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Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car

Austin-Healey Special
100M The Ultimate Healey Road Car
SPEEDWELL SPRITE Drive Report

#52
DECEMBER, 2009

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 Healey’s Ultimate Road Car
They made them bigger, but they didn’t make them better
than the Austin-Healey 100M

100Ms were built on fully trimmed base models, Healey gauges changed little over the years. 16½-inch wheel has self-correcting trafficator
and their full slate of options was on the table. turn signal switch in the center, and is here correctly centered, spoke up.

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID TRAVER ADOLPHUS

D
onald Healey may not have looked
the part, but he liked life in the fast
lane. “Like all men, he liked fast
cars, and he certainly enjoyed company
in his travels,” said his son, Brian “Bic”
Healey. But where he had to live with the
people nature provided, when he wanted
a faster car, he could have one made..
The Donald Healey Motor Company
(DHMCo) before 1953, including Nash-
Healey and Alvis Healey, was a bou-
tique manufacturer— 25 of this car, 45
of that, and never more than a few hun-
dred of anything; 1,287 cars altogether
from the company’s first in 1946, through
1953, including race cars. Those they
campaigned to great success and fame,
but the company remained small, until
Donald Healey met Austin’s Leonard Lord
in 1952.
After several trips to America (HS&EC
#49), Healey had recognized the potential
in the American market, and his engineers
were working on a sports car he thought
could fit between an MG and Jaguar. His
initial brief called for a “scaled-down
XK120,” wrote the car’s designer, Gerry
Coker, in The Healey Book. ”I explained I
thought he wanted a Healey, not a Jaguar,”
and had a fresh design stretched around
the chassis’ hard points by late 1951.
Thinking about American sales, he was
careful to provide room for his own 6’2”
frame, with a distinctive, effective large
grille opening and Donald Healey-speci-
fied folding windscreen.
Coachbuilders Tickford built the proto-
type Healey Hundred in aluminum, and
after testing, Donald Healey used it to set
a land speed record for its class, 111 MPH.
By the time it was displayed at the 1952
Earls Court Motor Show, an agreement was
in place with Austin, so it debuted as the
Austin-Healey 100.
Healey established an international repu-
tation early on with aggressive and success-
ful racing at Le Mans and in major rallies,
and there was no question that the new
100 would race as well. In 1953, as a first
test run of twenty 100s was in production,
Donald Healey and Leonard Lord autho-
rized five “Special Test Cars” for endurance
events. They were built from light alloy,
and the Austin Experimental Shop built the
engines, which were equipped with larger,
dual 1¾-inch SU H6 carburetors with air-
box, high-lift cams, racing flywheels and
double valve springs. They went through
a variety of configurations through their
life spans, and DHMCo further modified
two into full-race 100S models. But the
original 100M configuration proved very
effective, and in 1954 the factory began
offering a customer Le Mans kit that largely
replicated their 1953 Le Mans race entries.
These kits were sold both over the counter

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A steel-faced head gasket was also part of the 100M engine. Almost all external engine
components—starter, spark plugs, distributor and generator—are on the right side.
for installation, and as a factory retrofit for
existing cars.
The following year, 1955, saw the intro-
duction of the “BN2” second series of
the 100, and Healey made the M pack-
age available on new cars from the fac-
tory. Aesthetically, it was little changed,
although a louvered hood, buckled down
with a leather strap (per Le Mans regula-
tion), made it obvious that this wasn’t
your everyday 100. DHMCo again built
the Austin A90 engine in-house, adding
20hp (for 110hp) with high-compression
pistons, high-lift cam and double valve
springs, high-output distributor with modi-
fied automatic advance and, as with the
previous aftermarket kit, twin SU H6 car-
buretors fed by a filter-less cold-air system.
If, upon opening the hood, the big alloy
box attached to the SUs didn’t clue you in,
it had a plaque screwed on, which read,
“This car has been fitted with a ‘Le Mans’
modification kit.”
Underneath, stiffer front lever-arm damp-
ers were used, and it had an uprated (“rac-
ing type”) front anti-roll bar. All BN2 100s
now had a standard four-speed Austin
transmission with electric overdrive on
third and fourth, and it was used for the
100M, as well as that car’s new 11 x 2.25-
inch drum brakes. Actually, there’s still
some slight mystery about what the full kit
did comprise: Many, but not all, 100Ms
have the high-compression pistons, and
the company offered a long list of perfor-
20 HEMMINGS SPORTS & EXOTIC CAR
• December 2009
SE52 018-022 dR1 Healey100-RevB.20 20
mance, comfort and convenience options
for all cars. Either way, years of exhaustive
research have determined that the fac-
tory built 640 of them before the 100-6
was introduced in 1956. Around 160 of
those are confidently accounted for, but
as feature car owner Randy Hicks pointed
out, the number of fakes and clones far
outnumbers the original production, fur-
ther confused by the factory aftermarket
kit. An American builder even produced
a brief run of fake 100Ms from base 100s,
all with the same genuine serial number,
before disappearing one step ahead of an
angry mob.
The complete package added weight
to a 100, but it was no porker, and mas-
sively quicker: zero-60 in 9.6 seconds
(two seconds faster than a 100); and a 109
MPH top speed, with windshield folded.
The standard rear end gears were 4.10s,
giving the little roadster great grunt out of
the corners, but limiting its usefulness on
the highway.
From the moment you start it up, you
know the 100M is ready for action. Randy
drives his 1956 100M hard, and has it
equipped with a stainless exhaust, which
undoubtedly magnifies the effect; but start
it up, and it barks, loudly. This is not a
mild four-cylinder rasp, it’s near-race tune,
a little loping at idle, hard and angry with
a blip of the throttle. Despite maintaining
“Ruby” (naming cars is a longstanding
Austin-Healey tradition) in winning con-
HEMMINGS.COM
Leather belt was a Le Mans requirement, and
the Vee louvered hood extracts heat at racing
speeds.
Both this badge, on the cold air intake box, and
the front M script, were available from the factory.
“ Brought up in
a sports car
family, he’d
seen them race
at Watkins Glen
essentially since
”
they were new.
cours condition, Randy puts on several
thousand miles annually and has made a
couple of subtle upgrades, including front
disc brakes similar to a contemporary fac-
tory accessory Dunlop kit, dual fuel pumps
and a 3.54 rear axle ratio to make long dis-
tance touring easier. A period, finned alloy
aftermarket valve cover both decorates the
engine bay and provides a little extra cool-
ing; the original head was cracked, and the
engine seized, when Randy acquired the
car in 1999.
Even built around an American tem-
plate, all the big Healeys are notoriously
tight for tall occupants. Our average-sized
frame fits perfectly, but if you’ve ever been
compared to an orangutan, you’ll find
9/25/09 10:14:49 AM
 your right elbow poking out the window
and the wheel burnishing your sternum.
If you’re normal, the driving position is
sublime. We’re not necessarily big fans of
the arms-out style; having the wheel 18
inches or so away gives you the leverage
for quick, accurate movements.
The suspension is taut and will bounce
you around on broken surfaces, but race-
tracks aren’t usually broken surfaces. Very
quick, tight steering helped make corner-
ing a blast, and while we didn’t have the
stones to throw it into a curve hot, the
big Healeys can usually be steered with
the rear end. Randy’s 15-inch Vredestein
Sprint Classic radials undoubtedly have
more grip than a Fifties bias-ply would
have — power-on oversteer was a matter of
fact back in the day. Where the car really
shines is in low-end acceleration: The
long-stroke engine is happiest below 3,500
RPM, providing its big 144-lbs.ft. of peak
torque at 2,500. It won’t pin you back, but
a sub 10-second time in a car from this
era was usually reserved for Italian exotics
(or Chrysler letter cars). Factory rear-end
gearing would certainly take it into even
more rarefied territory. Heel-and-toe was
Two-tone paint wasn’t available on 100s, but factory 100Ms usually have an additional color sprayed onto the lower portions. With the windshield
fully up, occupants are well protected. Down, and a substantial wash takes you in the face. Goggles are de rigueur.
SE52 018-022 dR1 Healey100-RevB.21 21
important, especially in low gear, but we
would have taken any excuse for an extra
blip of the throttle, turning the throaty bur-
ble into a ripping snarl. Pedal placement
and action are excellent, and the engine
very quick revving—especially for a long-
stroke design. Randy’s car clearly didn’t
enjoy low-speed, around-town puttering
as we made our way through traffic to a
photography location, and we later had to
stop to clean deposits on three plugs.
Our only complaint in driving was vague
action from the long, dogleg shifter, but as
with any car, familiarity would negate that.
Braking took a hard stomp to make the
manual binders clamp properly, with no
fade or pull. Our previous experience with
stock all-drum-brake 100s, and any other
light car with big, high-quality drums, says
that in anything but the hardest track use,
you’d never know the discs were there. In
fact, if it were us, we would have skipped Two people are needed to properly remove and
the disc conversion altogether, and sprung align the light folding windscreen.
for custom-arched shoes. But we can’t
deny they look badass behind the 60-
spoke wire knockoffs.
Randy knew all about the 100M’s racing
credentials. Brought up in a sports car fam-
Donald Healey asked for a flat windshield, but
the raked design is good for about seven MPH.
HEMMINGS.COM December 2009 21
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9/25/09 10:14:54 AM

Reproduction 60-spoke Dayton wheels reveal
period aftermarket-style front discs.
1956 A–H 100M
Owner’s Story
R uby was built to be driven, and is very
original except for front disc brakes
and dual fuel pumps. She has won numer-
ous awards at New England car shows as
well as at the Conclaves in Lake Tahoe,
Washington, D.C., and San Antonio.
Besides looking great, she finished second
in class at Summit Point time trials during
Conclave 2003.
We feel fortunate that fate has taken us
down this road, as we have gotten to know
so many wonderful people associated with
Austin-Healeys, and have made some life-
long friends in the process.
—Randy Hicks
22 HEMMINGS SPORTS & EXOTIC CAR
• December 2009
SE52 018-022 dR1 Healey100-RevB.22 22
ily, he’d seen them race at Watkins Glen
What to Pay
essentially since they were new. “Finally, 1956 Austin-Healey 100M
in the early 1970s, after owning a string Low $85,000
of MGBs, I bought two 1962 tri-carbs (six- Average $111,000
cylinder Austin-Healey 3000s) trying to get High $150,000
one together.”
He found himself in over his head, both
financially (kids had arrived) and informa-
tionally, and he had to let go of the project,
Club Scene
“but not the desire to own a Healey.” It Austin-Healey Club of America
wasn’t until 25 years later that he was in 110 N. Rastetter Avenue
a position to aspire to Healey ownership Louisville, Kentucky 40206
once again. In 1999, with the help of Tom 877-5HEALEY
Kovacs and Oklahoma’s Rocky Santiago, membership@healeyclub.org
he located a genuine 100M from the West www.healeyclub.org
Coast, which Tom’s Fourintune Garage in Dues: $40/year; Membership: 4,000
Wisconsin restored in 2000, on time (eight
months!) and on budget. Nearly a decade Austin-Healey Club USA
later, the quality still shines through. Randy 8002 NE Highway 99
drives it weekly through the warm season, Suite B PMB 424
racking up thousands of miles every year— Vancouver, Washington 98665-8813
more than 25,000 since restoration—and 408-394-3444
over the winter goes over it front to back, www.healey.org
pulling off the exhausting feat of making it Dues: $45/year; Membership: 3,000
both a driver, and a national Austin-Healey
Club of America show winner. Worldwide 100M LeMans Registry
100Ms have been the subject of 533 Cedar Drive
speculative buying in the last two years. Watsonville, California 95076
One moment they were $35,000; the next, 831-722-3253
one sold for nearly a quarter-million, then billmeade@charter.net
another at six-figures-plus. Many people, www.100mregistry.com
us included, think that sure was a lot of
money for any post-war, four-cylinder British
regular production car. But there’s also no
doubt that, for a long time, the 100M was Pros & Cons
deep in the shadow of the 3000, despite
offering a purer sports car experience.
Now they’ve emerged, and rightly so. This
Pros
was a factory package built for racing, one Get lost in the torque
of the most charismatic, entertaining and Beautiful girls drape
flat-out beautiful cars ever produced. It’s themselves over it
the epitome of the British roadster, with
all its faults and virtues, unapologetically Hop in and drive
raucous, ill-fitting, ill-mannered, seductive
yet slightly brutish, and it’s hard to say it Cons
isn’t worth every penny.
Vague gearbox
One size fits some
Literally hundreds of fakes
HEMMINGS.COM
9/25/09 11:37:48 AM
 AUSTIN-HE ALE Y
1956 100M
SP E C I F I CAT I O N S
ENGINE
Type ...............................
Displacement .................
Bore x stroke .................
Compression ratio..........
Horsepower @ RPM .......
Torque @ RPM ...............
Main bearings................
Fuel system ....................
Ignition ..........................
Lubrication system .........
Exhaust system ..............
TRANSMISSION
Type ...............................
Ratios: 1st......................
2nd ....................
3rd .....................
4th .....................
Reverse ..............
DIFFERENTIAL
Type ...............................
Ratio ..............................
STEERING
Type ...............................
Ratio ..............................
Turns, lock-to-lock .........
BRAKES
Type ...............................
Front/rear .......................
CHASSIS & BODY
Construction ..................
Body style ......................
Layout ...........................
SE52 023 SPEC-Austin Healey 100.23
PERFORMANCE
0–60 MPH
1/4 Mile
9.6 sec.
17.4 sec.
Top Speed 109 MPH
SUSPENSION
Austin A90 OHC inline-four, Front.............................. Independent, double wishbones,
iron block and head, alloy pistons coil springs, anti-roll bar,
2,660cc (162.3-cu.in.) lever-arm dampers
87 x 111mm Rear ............................... Live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs,
8.1:1 Panhard rod, lever-arm dampers
110 @ 4,500 Wheels .......................... Dunlop wire center lock
144-lbs.ft. @ 2,500 Front/rear ....................... 15 x 4.0 inches
3 Tires............................... Dunlop Road Speed
Twin 1.75-inch SU H6 semi-downdraft cross-belted bias plies
carburetors, “galleried” intake manifold Front/rear ....................... 15 x 5.9 inches
12-volt; coil, points, condenser
Pressure WEIGHTS & MEASURES
Two-piece cast-iron manifold with Wheelbase ..................... 90 inches
single exhaust Overall length ................ 151 inches
Overall width ................. 60.5 inches
Overall height ................ 49.75 inches
Four-speed, Laycock de Normanville Front track ..................... 49 inches
electric overdrive Rear track ...................... 50.0 inches
3.076:1 Shipping weight ............ 2,385 pounds
1.913:1
1.33:1, 1.037:1 o/d CAPACITIES
1.00:1, 0.778:1 o/d Crankcase ...................... 7.5 quarts
4.176:1 Cooling system .............. 12 quarts
Fuel tank ....................... 14.4 gallons
Transmission .................. 6.6 pints
3/4 floating hypoid bevel Rear axle........................ 2.7 pints
4.10:1
CALCULATED DATA
Horsepower per cc......... 0.041
Cam and lever Weight per hp ............... 21.68 pounds
12.6:1 Weight per CID.............. 14.7 pounds
2.5
PERFORMANCE
0-60 MPH ...................... 9.6 seconds
Girling hydraulic drum ¼ mile ET ...................... 17.4 seconds
11 x 2.25-inch drum Top speed ...................... 109 MPH
(11-inch front disc shown) Source: Road & Track
PRICE
Steel and alloy body on box-section Base price ...................... $3,275
ladder frame with cross bracing
Two-door, two-passenger roadster
Front engine, rear-wheel drive
HEMMINGS.COM December 2009 23
• HEMMINGS SPORTS & EXOTIC CAR
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