2022-02-21 10:52:13 | pauls writes:

Car offered at:

themarket.bonhams.com/en/listings/austin-healey/1006-bn4/5d0208ac-57e7-4874-9ed7 ...

Auction description:

Location: South East London, United Kingdom

Seller Type: Private

Odometer Reading: 65,000

Chassis Number: BN4-LS/46835

Gearbox: manual

Steering position: RHD

Colour: Yukon Green

Interior: Tobacco Leather

Estimated Price: £55,000 - £65,000

This racy looking number is a 1957 100/6 that’s led quite an interesting life. Originally painted white and supplied new to California, it has since been repatriated and converted to right-hand drive. However, before all that, the car was found in a barn where it had been left to rot. Bought by a previous owner in a very poor state, he went about a full restoration – including a new chassis and total repaint – which he carried out in his barn! The standard of the finish is testament to this chap’s skill. It was good enough to draw the attention of Classics Monthly magazine who featured the car in their February 2021 issue (copy included in the car’s history file).

The mileage displayed on its beautifully refurbished Smiths speedo reads 86,326, but since the car was totally stripped and rebuilt recently, that seems largely irrelevant. During said restoration the engine was overhauled and converted to run on fuel injection. Six intakes and a fuel rail from Jenvey are controlled by an Emerald ECU. That not only means that this 100/6 is a lot more reliable than a stock car, but it also develops a lot more power. The theme with this car’s rebuild was a Works homage – clear from its styling – though it also has a modified gas-flowed, big-valve cylinder head to back up these looks. The final touch is an exhaust that can wake the dead. It’s burblicious!

On the Outside

That DIY two-pack paintjob is looking remarkable still. It’s a period Austin colour too called Yukon Green, which was available for the Westminster saloon. All the exterior panels are aluminium and considering their inherently soft nature, seem to have survived very well indeed. There’s a small dent to the nearside front wing, just forward of the union flag, plus a couple of stress cracks have formed on the side of the boot lid but that’s the worst of it. The usual front-end stone chips are present but not excessive and there’s a delightful patina to the chrome on this Healey. It’s pitting and stained but not so much so as to be considered an eye-sore, it’s just enough to hint at the car’s considerable 65-year history.

An original hardtop – painted in the perennial favourite shade of Old English White – is included with the car and looks splendid. Close observation does however, show a few imperfections. There are two cracks in the base on the nearside and the front of the ‘C-pillar’ area has some patchy paint. The same is true of the rear deck where the hardtop rests on the bodywork, but at least it appears to still be fitting snugly. Paint appears to be cracking around some panel creases and wheel arches too but as these panels are alloy, rust hasn’t (and won’t) take hold.

The wheels are Mini-lite replicas but they look the part, even if the rear two seem to be missing their central dust caps. The tyres covering them are a seemingly good set of matching Vredestein Sprint Classics. The exhaust looks a little low, even for a Healey, but it doesn’t appear to have taken any serious knocks. We’re just loving the bumper less works rally vibe to this classic Brit bruiser. The drilled bodywork in the front valance to aid air-flow to the oil cooler, the mesh grilles covering the headlamps, the bonnet pins, strap and extra Cibie spots all scream competition. This is one classic that demands to be driven and its lack of use lately is main reason why the vendor decided to part with it.

On the Inside

A pair of lovely stitched leather bucket seats draw the eye immediately. They appear to be in great shape too, barring a small tear to the lower squab on the driver’s side. That wood-rimmed wheel looks the part too, but we’re not quite as convinced by the centre console and its aftermarket switch panel. It seems to have come right out of the pages of the Demon Tweaks catalogue. That said, it’s all functional and even allows for controls for an auxiliary heater and discreetly a pair of hidden USB charging ports (in the driver’s footwell side of the console).

The trim is generally looking good but the carpet fit on the transmission tunnel and bulkhead could be improved – there are a few wrinkles in need of ironing out. The previous owner decided to get rid of the rear seats when he was rebuilding the car, which has given more space for luggage. It’s also allowed the fitment of a pair of speakers and a fire extinguisher, though we suspect the former are too small to be heard over that exhaust.

Door cards are looking good, if a little grubby around their handles. The trim on the top of the passenger card is missing a screw and another fixing has parted company with the door latch on the same side. There’s one missing on the driver’s door release too and another that’s planning its escape imminently. A tiny lightweight Yuasa battery is exposed in the rear offside footwell – though it’s secured in a cage that also incorporates a cut-off switch. There’s some very trivial evidence of surface rust in the door shuts (top of sills) but the usual rot spot in the boot corners, under the carpet, is looking very solid.

Underneath

It’s evident that plenty of work has been put into the drive line of this Healey. With an exterior shouting motorsport as loud as this, not backing it up with a fruity drive would be criminal. The bushes and tie rods look upgraded and near new and there’s braided lines for fuel and copper lines for brakes – so no rust to worry about in either case. While we’re talking fuel delivery, the original system has been nearly completely ditched of course – though the tank remains. There’s a Facet electric pump in the boot that’s fed the go juice by an accumulator, so no starvation when you’re hurtling this Healey around a bend. There’s an oil overflow that’s oddly feeding, via a garden hose, to the nearside inner wheel arch. We’d expect a catch tank here but it’s not essential. The outlet for the coolant expansion also ditches here.

The tubular exhaust manifold has been heat wrapped and all its hardware and fixings looked good. In fact, the bolts, nuts and washers seen throughout the underside of this car look in fine order. We did spy a few light patches of surface rust on the chassis crossmembers and limited areas of the floors, though these all appear to be very mild. The largest patch is on the chassis crossmember just aft of the gearbox and is perhaps two inches in length. Suspension and steering components still look tidy with a good coat of black paint or powder coat protecting them.

History Highlights

The history wasn’t available at the time of compiling this listing, but we did see a British Motor Heritage trust certificate copy that confirms the car was originally sent to the US and was painted white. There’s also that magazine feature, which goes into a lot more detail about the car’s resurrection than we were able to fit in here. Oh, and there’s our usual HPI check that reveals nothing more than the cars import status and that colour change.