I live in the United Kingdom. The 100M is the first car I drove on the road. I had been driving Land Rovers & an Austin Gipsy on private land since the age of 12. I had an uncle who was ‘a bit of a lad.’ I could not officially start driving on the road until I reached 17. But at 15 my uncle put me in a 100M. Stuck a cushion behind my back so I could reach the pedals and sent me off to drive on my own to the local village & back. My favourite AH is the 100/6 with overdrive. The last AH 3000 was a real slug. Just too heavy & the engine did not rev. My late brother rallied an early 3000 with overdrive. Every day driving he used to get 21mpg. 9mpg when rallying. This is UK not US gallons.
I bought a 1956 BN2 in 1958. The motor of the Healey was from the Austin A90 with 4 big ports. I think the carbs were twin SU's. Loved the Laycock-de Normanville electric overdrive and yes it could do in excess of the ton. 3 gears plus reverse as first blocked of. Change was if you were driving a left hand drive, i.e. back to front for RHD. Being second hand needed mechanical work and traded in on a new 1959 MGA. What a come down. Worst sports car I ever owned. Kept it for 12 months and traded that in on a new 1960 version Porsche 356B roadster or cabrio if you are a yank. Shame I couldn't post a pic being white with red/white GT stripe. Most unusual for the 50's.
are you sure your healey wasn't a 1952? I had a 52 with 3 speed ahead and electric overdrive. I was told that the 3 spd with 1st gear blocked out was only for the first few months of production.
You had a BN-1. The rare BN-2 had a proper 4-speed made for left-hand drive. The BN-1 had an "upside-down and backward" 3-speed because, as you said, the first gear of a transmission intended for a heavier saloon car was blocked off, and the transmission was made for right-hand drive. Very few BN-2 models were made before the 100-6 was introduced. They are among the most expensive Healeys today. The BN-1 was 1953 and 1954. The BN-2 was in 1955. The BN-6, with the early six-cylinder engine, was in 1956. All models after the BN-1 had proper 4-speeds, fully synchronized. Overdrive was always an option, if memory serves, though it's unusual to find one without the OD. You can also find some BN-1 cars with the first gear lockout removed, but the gear is way too short for such a light car and is virtually useless.
Thanks for you informative replies. I concur now that the Healey I owned was more than likely a BN1 but sold to me secondhand as a BN2 by the Dealer. It also explains why a supposedly a 2 year old car with 30,000 clicks developed so many faults and most likely really had 130,000 miles but the speedo wound back. I recall I paid 890 pounds for it in August 1958 and traded in in May 1959 for 975 pounds for a new 1500CC MGA. Still the Healey was great fun to own back then, more enjoyable than the A and a better chick magnet. Perhaps in retrospect in 1960 instead of buying the new version of Porsche the 356B roadster colour rubinrot or ruby red, I should have bought a new Healey 3000. The 1600CC Porsche had a VW sound about it unlike the zoom, zoom of the Healey. Thanks guys for your in-depth information. I still have the ignition key for the 356B with PORSCHE engraved on it, but sadly after I sold it I heard it went to the big Porsche heaven in the sky. I new a few 356A owners that also went to heaven, severe over steer and no seat belts = no chance in a crash.
@@paulhenderson8155 .........I am not sure who told you the Healey 100 had '1st gear blocked for the first few months of production' - but they were totally wrong. A 3-speed transmission [with overdrive on the top two gears] was fitted throughout the car's entire production - from 1952 until 1955. It was then replaced by the BN2 [1955 -56] which had a conventional 4-speed transmission but again with overdrive on the top two gears. Sadly, the 100/4 [BN1 & BN2] was completely phased out in 1956 to be replaced by the dreadful 100/6.
R E......from what you say, you almost certainly had a 100/4 BN1 [NOT a BN2]. The BN2 was fitted with a conventional 4-speed transmission, plus overdrive on the top two gears. [the BN1 had to have the 1st gear 'blocked off' as the gear ratio was too low and often resulted in the rear axle being ripped out!] A way to have confirmed this would have been to compare the two variants. [the BN2 had slightly larger front wheel arches, a different rear axle and was available with optional two-tone paint colour-way]. It does seem though that the dealer misled you. To be fair to the dealer - it may have been an honest mistake? There is a LOT of 'misinformation' and utter rubbish out there about the early Healey's. Probably the biggest lie is regarding the 100M!
I can tell you that the exhaust sound was like heaven. It had the grunt. You could cruise at 10mph in overdrive before dropping back. Such was the torgue.
I live in the United Kingdom. The 100M is the first car I drove on the road. I had been driving Land Rovers & an Austin Gipsy on private land since the age of 12. I had an uncle who was ‘a bit of a lad.’ I could not officially start driving on the road until I reached 17. But at 15 my uncle put me in a 100M. Stuck a cushion behind my back so I could reach the pedals and sent me off to drive on my own to the local village & back.
My favourite AH is the 100/6 with overdrive. The last AH 3000 was a real slug. Just too heavy & the engine did not rev. My late brother rallied an early 3000 with overdrive. Every day driving he used to get 21mpg. 9mpg when rallying. This is UK not US gallons.
Donald Healey was a Genius!!!
I bought a 1956 BN2 in 1958. The motor of the Healey was from the Austin A90 with 4 big ports. I think the carbs were twin SU's. Loved the Laycock-de Normanville electric overdrive and yes it could do in excess of the ton. 3 gears plus reverse as first blocked of. Change was if you were driving a left hand drive, i.e. back to front for RHD. Being second hand needed mechanical work and traded in on a new 1959 MGA. What a come down. Worst sports car I ever owned. Kept it for 12 months and traded that in on a new 1960 version Porsche 356B roadster or cabrio if you are a yank. Shame I couldn't post a pic being white with red/white GT stripe. Most unusual for the 50's.
are you sure your healey wasn't a 1952? I had a 52 with 3 speed ahead and electric overdrive. I was told that the 3 spd with 1st gear blocked out was only for the first few months of production.
You had a BN-1. The rare BN-2 had a proper 4-speed made for left-hand drive. The BN-1 had an "upside-down and backward" 3-speed because, as you said, the first gear of a transmission intended for a heavier saloon car was blocked off, and the transmission was made for right-hand drive. Very few BN-2 models were made before the 100-6 was introduced. They are among the most expensive Healeys today.
The BN-1 was 1953 and 1954. The BN-2 was in 1955. The BN-6, with the early six-cylinder engine, was in 1956.
All models after the BN-1 had proper 4-speeds, fully synchronized. Overdrive was always an option, if memory serves, though it's unusual to find one without the OD. You can also find some BN-1 cars with the first gear lockout removed, but the gear is way too short for such a light car and is virtually useless.
Thanks for you informative replies. I concur now that the Healey I owned was more than likely a BN1 but sold to me secondhand as a BN2 by the Dealer. It also explains why a supposedly a 2 year old car with 30,000 clicks developed so many faults and most likely really had 130,000 miles but the speedo wound back. I recall I paid 890 pounds for it in August 1958 and traded in in May 1959 for 975 pounds for a new 1500CC MGA. Still the Healey was great fun to own back then, more enjoyable than the A and a better chick magnet. Perhaps in retrospect in 1960 instead of buying the new version of Porsche the 356B roadster colour rubinrot or ruby red, I should have bought a new Healey 3000. The 1600CC Porsche had a VW sound about it unlike the zoom, zoom of the Healey. Thanks guys for your in-depth information. I still have the ignition key for the 356B with PORSCHE engraved on it, but sadly after I sold it I heard it went to the big Porsche heaven in the sky. I new a few 356A owners that also went to heaven, severe over steer and no seat belts = no chance in a crash.
@@paulhenderson8155 .........I am not sure who told you the Healey 100 had '1st gear blocked for the first few months of production' - but they were totally wrong. A 3-speed transmission [with overdrive on the top two gears] was fitted throughout the car's entire production - from 1952 until 1955.
It was then replaced by the BN2 [1955 -56] which had a conventional 4-speed transmission but again with overdrive on the top two gears. Sadly, the 100/4 [BN1 & BN2] was completely phased out in 1956 to be replaced by the dreadful 100/6.
R E......from what you say, you almost certainly had a 100/4 BN1 [NOT a BN2]. The BN2 was fitted with a conventional 4-speed transmission, plus overdrive on the top two gears. [the BN1 had to have the 1st gear 'blocked off' as the gear ratio was too low and often resulted in the rear axle being ripped out!]
A way to have confirmed this would have been to compare the two variants. [the BN2 had slightly larger front wheel arches, a different rear axle and was available with optional two-tone paint colour-way]. It does seem though that the dealer misled you.
To be fair to the dealer - it may have been an honest mistake? There is a LOT of 'misinformation' and utter rubbish out there about the early Healey's. Probably the biggest lie is regarding the 100M!
Donald wanted a race car BUT could never design one it was Gerry Coker 100 percent.he didn’t give any credit to Mr Coker
Enjoyed the video, but would rather have listened to the engine sound on that drive rather than the terrible music.
I can tell you that the exhaust sound was like heaven. It had the grunt. You could cruise at 10mph in overdrive before dropping back. Such was the torgue.
Super!
Tom Cruise
Actually the M came later after the 100
The M was a 100. A factory or dealer installed option package.
The 100M could no more win Le Mans than I could run a 9.9 hundred yard dash. The car Healey build for speed was the 100S.