2018-BCD

Austin-Healey
100-6
Meet Davin, OUR PARTS FINDER
“SEARCHING FOR HARD-TO-FIND PARTS
IS A LOT LIKE PEELING AN ONION. YOU GO
ONE LAYER AT A TIME AND TRY NOT TO CRY.”
CLASSIC CAR INSURANCE
800-922-4050 877-922-9701 | HAGERTY.COM | HAGERTY.CA | LOCAL AGENT
When your claim requires finding some automotive needle
in a haystack, Davin’s your man. He has one job here at
Hagerty: when a client needs a replacement part, he finds
it. And though that sometimes involves hours of searching
and frustration – maybe even a few tears – he wouldn’t
trade his job for anything in the world. It’s that kind of
passion that makes him perfect for Hagerty, and makes
Hagerty perfect for you.
Hagerty. We may sell insurance but we live classics.
BCD 38 www.BritishCarDay.com September 16, 2018 • British Car Day Programme
– 60 Years
Although the
Austin-Healey
100 (BN1) was
released in 1953, the
100-6 two-seat (BN6
model) was introduced
60 years ago in 1958. The original AH
100 was developed by Donald Healey
to be produced in-house by his small
Healey Car Company using Austin A90
Atlantic mechanicals. The 100-6 fitted
time-wise between the original Austin-
Healey 100 and the subsequent Austin-
Healey 3000, giving BMC a fifteen-year
production run with one of the first
post-war British sports cars, along with
the MGA/MGB models.
The “100” was named by Healey for the
car’s ability to reach 100 mph (160 km/h)
while the suffix 6 represented the 2,639 cc
in-line six cylinder Austin C-Series engine;
its successor, the better known Austin-
Healey 3000, was named for the 3-litre
displacement of its engine while the
original AH 100 was powered by a 2,660
cc in-line four cylinder engine.
There were two model designators
for the AH100-6, the 2+2 BN4 introduced
in 1966 and our anniversary model, the
2-seat BN6 model.
Production of
the Austin-Healey
100s was finished at
Austin’s Longbridge
plant alongside the Austin A90 and
based on fully trimmed and painted
body/chassis units produced by Jensen in
West Bromwich. In late 1957, production
was transferred from Longbridge to the
MG plant at Abingdon. A total of 14,436
100-6s were produced before production
ended in 1959.
The 100-6 featured a 2 in. longer
wheelbase than the original AH 100, the
more powerful straight-six engine and
body lines that were slightly streamlined,
including a smaller, wider radiator grille
placed lower, an air scoop added to the
bonnet, and the windscreen was fixed.
A BN6 tested by The Motor magazine
in 1959 had a top speed of 103.9 mph
(167.2 km/h) and could accelerate from
0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 10.7 seconds. Fuel
consumption of 20.8 miles per gallon (13.6
L/100 km) was recorded. The test car cost
£1,307 including taxes.
The cars used a tuned version of
the BMC C-Series engine which at first
produced 102 bhp increasing to 117 bhp
in 1957 by fitting a revised manifold and
cylinder head. An overdrive unit was an
option rather than a standard fitting.
Despite the names, the Austin-Healey
100-6 has more in common with its
subsequent sibling, the Austin-Healey
3000 than with the original Austin-
Healey 100, both mechanically and in
appearance. Together, the AH100, the
AH 100-6 and the AH3000 are referred to
as the “Big Healeys”, distinguishing them
from the smaller Austin-Healey Sprites
and Jensen Healeys. BCD
British Car Day Programme • September 16, 2018 www.BritishCarDay.com BCD 39