for Invicta. Healey subsequently worked for Riley and Triumph. He formed the Donald Healey Motor Company, in Warwick, in 1945 and became a manufacturer.

By 1952, Healey was looking for an engine supplier who could provide a large volume at a reasonable cost. He built a prototype car using the Austin A90 engine, had it bodied by Tickford, and put it on display at the London Motor Show, and there the Healey 100 was born. Leonard Lord, head of the British Motor Corporation, liked the car sufficiently enough to adopt it virtually on the spot. Production was moved to Longbridge, and there it became the Austin-Healey 100. The Austin-Healey 100-4 was followed by the 100-6 in 1956, which then evolved into the 3000 series. The 100-6 is seen by many purists as the personification of the Austin-Healey concept.

The Healey 100-6 BN6 Roadster offered here still has a very clean presentation and is well-sorted from its restoration that was completed “several years ago.” The roadster is finished in a fantastic red over black presentation with a black soft-top and black interior that features red piping on the seats; the carpet and door panels are also black. The car is powered by a 2.6-liter inline six-cylinder engine with a manual transmission with overdrive, which is ideal for continental touring, making the ride that much more comfortable. The dashboard features instrumentation, plus the car is a left-hand drive example and also features chrome knock-off wire wheels, Michelin XZX tires, dual door-mounted rearview mirrors, leather hood straps and driving lights.

When speaking of this model of Austin-Healey in 1958, respected F1 racecar driver, Le Mans 24-Hours winner and later team manager, Roy Salvadori commented that “I sell Austin-Healey’s and I know my customers. Sleek lines, modern color schemes, leather upholstery, the lot – that’s what they want and that’s what they get. The car’s a gem.” That it is, the streamlined features of the 100-6 are the epitome of a late 1950s British sports car.