1957 Austin-Healey 100-6 BN4 2+2 Roadster for sale

1957 Austin-Healey 100-6 BN4 2+2 Roadster

Full restoration done by Healey Motor Works in Santa Barbara, California
Left-hand drive
Original Colorado Red exterior with original black leather 2+2 seating, black folding soft-top and green interior
Matching numbers C-series 2.6L OHV inline six-cylinder engine with twin SU H4 carburetors
Four-speed manual transmission with a Laycock electronic overdrive, 3.91 gearing and a Borg & Beck single dry-plate clutch
Hypoid bevel rear axle, Girling hydraulic drum brakes and 48-spoke wire wheels
Laminated windscreen, heater, foglights and optional, super rare cigarette lighter
Documentation includes British Motor Heritage Trust Certificate
Comes out of the Blackhawk Museum in Danville, CA

The second model of the so-called “Big Healey” triad, this roadster underwent restoration at Healey Motor Works in Santa Barbara, California. It was originally made in Longbridge, England.

Dressed in its original Colorado Red, the paint and trim are in overall very good order. The two-seater’s bodywork is solid and straight, the engine bay is extremely tidy while the car area is tidy and has another wire wheel mounted on a full-size spare within. The car’s wraparound chrome bumpers fit tightly to the body and look great. A pair of foglamps perch above the front bumpers. This example also has a laminated windscreen and a black, snap-on tonneau cover that lets the driver pilot the car solo.

Rolling on Michelin radials, size 165SR15 at every corner, each tire is mounted on a 48-spoke wire wheel. The wheels are in good, original order while the tires are in very good condition.

Underhood is a matching numbers C-series OHV 2.6L straight six-cylinder engine with dual SU H4 carburetors. This motor is married to a four-speed manual transmission with a Laycock overdrive for third and fourth gears, which makes for more relaxed driving at higher speeds. There’s also a Borg and Beck single dry-plate clutch. Out back is a hypoid bevel rear axle and Girling hydraulic drum brakes all around.

Inside, there are four seats, upholstered in black vinyl with white piping. The front buckets look great while the rear seats are ideal for children, pets or objects. The contrasting carpet is in satisfactory condition while the three-spoke, banjo-string steering wheel looks great. The instrument panel looks great, while the inner door panels are in good, original shape. One seldom-seen option on this car is the cigarette lighter. A heater and a floor-mounted shift lever completes the interior.

The blueprint for what became the Austin-Healey 100 was formed on a trip to America; as Donald Healey later recalled, “I wanted to produce a very fast everyday road car with genuine sporting characteristics, capable of 100 MPH.”

Affordability and economic maintenance were also part of the brief, and today, those same virtues are equally appealing. From 1953 to 1968, more than 90 percent of the 70,000 produced went to the U.S., yet the rugged Austin-Healey was still the quintessence of a very British sports car, acquitting itself with distinction on the car-breaking international rallies of the day and equally rewarding for fast-paced touring.

Somewhat raw and spartan in its initial four-cylinder form, the six-cylinder 100-6 BN4 of 1956 added welcome refinement. The wheelbase was lengthened by two inches to allow for occasional rear seats, weatherproofing was much improved with a fixed laminated windshield and better sealed side curtains and the comfort of the cabin was improved, with a padded dash among the enhancements.

On the exterior were lockable door handles and the styling was also tidied up with a larger oval grille and air scoop on the hood. The new, more powerful six-cylinder was more flexible and smoother, with better low-down torque.

This 1957 example features the welcome optional Laycock overdrive on third and fourth gears for relaxed high-speed touring. An unusual feature is the rare cigarette lighter. The overall appearance is pleasingly standard with painted wire wheels and a proper plastic-rimmed banjo-strung steering wheel.

Among the many highlights for the 100-6 was the time standard-bodied cars took the Manufacturers’ Team Prize at Sebring in 1958, as well as an epic 10,000-mile, four-day record run averaging 97 MPH at Montlhéry, France.

Those very same virtues that Donald Healey espoused all those years ago apply just as much today, for the brawny Healey delivers real performance in a no-nonsense package that is easier to own than many rivals.

Documentation includes British Motor Heritage Trust Certificate.

Competition to this Austin-Healey in 1957 included AC’s Ace, BMW’s 503 Cabriolet, Mercedes-Benz’s 190 SL and Porsche’s 356.

If classic British Roadsters are your cup of tea instead of an older Mazda Miata, then you need to swing by MotoeXotica Classic Cars today and check out this Austin-Healey.